Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies

So...I have a lot of snarky things to say about this book, but I'm going to refrain.

Yeah...who am I kidding? If a pumpkin spice latte and a monogrammed chevron pillow had a baby, that baby would be this book.

Alternate title: What my avocado toast had for lunch - a basic bitch's guide to wellness.

Ultimately, I am not the demographic for this book. This book covers no new ground, but is a good collection of tried and true practices for being kind to yourself.

Also, while the amount of glitter tape references alone left me cold, I will say the author was enthusiastically and unabashedly earnest in her desire to not only live her best life, but help others do the same. Does she have an overinflated sense of her own brilliance? Yes. But, fuck it. She DID in fact earn her self-esteem by refusing to succumb to the shitshow that was her childhood & striving to find her own path. Good on her for that.

Will I be journaling everyday and buying myself a Chanel bag, though? That's a no from me.

I was intrigued by this book and finally decided to pick it up at my local bookstore.

Then while reading the first chapter, I wasn't sure if this book choice was a good one. I'm not in my 20s, I'm married, and I have kids. How can I relate to this 20-something single woman who is having different problems than I am?

But after reading further, I realized this book was just the thing I needed, right at this moment in my life.

Tara Schuster not only opens up about her traumatic upbringing, but she does it in a way that not only recognizes her privilege in being able to change her life because of it.

So many people are unaware that while a traumatic life event has its own challenges, it's the time afterward that can be the most difficult.

I'm eight months into being post-treatment for breast cancer, and I've been feeling lost- an identity crisis of sorts, while mitigating a pandemic and kids in remote learning, and a business that is also in an identity crisis.

This book wasn't a magic wand that fixed everything. But it was a blueprint to how I could map out doing the work that will help me heal and find myself again.

I'm not afraid of hard work, and neither is Tara. I'm also the type of person where humor has to be present in my life as much as possible, and I'm so glad Tara made humor a central theme throughout this book.

Now I want a workbook based on this book, lol. The book helped me solidify the concept that it is not selfish to work on oneself, in fact, it just may save your life.

Do yourself a favour and just watch a few “that girl” tiktoks by some fifteen-year-old instead of reading this whole book.
No shade to teens but what I mean is this book doesn't get any deeper than that. It will save you time.

Also adding, the author is privileged as fuck.
“I have come to understand that travel is not a fancy luxury beyond my means. Travel is an important part of appreciating my life.”
But she also adds that it does not necessarily have to be a two week Tokyo trip like the one she spontaneously took! Just any kind of traveling you can take to escape daily life!
This book might have worsened my depression but.... it's not the worst.