Within the last year, I’ve become a real book worm.

If you told me two years ago that I would learn to enjoy reading, I would have laughed. I always thought reading was a complete waste of time. It made me yawn, fight the urge to check my phone every 20 seconds, and eventually start thinking about the list of shit I should be doing instead… so I would close my book and save it for another day… or year.

Then I started thinking how much time I spent on my phone. How much time I would spend mindlessly scrolling instagram, double tapping photos, and wishing I could have “that” body or travel to “that” place or take “that” cute of a photo.

Once I would put my phone down, I would turn back to the reality of my life.. a reality that didn’t match the lives of those I scrolled on Instagram for the last few hours.

I started to look inward – turns out I do have time to read. It was time to train my millennial-self to let go of social media and live in the present.

Books were the best starting point.

They not only have so much valuable information, but they are so incredibly therapeutic. There’s no better feeling than the feeling of not wanting to put down a book because it’s that good.

So here are the books I have read in the last year that were soooo good, I couldn’t put down.

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Self help books can be a little exhausting and repetitive. However, not this book. Rachel Hollis doesn’t pretend like her life is perfect and doesn’t make you feel like you’re doing it all wrong. In fact, she shares all of the messiness and the lessons she has learned from the chaos of her life. She’s relatable, which makes this self-help book unlike others. Each chapter she deconstructs a lie she thought about herself. I felt more confident and accepting of myself after reading this book.

A beautifully written fictional story. I mean Reese Witherspoon’s production company is making a movie out of it so you know it’s good! This book stirred up so many emotions – I started crying when it ended. The end is a HUGE plot twist – like mind-blowing, guys!

The first book I read that kickstarted my love for reading. Present over Perfect is the perfect reminder to live an intentional and connected life, rather than a busy and fast-paced lifestyle. I read this book when I was deep in my depression and damn did it help me find my purpose. If you’re doing some soul-searching, this book will help you learn so much about yourself.

I could read this book over and over and over again. The love story isn’t like any other. I felt so connected to the characters. If you just want to get lost in a book for hours, you have to read Redeeming Love.

I 100% believe every twenty-something should read this book. I’m half way through it, but I’m already recommending it to everyone I know because it has so much valuable info. Meg Jay encourages twenty somethings to get your life going in your 20’s so you can avoid feeling lost in your 30’s or 40’s. If you want to set your life up for success, you should read this book.

What books are you loving as of late?! I’m dying for a new good book!

P.S. Check out my Girl’s Starter Kit to Podcasts here.