Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth

by Kerry Docherty

In this provocative memoir, one woman discovers that after years spent prioritizing other people's needs (her husband, their business, their children) over her own, she has reached a threshold she is ready to putting herself first.

Women everywhere are wrestling with all kinds of self-development perfectionism, boundaries, people pleasing, the pressures of mothering, the patriarchy, having a career. There are, of course, books to help us cope with each of these discrete issues, but what if the next frontier in all manner of personal growth is to put ourselves first? What if we reclaimed the word selfish to ignite a movement of women who actually do what they want?

In this beautifully crafted and propulsive memoir, Kerry Docherty—a businesswoman, mother of two, and wife—details her journey to rediscover parts of herself buried under other people's expectations, and how counterintuitively, the more she focused on saying yes to the things that made her feel good, and no to the things that did not, the more she overflowed with creativity, ease, presence, and purpose.

In cinematic detail and with breathtaking honesty, Kerry describes the events that made her realize she was giving too much of herself—to a marriage with her college sweetheart that wasn't as fulfilling as she'd hoped, to the family startup, and to the growing family that demanded attention she didn’t always want to give. Determined to feel seen as the woman she wanted to be—an artist, activist, poet, romantic—she began to steal simple moments for herself, replacing her to-do lists with poems, pushing the business towards the things she cared about, and widening her circle of creative friends. As Kerry chased her desire to be understood, however, she found herself veering into a potentially destructive and ambiguous relationship that would seriously test her marriage.

Along her journey to self-understanding, Kerry wrestled with the demands of capitalism, complicated family dynamics, what it means to be good and bad, and the consequences of telling the truth. With incisive observation, biting humor, and a willingness to start uncomfortable conversations, Selfish is an unapologetic call to action for women everywhere.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Self Help

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, knock that off my list of potential memoir titles

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(review to come)

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was an interesting, unabashedly honest memoir from a young woman who runs a successful clothing company with her husband, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. She ruminates on the shifting state of her marriage, parenthood, environmental concerns, finances/housing, and a simmering, tempting attraction in her life. She seeks out marital therapy, group therapy (including the brother-in-law), and visits to psychics. Her thought processes and the ways she spoke to her children were all fascinating to me. Some interesting passages I connected with:

"...peering in windows from the sidewalk, imagining how another person's life was unfolding within wallpapered rooms."

"Alone time was as important for my soul as sleep."

"Meeting my children's constant needs hijacked the other parts of myself that made me feel alive: my time, my independence, my creativity, my sensuality..."

"The sediment was slowly falling back to the bottom of the shaken-up snow globe of our marriage."

She's a woman who is not afraid to confront issues and stand up for herself and her needs. The writing style is both straightforward and lovely. I appreciate the authenticity and bravery of the author in writing this book.

Thank you to the publisher Convergent / Harmony who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[SusanTalksBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 1/25/26 *** Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I tore through this book in 24-hrs, which tells me Kerry Docherty's writing propelled me into and through the time highlighted in this memoir, which is primarily the time of her marriage. The writing is crisp, descriptive, and presents what I felt were balanced perspectives of those in her immediate circle and family.

With that said, Kerry is only in her early 40s, with a lot of life to yet live, and she discloses a *lot* of intimate details about the business of which she is part owner, her marriage, and her emotional affair with musician "Beau." She shares some troubling childhood behaviors, and a strong woo-woo orientation of self discovery, therapy, introspection, and self-care. At the same time, she seems to have done some remarkable things with regard to human rights, representation of underserved, and giving freely of her time and money. She is an interesting person, and that comes through in the book. She seems to conform to certain societal norms (marriage, children, taking less equity in the business than she was probably due, supporting the husband's corporate entrepreneurial dream), while seeming indulgent (yes, selfish) in many others (not baby proofing the house, not cleaning the house with children in it, endless therapists and self-care therapies including baths - later with children and also while on her period). Some of these practices are jarring and keep readers from empathizing too much with her.

This book won't be published until April 2026, and I have a feeling that her IG follower count will leap up in the coming months, and soon the internet will do its thing to discover the identity of Beau (I really want to know). Her husband seems vaguely saint-like in his trust and acceptance of her (Do what you gotta due, Ker). I wouldn't actually want to be in the author's shoes this year, with her life, marriage, and business under a lot of public scrutiny. 4-stars for making me think and keeping me engaged, but also not loving her choices/portrayal throughout.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never enjoyed a memoir more. Need to book club this asap with all my friends growing through life with partners, with all my friends wanting not to lose themselves as we age and burrow into corporate holes, with all my friends wondering where all the time has gone and how to gain it back. So much food for thought, so much laughing, so much feeling seen and felt. WOW.

[Amber Sipior · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. The author has written a memoir that I wanted to connect to, but struggled to do so. She grew up in Buffalo, NY; I've lived in Western New York for almost thirty years. She had traumatic birth experiences; so did I. She gets energy from being on her own and taking time for herself; I do, too. But the priviledge she has been blessed with in her life was a huge barrier to the connection I was hoping for while reading. Everyone is allowed to feel their feelings, and she is thankful for what she has. But it was hard to read about her struggles- the financial ones in particular- while reading about all the trips she took, four-and-five-star hotels she stayed in, summers spent at vacation homes, the hiring of a full time nanny... She does a very good job of admitting her flaws, and of admitting that she doesn't tell the full story of her marriage. I think the barriers I had while reading are more of a "me" problem.

[tei hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was recommended to me because i enjoyed amy griffin’s “the tell”, and truly, this is the same caliber of beautiful memoir about how sometimes, all someone wishes for is to be seen, to be heard. i truly enjoyed this.

thank you netgalley for the ARC copy.

[M. Sarki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. Too much new-age sort of stuff and weirdness. If the book gets better later then she should have started there.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: Selfish by Kerry Docherty

In Selfish…Kerry Docherty reflects on what it really means to put yourself first…within marriage…motherhood…career and creativity. As she begins reclaiming pieces of herself she’s long set aside…she’s forced to confront the tension between being “good” for others and being honest about what she truly wants✨📖

This one is hard for me to put into words because it felt… deeply personal. Like it found me at exactly the right moment and also years too late. I kept thinking, I needed this 8 years ago… 13 years ago… maybe even 19 years ago. Her honesty around dating…career…marriage…motherhood and spirituality really stayed with me. It’s raw and reflective in a way that doesn’t offer easy answers and I’m still sitting with the feelings it brought up. There’s something incredibly brave about sharing your story like this and even more powerful when it makes someone else feel seen so deeply.

I may need to pick up a pen after this one… I’m feeling inspired✨

Thank you @prhaudio and @harmonyrodaleconvergent for the gifted copies! A new favorite…thank you!

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore through this book, it spoke so deeply to parts of me I didn’t know could be spoken to, its funny and heartbreaking and honest about the parts of life like children and marriage and family, and the desires and expectations that go along with it.
It reads like an instagram caption of the good ole days when they were story length and captivating and the ramblings of someone’s inner mind.
The first two thirds felt more like a woven tale with the end feeling like a slightly vague conclusion that concluded without really concluding anything. However that is also the nature of this writing when one gets to the present day of life you have to stop.
I hope we see more from Kerry, it reminded me of Jedidiah Jenkins work, and the grappling of life that we go through in phases of life
Thank you to NetGalley and Harmony Books Random house for the ARC.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Near the end of the book, the author, in discussing the opposition by family and friends to her publishing this book, states in part, "I am prioritizing my own desire for unbridled, creative truth telling over others' comfort and feelings. I am writing this book because I want. Because it's important to me. Because it has helped me come alive again, even if it's destroyed parts of me and relationships in the aftermath. ... I need to be authentic. I need to be tender and vulnerable. I need to be resolute that I am worthy of sharing my voice and my experiences and my life."

The author has succeeded fairly well in that goal, sharing about her life, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, including things that cast her in a negative light. Such as her lengthy emotional affair with a musician (whom she refers to in the book as Beau). And her assertion to her husband that while she recognizes the way she betrayed him and caused him pain, she refused to feel ashamed of her behavior/actions. She cheerfully tells stories about her childhood behavior, which could have been taken from a guidebook for future psychopaths or serial killers.

I think the author tries to be authentic -- talking about the struggles working with her husband and his twin brother to build the company they founded; not feeling appreciated by them for what she did for the business; conflicts due to their different personalities and strengths; what she enjoyed most about her work; her relationship with Beau; how motherhood changed her; her experiences with therapy; her experiences with different religious belief systems; her experiences with various types of alternative or non-traditional (i.e., non-Western) healing practices; her poetry, etc.

However, she also seems determined to ensure that readers realize that she is "woke." She talks about watching the video of George Floyd's death and then hosting digital conversations about witnessing black grief, being a "good" white person, and learning from Indigenous communities, and posting about these conversations on the company Instagram page. She talks about collaborations she arranged between Indigenous individuals and her clothing company. She likes to brag about her social justice/advocacy activities. The things she has done/is doing have value, and I believe she sincerely cares about the causes she advocates for/participates in. However, the context in which she discusses these activities makes it often come across as humble bragging or an effort to make sure that readers perceive her a certain way.

That is not true of some of the other topics she addresses in the book. For example, I don't think she cares what readers think about her emotional affair with Beau. And in discussing her issues with her husband and his twin brother regarding the company, she wants to make sure the reader understands her perspective, but she also attempts to explain the perspective of her husband and his brother and acknowledges where their concerns/criticism have merit.

[Firetruckmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“Selfish” is a memoir by Kerry Doherty. If, like me, you’ve no idea who Kerry Doherty is - or the clothing brand she co-founded with her husband, BIL, and MIL (Faherty) - this book feels like the story of a woman trying to juggle everything. She’s not delving into the business world (other than how decisions were made for large donations or, correctly, not using cultural designs in their products without compensating artists), but instead talks more about her marriage (strained!), her emotional affair (Jimmy Carter’s comment about “lusted with my heart” floated across my mind reading her sections about Beau), and her being a social justice fighter. What annoyed me about this book wasn’t the writing (though after a while I felt more like I never really knew any of the characters beyond surface level, though she probably felt like she was exposing everything to the reader) was that Ms. Doherty may have struggled but she managed to scrimp enough for a nanny, stayed at decent hotels for her work, and although she had to live with her BIL for a large chunk of her married life, she still had money to go to a therapist and try different therapies to fix herself (and her husband). While this was/is her life, and she lived it, at times I just grew bored reading it - it felt too much like an upper-middle class woman kvetching about things - and I get it. Some days you don’t want to be “Mom” to your kids, some days being around people is too tiring, some days you do just want to crawl into bed and not emerge until noon (or sit and write poetry for hours on end as the muse strikes you), but after a while, for me, the complaining (in amongst all the new age work to see herself better and have better communication and get to know herself) became repetitive. Would I recommend this book - maybe? I didn’t really see the “reclaiming and telling the truth” part of the memoir (unless it was talking about her relationship with Beau, which - fine - does the world need to know? Internet sleuths on your IG are going to dig hard into that!), though maybe pushing for some of her agendas were part of the reclaiming? It wasn’t my cup of tea as I felt like I couldn’t connect with her … or some of her choices. This book tries to cover a lot at the surface level and too many directions (plus, although I got a preview copy, there were some weird typographical errors) and I think if it was more focused on *one topic* it would’ve been a stronger book.

[Alicia Garcia-Webster · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are so many things that I could say about this book. I could advise potential readers to "run, run, run" in the opposite direction, and to never look back. I could offer up this book as the opposite of a "self-help" book but more accurately, a "self-harm" book. One in which, if you follow the prescribed dictates, your life, and more importantly, the lives of those around you, will be irrevocably damaged, whether seen or unseen. But I won't do any of this. My job, as a reviewer, is not to pass judgment on what I believe the author should not have said or done or written about. My job is to assess whether the aims and the goals of the author have been successfully achieved in the body of this work. And if I am fair, then I would have to say that, yes, they were. The title of the book says everything that you need to know about what is between its covers. If you can imagine an existence in which a person executes her life in such a way that every last thought, desire, action, and intention is gloriously, and unabashedly centered around one's self, then this might be the book for you. If you desire to read about how the needs of husbands, children, family members and friends are routinely relegated to the "not my problem" dustbin, then this might be the book for you. If reading a book about someone who seemingly has no conscience, and who appears to delight in that possibility, then this might be the book for you. There is no doubt, an extreme level of honesty in this memoir. It reads very much like diary or journal entries. There is a reason however why most diaries are published posthumously, rather than while the writer is still alive. Not for the protection of the writer, but more for the collateral damage that ultimately befalls the writer's family members. I am not sure that the author took this into account, before embarking on this very singular, or should I say "Selfish" journey. ** I received an ARC from NetGalley, but all views are my own.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well-written, raw, and honest memoir. I found myself moving through it quickly, which says a lot for non- fiction. The author has a strong voice and knows how to tell a story in a way that keeps you engaged, even when you don’t fully agree with her choices or perspective.

I had a complicated reaction to the author herself. I didn’t always like her or how she handled certain situations, but I still appreciated how open and real she was about them. You don’t have to agree with someone to recognize the honesty it takes to put your story out there like this.

I’m especially glad the final two chapters were included—they felt absolutely critical to the story. As a reader, I needed that perspective and closure, and it added a lot to the overall experience.

With respect to the authors depiction of her marriage and describing more “good” memories . . . Those were already woven throughout the book in a way that felt natural and recognizable. Many married women navigating similar questions will understand that without it needing to be spelled out further. Also worth noting—I am no more or less likely to buy the Faherty brand after reading this. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it before this book, so if anything, it simply made me aware of it.

That said, I do wish the author had spent more time reflecting on her role in pushing for children, and whether that ultimately aligned with the life she truly wanted. It’s touched on, but not fully explored, and it left me wondering.

Overall, I don’t have to like the author or every aspect of her story to appreciate that this was a compelling, well-executed memoir. It was real, it was messy, and it was worth the read.

Thank you to Harmony Publishers for the giveaway copy.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea and that's okay. I can appreciate that. It's a telling of Kerry's life and how she finds balance being a mom, wife, entrepreneur and human. She discusses the struggles of starting a business with family and how hard it is to keep boundaries. She discusses a friendship that she develops with a musician that blurs the lines of an affair. Then she begins life as a mom. It's a struggle to keep up with being you as you now have someone else to take care of. I also lost my sense of self while raising my kids so it really hit home for me. She also brings up good points as to the sacrifices that women are expected to make once there are children in the picture but are not expected of men. The way she writes and bring mindfulness and nature into everyday living is absolutely beautiful. If only more people were as aware and open of their feelings and how everything is seemingly connected. While I did not think she painted her husband, Al as the bad guy, I can see how he thought he was protrayed in a negative light. I think that you don't know what you don't know and it seems like for years he had blinders on that gave him tunnel vision for his buisness. They both did a lot of growing over the years and you tell by their interactions by the end of the book. While there is bad stuff that happens in life, it helps us grow and appreciate the good stuff. This book gave me a lot to think about in regards to my own interactions with not only people in my life but with nature and with myself. It has also reminded me that I need to meditate and journal more often.

[Regina Mastrogiacomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selfish is a good title for this book, because the only thing I kept hearing throughout the book is I want, I want and I want regardless of how it affected other people. I don't know if its a certain generation that thinks that they are entitle to everything or that no one else is bored with their lives or that when you want something that you get it or that when you get what you want doesn't comes without attachments or consequences from ones actions. It all sounded very needy, naive and ungrateful . I was thinking while reading the book, why the author wanted to be married, or have kids was it because she really love Alex or was it because others were getting married and had kids and she wanted to try it. And what was her obsession with Beau all about, did she think that it would magically change her life for the better, because it wouldn't, what was going on inside her head had to do with her and couldn't be solve with someone else. For all therapy and alternative treatments that the author participated in, you would think that she understood that the responsibility for being happy should come from oneself, not outside oneself, and any action that harm others was definitely not ok, and hurting people in her life to bare her soul to others isn't ok, it's kind of selfish.
I don't want to be mean but knowing what women before me and in my life time had to go through just to be acknowledged or who were mothers without any help from anyone or who had no-one to talk to when they needed a shoulder to cry on, so it makes me a little annoyed when the author spews how hard her life is but can't see all the support she has around her from her husband, friends and therapist to being able to walk away and do what she needed to do to make her happy again.

I want to thank Convergent | Harmony and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

[Amy Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a memoir of a woman who has a lot going on. She is married, and in business with her husband and brother in law. The book opens with she and her husband with a counselor trying to work out what her salary will be, and unsurprisingly, her husband doesn't think she deserves as high a salary as she is asking for, though she demonstrably does.

She's also a mother, and while she very clearly loves her children, she also feels a little bound to earth by them and not always in the best way. She cherishes alone time, as do I, but I don't have two children and a husband and a business grabbing that time, so she isn't always successful.

She feels like her husband cares more about the business than about their marriage, and she's tempted to have an affair with a musician she met at Coachella (of course). She doesn't follow through physically, but she certainly does emotionally. Zero judgement, bc I can 100% relate to that feeling.

There were several spots where I related to Kerry and her feelings. But there were many more where I felt like she was off base in her degree of aggrievement. I just didn't connect on a deep level with her, and I felt that she *was* kinda selfish in some spots.

It was a quick read but I'm not sure I'd seek out this author again. I hope writing this book helped her resolve some of her pain.

Thank you to the publisher Convergent / Harmony who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[Emily Pukuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerry Docherty—cofounder of the sustainable clothing brand Faherty, former lacrosse player, lawyer, and mindfulness coach—reflects on a long struggle to be seen, by others and by herself. As she helps build a values-driven company from the ground up, she takes on countless roles, pouring her energy into work, partnership, and caretaking, often at the expense of her own boundaries and inner life.

At the center of this memoir is Kerry’s reckoning with emotional honesty: within marriage, within creative pursuits, and within herself. She explores how unmet needs, people-pleasing, and blurred lines accumulate over time, eventually forcing difficult conversations into the open. Writing and self-reflection become tools not for easy resolution, but for clearer seeing.

Docherty’s voice is candid and frequently funny, and her stories are intentionally messy. This is not a memoir of tidy transformation, but of ongoing self-awareness—one that resists simple conclusions. Rather than defining selfishness, the book asks what we mean when we use that word at all.

Selfish will resonate with readers drawn to introspective memoirs about identity, ambition, creativity, and relationships, especially those interested in the uneasy balance between selfhood and devotion. It leaves its questions open, inviting readers to sit with the discomfort rather than resolve it.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memoirs should be engaging and witty or informative and aspirational. This book is none of these. Written by Kerry Docherty, this is a woke woman who, like most woman, doesn't set boundaries, allows herself to give too much and take to little and who spreads herself too thin. To correct these situations, Kerry speaks with her numerous therapists to try and get back to her authentic self. She works and lives with her husband and his twin brother, as they work to start a sustainable clothing company. Kerry feels she is underappreciated, not paid appropriately per her contributions to the company and wants change.

I found this memoir boring and the author whiny. A part of me wanted to tell this woman, get your big girl panties on and stand up for yourself. If you don't like how you are being treated, you are the one who taught people how to treat you, you can change it. If you don't like the amount you are being paid, speak up and find out what can be done, can other compensation be utilized in lieu of pay. Change comes from within and this book tries to reflect it, it's not the message, it's the way the message was written that is a huge turnoff for me as a reader. The book skips from one crisis or conscience of crisis, there is no organic flow to the book, nor to its message.

[Chelsie Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerry Docherty is a brave woman. She doesn't shy away from exposing the ugly parts of her life, often as an unlikable character in her own story (though she's far from the only one). I give her a lot of credit for laying herself bare for the world to pick apart, especially because her honesty exposes some really uncomfortable truths.

This memoir made me feel like I was watching a doubles ping-pong match in which I couldn't decide who to cheer for. "Selfish" truly is the perfect title for this book, as it feels like everyone throughout her journey has their own period of selfishness, or at least my preconceived idea of what selfishness is.

It was interesting exploring my own emotions as I read about her unsteady marriage, inequality in the company she was involved in developing, her stifled creativity, dreams pushed aside, navigating motherhood, and the emotional affair that almost seemed inevitable. I felt constantly conflicted about the culpability of everyone involved, and I kind of feel like the book is better for it. It forces you to consider what being selfish means and why, as women, we're expected to be the selfless ones, making sacrifices for the family and the life we've created.

I've never felt so conflicted about a memoir before. I've had to really sit with this book for a while, which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing. If the point was to create a conversation, I'd say it was successful. This would be a great book club selection, as I think people will have wildly different opinions about her story.

I'll close with this final thought: this was the equivalent of "she's my best friend, but I thought she was a bitch when I first met her," in book form. By the time I read the final page, I appreciated seeing Kerry for the multifaceted woman she is, and I commend her for stepping into her own and reclaiming her worth. I hope that if Kerry ever reads this, she sees it as a compliment.

[Julio R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selfish is one of those rare books that meets you exactly where you are and gently pulls you forward.

After losing my job in January something I truly loved and looked forward to every day I found myself not only grieving that loss, but also feeling like I was losing myself. It’s a disorienting place to be, one that’s hard to put into words.

What makes Selfish so impactful is Kerry’s raw honesty. She doesn’t hold anything back. There’s a depth to her storytelling that feels real, unfiltered, and deeply human. As I moved through the book, I saw pieces of my own experience reflected back at me moments of doubt, resilience, and the quiet process of rebuilding.

Her story reminded me that even when you feel like you’re losing yourself, you’re still there just evolving. That losing your footing doesn’t mean you won’t find your way again.

Listening to the audiobook made it even more powerful hearing her voice felt like sitting with a friend who truly understands. It brought me comfort during long drives and the quieter, harder moments of the day.

This book didn’t just inspire me it helped ground me during a time when I needed it most.

Kerry, thank you for sharing your story so openly. It’s making a difference.

[Laura Everly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this book.
I think it’s written in a very approachable way, easy to read.
But too much of this book was about their clothing business. The first 25% I felt like I was reading a memoir mostly on their brand name/business.
On the other hand, there are some great self-help type of wisdoms and insight.

As I continued reading, I felt the author was less and less relatable and what bothers me most is that I know some family/friends relationships had to have been strained or ruined over this and I think this still could’ve been a good memoir without tearing others down and calling it “honesty”. It felt brutally honest.

Like the author, I have been in the business of meditation and mindfulness, and I found those parts of the book personally interesting.

And that’s my mixed feelings. I liked a lot and disliked a lot.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Random House for the advanced eARC.

[Rae Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selfish is a sharp, emotionally candid memoir that reframes self‑preservation as an act of truth rather than transgression. Drawing from years of subsuming her own needs beneath marriage, motherhood, and the relentless demands of a family business, Dockerty traces the moment she reaches a breaking point and begins reclaiming the parts of herself she’d buried under obligation. With biting humor, clear‑eyed introspection, and a willingness to interrogate desire, boundaries, and the cultural scripts that define “goodness,” she chronicles the messy, often uncomfortable process of choosing herself—creatively, romantically, spiritually—even when that choice threatens the stability of the life she built. The result is a propulsive, beautifully honest narrative that challenges readers to question who benefits when women disappear inside their roles, and what becomes possible when they finally refuse to.

[Lauren S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

docherty’s memoir is an easy read. i was drawn in by the title…who doesn’t need to feel selfish at times in order to make it through these days?!
kerry meets and falls in love with alex faherty, a young man with a dream of starting his own clothing company. his partners include his twin, mike, and their mother, ninie. kerry signs on to the business two months later.
selfish explores their journey with faherty and the impact it has on their marriage, their decision to start a family, their friendships, their finances, and their everyday lives. it’s easy to see a company thriving from the consumer’s point of view. docherty’s book allows a peek behind the changing room curtain and shares the highs and the (very low) lows with readers.
kudos to kerry for sharing her truths.

thank you to convergent for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and the author. This powerful memoir shares the life of Kerry Docherty, co-founder of Faherty Brand, offering a raw and deeply vulnerable look at her marriage, motherhood, business, and personal evolution. She doesn’t sugarcoat a thing. Her honesty is bold, refreshing, and at times breathtaking.

Docherty explores the pressure so many women face to put everyone else’s needs before their own. She asks the hard questions: When is it okay to prioritize our own desires? When do we demand that others recognize our worth?

Selfish will take you on an emotional journey—you’ll feel frustration, heartbreak, inspiration, hope, and so much love. And just when things feel heavy, her humor shines through and will have you laughing out loud.

This would make an outstanding book club pick, sparking thoughtful, honest, and deeply meaningful conversations.

[Chelsea Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her memoir, Selfish, Kerry Docherty candidly explores the journey of reclaiming her identity after years of prioritizing the needs of her family and business. The book is at its best when Docherty vulnerably recounts the inner conflict of a woman who has given so much of herself that she no longer recognizes who she is. However, some readers may find the narrative a bit repetitive, as the same core message is revisited throughout. While relatable in its exploration of a common dilemma, the memoir sometimes leans into a privileged perspective, making the emotional stakes feel lower for those outside of a similar life experience. Ultimately, Docherty's honesty is commendable, but the book could have been a more engaging read with a tighter focus.

[Tam📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Harmony and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have been loving women’s memoirs lately. Mama Love. Belle Burden… and now the one lone woman behind the Faherty Brand (along with her husband and brother in law)

I really did enjoy her message that women need to be selfish for health reasons and for her own sanity.

My favorite passage:

Alone time was as important for my soul as sleep. Like an oyster turning a piece of sand into a pearl, I needed solitude to alchemize my irritability and my nihilism into something valuable and beautiful. And in order to have that time alone, I needed to steal moments like a thief: A solo car ride. A bath. Another walk.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Selfish, Kerry Docherty, wrestles with questions of identity as she launches a brand with her husband and his family. The story shifts between several areas, including her role at the company, her relationships with another man and her husband, her role as a mother, her spiritual growth, and her longing to be a writer. The book appears to lose focus along the way, as it encompasses numerous different ideas. It seems to wrap up quickly without really returning to the central theme of the title. It may have been better to choose a narrower focus.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very honest and candid memoir. The author puts her life out there with her feelings about motherhood , marriage, being part of a family start-up, and boundaries. This is one of the most truthful memoirs that I have read.

As I wondered about the impact of the book to those close to her, this quote shed light,
“I need to be resolute that I am worthy of sharing my voice and my experiences and my life. And when it comes to the brand and family values, I believe that the most 'aspirational ones are those who admit their complicated, messy, and imperfect dynamics and still work through them with love and honesty.”

[Sheila L. Hoogendam · Rating 1 out of 5]

uuuggggghhhhh!

I admire you for writing a book, especially a memoir. You are a person, like everyone else, with a story that would be interesting to a handful of people, not many more than that. I wasn’t inspired, it was cringy, raw with no higher purpose and there was a lot of humble bragging. It includes the worst part of being woke, virtue signaling. Aren’t we all just alike, struggling along trying to minimize harm and make the world just a little bit better? Your book helped me feel better about myself. I actually believe that being selfish is a good thing in regard to personal responsibility and owning your stuff, I’m not sure your kind of selfish is the same.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth by Kerry Docherty was a memoir that I couldn't put down. She pulls back the curtain on what it felt like to build a business, and entering a family/marriage who already had the business' dream. It felt vulnerable and healing to read her story. Would recommend this one, several stories were relatable, and overall just being a wife, mother and woman in today's chaotic world felt real.

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Selfish publishes April 21, 2026.