This is just the book I needed at this time. I am not a big self help reader, but this is not any instruction manual, instead its told from a mix of a yearly gratitude type journal and a Ted talk.
It is not condemning or preachy as it is more of a nice reminder on how to live simpler and with more self love /acceptance.

As very short audiobook (just over 2 hrs) do I definitely plan on re-reading several times whenever I feel I am in a bad head.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

This was a good book of self reflection and insight. It was fun to listen to for a few reasons. 1. The author read it and she has an excellent accent. 2. She was fun and made things funny and relatable. Life is hard. And human nature is to be hard on ourselves. When things go wrong, when we mess up we beat ourselves up over it. She did a great job of giving easy-to-d0 ideas for loving and being kind to yourself without it seeming overwhelming!!

Let me start by saying I don’t read a lot of spiritual works so I’m not sure my opinion on this should be given a lot of weight. That being said, I enjoyed listening to this book tremendously. The writing is comforting and delightful and the narration was warm and soothing. Lowry’s realistic attempts at implementing her spiritual practices during trying times made me feel seen. Over the last week it was a joy to listen to one of the many micro chapters of this book and smile. This will definitely be an audiobook I will want to revisit over and over. Would also make a great holiday gift!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

Recommended for: anyone needing a little extra love and compassion, so everyone.

Content Warnings: Divorce, Grief, Religion

Even though I read the description I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be included within this story. It was not just the writing that was phenomenal and touching but the narrator speaking these words that made it exceptional.

Brigid Lowry has written a kind of combination self help Zen psychology diary ?
I am not sure what to call it other than the title.
It is not HOW YO LOVE YOURSELF STEP ONE type of book, but rather little chapters as if she is writing a diary entry for herself.,….
As she mentions the happening in her life ( a break up ) and such, she then reminds herself of something she has learned including self care .
It is a wonderful book. I listened to it and found myself thinking GOOD FOR YOU on many occasion, a few times I thought “ she is right about that, good idea. “ and more than once , I laughed right out loud.
Do listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Brigid Lowry's book of essays about practicing loving kindness and self-compassion came to me at the right time, and audio book was the perfect format. Struggling with some challenging emotions, I put this on and walked for 90 minutes out in nature. The reminders to see and appreciate the small things, sit (or walk) with the hard things, and that they only guarantee is change were well done. At 2.5 hours I later finished the book while sitting at home, but I really recommend listening to it as a kind of walking meditation.

While I truly enjoyed this lovely book, I do wish I had requested the book rather than audio. I am picky about narrators, and though I enjoyed the reader’s voice, I found it unemotive enough to lose interest more than a few times. I do plan on finding a physical copy, and giving it another shot, as I believe that I’ll enjoy it much more. I appreciated this ARC provided by NetGalley

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An easy way to practice loving kindness and accept yourself as you are. The greatest thing I took from this is that we all have flaws. It's the way we accept and process those flaws that determines where we go in life - for those of us who review and analyze and use those flaws to work on ourselves, we can move forward in a more positive and peaceful way.

Easy to digest, easy to listen to. I loved her voice while reading through all of this.

This was such a lovely, uplifting, and affirming read. I listened as an audiobook and I really enjoyed the Australian accent, which I found calming. Brigid Lowry makes you feel like you're having a close conversation with a friend, talking about life's up and downs, and reminding one other that it'll all be ok, just take a deep breath. Using principles of Zen Buddhism, she offers suggestions for ways to show yourself kindness, manage the highs and lows of life, and find a level of contentment with our lives as they are right now. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read (or listen) to many books of essays, but I really enjoyed listening to the story of the year the author spent in self-reflection and self-care. I think I’ll listen to it again as it does have insights and great ideas for thinking through your own situation. I will be looking for other works by this author.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator's voice was very pleasant and soothing. The topic of the book is about Loving Kindness, and all of the essays deal with kindness and love in one way or another. I particularly enjoyed the first essay (which is the longest--with a chapter for each month of the year), and how the author chose to practice Loving Kindness with herself, and through that also practiced it with others. I found the author's words very melodious and will likely listen to this audiobook again. I would highly recommend it!

Lovely uplifting writing, describes a life lived and a life turned into living your best life. I loved the way the story flowed and it was a quick read for me. I felt inspired and moved by the content and with a positive vibe all the way through no matter what life threw at her, Hear about her coping strategies and how to remain positive and loving, Read by the author in a gentle way, be kind to yourself, you are so worth it. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

This collection of short personal essays offers a delightful infusion of goodwill that’s a perfect antidote to a busy, stress-filled life. Brigid Lowry writes with warmth, wit, wisdom, and whimsy. I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know, but sometimes it’s helpful to have a reminder about what’s most important in life and what we should let go of.

Vanessa Rhodes did a fantastic job with narration. She’s easy to understand, her pacing and emphasis are wonderful, and I love her warm voice and charming accent. I highly recommend this audiobook.

I received a free copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I stumbled across this book and author via Netgalley and Freemantle Press, which provided me with a free audio version, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the wise, lightly humorous, deeply affectionate advice from the author, who comes across as fully human while striving toward enlightenment.

I had never heard of Brigid Lowry, whom I have now learned is a children's book author from New Zealand currently living in Australia, but this collection of essays, written for adults, was a pure delight and comfort to read. Drawing on Buddhism and common sense, Lowry makes the case for why we all need to take more care to treat ourselves with kindness and lays out practical steps for doing so. The audiobook narrator, Vanessa Rhodes, did a wonderful job, too, and added to the cheery reassurance the book offers. This book would make a great gift. I feel fortunate to have read it.

Thanks #netgallery for this read. I enjoyed this tremendously. The author's lyrical writing style was pleasing and soothing. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. The lists the author provided were thought provoking with positive feelings and memories.

After listening to this book I've decided I would have preferred to read it rather than listen. These are series of short reflections. The australian reader's accent is not overwhelming but there is little personality in the reading, these are deeply personal writings and the reader is fairly flat. That said, the substance is the seeds and flowers of someone growing, expanding out of their challenging past into a brighter future. It is lovely.

A Year of Loving Kindness to Myself was an amazing book with lovely insights into the ways that we can be kind to ourselves. I enjoyed the different topics for each passage and I can see myself returning to them in the future as a gentle reminder to show myself lovingkindness, too. The narrator did a wonderful job of conveying the book in a way that made sure I didn’t fall asleep but still found comfort in listening. Thanks go to the author for adding something beautiful to my tool box of self-care.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my review.

Through personal essays, the author helps us the reader think thoughtfully and understand the importance of self-care, being kind to yourself and realizing your emotions. This incredibly helpful book made me think into aspects of my life that I had not before. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the reminder to be kinder to myself and to focus on what is most important in my life.

The narration had a flow to it that was peaceful and heartfelt. It felt like talking with an old friend.

I want to thank NetGalley, Brigid Lowry and OrangeSky Audio for this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

**I received this audiobook advanced reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This collection of essays that describe ways to cope with past and present difficulties has some high points and some low points. While the collection is fine overall, I resonated better with some essays more than other essays. The main essay, which is the title essay, had much to consider, reviewing and reflecting on various ways to champion loving kindness toward oneself over the course of the year.

The narration of this essay collection was good; the narrator provided a thoughtful narration, as she explored Lowry's musings in the essay collection. Some essays averaged only about a minute in length, so offered good snippets of mindfulness throughout the day.