You Got This: A fabulously fearless guide to being YOU

by Bryony Gordon

NO. 1 BESTSELLER!'A book that every teenage girl needs to read ... and every grown woman will wish she had read' Fearne Cotton'Bold. Brilliant. Bryony! This is the ultimate guide to growing up happy' Dr Max PembertonI wanted to be a unicorn. I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be an astronaut. But the thing I really wanted to be, more than anything else, was a little less like me.It was only recently that I realised not wanting to be me was at the heart of every dumb decision I ever made. And so now I am writing this book containing all the life lessons I wish someone had taught me. A book for the teenage girl in me. And for every teenage girl out there. Because the most powerful thing you can be when you grow up is yourself.-------Frank and fearless, You Got This openly explores topics like self-respect, body image, masturbation and mental health, making it the perfect companion for young women.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won a copy via giveaway on Twitter!

Ahhhh, I really wished that this book was around when I was in my teens. It's a great guide for teen girls about growing up, life tips on things such as crushes, exams, friendships, health etc. It was well-written and a fun read. Even though I am slightly older than the target market, there will be some tips that I've taken away from this book after reading it!

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with The Teenage Worriers Guides. I didn’t necessarily have many problems but it was through these books that I learned things that you learn in that awkward time before you become an adult. Those books wouldn’t necessarily work for a modern reader – enter Bryony Gordon.

This book deals with real life issues that teenagers go through. Things that may have been a problem when I was younger, not to the extent or pertinence as it is these days such as body image, relationships, mental health. Bryony talks directly to the reader. She doesn’t talk down to them nor does she sound superior in a “been-there-done-that” way but she does give her real life examples of how she has been effected by what has happened to her in her life.

You Got This is a book that should be put in every school library or given out as a gift to teenagers by the government as a guide to getting through those awkward and difficult days.

You Got This by Bryony Gordon is available now.

[Jade McCrory-Conlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was definitely too old for this, however for someone in their teens or early twenties this is a good book with great advice and touches on important subjects.

[Sharon Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide to being yourself!

[Becci Snape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. Nostalgic. Truthful. Honest. Relatable. Brilliant.

[Sophie Lyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book from a charity shop a while ago, not actually realising it’s aimed at teenage girls. But, do you know what? That really didn’t matter. There were some points within the book, especially those surrounding exams and how grades don’t matter that didn’t feel relevant to me (I did my GCSE’s 11 years ago) but on the whole, the book really resonated with me, despite me being well above the target audience age. With it being a book for a younger audience, the points being made were incredibly accessible, particularly Gordon’s points around mental health, which even now is a hard subject to broach. I found it great to read how much she emphasised the importance of looking after your mental health and criticised the term ‘snowflake’ and how damaging that can be. There are some triggering topics, ED being one of them, but again, it’s an important subject to talk about, particularly for young girls and the constant and completely normal changes their bodies go through, in fact, even as an adult, it’s an important subject especially as we’re living through a pandemic and our bodies are changing more than ever. What I got out of this book was that we all need to be a little more forgiving of ourselves, self love is important and self loathing is unnecessary. I do think it’s a book that should be read by anyone, regardless of age, we all deserve to feel like we matter and this book certainly does that!

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.8⭐️(based on my enjoyment, but it should really be 5⭐️ due to the messages in the book)

This book and others like it, are really important for teens growing up,due to all the subject matters talked about in it. I think this would’ve been much more useful to me if I read it when I was younger (maybe around 12 to 16). That’s not to say that I didn’t come away from the book with useful and important things to remember in every day-to-day life -because I did. Certain parts of the book came across as preachy(specifically towards the end), but I think that’s because I’m slightly above the demographic for this -so I’m going to find the writing more condescending if I’m older.

Overall, it’s a great book and I’d definitely recommend to anyone in their teens -on second thought, even if you’re not in your teens it’s still quite useful!!!

[Rebecca Haslam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rather wish a book like this had been around when I was a teen/pre teen - I would have no doubt lapped it up. For readers of that age, this book is great - the advice is simple and straightforward, with plenty of anecdotes thrown in to add a personal touch, but for anyone slightly older (or two decades older in my case), it does come across as very young - as it should. I read it because I wanted to see how the issues of growing up differ across books targeted at different ages, and, having read this, I see a considerable difference, but that's not entirely a bad thing for the younger generations.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and it has so many meaningful messages in, particularly for people with low confidence and self-esteem, whilst some of the take-home messages were suitable for all ages, overall I would say I was a little bit older than the age range that would appreciate this the most, I would say this is most appropriate for people (particularly girls) aged between 12 and 16/17

Nevertheless, I really like Bryony Gordon's style of writing and attitudes on mental health, it makes me feel as though I know her personally with the way in which she articulates her ideas & thoughts. I genuinely believe she couldn't write a 'bad' book!

[The Luna Librarian Jo R · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book both for teenage girls and grown women. I totally agree with the author that mental health should be something we can talk about as freely as physical health, and I’m very glad to see some of the stigma attached to it lifting in recent years.
I felt that a few of the cultural references might age very quickly and although they are relevant at the beginning of 2019, in a year’s time they won’t be anywhere near as much which might affect future readers.
That said, overall a brilliant message and I’ll be passing the book on to my 14 year old step-daughter now I’ve finished it.

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this at the Hay on Wye Festival.

Bryony Gordon does her usual brilliant thing of reminding women (Especially teenage girls) that we are ok. We can juggle deadlines and look after ourselves, we don't need a man to feel good and most importantly we need to stop judging ourselves by saying we aren't clever or attractive enough.

This was a good read and I wanted to photocopy the chapter about exams and hand it out to my high school students! This is very important for teenagers, parents and any teachers.

[Steve Angelkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author was on the radio last week, as part of Mental health awareness week (13th - 19th May) in the UK.

This is a 'warts and all' revelation of the mental health challenges the author faced growing up and positioned as a self help book for teenage girls.

The author also has an associated called 'Bryony Gordon's Mad World'

As useful a resource for parents.

Thought provoking stuff.

[Danielle Hithersay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. However the audience of the book really confuses me. I wish I had this book myself growing as its very insightful and at times Bryony is like a beat friend I never had. However at times I questions whether the content is appropriate for audience the book is aimed at.
I suppose the book is like marmite you love it or you hate it. For me some day I like marmite and some days I don't which is excatley my relationship with this book.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only I had this book when I was growing up. I really think every tween/teen, should be bought this book. I got it on audible (because I love Bryony's voice) and didn't realise it was a YA book until I had already started listening to it. I decided to stick with it because ...why not! Well I bloody loved it. Thank you Bryony for your honesty, I found the audible version TOTALLY entertaining on my work commute.

[Megan Gadsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very relaxing, almost like reading a magazine. Bryony Gordon felt very much like an elder sister/ best friend with many funny stories and lots of advice. I'd say it gave me a good boost when i needed it both in humour and also with advice, confidence and clarity.

Recommended to any 20 something lady that needs a good boost and any teenage girl trying to find her way in this crazy world.

[Suzanne Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a 24 year old woman even though it is targeted at teenagers and it is truly amazing! It has changed my perspective in a big way and I think Bryony is beyond incredible for speaking so openly and honestly. She truly is changing lives, including mine!

[Katie Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really honest book that should engage well with any teenage girl/most women! I've taken away plenty from it and lots that will be useful for my job (secondary school teacher). My only criticism of the book is that it is a little listy when it comes to some of the advice.

[Simona Placano · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would definitively recommend this book to any mother who wants to help their teenager (say around 15 to 17th year old daughter) understanding the power of nature over our bodies and minds. with me, going through peri-menopause it helped a lot as well!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and found many useful reminders in there to believe in myself, etc. but the tone was distinctly for an audience younger than myself... however, I wish this had been around when 14 year-old me needed some advice!

[Courtney - Marie🦋 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My deputy head gave me this book to read. Within the first page I felt loved and safe - which is very rare in a book for me. Bryony wrote this beautifully yet so sensitivity. It’s definitely for teenagers for the target audience.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly the type of book I would have really benefited from reading if I was the age group it is aimed towards. I still really enjoyed reading this as a reminder of things that are unfortunately sometimes easy to forget.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great book aimed at younger girls/teenagers and i realised while reading it that i'm definitely not in that category anymore which is a big YIKES (time really moves doesn't it) but still, a really important read and one that i will pass on to whoever needs it.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good summary of some important points that I think the majority of young women should know. I really like the author's perspective and discussion regarding eating disorders; I loved reading that section as it felt rather honest.

[Caitlin MacIver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book without realising it was for a younger audience. I still loved it and wish I had the pleasure of reading this in my teenage years. Would recommend it to anyone I know who is struggling or needs a little boost.

[Charley Hasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is aimed at young adults/older teens, I enjoyed the reminders throughout. I gifted this to my youngest sister, as it is a great vessel from which to discuss topics some may find sensitive!

[Jessica Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I felt that Bryony was speaking to my inner child which definitely needed to hear most, if not all, of what she said.

I have healed and grown since being young, however it was nice to read that my experiences have helped to form who I am today.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably good read for some teenage girls. I didn’t find it interesting enough. I wasn’t hooked at all. It happens almost never that I skim through a book, but in this case I unfortunately did that.
I read a physical version of this book: it has a really nice graphic and nice feel of the paper.

[Emily Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about Bryony’s experience of teenage years made me experience a book like I had never before.This book changed my life. I read it when I was 14 and it made me feel so seen. I still reread this every year. It is amazing

[Hannah Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I’d had this to read when I was a teenager.

[Martha Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this 7 years too late. 💗