I loved following Nina’s journey of self love and discovery. The cast of characters were unique and believable and I would want to be friends with all of them. While lots of positivity and affirmation are not spared, I truly paused after reading “I do not have to react to everything.” The way the sentence resonated with me had me reading more and more to see what else I could learn. Fantastic book! Endearing and entertaining. Nina is the type of character who you carry a little piece of.

This was a lovely book about self discovery and self love.

I really enjoyed following Nina as she worked to find things she loved about herself and ultimately changed her life over the course of the year. There were some things I disliked about her - she was very selfish at times and also very impulsive. I liked seeing her struggle in finding her place as an adult in her work life, social life and love life. It was nice to see her talk about how finding friendships as an adult can be challenging and how your childhood friends change.

I also enjoyed the discussion about mental health. It was a very big element of the book and be aware of an attempted suicide and suicidal ideation. I liked how Nina and her mother struggled to help her brother through his depression. It felt authentic to the challenge of breaking the taboo of speaking about the treatments.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend for anyone who is looking to get a fiction book about a self-love journey.

Thank you to Berkely Publishing Group for providing me with an early copy of 30 Things I Love about Myself

As someone who turned Thirty in 2021, I have been on the search for novels about Thirty year old characters, bonus points if it is a novel about finding themselves.
Which meant that when I came across this novel for request on Netgalley, I had to request it immediately.

Nina has just broken up with her fiancé, in a job where she isn't recognized or paid enough, and sitting in jail for protesting the rights of Immigrants in Britain. Sitting in her cell wondering where she went wrong in life, she was handed a 'self-help' novel about learning how to love oneself.

In the beginning, I thought this would be a cute little novel with a Quirky protagonist. However, not long after starting it, I knew I was wrong.

This novel is not as easy to digest due to the subject matters it tackles. Nina's father died by suicide while her older brother had to move back home due to his depression. Along with that, Nina's mother doesn't make her life any easier after her broken engagement and not having a good paying career.

The beginning of Nina's journey all the way up until 64% was not easy to read. As someone who also doesn't know what they're doing in life, feeling like a failure in more ways than one and not being able to list more than 3 things they love about themselves, it was slightly triggering at times.

This novel is not perfect, but I do think that for many people, they will pick this up and realize it is the push they need in life to love themselves and recognize that they could use being easier on themselves more.

Unfortunately, this novel didn't do it for me in the way that I hoped it would be. It made me self reflect at some points, but not to the point where I feel like also starting my own spiritual journey.

If you're looking for a story like this, I do believe you ill really enjoy following Nina on her journey and maybe deciding to also start your own.

One little reminder: an apology when you've hurt someone should not include any form of "I'm sorry" followed by 'but' or the words "if I offended you" along with making the apology about you. Just thought it would be nice to sneak in this reminder.

Another reminder: 'Remember to Love Yourself at all phases". Throwing it back to my Booktube days with this one.

⭐️3.5 STARS⭐️

Nina Mistry has hit rock bottom. Not much of a career to speak of, broken off engagement, spring a night in jail which leads her into moving back into her mother's house (who is overbearing but had me laughing at her sassyness). After coming across a self help book she begins her journey to finding who she really is. I loved watching Nina fall in love with herself. A uplifting story about learning to accept yourself and tuning out all the negative feedback that the world gives us. Prefect for those that are struggling with their own confidence. A laugh out loud story intermixed with some serious themes like racism, sexism and mental health disorders. Perfect mixture of lightheartedness and seriousness. This would make for a great book club pick as there is so much to discuss. P.S. I'd love to see a follow novel with Rupa as the main character.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange for honest review.

Alright, in a world where we are finally opening up about mental health and the importance of self-care, I feel like this book is so needed! Nina goes on quite the journey from sitting a jail cell after a break up to being a self-loving successful 30-year-old. I was right there along with her, and I spent a lot of time thinking about myself and ways that I can love myself more.

The premise of this story is a woman who follows the advice of a self-help book over 12 months and challenges herself to find 30 things she loves about herself. In the process she goes through awful downs and amazing highs, and finds ways to handle all of them.

I teared up a few times throughout the story, so be prepared for some emotional moments! There is a wonderful view of the importance of family and friends (old and new). I loved seeing how Nina’s relationships evolved with so many people. The story is a beautiful journey that is inspiring, and I really enjoyed it.

Content warnings on this one: Suicide, loss of a parent, depression, and there’s a lot of discussion about self-love in the bedroom if that makes you uncomfortable.

A positive read with some solid writing. I give this book 4/5 stars. I will recommend this to the right patron or friend.

30 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF by Radhika Sanghani is an engaging story of self-reflection and discovering what is really important in life. Nina is at a crossroads as she hits her thirtieth birthday. Her career as a freelance journalist is not working out the way she’d hoped, she has just broken up with her fiancé and she has recently had to move back in with her very traditional Indian mother and her depressed older brother. Even her good friends no longer make time for her. A chance event lands Nina in jail on the night of her birthday. With nothing to do and no one to call, she settles in with a left-behind book called How to Fix Your Shitty Life by Loving Yourself. Little does she know that reading that book will change her life forever. She vows to spend the next year finding thirty things she loves about herself. Nina’s subsequent journey is relayed with wit and humor. Many difficult topics are tackled, but it is done in a heartfelt and compassionate way. Although not entirely relatable for me personally, I enjoyed this thought-provoking story and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review and early copy.

I loved Virgin and was really looking forward to reading more from Sanghani. The concept of this book was top notch. A woman turning thirty whose life was in flux was determined to find thirty things to love about herself by her next birthday. I am always up for a journey of self-discovery, and this one started out strong, however, as Nina's life headed to rock bottom, the story lost a lot of its luster for me. I understand Nina needed to bottom-out as part of her journey, but it was so depressing and repetitive. I fully appreciated the message of this book, though, but it probably had a bit too much drama for me.

This was an easy and light read about a 30 year old Indian woman, Nina, learning to love herself. After a breakup with her fiancé, she has to move back in with her mother. Her older brother is clinically depressed and also lives with the mother. Nina is close with her family but it's not without her mom being nitpicky about her lifestyle and choices. I thought the relationship Nina had with her family was very realistic. The story loops in Nina helping her family with their problems-- supporting her brother's mental health, and encouraging her mother to start dating again after years from their father's passing. Nina also spends a lot of time with friends-- meeting new people as well as dealing with some issues of old friends.

There really isn't much romance in this book. It does have a strong message of loving yourself, so perhaps a strong romantic plot or subplot would take away from that. There's a lot of drama in Nina's family and friend life though, so you can certainly be kept interested throughout the whole story. I do think the point of this book is that life isn't always perfect, but you can learn to love yourself through all it's ups and downs. In the end, this isn't a book I'd normally pick up, but it was pretty enjoyable. I'd recommend if you typically enjoy contemporary women's fiction, and/or you would like one with no focus on romance.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

30 Things I Love About Myself by Radhika Sanghani is something I wouldn’t usually choose to read but I absolutely enjoyed this book, I feel everyone woman has a point in their life where they choose to reevaluate themselves. This story was uplifting, heart warming, and real. Addressing current things happening with regards to social media and current societal attitudes hits home! I put my stamp of approval on this story for a feel good read.

On her thirtieth birthday, Nina is at a loss about what she wants out of life. She knows that she doesn't want to marry her fiance even though he's safe. She also wants to make a living as a freelance writer. Nina comes across a self-help book about loving yourself. After trying to make a list of thirty reasons why she loves herself and failing makes her realize that she doesn't love herself and decides to take time to change this.

Nina's struggle with self-love was a joy to read. Sometimes, she has everything figured out but then is thrown through a loop that makes it hard to say one positive thing about herself. There was struggle and growth throughout the book.

I liked the family dynamic. Even though her mother could be annoyed, she was still entertaining. I liked how the book didn't downplay her brother's mental health problems and was very clear that it won't just go away.

In the end, she seems to plateau and become tedious. She is also is a little naive when it comes to her job. She's a freelance writer. She has to sell herself, yet she gives up on social media. If she had another career, this would be very healthy. But freelance writers have to sell themselves. Audiences have to want to follow you and your work.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I liked it, I thought it was a nice story about learning to accept yourself the way you are. Too many times stories are centered around a romantic partner so it was refreshing to read about loving yourself!

30 Things I Love About Myself is a book every thirty-something person (not just women) should read. In fact, every person should go through and make a list chronicling all the things they love about themselves. It certainly has inspired me to sit down and really start thinking about it as I head into my 36th year.

Nina's character is incredibly relatable. She's funny, she's down to earth, and you will witness her evolution as a person through the whole book. The book tackles many topics including depression and mental health, suicide, race, social justice, and LGBTQ. Radhika tackles the topics with grace, humor (when needed) and as a whole, it's a wonderfully written book.

I highly recommend you check out this fabulous book when it's available!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5 stars

When Nina spends her 30th birthday alone crying in a jail cell she finds herself at a crossroads and the only book available, How to Fix Your Shitty Life By Loving Yourself becomes her guide. She gives herself a year to find 30 things she loves about herself. But it might not be as easy as she thinks because her life seems to be falling apart - she's living with her her mother and depressed older brother, her friends have no time for her, and her career is not what she expects. Nina spends the year finding out about herself, what is truly important, and the things she loves about herself.

There are at least 30 things to love about this book! It's all the satisfaction of a classic chick lit, married (pun intended) with serious issues of mental health, family dynamics, and self-growth. Nina is a perfectly imperfect heroine whose journey is filled with grace and compassion. There are no villains in this story, just people making mistakes and trying to do better.
Shout out to a top notch dedication too!

On her 30th birthday, after spontaneously participating in a peaceful demonstration, Nina finds herself under arrest and spending a night in jail. A kindly policeman gives her a book, which turns out to be a self-help book about loving yourself. Nina takes it to heart, determined to spend the upcoming year discovering 30 things she loves about herself. She has her challenges, because her life is basically falling apart. But, she perseveres in this fun, lighthearted story that gains added depth with some serious themes about mental health and acceptance.

This book was so sweet and hilarious and heartfelt - I mean, who hasn’t wanted to love themselves more at one point or another? This is basically a romantic comedy, but instead of falling in love with some random dude, the main character focuses on herself and her friendships and ends up falling in love with herself. It was a fun journey and one I’m glad to have gone on.

What Nina says about how hard it is to find friends in your twenties is so freaking relatable! I loved Nina and reading about her journey.

The book was a fun read and I would recommend it. There were times while I was reading the book that I found quite funny and silly. It got me thinking as to whether I could come up with a list of 30 things to love about myself. It's a mishmash of a rom-com and self-help wisdom combined into one.

This will be a perfect new year, new me read for all the self-improvers, self-haters and self-questionners out there! And honestly, isn’t that all of us?

Our heroine is Nina, or Nins, a just-turned 30 British Indian woman who, after a sleepless night in jail, starts a journey to self-love. Her life falls apart multiple times in the course of the year and honestly I’m a little frightened for what lays ahead, but I know Nina, who is phenomenal, brave and honest with herself, will make it through fabulously.

Despite all the shame, the tears and the sleepless nights it’s a beautiful journey. I’m drawn to the metaphor of a caterpillar who gets into its cocoon, all gooey and icky and comes out a beautiful butterfly when I think of Nina’s story.

It’s a great story, very relatable in so many ways and I think the author hit the nail on the head about so many things. One of the themes of the book that was important for me was about friendship, more specifically new adult friendships. Nina is clinging to friendships with school friends who are in different places and life spaces than she, and although it hurts, it proves positive for Nina to look elsewhere for companionship and she finds bosom friends in return. These friends support Nina in her new life and journey, rather than clinging to what was.

That said, a late-moment friendship revival is a nice way to see part of the story come to a close, but I felt like it wasn’t genuine and I worried about Nina when perhaps I should have finally felt at ease. Maybe that’s me being paranoid about end-of-story back stabbing or public humiliations (which still happened but for other reasons – read the book!)!

I also believe strongly that Nina’s journey has a profound impact on those around her and I’d have liked to see a bit more of that – maybe there’s a sequel in the works! I do recognize that this is Nina’s story though – so I respect that it focuses on her.

I also like how the author incorporated astrology and the star signs into the book’s divisions as well as the content and storyline. As if Brian is into astrology!?

A solid 4☆ because the author challenges us to get through the rough patches with Nina, cringing and grimacing as she faces another letdown, another humiliation, another loss – and we’re rewarded with the promise of better things for Nina in the future (thank goodness!).

Would this even be a review if I asked you if you could come up with a list of 30 things you love about yourself? I can’t on the spot, but this book has certainly got me thinking that I can probably do it – and deserve to! I just hope I don’t have to spend a night in jail to kick start the adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the ARC!