‘Twas the night before my thirtieth birthday and all through the house- wait, I don’t have a house. I rent a ridiculously expensive apartment in New York City with the occasional cockroach and a radiator from 1908 that sounds like it’s about to eat me.’

Now, 30 seems scary right? I know it sounds it to me. Next week I’m going to be 24, officially in the ‘mid-twenties’ section of my life. Gulp. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who feel like when your 30 you’re supposed to have your shit together. That’s why I picked up this book and I am so glad I did.

This isn’t going to tell you what you should have done by the time you were 30, but that’s the beauty of it. In this Hope talks of her life and how things didn’t follow a rigid life plan that we’re all supposed to. She talks openly and honestly about her struggles with mental health and the clarity this gave her later on.

There is a whole chapter focused on just trying. Try something out, do what you need to do. This was so refreshing, we’re told so many times that 30 is the end of something, the end of fun perhaps? And Hope challenges this.

This didn’t feel like a self-help book, it felt like listening to a friend give you a pep talk and most importantly, Hope doesn’t pretend that she has all of the answers. She admits that she’s muddling along with whatever life throws at her, she makes mistakes, she doesn’t have a clear idea about what she’s doing but she carries on.

For anyone who’s nervous about heading towards their 30s, no matter how close or how far, this is perfect. In fact, even if you just want a positive read then this is also fab. I gave this 5 stars, it’s a book that I hope to read a few more times to share in Hope’s wisdom. I look forward to also read her first book.