Jump

by Daniella Moyles

Jump is a memoir about growing up, burning out, bad decisions, reckless adventures, love and loss. It's about what happens when you let go of everything you think you need and are confronted by who you really are - and how on the other side of this confrontation lies true contentment.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Irish Literature, Memoir, Self Help, Biography

380 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2020

Reviews

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book is a clear and honest perspective on how she became successful while at the same time her ability to cope, and her mechanisms for coping, slowly failed her. The second half of the book is less clear - it seems like there are a few defining moments where she decides her life is going to change, only for things to continue in a fairly similar way, e.g. drugs and parties. It’s a confusing narrative thread (as a reader I felt like I was being told things has changed while I was reading about events that seemed very much the same) and reads a bit weakly compared with the searing honesty of the first half.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Urgh. This is really a book of two halves.

The first half gets 2.5 stars from me. The first half is interesting and reads well.

I did have two minor issues with the first half. Firstly, the author attributes equal blame to her father and herself for the abusive relationship they had when she was growing up. No adult should hit a child. There is no excuse for hitting a child. Her father was in a position of power and it doesn't matter how selfish and ungrateful she seemed. He should not have hit her.

Secondly, I didn't like the false modesty. Maybe I misread it but I think she describes herself as awkward and strange looking. She is neither of those two things. She is total model material.

The second half is KMN boring. It is just a list of adjectives and the places she visits. I feel like the book should have been edited so the second half explored the understandings she developed through her travels without listing every single part of her trip. I started to highlight all the travel brochure descriptions as I was bored.

I think another reviewer also commented that it was confusing as she would have epiphanies which then lead to no growth. An epiphany doing drugs and sitting on the beach watching the sunset. And then more travelling. An epiphany doing yoga on a mountain top during a cyclone. And then more travelling. An epiphany solo trekking in Patagonia. And then more travelling. Just endless adjectives and endless travelling. I really want to know how she funded the thing as she kept talking about her empty bank balance and then jumping on a flight to Costa Rica.

I guess whatever works for you but I travel for enjoyment. To control my anxiety I swim laps or go for walks in the sunshine. I have friends who see counsellors. I even have friends who need medication. This idea that you have to solo trek through Patagonia to achieve personal growth is a bit too insta-influencer for me.

But, I'm obviously in the minority as there are lots of four star and five star reviews for this book. Read the reviews and make up your own mind.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatable book about growing up, burning out and running on empty. Her description of interior states are some of the most raw and close to reality I have ever read.

Didn't know who she was before I picked up the book. It doesn't really matter. This book is just a milestone in her unfolding life.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this! It’s honest and raw and has some moments of incredible wisdom particularly around self-acceptance, dealing with stress and anxiety and pressures of modern living. I also loved the mix of self-help, memoir and travel writing.

[Lou F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointed with this. I wanted to like it but it felt really superficial. A beautiful white hetro lady with plenty of cash navigates the world and finds it much easier than expected. The end. Maybe I’m being harsh but I expected more considering the positive reviews. I wanted it to inspire me and to vicariously live through her travels. I didn’t know who she was before starting the book, perhaps it would have been better if I had an idea of her media career. Made me want to go to Costa Rica someday though.

[Aimee-Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing captivates, but the storyline falls flat with the cliché "Woman travels, finds herself" theme. Despite its lack of memorable specifics, the well-crafted prose and periodic wisdom statements kept me engaged. The first half, raw and vulnerable, stood out, while the second half felt less impactful, leading to a drop in the storyline. Although an easy read, it felt like a subtle promotion of the author's personal brand.

A drawback is its portrayal of long-term travelers as always "looking for something" or "running away," perpetuating a misrepresentation. Contrary to this, many, including myself, travel for joy and love the lifestyle. The narrative's focus on the author's journey with yoga left me puzzled, especially with the anticlimactic ending. The abrupt resolution seemed rushed, lacking an exploration of why yoga became her salvation.

On the positive side, the author resonated with my experiences, particularly in Torres Del Paine, echoing the thrill of solo travel. The South American journey mirrored my own, creating a nostalgic connection. The exploration of societal challenges tied to social media, despite my inability to relate to online self-reinvention, offered valuable insights into the influencer world and its complexities.

[Michael Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting and I thought it was very well written. However, I continually found myself irritated by the actions of the author. Why would you continually drink and take drugs whilst trying to fix your mental health? Irked me about how the 4 week yoga course was the turning point too. What exactly happened there? Long postures and lying down made you realise you were angry? Huh? Maybe I’m just cynical.

I’m glad she’s on the road to improved wellbeing but I think Moyles missed out on other key factors such as exercise, sleep and financial security.

The travelling stories were great and made my reminisce about my own backpacking days.

[Chris Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sense I am giving a biased review. I think it is because I could really empathise and identify with some of Daniella’s traits and/or traumas.

Biases aside, It would have took immense courage to write that book. The level of authenticity & vulnerability was truly something.

I enjoyed the book overall. It was well very written and very descriptive in spells. The occasional Irish-isms throughout were well received.

5 stars from me.

[Christine Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I expected it to be when I chose to read it. I expected it to be about the adventures she embarked on whilst travelling . Although it dud talk about these to some degree it was mainly demonstrating how she put herself into fearful situations to force herself to overcome her fear. I didn’t really ‘get into’ the book. I did find it interesting but it wasn’t what I expected.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Briana Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likes: Clear, well written, very honest, inspiring, makes you want to drop everything and go travelling
Dislikes: Long winded at times, the second half of the book starts to lag
Recommend For: Anyone suffering from anxiety, travel and yoga lovers, Danielle Moyles fans

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Really enjoyed this book
It was introspective & insightful without being preachy
Loved Daniella’s honesty
Loses half a star bc there was some of the travel stories that I thought could have been cut

[Nickola Dempsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s taken me well over a year to finish this book.
Unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed it.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has 3.5 stars from me. It's well-written, honest and open. What I think it lacked was a consistency in it's depth of tackling the issues that at some point were tackled with great insight. Also, I listened to the author read the book, and I found her voice flat and lacking emotion in some parts that could have been conveyed a bit better. Otherwise, I found it very relatable and eye-opening in some points that the author managed to articulate very well, and that I might have wondered about in my life. It's a short book that will not be a waste of time for sure, so worth reading/listening.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve followed Daniella since her trip to Uganda almost three years ago. This was a gorgeous,honest and raw memoir exploring mental health, social media and travelling.

[Andrew Stemp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the author annoying.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it in one sitting. Very honest book about her struggles

[Naomi Handler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not keen on biographies but I absolutely loved loved this book, so honest, so easy to read through it but still touching and makes you think about your life. Absolutely thrilled I chose to pick it up and not hid behind the “I don’t like biographies” approach.

[Sarah Crossan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scratched my travelling itch during the pandemic

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it unfortunately.

[Julia Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this read......

A book that will move you and make you want to move, to book a flight and just go. Honest and so interesting.

[Lynsey O'Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible, honest book that is so beautifully written. An open read about mental health, travel, social pressure, overcoming fear, and real life. What a lovely fabulous person ❤️ loved it!!!

[Siv · Rating 4 out of 5]

**The gist:**

- Former Irish model and influencer Daniella Moyles shares her journey to find meaning and purpose in her life, whilst dealing with her mental health struggles.
- Moyles gives a very real and authentic account of her struggles with mental health - and how she managed it through the various events of life, touching on themes such as growing up, grief, relationships, career and travel.
- I picked this book up from my local library because the cover caught my eye and I was intrigued by the concept of a former Irish model / influencer writing about her mental health and journey to find meaning. I’ll be honest - I had preconcieved notions about how it might go (I expected a woe-is-me-being-pretty, shallow discussion of mental health). Instead what I got was a refreshingly honest account of a woman struggling to manage her mental health, the impact of this on her career journey and relationships, and how she learned to embrace fear through world travel, and the life lessons she gained along the way.
- From the descriptions of her world travels (Costa Rica has been added to my travel bucketlist) - to her honest account of the reality of modelling and influencing, and her struggles with romantic relationships and anxiety - Daniella doesn’t shy away from her sharing her regrets and mistakes, which lends credibility to the insights she shares about life and finding purpose.
- The writing is charming, honest, funny at times, poignant at others - making for an enjoyable and valuable read.

**The good stuff:**

- Personally, I love reading about other peoples life stories, and their journey to finding purpose and meaning in life, and the lessons they learned from their personal struggles. Daniella shares insights about life which are backed up by her life experiences - from working as a model and influencer, to struggling in family and romantic relationships, embracing risks and fear during her travels accross the globe, and facing up to her mental health struggles. I could tell these were genuine life lessons she had earned, and this made them meaningful for me.
- Authentic, honest and real - she doesn’t shy away from her mistakes or regrets, which lends credibility to her insights about life and finding meaning.
- How Daniella talks about mental health - she finds the sweet spot of acknowledging the very real struggles of mental health and the need to address it - while also never asking the reader for sympathy or pity. She owns her struggles, and advocates for agency when it comes to managing your mental health. Her take on mental health and the need for accountability (where possible) is refreshing and important.
- I love when authors share quotes or poems at the start of chapters.

**The not for me stuff:**

- Honestly, I don’t have anything negative or even constructive to say. I really enjoyed this.

**My favourite line:**

- “My favouite assembly of stardust walking this earth”

**Overall**

- I loved this book & I’m looking forward to buying Daniella’s workbook. I think everyone has this type of book in them - we’ve all had different struggles and experiences, with different lessons and insights about life to share. If you’re looking for a blueprint on how to do it in a way that’s authentic, charming and poignant - this is your blueprint. I’m glad that Daniella had the courage to write this book. If she ever writes another, it’s already on my hit list.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I strongly suspect that if you're going to consume 'celebrity' audiobooks, it's probably more meaningful if you have some idea who the so-called celebrity is. I don't know anything about Daniella Moyes - or rather I didn't before I listened to her book 'Jump'.

The book follows her through a difficult childhood (mother with cancer, distant and angry father) through school (let out early for not really knuckling down) then out into the world of 'work' (standing around in a bikini looking pretty), travel (getting Dengue fever in 'Thighland' - seriously she can't say Thailand), work again (getting to be a sort of famous Irish DJ - it's a small pond), lots of drugs and bad choices about men and alcohol, having a colossal breakdown, going off to find herself in South America and......blah blah blah.

I liked the first half. I liked the tales of growing up, getting her first job, going to Thigh-land and getting sicker than a dog with the Dengue. I played her breakdown in the car with my husband (who is currently suffering PTSD) beside me, and he was really moved by a lot of what she said. He nodded along wisely. THEN, along came the second half and I didn't love it quite so much - she went off on her travels and behaved like nothing she'd ever learned about herself counted for anything before solving all her issues in a ludicrously convenient way.

It was like listening to a slow-motion car crash as she boasted around South and Central America doing way too many drugs and not so much trying to find herself as trying to run away from herself. "Why is she doing all these stupid things?" asked hubby.

I can only conclude it was to fill out a book.

And the ending

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it cause she's cool and real and went travelling. Think the book was divided in like 3 sections, the early life where she talks about her relationships and her cousin and how she developed. She gave some smart commentary which stuck with me but I dont remember what she said.

Then the middle bit is about everything going wrong. She goes on a girl's holiday and gets a flu that messes her up. Also she has sex with her friend's boyfriend (wtf) and this is big because she has a really awesome group of friends and considers herself a girl's girl, but throws the title away.

She becomes a radio host at some stage and she's also a model. Then after she gets sick she goes on a downward spiral and is super mentally and physically unhealthy but decides the best thing to do is go long term travelling which is another level of brave IMO.

Then the meat of the book is the travels. She has loads of adventures with groovy people. Something I think about on the daily is how she said:

"""It's really easy to make friends with other travellers while travelling. You just sit next to them on the bus and it's completely normal."""

That's really comforting. Once COVID goes away, I will too and that line will stick in my head and maybe make it easier to talk to people.

I should read the book again cause I remember nothing. But I have very positive feelings towards it and maybe that's reason enough for others to read it, or maybe not.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

JUMP BY DANIELLA MOYLES 🚶‍♀️🏞️🌱: Enjoyable overall.

Jump is an autobiography by Daniella Moyles, an Irish model/presenter/influencer. I'd never heard of her before downloading this audiobook (it appeared in the 2 for 1 sale on Audible) but decided to give it a go nonetheless. Throughout this book, Moyles details the difficulties she faced as a child and teen as well as the personal discoveries she made as an young adult backpacking through central and south America. I found this book to be enjoyable overall. Moyles has a lot of interesting insights and raised several points that I have come to in the past myself (particularly the part about growth being uncomfortable but more than worth it). I did, however, feel that the section on travel went on for a very long time and kind of reeked of privilege. I would say the vast majority of people definitely do not have the luxury of a year's worth of independent travel/soul-searching and that the constant barrage of life-changing experiences in exotic lands made me feel somewhat disconnected from the author... Maybe that's coming from a place of jealousy, who knows. 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, I liked this book overall but probably wouldn't seek out anything else by Moyles in a rush.

⭐⭐⭐ Three stars.

[Barbara Dougal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an honest depiction of anxiety, the societal pressures of living the 'perfect life' and the actual realities of being a twenty-something year old, still not knowing where you want your life to go. I loved reminiscing on my childhood in part one of the book where shes speaks abour growing up and I could relate to so many of the stories she told as we lived through them ourselves within our own families in Ireland. In part two, Daniella took the jump that most of us wish we could - not only did Daniella travel the globe as a solo traveller, she began to find she could trust herself too. Someone somewhere will definitely find similarities and comfort in Daniella's story. I loved that she stripped herself bare and took ownership over her own life issues. She explains her feelings in such a raw and relatable manner whilst never feeling sorry for herself. It takes a lot of courage to write a book that tells a story of anxiety but even more so to tell the story that is so self aware in both the good and bad. I would have given the book 5 stars but I haven't tavelled alot myself but i know so many others will relate to the second part of the book. Well done Daniella.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. I listened to the audiobook version from my local library and I had no idea who Daniella was beforehand. The sections of the book about her early and teen years were interesting and relatable.

As the book progressed, I did find my attention wandering at times, but I wanted to keep going to learn more about Daniella and her story.

I cringed through the chapter on Uganda as it was the typical white middle class westerner volunteerism story. So I was relieved when the story returned to Daniella’s struggle with her home town as the setting. The Burnout chapter was again insightful and heartfelt.

Unfortunately I stopped listening when I heard the first chapter of part two was titled Burning Man. After finding the Uganda chapter difficult to stomach I wasn’t sure I could put myself through the ‘finding’ oneself at Burning Man trope.

Jump is a well written account of mental health issues that I’m sure many can relate to, I probably would have continued listening if I had the patience to get through the more clichéd sections of the book.

[Ninaminacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This revealing and honest memoir will appeal to anyone who enjoys an autobiography, but its emphasis on mental health and overcoming fear will open up the readership still further to those with a personal or professional interest in these matters and then there is the self-help element, in the form of an appendix containing the coping strategies which Daniella Moyles herself has found beneficial. (She was also now written a self-help book called Jump Start, which I haven't read, but might be worth investigating if that's the aspect that's important to you.)

The book is well written (and well narrated by Daniella herself) and engages the reader's interest from the outset, but the outstanding feature is the fact that Daniella is able recount her mistakes as well as her successes in an equally candid manner. That's not to say that the book focuses exclusively on mental health. Part of Daniella's path to overcoming anxiety and fear involved extensive travel, particularly in central and south America, most of the time as a solo backpacker. This means that you get the bonus of hearing about places of exceptional beautiful and a variety of adrenaline-inducing extreme activities - making it a great read all round.

[Ciara K · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more stars I would!! I don’t know what I expected going into this, a self help book maybe? But what I got was so much more. It was an incredible journey of a troubled girl, a lot of traits in Daniella I find I used to have in not knowing how to deal with my anger, expressing emotions physically rather than coping with them, the levels of anxiety. This book if anything showed that you can have so much but psychologically have so little. Mental health issues know no bounds, it doesn’t matter your race, religion, age, gender, lifestyle or income; it’s all about your own mindset and how you process and deal with things. Daniella told her tale so honestly, I loved how she described her life but at the same time reflected on things she should have done differently while telling these tales. I devoured this in 3 sittings and can truly say that this has been an insightful, inspiring and beautiful read. This is one that will stick with me for a long time