A Life Full of Glitter: A Guide to Positive Thinking, Self-Acceptance, and Finding Your Sparkle in a (Sometimes) Negative World

by Anna O'Brien

A modern guide to optimism from the plus-size fashion blogger and founder of Glitter + Lazers—“a beacon of body positivity and no-bullshit takes” ( Revelist ).

Bullying, loss, regret and fear impact our lives in tough-to-deal-with ways. Learn how to confront these and other challenges like the world’s happiest people do—as opportunities. Armed with humor and a good attitude, author Anna O’Brien will teach you how to combat the negativity of life in this motivational self-help guide.

It can be difficult to process and move on from unresolvable issues that are holding us back from our most positive lives. A Life Full of Glitter introduces the concept of “long-game” thinking, which will help you re-frame temporary setbacks and focus on long-term happiness. Discover easy-to-use tips and tricks to increase your positivity and personal growth.

Modern research shows that positivity improves almost every aspect of your life. A Life Full of Glitter will walk you through the findings of this research with real life examples and humorous teachable moments from author Anna O’Brien’s own life. Allow Anna’s book to help you increase your happiness and self-esteem.

A Life Full of Glitter is a modern guide to positive thinking presented through relevant research, captivating storytelling, and plenty of humor. In reading this book, you

Learn quick tips and tricks for shifting your mind to think positively

Be introduced to new ways to address everyday challenges

Master how to move on from feelings and experiences that are holding you back from happiness

“I’ve never seen anyone write with as much authenticity and spark as Anna.” —Megan J. Crabbe, Instagram star and author of Body Positive Power

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2018

Reviews

[Bobbi Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, but I didnt enjoy it as much as I anticipated. I'm not sure if it was just the e-book, but there were so many errors throughout that I found myself literally shaking my head at nearly every turn of the page. The information/advice itself seemed a little stale and repetitive to me. It read like a college level research paper and a just okay one at that.

[Iolanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skip it. A lot of it is basically common sense self growth that you discover naturally. Very drawn out and slow, could of just been an article in a magazine.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Anna, I really really do. What I really needed from this book was more personal connection and experiences and fewer step-by-steps. Perhaps that was not the book she wanted to write, I just wish it had more substance. :(

[Jennifer Cook Nafziger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Anna as an influencer and YouTube personality, however, this book just seemed kind of cliche and didn’t really have a strong voice. I found it to be kind of boring. It lacked the freshness to keep it engaging.

[Katie L. Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 42%
I thought this book would have me more hype like when I read Whitney Way-Thore's book. I'm all for body positivity and hearing someone's story, but this one just didn't work for me.

[Krisee30 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book and I loved it! I have been following Anna for a very long time but had no expectations for this book. I wasn't even going to write this review until I read that scathing one star review that wasn't actually about the book, but about who Anna is as a person. Like my husband just said, "misunderstood the assignment once again." I found the book to be very inspiring, I enjoyed the step by step approach. I think it fits with what I have going on right now that's why I enjoyed it. Something else I enjoyed, that might throw some people off, the book is written in blog style. I got that from listening to it. I think I would get it from reading it, because I blog. But if people are expecting a book format, or for the book to conform, that isn't going to happen. And that's kind of the point I think. We don't have to conform, we can do it our own way. The outcome is the same. I really enjoyed this book. So many inspiring quotes and there were many times I found myself yelling, "Yes!" I learned a few things about myself as well and ways to improve or work on them. I highly recommend this book.

[jilliannes Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book it’s AMAZING!!!

The only thing I have to say it’s
THANKS ANNA!!! ♥️ this’s the most amazing book I’ve read in my entire life!!! I saw you today in instagram and I have to buy the book!!!

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Anna's YouTube channel and really wanted to love this. It doesn't have a super strong point of view and REALLY needed better editing. I found myself rolling my eyes every couple pages because of a glaring error. This would've been great condensed into maybe 3 or 4 articles.

[Jenn Lewis Colarossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little more dry than I had anticipated, considering how fun Anna's Youtube content has been. However it was insightful and I enjoyed it overall.

[Swathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know Anna O'Brien before I downloaded the book. I knew nothing about Anna's youtube channel or instagram account on body positivity until I googled her after listening to the book. And one could not know about that work from the book. The book is broader in its focus.

I liked the way the chapters were arranged and I liked the author's voice in narrating the book. The book is really quick to listen to. I liked the actionable steps backed by research in every chapter. Will definitely recommend the book even if its not groundbreaking in its content - its important to listen to some messages over and over again in different ways.

I liked the chapter on what your body can do for you and to change the way you think about it. Knowing now about the author's work in this space, it makes sense that this is the strongest chapter.

[Elizabeth Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preordered this book when Anna mentioned it on her YouTube channel. I have been following her for a while but just started reading it.

The good: I loved how she took aspects of her life and applied them to the topics she covered. It allowed me to see more into her life than what she showed on her channel. If this was the only personal development book you read, you will learn a lot.

The bad: The trained journalist in me could not let typos go. There is not a lot and they may not be noticeable to anyone but me. There were also times when I felt she displayed the information as though she was writing a college paper for a grade and not a published book.

Overall: I read it, I felt indifferent. I wasn't too excited about it but I do think it will be a good read for others to enjoy.

[Bmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful, lighthearted book about finding positivity from an A-type personality. It's refreshing to see someone who isn't innately laid back talk about methods that she used to find a place of peace and gratitude when she is feeling stressed and conflicted. I respect the amount of work Anna put into the science side of this book, finding the story of the chronically unlucky man who has so internalized himself that he misses all the ways in which he could, in fact, be "lucky." Perception is often better than half the battle when trying to find some happiness.

[D Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is lacking in several areas, perhaps most notably in the editing. The errors are frequent enough to be distracting, especially given the fact that the material is less than groundbreaking and the author doesn’t have a clear voice throughout.

Die hard fans may appreciate having more Anna content and nothing about the message is bad, but it has all been said before (and more eloquently) elsewhere.

[Devin Chatwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 because this one is on me… I thought it was her autobiography and didn’t realize it was self help. She is witty but it did have a few issues that were missed during editing.
Thoughtful and fun and short- for a generation who has grown into preferring short, fast content this could be great.
My kid is about to go to middle school so we will be keeping it around 💖

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is completely not what I was expecting when I saw this book by a YouTube celeb.
However overall it was a good book. Anna has definitely put in the research on this subject. She has some excellent points. I would recommend this book.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this - it was a reminder of things I already knew and actionable things to do if you want to change your life. Simple, but to the point and clear.

[Scenery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I've been watching Anna's "Glitter and Lasers" channel on YouTube on-and-off for a bit. I feel like I ended up getting more out of this book than I initially expected to based on the title, particularly because so much of the content covered aligned eerily well with things I've been ruminating on my own life (especially comparison and perfectionism). I greatly appreciated how much of this book was focused on working on self-development and making the active choice to live a positive, future-oriented life as opposed to sort of shrugging and accepting things as they are and putting the onus of your happiness on others.