I chose this book because of the brightly colored cover and because the title implied it would help me with my anxiety. In truth, this book was like most personal growth books I've read recently. The advice is good, but it mostly comes from various other sources (Julia Cameron, Elizabeth Gilbert, Seth Godin, Oprah Winfrey, Brene Brown, etc.) and is compiled in one place.

I did not know Amber Rae before choosing this book. The cover is beautifully eye catching and will no doubt gain attention on any shelf. She seems to have quite a social media following and hopefully they will find what they are looking for in this book. I however did not.

There were some things that I loved, She quotes a ton of brilliant thinkers, her wonderventions and journal into wonder ideas were great and made the book a lot of fun. I didn't think that was enough to get past the "everything is about me" tone to the book. She tried so hard to make this an engaging read, and she might have almost got there with a few more rewrites.

The book felt choppy, it was not well written. She is likely an incredible blogger-- and that's what this felt like. It seemed like it could have been a blog with a journal to purchase! There isn't a ton of new information in here, but it might be helpful for teenagers. I couldn't exactly put my finger on what was missing, but it's likely some life experience and a little humility.

The publisher made this book available via netgalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my honest review.

This book seemed as if it was tailored to me. There was so much wisdom within these pages. I am so excited to share this beautiful book with others!

Amber Rae has a very engaging voice, using personal stories to illustrate her message. Very thoughtful and inspiring.

I think for most of us there is a very, and I mean VERY thin line between wondering and worrying? Am I right? When does that wonder turn to worry? This book is easy to follow and I think it outlines things wonderfully.

I have not heard of Amber Rae before reading this book however now I want to search her out and learn more. Choose Wonder Over Worry is an easy to read book - although feels like a collection of mini essays on topics such as Imposter Syndrome, Addiction, and Anxiety. Each chapter is only about 5 minutes to read (bite-sized) but packs a punch. Its my favorite way to read the genre. Personal story - check, explanation of issue- check, simple strategy to help - check. I could see coming back to this one in the future when a specific topic is nagging away.

The only thing I would say that really stood out to me negatively is that there was a lot of repetition. It really came off to me as "you don't understand, so let me dumb it down for you."

Choose Wonder Over Worry, written by Amber Rae, offers a collection of essays on various topics from anxiety, avoidance, fear, uncertainty, self-doubt and many others with a unique autobiographical twist. The key message is quite simple: Choose wonder over worry, but there are plenty other take-away notes you can derive from it. Amber Rae has a great, raw and relatable voice that will take you for a spin and show you things about yourself you used to conceal and areas of your life where you desperately wanted to make a change. 

The book is written in a very approachable and easy going manner, but this doesn't make it all "sweet". Rae is honest, absolutely and deeply honest with herself and her own life and this takes an enormous amount of courage. She's not showing you only the good parts or the parts that are less embarrassing, she bares her heart and soul into writing this book and it pours down through every page. It would be a bit difficult to separate the concepts discussed in the book from the excerpts of her life, but this is the special ingredient that makes it so good. This is her story and it deserves to be written and shared with the rest of the world. 

Regardless of whether you've read a little or a ton on the subject of personal development, self-discovery and inner healing, Choose Wonder Over Worry offers you something new and different, refreshing and real.

Rae's agent was right - girl can definitely right and so she goes for it. She is the whisperer of her generation.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange of a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a memoir-meets-self-help that is great for both a quick boost of inspiration and an entertaining collection of Amber Rae's personal tales in life and creativity. I knew nothing about the author before I started this book and so came in with no preconceived notions -- that is probably the best way to read this one. While you're not getting a step by step action plan to fix every single thing in your life (which, how much self-help that has a non-negotiable action plan is actually helpful, I wonder?) but you will get some words of wisdom, some really insightful journaling prompts and advice from someone who has been there in more ways than one (if you have relationship and addiction issues, there are chapters for you here too among the more general career/creative advice). If you enjoy memoir and self-help, you'll probably like this one.

I'm a chronic worrier! So when I saw this book, I just knew I had to read it. Amber really helps put your life into perspective and take a new look at things. Fantastic for all the worriers out there!

Positive and uplifting, the writing style of this book felt like a conversation with an encouraging friend.

I loved the book. I especially loved how it called to each of our fear/insecurity and ask us to leave it behind. That shit takes courage.

The writing style was very conversational, very engaging. The stories were very relevant and not used as filler fluff.

My favourite quote, however, came from a chapter where the author was quoting Naval Ravikant - "Desire is the contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want." Whoa, it blew my mind. I am that person who is unhappy till she gets what she wants and then she wants more.

The book gave me several revelations, all good and to be worked on.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free reader copy.

I really enjoyed this book, it gave me a lot to think about and take away! There's some really great advice in it!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, thanks to some personal stuff in my life lately, I've been on a self-help kick, so when I saw this one and read the blurb (and saw that it wasn't too long), I asked for an ARC. And I'm glad I did. While this book isn't extremely life-changing or chock full of advice, it was engaging and thought-provoking and really drives home the point that our perspective drives our happiness, our success, our lives. She uses personal stories to let the reader know she's been there, done that, got the tee shirt. She aims not to preach, but to connect.

All in all, a fun read that'll make you think and tweak the way you process and see the world/others. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to make some changes in how they live, as it's an easy read and brimming with encouragement.

3.5 stars rounded up. :)

This book was a lot of essays from the authors life attempting to describe how to implement the ideas being taught. I enjoyed reading about the authors life and feel that it added to the book. However, I did feel that I've heard much of it before.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I had a hard time finishing this book. The author has her heart in the right place but the book didn't seem to have much substance to it and wasn't very helpful. Maybe for a younger (teenage) audience it would do better. I didn't feel like I learned anything new to help me and the information was covered in a more engaging way in other self help books.

‘Choose Wonder Over Worry’ Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential
by Amber Rae is marketed as a self-help book.

I want to be very careful how I review this book. I want the author to know I appreciate all her hard work. I appreciate her baring her soul to share her experiences. I appreciate her ‘putting herself out there’ to write ‘Choose Wonder Over Worry”. I want her to continue on her wonder path.

My view however is less than wonder-filled. This is a book of one person’s experiences to achieve ‘Wonder’. It is a compilation of essays about the author’s experiences. It is full of ‘motivational’ quotes from various people she has read and/or met. While the essays help to show how the author achieved her ‘Wonder’, it did not assist me in my journey. I truthfully would not call this a self-help book in the general sense. The book encourages the readers to start a ‘wonder journal’ but does not familiarize the reader with how to do that. I feel she assumes too much by expecting everyone who reads her book to know what to do. I also was not impressed, nor swayed by the continued use of four letter expletives. It does in no way assist in the understanding of this book. Frankly it was a detractor.

I encourage Ms. Rae to continue to write, maybe fiction, and follow her ‘wonder journey’.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ms. Rae, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I realise that these days we are all looking for a book with an 'authentic voice' and that motif alone is becoming a cliche. However, in this book the author has somehow nailed it, and her thought journey is like I am reading answers to questions I have been asking. If you are wondering whether you should create, or strike out on your own this book will make you feel like someone really understands. And that is valuable.

Nothing bad here. Some SARK-like lettering and ideas, but longer form. However, lots of personal illustrations of her ideas that didn’t resonate for me. Much of self-help is same info in different format. Looking for a format that rings a bell. But, this one didn’t really do that for me.

As a 'self-help' book, this didn't really do a lot for me. It's more like a load of anecdotal essays from the author about her experiences, interspersed with some 'motivational' quotes which seem to be the extent of the 'self-help' bit. Admittedly the anecdotes help to apply some of the guidance, but I certainly wouldn't have marketed this as a self-help book. If I had bought this with that belief in mind, I would have been sorely disappointed.