My Life as Eva: The Struggle is Real

by Eva Gutowski

From the popular YouTube personality Eva Gutowski comes an amazing book on all the ups and downs of life that everyone goes through, but no one is able to easily push through. From living on a diet of ramen noodles (and the occasional lucky maple poptart), to getting dumped not one- not two, but three times in high school, Eva has truly seen the craziest of times. She wants you to laugh, cry, and resonate with her beyond-embarrassing moments, in the hopes that you too will see that the joy in life is getting through it all with nothing but a smile—because your smile is pretty dang special.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir

208 pages, Hardcover

Published February 14, 2017

About the author

YouTube sensation Eva Gutowski (better known as MyLifeAsEva) is a fashion, lifestyle and comedy vlogger with over 6 Million YouTube Subscribers and 12M followers across social media. Each week, Eva shares comedy sketches, travel footage, Tumblr-inspired DIYs and outfits, and more.

Reviews

[Loeka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read/listened to. (Since this is the second audio book I've ever listened to, but it's so much more inspiring than most books I've read).

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome and amazing book I totally recommend this book to anyone who likes life style and reality books. Really all I can say is read it you will LOVE it I promise!!!! It is my FAVORITE book
I have EVER read!!! 💗❣️👍

[Erika Vella · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's a life lesson. enjoyed every single page.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like reading and I promise you won't be able to put the book down after you pick it up. Read.this.book.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I learned so much about the author and how she overcame something terrible!

[Amelie M]

When I first found out that Eva Gutowski released a book, I couldn't handle my excitement. I could finally read through some ,what I consider, very teaching and interesting stories that could either get my mood up or just cause me to want to change my life in a very positive way.

I relished reading about very relatable moments and situations that Eva went through. It amazed me that her character is so positive and merry, despite all the bad and horrible things that life dragged her through. This motivated me to be as positive as she is too, and stand up to all those bullies and fears and to not let them carve my path through life. She reminded me that, although some occasions may seem hopeless, there is always good to come.

Not only does this book have a very meaningful thought to it, but adding to that it includes some motivational ideas on how to live life in a more healthier way. Eva talks about how she learned to love her body and how the reader should do too. It was eye opening too see that not only exercise and vegetables lead to a healthy lifestyle. But rather a life without stress and negative thoughts about people that just bring you down.

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to read this eye opening memoir about a person that I´ve been looking up to for years now. If you feel like you need advice in how to live a confident and happy life, this may be the book for you.

[Katharinas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting to read “My Life As Eva”. Her book is about a variety of different experiences she had and a lot of stories thats she shares that she had experienced during her high school and college years. It was unbelievable to read of what she went through and was very engaging. She also shares recipes that look super delicious.

She writes so much addvise that can be helpful for high school years and overcoming situations that readers can relate to that also she experienced. Eva lived through some crazy moments that she shares and gives life long advice that people can benefit from. She explains so much that helped her, for example her diet and body image.

This was an interesting and enjoyable book to read and would totally recommend it to anyone that loves watching her youtube videos and is also a teen.

[Jonas Stephan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good day all is well please this is i faith a great book through lore life is a struggle thanks so much god bless really have it good.

[Chawnta'le]

Very interesting, motivational, inspiring and truthful. I would highly suggest this book to young adults in high school, junior high, or college. A lot about love, heartbreak, confusing moments, and pain.

[G R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good! It contains recipes, fashion and much more! love u Eva!!! ❤️

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Life as Eva: The Struggle is Real is a self-help memoir by YouTuber and influencer Eva Gutowski. In this book she shares her personal journey of growing up, finding her voice, and navigating the challenges of life. With humor and honesty Eva discusses the struggles she faced in her early years including body image issues, self-doubt, and relationships. Through her stories, Eva encourages readers to embrace their true selves and find confidence in the face of challenges.

I was excited to read this book as I was a fan of Eva's YouTube channel when I was younger and I was curious to read about her experiences and advice. However, I was ultimately let down. This book is pitched as a self-help/advice book and I think it would do better to be promoted as a memoir. As someone who has struggled with quite a few things with some similar experiences to Eva, I wasn't a huge fan of her advice on certain topics. The "advice" Eva gives throughout the book felt superficial at best. It mostly boils down to the message of "just get over it" which doesn't offer much depth or practical guidance. If that is how she dealt with her struggles it's completely valid it just doesn't seem like a helpful thing to say especially considering that this is marketed to be advice for middle and high schoolers.

I also found myself concerned that younger readers in particular might misinterpret some of her "advice" especially when it comes to topics such as school and mental health. The way these issues were addressed seems oversimplified, and I can see how someone might take the wrong message away from it.

Additionally, I wasn't a fan of the nonlinear structure of the book. The back-and-forth timeline felt disjointed and made it harder for me to follow the narrative as it was a struggle to tell where in each grade certain events took place. Overall I was hoping for a look into her life and some advice on how she dealt with some of her struggles since as I said I have gone through some similar issues but instead got a collection of events with some surface level life-lessons that almost all were made to find a way back to talking about boys and relationships. (2.5 stars rounded down)

Trigger Warnings - Sexual Assault, Rape, Toxic Friendship

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would say this is a very typical YouTuber book. I watch Eva's videos, which is mainly what encouraged me to pick this up when I saw it at the library. I know Eva's audience is a bit younger than me, and the book definitely demonstrates this. One of the most frustrating things in this memoir was that it was written in a "write as you talk" way, which for Eva can be very long winded and a little too internet speaky. Distracts from the narrative and the points she is trying to make. This is sad because she does make really solid points about self-image, health, mental illness, friendship, dating, etc. It's almost like she tried to be TOO relateable in this. I think this will probably sell well with the younger reader who is just about to go to high school or start college, to let them know they are not alone. But for someone a bit older, I just felt like the book lost potential. I do want to give Eva points for how she talked about being raped. She didn't have to, but she included it in here. The chapter was short, to the point, and very real. She expresses her thoughts before, during, and after the rape. She addresses how messed up the system is and how ineffective it can to helping girls navigate rape. My only other critique of the book is that I wish Eva talked a bit more about privilege in here. She lacks privilege in some areas, but has it in others. I think her voice really could be used to strike up conversation about benefits. While this book is helpful and encouraging for teens, I do wish it were also a bit more realistic.

[Taryn Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only ordered this because of the high rating and because I wanted to read more about her struggle with breakups and sexual assault, both of which she mentioned would be in here. And they were, but this book was obviously written to appeal to younger high school age kids, so everything "inspiring" I had already heard and implemented into my own life.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, light read for fans! I felt so much more connected with her because of this book :) love you Eva

[becs 🌻🌸🌷 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute and very quick read. Not really a big fan of her now though.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75*

[Kylee Retos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you watch YouTube? Well if you do then you have probably heard of Eva Gutowski or “My Life As Eva”, she is a youtuber who recently wrote a book called “My Life As Eva: The Struggle Is Real”, i thought I would read it because i watch her YouTube videos and before reading this book I didn't really know much about her life behind the camera. This book was mainly about her lifestyle and also a comedy i would say. Eva explained that many tragic things happened in her life, and even though she is a youtuber she doesn't show she is going through these things when she makes her videos. She puts on a brave face and makes really amazing videos for her viewers. At the end of each chapter she would give advice and what she thought about certain things and that is one of the things that was cool because whatever advice she didn't share in the chapter she would make sure she included it in the end. She also opened up so much and wrote a book about everything that was happening in her life that was really personal to her and that was pretty amazing to think that someone would tell her whole life story to people she barely even knows or doesn't even know of. She also told us how to be the best person we can be and not let anything get in your way.
This book would be mainly enjoyed by people who like to hear about other people’s lives and what they go/ went through in their lives, also if you watch her videos then you will have a desire to learn more about her and her struggles. This book really met a point that i think is very important and that is you can be whoever and whatever you want to be and you shouldn't care what other people think because their opinion isn't as important as your own. Eva explained that her family didn’t have a lot of money so she had to get some of her clothes from thrift stores or hand me downs from friends or relatives. This book connected to me emotionally because some of the things that she was going through was really sad and by hearing that someone had to go through that made me get upset and feel really bad for her. One of the things she was going through was she would randomly pass out and her family would send her to the doctors a lot and it costed a lot of money to keep sending her there so her family had to stop sending her because they couldn't afford it anymore. I would happily recommend this book for you to read!

[Olivia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Novel “My Life as Eva The Struggle is real” by Eva Gutowski, is a bibliography about Eva’s life. She talks about high school, college, and living on her own and all of the encounters and adventures that come with it. Eva’s book is mostly about figuring out how she feels and what type of life she wants to figure out for herself. She writes about each year of high school (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior year) and the boyfriends, friendships, hardships, and fun she was able to have. When high school ended she addresses the amount of freedom she received and the people she met in college. After Eva graduated college, she started following her dreams and traveling the world while juggling the jobs of a photographer, actress, and youtuber. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I really liked how she included photographs of the pictures she has taken all around the world and the advice she was able to give her audience. I truly believe the problems presented in this book is relatable to a lot of teenage girls in highschool. I recommend this book to freshman in highschool because Eva’s main desire was to give young teens advice and to give her input on a lot of things you could go through in highschool, like making friends or problem solving. I would recommend this novel to my peers since it could help individuals overcome a lot of different situations.

[Ryan Monasch · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Life as Eva: The Struggle is real by Eva Gustowski is a great book for teens and young adults going through rough times. It teaches valuable life lessons like don't change for other people. Everyone at one point just has those days or weeks where their life seems horrible. Not many people are able to open up about thing like that. With this book, I got to see inside the authors life and how similar her life is to mine. Now that I've read this book I have a support for when I'm going through hard times at school and at home. I will be able to read this book and realize that everyone goes through the same things as I do. I recommend this book to young adults to read when they are feeling down or even just when they need a book to comfort them.

[ciara♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

pijnlijk obvious dat het in 2016 is geschreven

ze ging amper diep in op dingen. ze was TELKENS zo van "thats a whole other story". JE SCHRIJFT TOCH NU EEN STORY HALLO??? 😭😭😭 maar whatever iguess


EN ze sprak haarzelf zo vaak tegen😭
"you should love urself and the body youre in!!!"
*volgende hoofdstuk*
"how to lose weight"

"yeah we were SO broke, we always ate noodles and could barely afford burritos"
"i went thrifting for 20 dollars *every week*"

"women should stick together"
*vervolgens haalt ze andere vrouwen naar beneden en laat haarzelf beter klinken dan de andere meiden die "allemaal drama zijn"*


overigens was de hoeveelheid aan het woord "squad" gewoon een marteling‼️‼️🦅🇺🇲🔥

[Jaylah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely a 3.5 star for me. It was very original, nothing about it made me want to rethink life decisions or follow a new path. I’m not saying I hated it because there were many things I did enjoy, but there were also parts that made me think “do I really need to read this”. I still love Eva and will continue to watch her YouTube channel. This book just will never leave a big mark in my life.

[Anis Razman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I followed her on YouTube and this is definitely something you can actually observe and relate to her throughout her vlogging journey and I would actually Recommend this book to people to read especially to those who wanted to understand more how a girl’s mind works. And I think this book will really help those who are lost being in this internet world and those who are insecure. This book is full of positivity and fun tips&tricks you can adapt in your life ☺️

[Deepika Anand · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is more like a magazine than a book. Might be useful for teens but definitely not a good read for adults. There are a couple of twists and major turns about her life. Otherwise easy to read. I think most of the teens will be able to relate to her story. Hardly will take 2-3 hours to complete it. Definitely not a "must read".

[Maranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many people probubkt won't agree with me on this but I personally did not like this book. The things written In it was repeated a thousand times and o feel as if the book was written so you would feel bad and I hate reading books like that. Although it did have parts where it was okay to read..
Some just were not at all something I would want to read.

[Jas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the stories in this book and highly suggest it to anyone struggling in life who needs reassurement. Some parts i did skip because they dragged on but i truly did love this book and I imagine i'll re-read it soon

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally really like Eva as a YouTuber, so that's what helped pick out this book in the first place. In the book, Eva gives really good advice on almost all aspects of an American teen. Sometimes, the lessons were repetitive.

[Nea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, Eva went through A LOT of things in his life and still figure how to achieve her goals and be who she is now. She doesn't let that horrible things take her down and that is so inspiring and moving

10000000% RECOMENDED

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Eva gives great insights into her life and also a lot of life lessons. What a great, strong and remarkable woman she is! Love her<3

"Don't let anyone elses journey influence on the way you reflect on yourself."

[Karnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was easy to read but also something I could partly relate to. I think she is an inspiration. Would love to read more books by her. Xx

[Monica Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good advice for teen girls. If I were 14 I would probably give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.