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I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose & Embracing Reinvention
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26"An inspiring roadmap to navigating life's challenges with grace, grit, and a refusal to settle for anything less than your worth." –Chelsea Handler, comedian and #1 bestselling author
Beloved actress, designer, and entrepreneur Jennie Garth opens up in this fiercely honest book about pursuing happiness, aging with confidence, and learning to love and prioritize yourself.
Jennie Garth is best known for playing the iconic role of Kelly Taylor in the hit television series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Now in her 50s, she invites readers into the real story of growing up on screen, facing Hollywood’s impossible beauty standards, and losing—and finding—herself through heartbreak, loss, and the challenge of motherhood. She shares the raw truths of the moments that broke her open and shows the resilience it takes to walk through grief and begin again.
Jennie writes with warmth and candor about learning to quiet the voice that says “not enough,” rediscovering her strength after loss, and daring to take up space, speak her truth, and want more. She opens up about the unglamorous, deeply human moments and finally letting go of the need for perfection and other people’s approval.
Through personal stories, practical advice, and the wisdom earned through her own hard lessons, Jennie lights a path back to self-love and clarity. I Choose Me is for anyone who’s ever felt lost in their roles, struggling to give themselves permission to ask, “What do I want now?” It’s an invitation to honor your own journey, embrace self-care, and believe with compassion that choosing yourself is the bravest, kindest thing you can do.
Beloved actress, designer, and entrepreneur Jennie Garth opens up in this fiercely honest book about pursuing happiness, aging with confidence, and learning to love and prioritize yourself.
Jennie Garth is best known for playing the iconic role of Kelly Taylor in the hit television series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Now in her 50s, she invites readers into the real story of growing up on screen, facing Hollywood’s impossible beauty standards, and losing—and finding—herself through heartbreak, loss, and the challenge of motherhood. She shares the raw truths of the moments that broke her open and shows the resilience it takes to walk through grief and begin again.
Jennie writes with warmth and candor about learning to quiet the voice that says “not enough,” rediscovering her strength after loss, and daring to take up space, speak her truth, and want more. She opens up about the unglamorous, deeply human moments and finally letting go of the need for perfection and other people’s approval.
Through personal stories, practical advice, and the wisdom earned through her own hard lessons, Jennie lights a path back to self-love and clarity. I Choose Me is for anyone who’s ever felt lost in their roles, struggling to give themselves permission to ask, “What do I want now?” It’s an invitation to honor your own journey, embrace self-care, and believe with compassion that choosing yourself is the bravest, kindest thing you can do.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 14, 2026
7 people are currently reading
513 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 31, 2025
What an amazing book to end the year on! Thank you to my friends at harlequin trade publishing/ the hive for advanced copy. I was expecting this book to be a memoir going into it but soon realized it’s a bit of a mix between a memoir and self help. I was not sure that the mix would flow well but it did! I especially enjoyed the memoir aspect of it and learning more about her life. I really enjoyed her on What I Like About You and knew her from 90210, but admittedly, did not know much about her outside of that! I am always weary about self help type books but feel very inspired by this book. I found myself self reflecting and taking notes all through this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected eproof ARC of 'I Choose Me' by Jennie Garth - expected release date of 04/14/2026
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's really brave when someone puts their life story out to the public, especially when they don't hold back and cover the good, bad, and ugly. This book did have some of that but overall, it was more of a trip down her self help journey than a memoir. Felt that it was a little long and repetitive at times but there definitely were some good takeaways. I appreciated the reflection on Perimenopause (relatable at this stage in my life). I also connected with the 'We'll See' method and hope to implement that way of thinking more, rather than jumping to the thought of an immediate outcome during a challenge waiting, ' we'll see' how it will play out. In relation to that, 'energy flows where attention goes' was also a great, simplistic tip. The path of your thoughts has power, if you're constantly focusing on negative, that's going to overpower the positive in your life.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's really brave when someone puts their life story out to the public, especially when they don't hold back and cover the good, bad, and ugly. This book did have some of that but overall, it was more of a trip down her self help journey than a memoir. Felt that it was a little long and repetitive at times but there definitely were some good takeaways. I appreciated the reflection on Perimenopause (relatable at this stage in my life). I also connected with the 'We'll See' method and hope to implement that way of thinking more, rather than jumping to the thought of an immediate outcome during a challenge waiting, ' we'll see' how it will play out. In relation to that, 'energy flows where attention goes' was also a great, simplistic tip. The path of your thoughts has power, if you're constantly focusing on negative, that's going to overpower the positive in your life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of I Choose Me in exchange for a review!
Celebrity memoirs are a popular staple nowadays, often ghost-written, rarely wading into deeper waters. Occasionally someone will publish something scathing and bridge-burning, but often there are endless surface retellings of history as we know it. Jennie Garth probably had the option to do either. After all, she was on one of the biggest hits of the 90s, practically fueled by rumors of on set drama and hair pulling. She’s also had a long career in show business and has been in many different lanes spanning both genre and tone. I Choose Me could have set the record straight or could have served as an annotated filmography. But I Choose Me offers the atypical option, the third door not often presented: something real, something more. Not only something worth reading, but worth understanding.
Of course it goes without saying Garth touches on many of her different projects from 90210, to What I Like About You, to various reality TV projects. She talks about motherhood, about her marriage and divorce from Peter Facinelli, about various roadblocks and career hurdles. But Garth doesn’t merely tell, she reflects. She scrutinizes her work and life for lessons, an archaeologist of her own experiences. I Choose Me (the book) is certainly a sibling to I Choose Me (the podcast). There are thoughtful musings and anecdotes and deeper exploration of herself as a human being: flaws, strengths and core truths. In this current moment, Garth doesn’t need to relive the past as much as appreciate it, accept it, and grow from it.
There’s no separation of Jennie Garth and Kelly Taylor. They are not the same, but they are tied together forever because of their shared cultural relevance. After a break from each other, Garth largely reconnected with Kelly when she began to live her truth, the “I Choose Me” mantra that changed the story for the better. I Choose Me is a promise, a statement, and as much about self-love as it is about independence. Perhaps Garth is only beginning her most exciting chapter, not only turning the page on public perception and inviting us to know her better, but giving us the tools to take a similar leap of discovery.
Celebrity memoirs are a popular staple nowadays, often ghost-written, rarely wading into deeper waters. Occasionally someone will publish something scathing and bridge-burning, but often there are endless surface retellings of history as we know it. Jennie Garth probably had the option to do either. After all, she was on one of the biggest hits of the 90s, practically fueled by rumors of on set drama and hair pulling. She’s also had a long career in show business and has been in many different lanes spanning both genre and tone. I Choose Me could have set the record straight or could have served as an annotated filmography. But I Choose Me offers the atypical option, the third door not often presented: something real, something more. Not only something worth reading, but worth understanding.
Of course it goes without saying Garth touches on many of her different projects from 90210, to What I Like About You, to various reality TV projects. She talks about motherhood, about her marriage and divorce from Peter Facinelli, about various roadblocks and career hurdles. But Garth doesn’t merely tell, she reflects. She scrutinizes her work and life for lessons, an archaeologist of her own experiences. I Choose Me (the book) is certainly a sibling to I Choose Me (the podcast). There are thoughtful musings and anecdotes and deeper exploration of herself as a human being: flaws, strengths and core truths. In this current moment, Garth doesn’t need to relive the past as much as appreciate it, accept it, and grow from it.
There’s no separation of Jennie Garth and Kelly Taylor. They are not the same, but they are tied together forever because of their shared cultural relevance. After a break from each other, Garth largely reconnected with Kelly when she began to live her truth, the “I Choose Me” mantra that changed the story for the better. I Choose Me is a promise, a statement, and as much about self-love as it is about independence. Perhaps Garth is only beginning her most exciting chapter, not only turning the page on public perception and inviting us to know her better, but giving us the tools to take a similar leap of discovery.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Jennie Garth's memoir 'I Choose Me' is an eye-opening, poignant read that was impossible to put down. Readers can expect Jennie to share her ups and downs in hopes of showing people that it's never too late to make a change; you can accomplish anything you want if you put in the work. Her words are healing and hopeful, leaving me with the realization that when you choose yourself, change happens.
As a fan of 90210 and Jennie's, I was thrilled to read this. I didn't expect to feel so inspired and hopeful, and that is the beauty in getting to understand some of our favorite celebrities. Her words detail how perception can be deceiving. The way she carried herself on screen, it was easy assume that she had it all figured out. In reality, she is just like everyone else. We all deal with doubts and insecurities, and just hope that we can push past them for the better. Her struggles with living up to expectations are so easy to relate to, and I think readers will connect with her writing. She is candid about her tough moments to show how she found a way to learn from them. What I thought was great and interesting was that she didn't shy away from her mistakes because she understood that her past could help her become her true self.
She also opens up about her time while filming 90210. She doesn't bash anyone, and you can tell how much respect she has for her castmates and friends. I think fans of the shows will cherish her insights.
It was captivating to see her growth through her experiences. She went from being a normal girl to a celebrity, to a wife, and to a mom. I love that she tells it like it is; she details the struggles in her marriage, how tough motherhood can be, especially when you have a career, and how long it can take to understand yourself.
Above all, I think this is such a beautiful memoir because it is encouraging. Her experiences are able to become lessons for us all. I sometimes feel less than because I might not have it all figured out, but at least this book helped me want to challenge myself to choose me.
As a fan of 90210 and Jennie's, I was thrilled to read this. I didn't expect to feel so inspired and hopeful, and that is the beauty in getting to understand some of our favorite celebrities. Her words detail how perception can be deceiving. The way she carried herself on screen, it was easy assume that she had it all figured out. In reality, she is just like everyone else. We all deal with doubts and insecurities, and just hope that we can push past them for the better. Her struggles with living up to expectations are so easy to relate to, and I think readers will connect with her writing. She is candid about her tough moments to show how she found a way to learn from them. What I thought was great and interesting was that she didn't shy away from her mistakes because she understood that her past could help her become her true self.
She also opens up about her time while filming 90210. She doesn't bash anyone, and you can tell how much respect she has for her castmates and friends. I think fans of the shows will cherish her insights.
It was captivating to see her growth through her experiences. She went from being a normal girl to a celebrity, to a wife, and to a mom. I love that she tells it like it is; she details the struggles in her marriage, how tough motherhood can be, especially when you have a career, and how long it can take to understand yourself.
Above all, I think this is such a beautiful memoir because it is encouraging. Her experiences are able to become lessons for us all. I sometimes feel less than because I might not have it all figured out, but at least this book helped me want to challenge myself to choose me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.
3 stars
Well… you know that old saying that you should never meet your heroes? I think that also goes for celebrities that were a big part of your formative teenage years. I now know more than I wanted to know about Jennie Garth and her struggles as an adult. I didn’t know that she has a podcast by the same name as this book; perhaps if I’d listened to that, I would already know some of the details that are in the book.
But, having said that, this book is not all memoir. In fact, I’d say it’s at least half, if not more, a self-help book. I’m not a fan of self-help, but if that’s your thing, then maybe you would enjoy those parts of the book. These sections are fairly well-written; in fact, I would guess they were ghost-written, or something similar. The memoir parts are obviously written by Jennie and honestly, they are not written well. They are repetitive - sometimes even the same thought or sentence is repeated at the end of one paragraph and slightly re-worded at the beginning of the next one. There is also some confusing vagueness in her telling stories of her past husbands, always using “my ex” or “my ex husband” when there are two of them, and then her current husband, who is sometimes mixed in to past stories.
All in all, I felt it was too long - we pretty much had the whole story by the 48% mark. The best parts were the self-help parts, even though I’m not a fan of that.
3 stars
Well… you know that old saying that you should never meet your heroes? I think that also goes for celebrities that were a big part of your formative teenage years. I now know more than I wanted to know about Jennie Garth and her struggles as an adult. I didn’t know that she has a podcast by the same name as this book; perhaps if I’d listened to that, I would already know some of the details that are in the book.
But, having said that, this book is not all memoir. In fact, I’d say it’s at least half, if not more, a self-help book. I’m not a fan of self-help, but if that’s your thing, then maybe you would enjoy those parts of the book. These sections are fairly well-written; in fact, I would guess they were ghost-written, or something similar. The memoir parts are obviously written by Jennie and honestly, they are not written well. They are repetitive - sometimes even the same thought or sentence is repeated at the end of one paragraph and slightly re-worded at the beginning of the next one. There is also some confusing vagueness in her telling stories of her past husbands, always using “my ex” or “my ex husband” when there are two of them, and then her current husband, who is sometimes mixed in to past stories.
All in all, I felt it was too long - we pretty much had the whole story by the 48% mark. The best parts were the self-help parts, even though I’m not a fan of that.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I requested the opportunity to read this book expecting it to be a memoir of Jennie Garth’s life. While she does share some stories about her upbringing and rise in Hollywood, I found it to have more of a self-help book vibe… sharing the wisdom of her experiences as a woman always trying to learn and grow. Admittedly I often struggle with non-fiction self-help books… my attention often wanders and I struggle to stay engaged. Doesn’t stop me from buying the books though - hoping they’ll improve my life from sitting on my shelves? Ha!
This book was a surprise in the best way though, so much of it resonated with where I am in life right now. As a woman in my 40s with a son who is now an adult, I have felt a little lost as to what is next for me in life. Perimenopause has been sending my emotions into a tailspin. Jennie’s advice and experiences as she made her way through this stage of life is truly helpful and has given me so much to think about. I appreciate how vulnerable she was admitting she’s a human that makes mistakes but what is important is how we learn from them and move forward.
A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy.
This book was a surprise in the best way though, so much of it resonated with where I am in life right now. As a woman in my 40s with a son who is now an adult, I have felt a little lost as to what is next for me in life. Perimenopause has been sending my emotions into a tailspin. Jennie’s advice and experiences as she made her way through this stage of life is truly helpful and has given me so much to think about. I appreciate how vulnerable she was admitting she’s a human that makes mistakes but what is important is how we learn from them and move forward.
A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I don't usually read self-help books. When I got the galley for this, I thought it was more of a memoir. With that being said, my favorite parts of the book were when Jennie Garth did discuss her personal life - her career, family, relationships. While I feel that a lot of what she suggests comes easily for those who may have means for wellness retreats and regular therapy sessions, there were parts that stood out to me as strategies to try. I particularly liked the "we'll see" chapter. As someone who always tries to have a solution to a problem immediately, saying "we'll see" allows you time to think things through and make the best choice. I also really appreciated that she spent the time talking about perimenopause. While I do feel like this is a topic that is becoming discussed more, it still feels like there is a lot of unnecessary taboo around it. A lot of what she said felt incredibly relatable.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This felt like a book that will resonate most with readers who already care about Jennie Garth and her story. Like the Chris Appleton book I read recently, it leans heavily into self help, with personal moments woven in rather than a full memoir arc. I appreciated learning more about her life beyond the screen, and the Arizona connection was a genuine and unexpected highlight that made parts of the book feel more grounded. While the reflections are thoughtful, much of the guidance will feel familiar if you read widely in this genre. Fans of Jennie Garth will likely find this meaningful. For others, it may come down to timing and how much self help you are craving.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Growing up I watched 90210. It was always a show that was on in the background because my mom loved it and watched it. I grew up with it and when I was old enough I watched it all the way through. Jennie Garth has always been someone we’ve loved. Getting to read an arc copy of her book has been amazing. To see into her life and just everything about her was incredible. I expected it to be completely a memoir but I loved that it was also partly a self help book. I think it is really relatable. I loved this book so much and I am honored to have been able to read it. Everyone needs to read this book.
February 6, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for an advanced copy of I Choose Me by Jennie Garth.
I’ve been a fan of Jennie’s since the 90’s and of course saw the iconic 90210 episode that the book title is from.
This book felt like part memoir part self help. I loved how honest Jennie was even when it wasn’t pretty. I found her to be so relatable.
I also enjoyed the nostalgia when she talked about her past shows and cast mates.
At times the book was repetitive and seemed to bounce around in time a bit.
I will happily read any other books Jennie writes.
4⭐️
I’ve been a fan of Jennie’s since the 90’s and of course saw the iconic 90210 episode that the book title is from.
This book felt like part memoir part self help. I loved how honest Jennie was even when it wasn’t pretty. I found her to be so relatable.
I also enjoyed the nostalgia when she talked about her past shows and cast mates.
At times the book was repetitive and seemed to bounce around in time a bit.
I will happily read any other books Jennie writes.
4⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I was unaware Jennie Garth had a podcast or that "I Choose Me" had become her mantra pf sorts, I thought it was just a line from 90210, I should I adored, so I was super excited to read this I was really expecting more of a memoir, less self help. There are pieces of this I enjoyed, but self help is not a genre I typically read. She's has an interesting life and I enjoyed reading about it, but she comes off a little preachy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An enlightening story of how a brave woman overcame obstacles that the public had no idea she was facing. Jennie Garth shares her uplifting and heartfelt steps she took to turn tragedy into triumph. This was an eye opening story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
was expecting more of a biography but was more self help. well written. glad I was picked to be able to read this book as an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
lyrical and fun memoir with some great vibes and fantastic plotting. would recommend this one. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews