I hadn’t heard of Nate Ortiz. From how this book started, i was interested in his personal story, and looking forward to this book. It’s interesting and Nate seems approachable and knowledgeable. The audiobook is easy to listen to and I felt like I learned things, but some parts were repetitive.

3 stars

Thanks to Nate Ortiz and Audible Audio for my audiobook in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve always struggled with dealing with trauma in my life, so when I first read the synopsis of this book, I thought it would be encouraging for me. Instead, I finished the audiobook and felt like I didn’t really get everything out of it that I would have if it was a print copy. The stories that relate to the author’s life were heartfelt and vulnerable, and I’m in no way insinuating that he did a poor job of writing. My biggest issue (which felt huge to me) was with the reflection questions at the end.

Usually, I love reflection questions in a self-help book because they help me understand what I should be looking to get out of it. However, the questions didn’t work for the audiobook format. They seemed more like a list than something that could use true reflection, and I was deeply struggling with that aspect of the audiobook by the end. I wish I would’ve loved every part of the book more, but in the end it was just okay.

The YOU you Never Knew
By Nate Ortiz
Narrator by Nate Ortiz

Published March 4,2025

I wanted so bad to love this book. Nates story was very inspiring and he had a tough life from young age and overcame alot. But where it comes to being a self help book I feel like it fell short some. If someone is on a healing journey I do think it would be good for them to listen to but if you are looking for a purely self-help book this may not be it for you. He did a great job with narration and I could feel his emotions telling his story.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

The YOU You Never Knew was a very easy read. It was eye-opening in an effortless way. The author used examples from his own life experiences to explain how to rewire your brain. I'm new to the audiobook world, but I found the narrating easy to keep up with. Highly recommend to those who need help to start working on themselves.

Excellent book!

Wealth of useful and helpful information in this book. Nate Ortiz presents the information in a beautiful way to connect with his audience. There is just enough science, psychology, and rational thought that even a skeptic (which I was not) would have a difficult time doubting its validity.

Highly recommend!

This book changed the way I think about my traumas. I enjoyed the authors perspective on how having a sensitive nervous system can impact everything in your life including your health. I walked away knowing I was not broken and can be healed by taking the actionable steps to confront my traumas and change my life . Great read .

The author's story is inspiring. How, from such a young age, he found strength within to find ways to rise above abuse, generational trauma, poverty, addictions and more. That is hard stuff!!!

The self-help part of the book "the you you never knew" fell flat for me. However, it is a great book for those earlier on the healing journey. It would be great to make this book available to teens. He covers so much from calories, carbs, protein, balanced meals, to exercise, to finding your life purpose, etc

The narration was well done and easy to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I went back and forth on a rating for this book. I was able to read it early thanks to Netgalley. I am always looking for a great self help book to read in between therapy session. This one sounded great. I truly feel like it fell flat. The authors story was very captivating and the struggles he endured to get to the point in his life he is at is amazing. The part of the book covering the You you never knew though didn't really hit home for me. Then I realized it may have felt that way because I have read so many self help books. This seemed to cover everything I have already read yet all the parts of this book I have read in different books all covering those areas. That is maybe why it seemed to fall flat and gloss over everything. I have already covered these things more in depth in multiple books and through therapy. So i realized this book would really be amazing for those who are just starting their mental health journey who are just starting to look for help and ways to improve their mental health. It covers the basics and gives examples of what to do. As I sat on it I realized this book would have really resonated with me when I was first starting to read a lot of self help books and starting therapy. So I decided on a 3 star rating for it.

**Review: *The YOU You Never Knew* by Nate Ortiz**
⭐ **DNF**

I didn’t finish this one. The narrator's voice was flat and unengaging—I had to speed it up to 1.25x, then 1.75x, just to stay focused. That’s when my boyfriend pointed out that maybe I should just DNF it… and he was right.

On top of that, the content felt more like a sales pitch than a self-help book. It gave the impression that the author was using the book as a funnel to sell his courses rather than offering genuinely helpful insights. If I had finished it, it likely would’ve been a one-star read. Just not for me.

What an eye opening book to inspire and motivate. So many incredible helpful tips and steps outlined here. It will be a useful book to reference often. I’m so glad I found this useful self-help book.