Make Your Mind Up: My Guide to Finding Your Own Style, Life, and Motavation!

by Bethany Mota

From tips on life, love, and everything in between; to original DIYs, recipes, and style hacks; to the incredible story of a girl next door turned Internet sensation, Make Your Mind Up is the ultimate guide to rocking your look and ruling your world—from inspirational YouTuber, designer, entrepreneur, and digital influencer, Bethany Mota.

When Bethany first propped her camera on a stack of books and pressed record on her family’s handheld camera in 2009, she didn't realize her life was about to change—forever. After uploading her first video to YouTube at just thirteen years old, Bethany quickly became one of the Internet’s go-to beauty, style, and lifestyle vloggers. Since then, she has filmed countless room tours and tutorials, traveled the world, experimented with hundreds of DIYs, designed her own clothing line, gone on an international tour, competed on Dancing with the Stars, and created health, beauty, and wellness content for multiple platforms.

But before Bethany found her #MotaFam online, life wasn’t looking so great: After being intensely bullied in school, the already shy Bethany retreated further into her shell, suffering from crippling anxiety and a lack of self-confidence she just couldn’t shake. From growing up on a dairy farm in small-town Los Banos, California, to figuring out how to overcome anxiety and find her voice, to finally breaking out of her shell and learning to forge her own positive path, Make Your Mind Up is more than just a heartwarming memoir or lifestyle guide—this is a portrait of Bethany’s life, exactly how she lives it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Biography Memoir

211 pages, Hardcover

Published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!
Inspirational is the keyword that comes to mind when I think about what I just read.

I have been watching Bethany's youtube channel since I was maybe, oh man, hmm, about maybe 13! That is a crazy amount of time, so naturally, I had to pick up her book!

This was fantastic! The advice, stories, ideas, inspiration, just everything was so great.
This will definitely warrant a re-read in the future and will be great to continuously look back on.

I highly recommend you pick up this book, even if you have no idea who Beth is, it is still worth the read!

[Rissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to Bethanys book and I really enjoyed hearing her read her life story. The story was scattered to listen to but somehow it still worked and i really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the storyline and learning more about one of my previous favorite YouTuber (until she got famous and ditched youtube for basically everything else thanks alot Beth I miss your videos!)
I really enjoyed her relationship with her sister and how she was labeled on how she was compared to her sister. She was shy but she wanted to change how she was seen by forcing enthusiasm.
I love that shes a lefty. That paragraph was entirely me, like yes #leftyproblems
Im not a youtuber and dont plan on ever being one so some of the topics she went over was a little bit over kill for the regular person. Also her style every little piece in her outfit... a bit over kill.
Beth basically eats like a rabbit 🐰 There are alot of recipes though that sound delicious.
I feel like i need to change my habits and be a healthier person i feel so motivated to be a better person.
Certain topics i LOVED and wanted more from but other topics i just wanted to be done with they seemed to rage on and on repeating basically the same thing (over kill basic things).
I love her chapters on friendship. LOVE.
Get up for ten minutes, the first ten minutes suck but then you are up.
"Button up shirt means my life is together."
"Glasses Club 👓"
"Who has time repaint their walls every four weeks"
"Own the fact that im not in the loop"
"Im the wife and you're the husband"

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just stumbled across this in my library, without any idea who Bethany Mota is. The book opens with her back story, which I found to be surprising. She was shy, bullied, home schooled and anxious. Somehow, she tells her story very simply and optimistically.
Reading this, I felt old and refreshed at the same time. I think the teen me would have thought," I can re-create myself!!! " and the much older me is just happy to learn a better way to do my eye makeup, while knowing I may very well be too lazy or cheap to ever integrate her tips. Then I will forget that I ever read them. However, she is so bubbly and her advice on things like how not to procrastinate is simple and good- after all she is a big success.
I was ready to take it back, but think I'll hang onto it and find at least one new thing to try. Fun!

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don't know what I expected, but this was way too full of social media style blurbs and slang for my taste. From a YouTube star. Yeah, I really should have seen that coming. It may have some good information on handling anxiety for other people, as this rating reflects my personal opinion rather than how I think other people could or should react.

[Katelyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a long time fan of Bethany and I am so glad that I finally got around to reading her book :) I met her when she went on her book tour and she was so sweet, but for some reason I never finished this book...? So I picked it up yesterday and started and finished it! It was a great read about self confidence, loving yourself, being healthy, etc. I think the way she writes works so well with the message she is getting across! I enjoyed how there were pictures and just color all around the pages making it a more fun read. There isn't much to say about this because it is mainly about her story and how she has grown as a person and to let that inner light shine within you and being yourself <3 Overall this was a great reading experience, and would highly recommend!

[Hannah (FreeInFiction) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Beth has grown so much in the six years that I have been watching her YouTube channel and I loved hearing her story once again. I love being apart of her Mota Fam and reading all about her experiences and tips on life in general. Bethers was one of the first YouTubers I watched and I have met so many amazing people because of her.

I am so proud of her for how far she has come and this book really showcases all her accomplishments. She went from this shy, bullied girl to a woman that is admired and a role model to so many people because she decided to push her fear aside for a few minutes to film and upload that first makeup video all those years ago. I cannot express how happy I was to read this book (also it was signed!!!) and how proud I am!

Beth wasn't afraid to talk about her past experiences being bullied or how she let fear get in the way of some things in her life. She truly inspired me and I know so many others with this book and her journey. I cannot wait to see what comes next for her!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never really followed Bethany Mota actively but was interested in her when she did Dancing with the Stars and her song "Flashlight". I connected with her book's title "Making up your Mind" because it is a struggle I and pretty sure many people of all ages have. I liked the sections on style, health, food and home decor. The little anecdotes added in between sections on motivation and Bethany's personaly stories made the tone of the book relatable. I liked that the style of writing felt so personal like a diary or like she was talking directly to me the reader. Especially could identify with her stories on bullying and trying to feel comfortable in her own skin.

[Birdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly really enjoyed this book and I didn't think I would. I loved watching her videos a few years ago so I was interested in reading her book and I really liked getting to see a new side of her. The parts where she discusses her anxiety were so relatable and just made me feel understood, ya know. I'm glad I read this book.

[nishitha niranjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

AWESOME BOOK

It's such a good book it made me feel good abt myself and I'm far and very self conscious so it made me feel more comfortable abt my size and motivated me to do better in life have more fun and keep my room clean

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It had some wonderful stories, inspiration, tips, tricks, etc. I didn't agree with her on everything for she is not a Christian so she has different ways of thinking.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Mota writes with enthusiasm and passion about her life and how the reader can create their own style and motivation. Her stories and tips (I'm in the middle of making her mini vegan choco chip cookies and can't wait to dive into them!) are easy and helpful. I do like that she doesn't promote any one product or products/foods that are expensive and bizarre.

This does read on the younger side and I do admit I'm probably not the demographic she's writing for, but I have to say her positive and nonjudgemental writing was refreshing. The photographs and layout are pleasing and overall, the book provided a nice afternoon read.

[Jamie Champine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished! Overall - ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I found this book at the Dollar Tree, so for $1, I didn’t want to pass it up since a quick flip through looked interesting. I had no idea who the author was until I started reading the book and discovered she was a YouTube star. However, I would ultimately describe this book as “cute.” This book is catered more toward 20 year olds (since that is the authors age range) and captured advice on beauty, dating, and self-esteem. (Things I don’t need at this point in my life - I’m 36.) But there are some inspirational ideas and recipes that I enjoyed.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, TBH, I didn't finish this book.
I'm rating this based on the couple chapters I did tolerate.
The writing was very juvenile and it felt like it was all over the place. There was no clear stream of consciousness.
I don't know who this girl is, so my perspective isn't coming from that of a fan girl. I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway, and the book is set up so pretty I gave it a chance. Before I couldn't force myself to read anymore.

I don't know what I expected to get out of this book, but this wasn't it.

[Briana-Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved her growing up, and this was like stepping in a Time Machine! I listened to the audio book and felt like I was 14 again watching her in the height of her YouTube career! I want to see the visuals one day of the physical copy.

It was no new ground breaking info, as I was OBSESSED with her. But it was sad to hear about how she would be anxious about uploading when all of us were def like “bethhhh it’s been so long”. But I’m glad I finally gave it a listen.

-1 for the mispronunciation of “açaí”, using she/he instead of they, and some other noticeable grammatical issues.

[melayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was sooooooo good! I was worried it would jump all over the place because of the diverse topics integrated into one book, but it didn't. The book was so entertaining and so well written. I really recommend it to anyone who wants to feel empowered, even if you haven't watched Bethany Mota's videos.

[Amber Hash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany Mota is one of my favorite Youtubers. I hadn’t watched her from the beginning, but I’ve watched her makeup/haul videos while I was in high school. I wish I had the same confidence as her, as I was bullied in school also. I loved this book and I use the recipes she incorporated into it. She is very inspiring, and I hope she still makes videos in the future.

[H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. However, it could have used a bit more structure as alot of the entries were all over the place and didn't flow as nicely (which is a shame as the templates and photographs were asthetically pleasing).

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a #Motavator for a little bit now and I FREAKED when I found out this book was coming out. This book seriously is a work of art. There's tips/advice on every page. It's extremely informative and I loved every bit of it!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an incredible book! Showing her true personality through the book this book provided; recipes, personal stories, and advice to the readers. I loved this book and wish I could find more like it!!

[Madison’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how Bethany has different sections of the book where she talks about different stuff in her life and her recipes and diy too! She is so inspiring and amazing to! You guys are going to love her book!

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the recipes and all the little peeks into Beth's life :)

[Val Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book:)

[Charman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! Just like knew it was going be to. I learn little more by Bethany. Thanks Goodreads!!!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely helped me in some ways because I am not a "girly girl". Lots of good information to help those that really need it.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice book with good advice and funny stories from Bethany.

[Alicia &#x1f33b; · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

I would’ve enjoyed this book so much more if it came out while I was still watching her channel in like 2010

[Miriam Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked hearing Bethany's take on style and work ethic, and I liked hearing about her upbringing but I was kind of bored at the DIYs but that's probably because I'm not a big DIY/fashionable person.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea who Bethany Mota was until I read her book. I found it interesting.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet read, I feel some advice our for those who are teenage but , I still enjoyed it.