Books that Boosts Self-confidence
Are there times when you’ve doubted yourself - be it the effort you put in your studies or whether your skills are good enough for the job you're interviewing for? Self-confidence can be hard to acquire and requires time to foster that positive outlook for yourself. It definitely doesn't happen overnight.
Books are helpful and informative tools that provide you with a stepping stone for insights into building up that self-confidence and self-esteem from scratch!
You might want to add some of these titles that I enjoyed which portray the journey of their protagonists going through adolescence and even adulthood, building up their own self-confidence after going through multiple obstacles.
1. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesa Zappia
There's two versions of ourselves: online and offline, and that's the same for Eliza Mirk! She goes by LadyConstellation as a well-loved creator of an online webcomic called Monstrous Sea. What's the interesting part about this? Nobody knows who she is in the real world! This is going to change when Wallace Warland enters her life, transferring into her school and not knowing that he is Monstrous Sea's biggest fanfiction writer! These two individuals are going to collide and what will happen when Eliza's secret is revealed?
Eliza and Her Monsters ventures into a girl's life with a family that doesn't understand her passion and places those feelings into creativity. It also talks about growing out of your shell, finding comfort in someone's company and relying on one another. I fell in love with the characters' development and how Eliza overcame her anxiety and fears. Plus points with the book cover and illustrations drawn in the story, it's really memorable with all the colours and sketches!
2. Radio Silence - Alice Oseman
I'm sure if you've heard of Alice Oseman's works, you may know her best for the Heartstopper series that talks about a coming out experience for a high schooler that suffers from internal homophobia and bullying from his schoolmates which shuts him away from being himself. That story talks about his discovery of self-expression after meeting a boy that accepts him. It is a perfect read if you're struggling with accepting yourself and finding strength again.
However, I will be bringing your attention now to Radio Silence which struck me more on an emotional level, as the characters stuck with me even after the finale. This story talks about a student who has to keep up with overwhelming expectations from others and deems herself worthy only based on her academic success. She then finds comfort in the podcast she tunes into, Radio Silence and a fated friendship which makes her question who she truly wants to be.
It taught me that life has many paths for you to embark on and that you will face tough choices to reach those destinations. Along the way, you'll make mistakes, but it's all part of the journey to self-discovery. And those grades don't define you as a person!
3. Moxie - Jennifer Mathieu
Moxie strongly voices out her stance on societal issues and finds the strength to fight back even through the odds of the community not supporting or judging your actions. It was a spectacular and phenomenal story of how allies worked together and made a drastic change for what they believed in. That bond touched my heart and resonated with me.
Vivian has been enduring, keeping quiet about what she's observing in her school, but it's becoming intolerable - with unnecessary harassment and sexist dress codes. This anger started her girl revolution with great inspiration from her mother who was a punk rocker in the 90s. Little did she know…how much she's going to change the system with her courage and her friends that fight it together!
4. It Ends with Us - Colleen Hover
Had to leave this for last, as it's truly one of my best reads back in 2021. Thinking about the book always makes me tear up just a little. The compelling storyline kept me hooked till the very last pages, leaving me utterly speechless.
Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, introduces us to Lily, a woman who has come very far from years of hard work and who finally settles down in Boston to start up a new business and follow her dreams. She then meets a neurosurgeon, Ryle, who she feels connected with, but who has a hidden reason behind why he has a "no dating" rule even though he eventually makes an exception for her. While this encounter is taking place, she also has to face her past…as Atlas, her first love reappears.
Trust me, this will be a huge roller coaster ride and even more heart-wrenching to see Lily have to make the toughest decisions and face the pain and sacrifices that come with them. This book shows what it means to be absolutely brave despite all challenges.
These books are individually stunning and worth reading if you're finding characters who go through growth and resilience in what they want and who they want to be!