Radical Love by Zachary Levi is a moving memoir that explores mental health in a fresh, witty way. I've been a fan of Zachary Levi since the Chuck television show and I've always admired his faith and exuberance. It was emotional to read about his struggles but I loved the little glimmers of hope and humor he interjected into those darker retellings. As someone who has also suffered with the same crippling anxiety and depression he described, it was refreshing to hear about his methods of finding his joy again. I would definitely recommend this memoir to anyone who has ever felt like they weren't enough.

As a long-time fan of Chuck, a character that would not be as loveable if not for the actor portraying him, I saw the incredible Zachary Levi on the cover and without reading the synopsis knew that I needed to read this book.

I put off reading this ARC for a little while. I would go to load the book and start reading and it just didn't feel right. Once I read the synopsis and saw the content included (Zachary's struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts) I found that for me I needed to hear Zachary share his story with me, not just in his words, but in his voice. I waited for the audio to come out which allowed me to hear Zachary's voice and not Chuck's.

I am a person that tries not to look into celebrities personal lives as a sign of respect for their privacy. Wanting to hear or see all the celebrity gossip leads to a need for paparazzi and puts celebrities an their families lives in danger. After seeing how impactful that is to celebrities, especially when there are mental health struggles, I feel wrong seeking out information that invades celebrity's privacy and leads to them being harassed and betrayed by people they trusted in the tabloids. I choose to only engage in memoirs, autobiographies, and occasionally information that they choose to share on social. Because of this stance, I was unaware of the struggles that Zachary was dealing with in life.

Radical Love is a raw and emotion look into the life of Zachary Levi. His willingness to share his journey with others who may be struggling is brave and a testament to his character. It is mind-blowing when you look at the world from someone else's perspective, me sitting at home binging on Chuck and finding that this helped bring joy and laughter during my dark times, I never would have expected the man behind the character to be struggling and contemplating removing himself from this world. While his healing and his journey do include his faith and his relationship with God (not something that I personally include in my life) this was not off-putting or a deterrent to the narrative, what works for one person may not work for another.

For anyone on their own healing/mental health journey, for anyone who believes that celebrities have it easy, that they signed up for it, that they are rich and famous so they couldn't possibly have struggles, this would be an great book to read/listen to (there is something different and special hearing it in their own voice).

This book is so uplifting but so heartbreaking, Zachary sharing his journey to better mental health and self-love is very courageous. This is the kind of book we need in the world to show that we all go through similar things and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest, personal review. First off, let me just say wow! Such a vulnerable insight into Mr. Levi's struggle with mental health. He was very open and it goes to show you, that just because someone has a smile on their face or looks like they have everything in life going for them, they could be struggling on the inside. Sharing what he has gone through and what he has learned in the process, will help others who are going through the same things and feeling like they are alone. You just want to hug him in parts of the book and I liked the fact that he showed, that while mental health issues can be managed, they are never truly cured and it is a daily process to work through. Thank you for sharing your story!

Radical Love by Zachary Levi is a memoir that deals with the author's issues with anxiety and depression. Levi talks very honestly about how crippling his anxiety was and how hard it was to overcome that anxiety due to his very difficult upbringing. He talks about how important it was for him to get help and to have a support system in place. His honesty in this book made it a little difficult to read at times, but I appreciate his candor. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I've been a fan of Zachary Levi's since "Chuck" and "Shazam" so I was very excited to see that he has a new memoir. In "Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others", Levi opens up about a variety of issues: his troubled childhood, his failed marriage, and his numerous thoughts of self-harm and suicide. In his memoir, Levi speaks with transparency and honesty, allowing his readers to see his innermost thoughts. I appreciated his thoughts on the two broad categories of anxious people: those who are anxious about things they can't control, and those who are anxious about the things they can. I could really understand this on a personal level.

I really enjoyed this book, although reading about his childhood made me sad. I'm so thankful that he was able to get help, and has decided that the cycle of abuse and self-harm will stop with him. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I picked up this book because I’m a fan of this author/actor, I’m curious, and because I respect his courage. I didn’t expect to relate with the author’s experiences as much as I did. I’m talking a-ha moments and highlighting and nodding. Those nuggets are golden.

He discusses (without the terminology) toxic shame—where a person is ashamed of their own existence, not something specific they’ve done. This is generalized, not a one-time sensation. They’re ashamed of their human condition. Toxic shame dictates that we be perfect, which, of course, is impossible. If we fail, we are unlovable. And who can live with that? So we act out, and we live in cycles of self-defeating choices.

At length, he discusses the relatable mistake of giving others the “right” or “power” to opine about our value. Letting others’ opinions mean more than our own, about ourselves, is a recipe for a breakdown. We don’t know what they’re thinking. We can only guess. And chances are that all our guesses are accusatory. It’s a dizzying, life-sucking spiral. The antidote? Self-love. Learning self worth and the worth of others. (Every person is equally valuable.) Psychological healing. Learning to let our own self-opinion weigh more than anyone else’s (without becoming narcissistic, of course). (In my own words: balancing confidence with humility, like Jesus did.)

Zac mentions the challenges of cognitive dissonance, and how it can be crazy making to follow a path when you know it’s not the right one, yet somehow you can’t break away. Something has to change, or be healed, to interrupt the cycle. That takes work, and Zac encourages all of us to do it by getting therapy and learning what makes us who we are, what scripts we rehearse, and how to overcome old coping mechanisms that no longer serve us.

Two more notes: From following Zac on social media, I know he loves Jesus. He's wise and believes in noble virtues like loving ourselves so we can love others (like Jesus taught). And the second note is a language warning. The raw approach the author takes comes without a filter. You will find potentially triggering/offensive word usage here, especially when he quotes other people in his life. Also, be prepared for myriad uses of the F-word.

I'm finding myself having to process what I'm reading and how it connects with me, so I haven't quite finished the book, but I wanted to post my review before any more time had passed since publication. My gratitude goes to the author and publisher. Thanks for putting this out there. I hope it helps a lot of people.

For readers interested in self-discovery, loving one’s self, loving others, psychology, and a behind-the-scenes view into a gifted actor's life and story, don't miss this book.

This book was so good. Zachary Levi always plays very energetic, happy-go-lucky type characters and is very good at his job. I NEVER would have guessed his struggles with trauma and mental illness. It is so wonderful for a person with his platform to write about depression, anxiety, and therapy because it helps to normalize what so many people are going through. There was quite a bit of talk about religion, he had a religious upbringing and at a certain point in life felt like he lost his faith. However, I wouldn't consider this an overtly religious book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially people who need a reminder of their self worth and that they are worthy of love and all good things.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the e-ARC.

I was intrigued to pick this book because THE Zachary Levi aka Flynn Rider is writing a book about his journey on struggling over mental health issues!! I know him as a great bright and funny Hollywood actor but I didn't know that he had through a lot, it brokes me a little. And I didn't regret to get through this book.

Just like the author wrote, this book is about a journey to get better mental health. Reading this book is like a going through a personal journal because it's undoubtedly honestly personal. The way it's written it's like listening to the story from your old-friend, that he haven't told anyone before. It's raw, revealing, and also relieving. It's also like getting on a journey together and discovering it together, rather than just an expert telling you to do this and that.

I've also learned a lot from this book, especially about generational trauma caused by your own family—its open my eyes to something I just realized happened to my own family—and that's so close to home. Overall, I like the way it's written and the message he's trying to share through this book.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this one, I'm familiar with Zachary Levi's career and was curious about his story... I think I was expecting a little more self-help and self-care revelations, for example, a step-by-step guide on how to cope with trauma.

There's no sugar coating here, there's no self-deprecation by the author... it's just a straight, to the point look at someone being on the brink of taking their life and coming to realize they need help, finding that help by going into therapy, setting boundaries with those who are (and have been) a toxic influence, and an acceptance of having to re-think expectations when it comes to forgiveness.

What struck me while reading this book was the tone with which Zachary seemed to take when describing the negative voices in his head (almost childlike) and how while in therapy he was able to find a place that was not a one size fits all solution, his process involved multiple types of therapy (i.e. Art, Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Exercise, etc.).

With Zachary's story I got a wonderful glimpse into how mental health and generational trauma can affect a person's life, how one person can continue to struggle well into adulthood and begin to create and heal their own journey from a male perspective.

Zachary Levi is a gem of a human being. I love the honesty that he has given in this book. As well as bringing awareness to Mental Health. With Hollywood and this digital age, there is this illusion that everything and everyone is perfect. In reality, there is so much going on behind the scenes- old traumas and insecurities-and sometime you just need more support. Thank you Zachary for being brave, being an advocate for mental health and your beautiful words!

Part self-help, part memoir, Radical Love is touching and a must read for those of us who have battled mental health issues.

I rarely read these kind of books, but as a fan of Zachary Levi, I decided to give it a chance and I’m so glad I did. It’s open and vulnerable, helpful without being preachy.

I’ve loved Zachary Levi as an actor since I was introduced to the show Chuck, and I’ve enjoyed following his acting career as he’s gone from Chuck to Tangled to Shazam and more. Radical Love is Zachary Levi’s memoir, which tackles topics such as mental health, depression, anxiety, and therapy, all amidst the highs and lows of a career as an actor.

Radical Love is vulnerable and relatable, and the heavy moments are balanced with humor. This book puts mental health at the forefront, and the there’s something that every person can take from this book. I personally love how this book advocates for mental health, and how open he is about his experiences.

The narrative jumps around periodically, and there are times when the text is repetitive, but Levi’s voice comes through clearly in the text. Overall, this is a touching read, and I’m so grateful to have read it.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Zachery Levi, actor of Shazam and the NBC series Chuck explores his mental health and life through an interesting series of anecdotes and self discovery that even though there it at first lacks some coherency, it does pay off by the end.

Levi does not shy away from his mental health issues and deals with these objectively and honestly providing a read into an insight of his journey has be enters the tunnel and how he was able to see the light at the end. He is able to deliver the dark spiral with enough levity to help the audience understand his darkness and his breakthrough.

This is part autobiography, mental self help book and an exploration of recognising the causes within our own lives and he balances this very well. As he grows strength to strength in his career it is great that he is down to earth and able to articulate and explore his own inner being. This is not an easy feat and it takes an incredible person to be able to lay bear for the world to read and understand. Levi does this with great spirit.

The only down side would be to have more about his earlier life and childhood so we have a more well formed autobiography to lay aside the mental health which would have given us even more insight but this is just niggling for niggling sake.

Interesting, honest and though I love him as an actor, he has given me more respect for him as a person with spirit and strength. Recommended.

As a fan of Zachary Levi and autobiographies, I was totally on board to read this.

Zachary Levi, actor, tells of his life growing up in abusive household, dealing with his mental health struggles and learning how to radically love himself and those around him. He also admits that mental health work personally is never done.

So I have to say, I've read a few autobiographical books from a writer/actor's perspective where this person gets very vulnerable and honest about their life and what they went through. I've never read one that felt so much like looking in a mirror as this one. There were some hard truths that Zac put on the page that I don't know if I could have. I literally sat at some points and just wept hearing him admit some of the things he did and how he came to reckon with them. I very much respect the process and the vulnerability he put forth here. I felt his book gave some authenticity and openness you don't see in autobiographies often and I appreciate that, so much.

Thank you, thank you, Zac, for putting yourself out there like this. It's never easy to open up But it lets other know who struggle too that they are not alone.

Thank you so much for the ARC.

This was a light, inspiring read filled with humor at times. I thought it was fairly standard and didn't blow me away, but I did enjoy it. Levi seems like an inspiring dude.

This was very good and covered a lot of information, from the actor/author's life, his struggles, and provided ways and information to find help with mental health issues.

This is maybe my fault for requesting the book but I had no idea it would be so “I lost god!” “I found god!” “God saved me!” I was honestly expecting more introspection about a struggle with mental health while dealing with Hollywood. Because of that I found the book a total let down and it read like some kind of church pamphlet. I didn’t expect that.

As its title hints, this book is full of love to give to the people who didn't get a lot. I have to be honest, I'm not super knowledgeable about Zachary Levi's career but I think he did a great job introducing himself and his work and personality in this part self-help/part memoir book. I do know him from Tangled and Shazam! and I've seen a couple of interviews with him, in which I found him to be a really down-to-earth nice guy. I was surprised to see someone with so much success (in my opinion) having suffered so severly from mental illness as well. He's very honest and open about his journey and gives a lot of no-nonsense advices and statements about sadness and happiness. I particularly like this one: "The truth is that my life was going well because my life was going well, and the minute it stopped going well, I would spiral back down again." This to me describes the ups and downs of my depression so well and to see it written so efficiently was a breath of fresh air. I've read a lot of books about healing etc. personally, and this one has really become a favourite because it was really relatable. If you're putting in the work and asking for help, there's a good chance that things will be okay, even if they're not perfect. Loving yourself is everything, even if it is tough. Happy reading, everyone.

I had already been a fan of Zachary Levi for many years, so I was very excited to read this book and hear his story. I was beyond moved at how raw and powerful this book is. He does not hide his insecurities and his struggles with mental health. His passion for helping others who are struggling with their own mental health is inspiring. I urge everyone who has struggled with mental health or knows someone struggling to read this book, gift this book.

You will not be disappointed!