Note to Self ~ Connor Franta

In his New York Times bestselling memoir, A Work in Progress, Connor Franta shared his journey from small-town Midwestern boy to full-fledged Internet sensation. Exploring his past with humor and astounding insight, Connor reminded his fans of why they first fell in love with him on YouTube—and revealed to newcomers how he relates to his millions of dedicated followers.

Now, two years later, Connor is ready to bring to light a side of himself he’s rarely shown on or off camera. In this diary-like look at his life since A Work In Progress, Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance; his desire to maintain an authentic self in a world that values shares and likes over true connections; his struggles with love and loss; and his renewed efforts to be in the moment—with others and himself.

Told through short essays, letters to his past and future selves, poetry, and original photography, Note to Self is a raw, in-the-moment look at the fascinating interior life of a young creator turning inward in order to move forward.

Book Review:

Connor Franta has done it again! He let us, the readers (mainly the FrantaFam), into his life. He doesn't go into the specifics of many of the situations that he discusses, such as his broken heart and 2 year relationship; but, he does vividly describe his feelings through gorgeous poetry, essays, and photography. I felt closer to him, as a fan and as a human. 

I really loved his first memoir, A Work in Progress, and I had a good feeling about this one. He went a different route with his writing style than the first one but I think that it really paid off. His first memoir focused on telling us the details of the stories that made him who he is. It almost felt like a bunch of college application essays with some really cool photography. This new memoir was taking experiences from the past few years and without giving many details, explaining his innermost feelings and thoughts through poetry, essays, and gorgeous photography. It felt like a tumblr page in best possible way. 

His work inspired me to start reading more modern, contemporary, free verse poetry again, which is my favorite type of poetry. I truly credit him with pulling me out of my most recent reading slump.

Pages: 320                                                                                                                             Rate: 5/5

TBR Update/ Book Haul

So my package from Amazon recently arrived and I will definitely be reading these books soon.

Just Arrived:

Catelynn and Tyler are the only couple from MTV's Teen Mom that I every respected and outwardly enjoyed. I loved the decision they made for themselves and Carly. I was never an avid watcher of the show  but I have watched some clips of the two on YouTube and follow them on social media. Nova is adorable. I just love what they stand for. And as I've mentioned in a previous post, I want to adopt through an open adoption one day.

I love Grace but I've never been a fan of self help books. But being as I am heading into my senior year of High School and will soon be entering the "real world" I figured it was about time that I read one. Maybe it will help, you know? And I figured that Grace would give me advice in a non condescending way with lots of comedy. The book is gorgeous. I love all of the color. The book is full of pictures and gorgeous pages. 

Along the same lines as what I said about Grace's book. But this time I have a best friend who has read the book and he recommended it to me. He said that it would be the best thing for me to read if it was the last thing that I read. So yeah.

After seeing some vlogs with Joey and his family I really wanted to know more about his journey. I want to know more about growing up with his mom's addictions and his autistic brother. My life has been anything but easy and I have experienced way more that I should have, so I think that this will be a very touching read for me. 

Pre-Ordered:

I love Dan and Phil so much. It doesn't matter to me, if they are best friends, secret lovers, or just plain boyfriends. I just love them. I love the individually and together because they are hilarious all around. 

I find Marcus so interesting. He seems to confident and insecure all at the same time and I want to know more. 

Now this isn't a memoir like the rest of these books but I read the first Girl Online and I absolutely loved it. I love the characters and the writing. The writing is easy to read and comprehend, there isn't much challenge to it at all, but I find that the story is so interesting that I need to read more. I will do a book review of the first one because I will definitely reread that before I dive into this one.

Who wouldn't pre-order this? It is the king of YouTube in book form. I mean seriously.

Already Own:

I am in love with Connor Franta. I have loved his videos for years. He pulled me out of a slump when I really needed it. So I have read his book thoroughly and when I say thoroughly, I mean it. I highlighted all of my favorite lines and then used sticky tabs so that I could open the book easily to them. My friend has had the book for a bit now and has loved it just as much as I do. She will be giving it back to me soon and I will definitely be reading it again. It is just so gorgeous, the pictures are beautiful, and his words are compelling. So be expecting a review on that.  

It is an amazing contemporary novel and I will definitely be reading it again before I dive into the second one. I love Zoe so much. 

 I read this book in 9th grade. I watched the movie the weekend it came out with some amazing friends and have probably re-watched it 100+ times. But I just need to read it again. So expect a review on that at some point and maybe I will watch the movie again and do a comparison too.