Goodbye Good Girl, Hello Me: Becoming a woman who likes herself

by Kasey Edwards

A Good Girl is acutely aware of everyone’s emotional state. Except her own.

She was praised for not being difficult like other girls.

She must never get too big for her boots and must always be grateful. So damn grateful.

She masks her own needs, dreams and fears so thoroughly that she loses herself.

Until one day her smile falters, her serenity cracks and a tiny, long-forgotten voice dares to whisper, 'What about me?'

And then all hell will break loose.

Kasey Edwards, bestselling author of Raising Girls Who Like Themselves, has helped thousands of families bring up kids to believe in themselves. She decides it’s time to apply her research and strategies to herself.

Her journey of learning to like herself unpicks the worth-crushing beliefs taught to girls.

But it’s not just Kasey’s story. It’s about all of us.

Raw, irreverent and deeply relatable, Kasey dares to voice what many women think but few say out loud.

This poignant memoir will confirm what you’ve long suspected — that you deserve more. And it will show you how to rediscover who you were always meant to be. Then you too can say, 'Goodbye good girl, hello me.'

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*


‘A Good Girl is acutely aware of everyone’s emotional state. Except her own.’


Kasey Edwards, bestselling author of Raising Girls Who Like Themselves, has decided the time has come to apply all she has learned to her own adult wellbeing. She has created short, sharp chapters - basically a life checklist of beliefs - that she uses to help her along the path of self fulfilment. Kasey hopes that if you are one of the many … many … females who struggle to like themselves, her own personal quest will in turn inspire you.

The book is easy to read with Kasey’s list of beliefs including some of the following:

- deserving to be loved by someone who not only considers your needs, opinions, ambitions but also views them as valuable as their own.
- Body confidence must not base identity and self-worth on external measures.
- Not everyone is going to like me and that’s okay.
- Choosing your own definition of success and wealth.
- The only person who gets to decide if I’m enough is me.


“Despite the messages you may have received telling you otherwise, you are not a bystander in your own life. You are the author, the hero and the guiding force.”

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO many ahhhah moments! I felt like I was sitting down for a coffee with the wisest friend! Who wants to live life with a beautiful pearl necklace chocking you or as a second rate banana? This will be the memoir you buy for your sisters and girlfriends and nieces and colleagues and….it’s so powerful
Thank you so much to Penguin for me gifted copy, I’ll absolutely be paying this forward

[Alison McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars 🌟

I don’t normally read books like these but I thought this one could help me be a better parent, especially to my daughter.

Almost DNF’d when she spoke about love languages but I am glad she ripped it to shreds as well as all the other bullshit self help books that tells women to take all the crap men give them.

“Don’t marry a cunt.” 🤣🤣💯🤣

Whilst this book didn’t have anything I didn’t already talk about with my female friends, it was interesting to read some parts where I was not alone with shitty husband behaviours.

It was more information rather than instructions on how to help.

[Tania Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hits many raw nerves as I start to read it. At first I thought it was a bit cliche but then I realised this is me and a lot of her stories were hitting me harder than I expected. It’s an easy book to read but a tiring read at the same time because I was deeply affected by some of the truths within. A wise person (my beautiful daughter) told me not to try to read it all in one go and a chapter a day was plenty to read and think about. Great advice and once I did this I enjoyed picking it up and reading it. A book I feel I need to buy and highlight paragraphs for future re-reading.

[real life panda yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and I rate it five stars because this book felt too personal, and it also deeply inspired me to change my beliefs. I now realise my “pearl necklaces” that I have accumulated in my 20 smtg years of life which I did not realise before reading this book. I can’t thank this author enough because I honestly can’t recall the last time I’ve felt this heard and seen through just reading a book. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this book on the shelf when i was just randomly browsing for books in the library.

My biggest takeaway:

“For years I have waited and hoped for someone or something to come along and fix my life and declare me worthy. I thought I needed to be saved and I looked outside of myself for that saviour. I wanted healing to be done to me and I thought If I could just find the right person to do the right thing, at the right time, I could be well. But that belief was actually the biggest hurdle I needed to overcome”.

“You can’t think the way I tell you to, you have to think the way YOU tell you to”.

“I deserve to be loved by someone who genuinely thinks that my needs, opinions, ambitions and time are as valuable as theirs”.

Goodbye good girl, hello me :)

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Goodbye Good Girl, Hello Me by Jennifer Kaalund

Reading Goodbye Good Girl, Hello Me was a truly thought-provoking experience. It made me reflect deeply on how we, as women, are shaped from such a young age by society’s unspoken rules—be polite, be pretty, don’t speak too loudly, don’t take up too much space. So much of our early identity is built around being “good” in ways that serve others, not ourselves.

This book challenged all of that. It gave voice to the silent pressures so many of us have carried and offered a powerful reminder that we have the right to rewrite our stories. For me, it marks the beginning of a new chapter—one where I let go of who I was told to be and embrace who I truly am.

There’s something incredibly freeing about claiming your space, your voice, your boundaries. This book didn’t just inspire me—it validated feelings I’ve carried for years and made me realize that stepping into my full self isn’t just okay, it’s necessary.

[Jade Divac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. I felt like I was reading about myself as I went through it. I related on so many levels - Kasey absolutely nailed the good girl complex. This was an enthralling mix of memoir and “self-help” / advice on how to work past being a good girl, fueled by her own struggles and experience to become authentically herself. Kasey is never going to sell a self-help scheme of “It’s so easy if you just follow these simple rules.” She’s real about her struggles and the very real cons of self-denial that come from trying to put everyone but yourself first. I will recommend this book to all the “‘good girls” or recovering good girls I know. Kasey, thank you for this gem.

[Michelle T Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasnt sure about this book when I first started, but I persisted and I'm glad I did. This resonated with me so deeply. I normally don't highlight on my kindle, but I did in this book - A LOT ! A great reminder to be true to yourself and stop being a doormat for everyone else's needs. Good solid advice backed up by data and lived experiences to reinforce a message. A good positive read - will probably read again in a few months when I need a reminder.

[Hutch Hussein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking and interesting read about how we are socialised as women. Great tips for raising daughters and nieces.

[Chelsea Lawer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf 2hrs into audiobook