Have you ever tried writing down 30 things you love about yourself? According to this book, the less you love yourself the harder it is to name 30 things. Radhika Sanghani, the author, tells her own self-improvement journey through Nina’s life, the main character of the book, who at the beginning of the book could only name two things she loved about herself. 

This rom-com starts with Nina in prison (it gets worse). She had just broken up with her FIANCÉ, and (drumroll please), it was her birthday. As the book went on, the author shows how messy Nina´s life was due to many factors that she never tried to confront. 

Don’t worry, I will not spoil any important details in case you want to read it (if I do so, I promise I will warn you beforehand). First, her brother was ill with depression, which is a recurrent subject in the book as her father suffered from the same illness and took his own life when they were little. Second, her mother was a hater. Hater might be an understatement; I actually thought it was rare how Nina was able to be strong enough to live with her mom constantly telling her all of her flaws and mistakes (there is a scene where her mom says to her face that parents do not have to like their children, it made me so mad). She was not appreciated at her work place, and her boss took advantage of her willingness to work more hours, resulting in negative social consequences for her. On top of it all, she did not have any real friendships. Her “best friend” was so self-centered that she did not realize how bad Nina’s life was at the moment. 

As I read the book, I realized how hard it can be to go through the self-improvement journey because it also means having to quit friendships or jobs, or stepping out of one’s comfort zone (depending on the person). There were three things that I found helpful from the book. Take yourself on solo dates. I found this scene hilarious and heartwarming because one could tell Nina had never done something like that. I have had plenty of self-dates because I found that they help me be more confident and learn what I like doing without anyone else´s influence, so it was fun hearing Nina start falling in love with herself for the first time. Eliminate the -2 and zeros from your life. Everyone has -2, zeros, and +2 in their lives, and the only way to be comfortable and increase one’s confidence is keeping the +2 and eliminating the rest. Finally, have a mantra (or quote, or bible verse) for whenever destructive thoughts are invading your mind. It does not have to be super deep, something simple like “I am good enough” is enough to keep ourselves away from destructive thoughts that do not allow us to grow. In addition, I enjoyed the character development that all of the characters had through the book, and how the ending leaves you satisfied knowing that as life usually goes, more things (positive and negative) will happen for Nina, her friends, and her family. 

My only problem with this book is that the author is really into astrology. I am not saying that there is something wrong with this. If you believe that there is a cosmic connection between the month we are born and our personalities, then this book might actually be enjoyable for you. Personally, I felt disconnected whenever she would use her sign to explain things that were happening to her, or excuse her actions.

I would rate this book a 6/10 because I thought it was well written, I got to know each character well, and I had fun listening to her journey. BUT I just could not connect to the astrology theme (and it was basically the main theme and reason for Nina’s self-improvement). If you are interested in listening to the audiobook, it is available at Harrisonburg’s library or the library app, Libby.