Note to Self...

by Alison Nancye

If you have ever wanted to get lost in a novel and be inspired to live a better life as a result, Note to Self is that book. This story offers readers hope and inspiration in the form of a fictional woman's journey and insightful empowerment advice shared by people that the lead character meets in her travels. Note to Self is a clever combination of fictional content and self-improvement steps that readers will highlight and reread, possibly motivating them to go on their own quest to pursue their dreams and live a life they truly love. The story is told through the voice of the lead character, Beth Matthews, who finally cracks up on a Sydney street and a voice inside her exploding mind tells her to go to Peru. She does what any single 39-year-old woman who hates her life would do—she listens. After all, life couldn't get any worse. Part Eat Pray Love , part O Magazine , Note to Self is a story about one woman who finds herself, just when she thought she was lost.

254 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Isobel]

I picked this book up at a friend's house. While the premise sounded promising I just couldn't get into the story. The book was full of superficial and superfluous description, which meant nothing actually happened in the story for pages and pages at a time. By the end I was so bored I no longer cared what happened to the characters. While the 'note to self' comments were cute, they were hardly life changing. I was also told this book was being turned into a film. I'm not sure if this is true but I sincerely hope it goes through a major rewrite/edit first.

[Mary Wilde]

This was awful.

[Heather Spergel]

This terrific book takes the reader on Beth's journey as she becomes tired of her life being ordinary and mundane and full of chaos. She finds a way to travel to a magnificent place and the reader travels with her. With a bird's eye view of her thoughts, I found myself taking notes and "dog-earing" pages of this book to review later. At one point, I was afraid the writer, Alison Nancye, would take an upsetting plot turn. Then I felt my tension ease as this expert writer wound the plot to an ending I LOVED.

[Ingrid Davidsen]

I loved many things about this book: the journey Beth took, both physically and mentally ... the romance and excitement of her travels (not to mention some great, fun sex scenes) ... the refreshing way of re-telling the time-honored tale of a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Most of all, I loved the little 'notes to self' at the end of each chapter. They enabled me to get some extra life reminder bangs for the buck while I enjoyed a good read. Kudos to Australian author Alison Nancye!

[Jane]

Unfortunately this book was very disappointing. I was drawn to it thinking it would be like Eat Pray Love, but it definitely wasn't. The characters were really cliched and the story was too long and waffled on. It's a shame because the 'note to self' idea is good but it's just really badly done.

[Sharon]

A very inspiring book. I could not put it down. Will look forward to rereading and working with 'Recipes for Everyday Life'.

Thank you for opening my eyes.