I wasn't able to get fully into this book and kept meaning to read more. What I have read is very uplifting and I loved it. I can see this being a great gift to buy yourself to help yourself out or gifting to a friend.

In You Matter, Matthew Emerzian shares personal stories, suggested activities, journal prompts, and conversation starters to help you understand how much you and your actions matter. Some of the stories resonated with me more than others, but overall, I found this an inspiring read. I particularly enjoyed some of the inspirational quotes included throughout the text.

To get the most from this book, you need to allow plenty of time to try the suggested activities. Some may feel quite challenging, and others are good fun. I loved the suggestion to memorize an uplifting theme song and sing it often.

Try this if you enjoy introspection and are seeking to live with more meaning and joy.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

You Matter is a self-help book on understanding your own worthy, valuing your uniqueness, and finally realizing all you have to offer the world. It is divided into three different sections; "I Matter," "You Matter," and "We Matter." At the end of each chapter, the reader will find exercises, journal prompts and conversation starters that will help with fully grasping who and what truly makes the reader happy.

This book and its stories made me smile, laugh, cry, dream, and above all else believe in myself. It is definitely up there on my list of favourite self-help books I have read over the years. I felt a connection to the message this book is conveying and felt I could relate. After a rough 2019, this book allowed me to see a clearer vision of the intentions I outlined for 2020 of living a more fulfilling life and practicing gratitude. I want to live my life, and so this book helped me to realize how to align with what matters in my life. Too many of us stand on the sidelines and watch life pass us by. There were also lots of realizations about human nature, as we often turn the other cheek and avoid seeing things. But we need to actually be the change. In my opinion, this book is superbly put together, and is written in layman's terms, so that anyone can relate.

"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will mater is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matter doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstances but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters." - Michael Josephson

I would recommend this book everyone! However, especially to those doubting their place in the world. I specifically think the exercises, prompts and conversation starters are all super helpful and an added bonus to this. Sometimes we may not like the answers, but that is all part living a fulfilling life.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy a good self help book as much as the next person, but unfortunately this was more of a memoir, and more of a "here are things that I have done in my life that don't really relate to self help". I found the stories not very engaging and go more and more off topic throughout the book.

Most of the book can be summed up in "spend time with other people and make them feel like they matter, and then you will feel like you matter".

I did like that he had practical tips and challenges at the end of each chapter, but overall this was not what I was hoping from for this book.

You Matter is about learning about how to love yourself, but also about loving others. I enjoy reading self-help books like these, not because I necessarily need a self-help book, but because I like learning new ways to better myself and how to better treat others. I say ‘these type of self-help books’ because they are not just about bettering yourself, you also get to learn about how the author figured out all the things they are trying to teach you. You get to learn about them and why they want to share what they have learned.

Each chapter of this book has one or two stories from the author, a way to take action, a journal prompt, and a conversation starter. The stories he tells about himself and the things he’s been through help you better understand what each chapter is about. The author gives you ways to help you take action and help others take action toward taking steps towards bettering yourself. Each journal prompt makes you think and dig deep into yourself. The conversation starters help you to include others in your journey.

I enjoyed learning about Matthew Emerzian very much. He talks about all the people that have changed his life and the lives that he has changed. He talks a lot about his wife and their marriage. The main thing he talks about the most is how it’s not about us, it’s about loving ourselves through loving others and I think that’s beautiful.

I highly recommend this book, whether you think you need it or not.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Essentials for an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very hands on action based book on living out your purpose. Well written and very readable. He writes honestly of his struggles and his path to finding his true self by helping others do the same.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

You Matter was a different sort of book than what I'm normally into. BUT, I wanted to give it a shot.

While the topic is truly important... You DO matter.. you DO have a reason to be here. The book just fell flat.. and I don't think it would truly help anyone in their time of need.

Before I get to my review, I want to say you truly do matter. If at times where you don't feel like you do reach out and get help. it could be as simple as making a phone call to a friend or family member or you can call the national suicide line at 1800-27308255. They also have an online chat option if you don't want to speak to someone. You can find out more information here on their website https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/ . The crisis text line is also a great resource. Just text HOME to 741741.


Now as for this book here's my opinion. Pros : the author talks about his experiences and shares advice. Cons : it's just like any other self help book and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is going through hard times. Now with that said, don't let this stop you from reading this book. Everyone has their own opinions :) I am glad I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I think that the best thing about this book is its title. I recommend that if you are browsing self-help books and this book sparks your interest that you purchase the print copy, rather than the kindle version. The whole purpose of this book is in its title: You matter. The author constantly reminds his audience of this phrase. I have not read many self-help books like this, so I don't know if repetition is common for this this type of book (personally, I was not a big fan of it). But I recommend the print version because then you will get that visual/phrase "you matter"... even if you don't even read the book! I read the kindle version of this book, but I think I would have enjoyed this book better in print.

I generally enjoyed the positive outlook that the author, Matthew Emerzian, has on life that he is trying to push on to his readers ('push' sounds negative, but I feel this is really an accurate way to phrase it. It's why I don't like repetition!)

Part memoir/ part self-help, this book asks us to think about what makes us unique. It talks about finding value in helping others. It talks about how everyone comes to their path of life differently, and how it is important to embrace it. The highlight of this book was reading about the relationships between people and considering how I can incorporate more positive interactions with others in my life as well.

People who are looking for a journaling/self-reflective approach will really enjoy this book. I was not looking for this, and honestly spent only a few minutes on each prompt before moving on. I enjoyed many of the author's stories, but since this is part memoir, it felt like a lot of the "you matter" stories ended up as the author's way of saying "I matter."

There were a few stories that rubbed me the wrong way. For one, the author talks about befriending an autistic man at his local swimming pool and how this man made such an impression on him. From his story, it sounds like they lost contact after the author moved- but it also sounded like their relationship started by text message, and that he should have been able to reach out before including the story in his book. It's probably weird of me to nit-pick at stories since Emerzian is using them to prove his points. At the same time, as a reader we only get these brief interactions and I wanted to know, "...but what happened to that person? What happened to the relationship later? What about those people you only met briefly and now claim to have a better life?"

I would consider this book a 3.5 rounded down to a 3- I definitely think that a book like this can inspire others to be better, which makes it an important read, but it wasn't the type of book I enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a nice, general, self help book. I love this genre, and read it regularly. Although I wasn’t particularly inspired by this book, there were nuggets of wisdom in there. This book wasn’t written specifically for parents, but I found the reminder that “giving our attention is the greatest form of generosity”, to be an excellent reminder with my children. I also loved the advice that “to have a friend, you have to be a friend”. This was a really helpful way to encourage my daughters to build relationships. Overall, this book was not earth shattering, but it covers the basics of being a good human.

I enjoyed this book. Not utterly life changing but there were definitely some aspects that I will be able to incorporate into my daily life.

I was able to read You Matter for free from Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You Matter is a quick read that will make you think about your life.  This book is about realizing how much you matter to the world and then taking that realization out into the world and making it about the world and the people in it.  The book is divided into three main parts: I matter, you matter and we matter.  It shows the power of friendship and living authentically. I enjoyed "You Matter"! I'm grateful to St.Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader's digital copy.

I feel like 2019 was the year of the self help book! I enjoyed this title. This was the first self help book I binge read nonstop! I usually stop after a chapter but not with this book.

Self help books are hit or miss for me. I either find them incredibly dull or deeply engaging. This is the first self help book I have read in a while that I couldn't put down. I love the positive vibes throughout the book about how to make your mark in this world by doing what you can because you matter! Part memoir- I enjoyed the bits about the author's life- both about people have helped him in some way or people he has helped in some way, and it seems like these meetings always seem to end into friendships. Mr. Emerzian shows us through various stories of his how we can make differences in small ways by something as simple as striking up a conversation with a stranger in a Starbucks, as well as to search within ourselves for what comes naturally to us and use that to contribute to the world. I absolutely love the message behind this book. I recommend it to anyone trying to find their place in this world.

Solid 4,5 stars (it was a 5 stars book until the last few chapters of the book, where I felt the anecdotes and stories were shorter and less inspiring - maybe the author was running out of space and didn't have the time to go as in depth as before).

This book is utterly inspiring, every time I read it, it brought me a sense of joy to be alive and to be able to experience the world. It calls for action, both internally and externally. And it gives hope, and faith that a better world is possible.

I have to admit that I haven't been doing the journal exercises at the same time I read the book, but most of the prompts (if not all) were great. I definitely will be writing in my journal with that inspiration for a while, and thus I'll be keeping the energy of the book alive!

I recommend it for anyone who wants to feel grateful to be human and alive, for anyone who cares about the world and needs to hear other people care, too. And for anyone wanting to discover why they matter, why all of us matter - for the right reasons.

This is a great book about realizing how much you matter to the world and then taking that realization out into the world and making it about the world and the people in it. it is broken down into 3 sections that allows a focus on each step of the process. The realization that came to to the author is told in small stories and then brought around to make his point effectively. A good book on your place in this world.

You Matter is a manifesto of self-esteem & call to action for people to find their meaning and live fully and to change the world while doing so. The book is set up into three sections - "I Matter", "You Matter" and "We Matter", with journal prompts, exercises and conversation starters to help you dive deeper.

The message of this book is clear - You Matter and you need to hear it and hear it often. This book was very helpful for me as a person with anxiety. I related to it. The author's stories are really great for explaining his thought process behind the book. It's definitely a memoir and a self-help book in one. It's well written and an all around great book. I'll be buying a hard copy of it on release day!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If Brent from The Good Place ever wrote a self-help book instead of a Chip Driver mystery, it might turn out something like this one. It's more of a memoir about writing a different self-help book and starting a "movement." Actually, it sounds like the author and another person and also the author's dad came up with a list of ideas based on the author's therapist's advice, and published it as Every Monday Matters. When a reader of that book assists someone contemplating suicide, the author says, "I never dreamed of writing a book, let alone one that would literally save somebody’s life." Way to take allll the credit there, brah.

Further off-putting moments occur when he brags about knowing the Kardashians and how many TED events he's done. He writes at length about a young man with autism he met through swimming, who needed frequent reassurance that they were friends; he then says he hasn't talked to him in three years. But apparently feels comfortable using his story for the book without permission?

Here's the quote that made me annotate "Oh no he didn't" in my Kindle and start skimming:
'The more we judge others, the more we believe others must be doing the same thing to us. So we have created this false sense of always being judged, which only pulls us away from our authentic selves. Sorry, women, you really have this down to an art.'

There are frequent promises that the book is going to convince you that you matter, only to resume telling you the author's life story, with some journal prompts tacked on the end of each chapter. Unless you're doing field research on narcissists, there are likely better books out there for you.

Thank you net galley for ability to have an advance copy

You Matter is a quick read. It is a hybrid memoir/self help.
The author recommends to maintain a journal throughout, there are prompts at the end of each segment for clarity or thought.

Well thought out and put together

For full disclosure, I did not finish this whole book word for word. I read enough of each section to get an idea, and then skimmed the rest.

I think this book would be enjoyed by many people, but I am not one of those people. The self-help market is getting increasingly saturated with these "love yourself"-"mindfulness"-"overcoming the stress of the modern world" books, and this one just didn't do much for me.

While I appreciate that the author wanted to draw inspiration from his life to help others, it felt like he also wanted to be writing a memoir. The book became a mashup of personal anecdotes along with loosely tied together advice.

I did really like the idea that the end of each chapter has a prompt to help you reflect and even journal about your own experiences, it wasn't enough to make up for the boredom I was feeling.