30 Things I Love About Myself

Score: 4/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to Berkley and Penguin Random House Audio for gifting me review copies of 30 Things I Love About Myself by Radhika Sanghani.

I really loved this book. It was funny, and heartbreaking, hopeful, and real. The main character, Nina, is a British Indian woman who is basically a hot mess. She finds herself spending the night in jail on her 30th birthday and after begging for something to read is given the perfect book at the perfect time to start changing her outlook. When struggling to come up with five things she likes about herself, let alone a whole list, she decides it’s time to start falling in love with herself. The story is about self-discovery, but it’s also about family, relationships, mental health, friendship, racism and so much more.

The author has a really dry sense of humor that I absolutely loved, and I laughed and cried my way through this book in equal measure. It was just the book I needed in January to help get the year off to a good start.

The author narrated the audiobook as well, and as a general rule I don’t love that. But in this case I’ll make an exception because she did a fabulous job. It’s just over 10 and a half hours long, and a gosh-darn delight to listen to. You can download the audiobook here, or grab a physical copy via the button below.

Now tell me, could you list 30 things you love about yourself, off the top of your head?

Synopsis:

When a British Indian woman's life hits rock bottom, she decides to change her stars by falling in love...with herself--a hilarious, heartfelt story from outrageously funny novelist Radhika Sanghani.

Nina didn't plan to spend her thirtieth birthday in jail, yet here she is in her pajamas, locked in a holding cell. There's no Wi-Fi, no wine, no carbs--and no one to celebrate with.

Unfortunately, it gives Nina plenty of time to reflect on how screwed up her life is. She's just broken up with her fiancé, and now has to move back into her childhood home to live with her depressed older brother and their uptight, traditional Indian mother. Her career as a freelance journalist isn't going in the direction she wants, and all her friends are too busy being successful to hang out with her.

Just as Nina falls into despair, a book lands in her cell: How to Fix Your Shitty Life by Loving Yourself. It must be destiny. With literally nothing left to lose, Nina makes a life-changing decision to embark on a self-love journey. By her next birthday, she's going to find thirty things she loves about herself.