Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for the ARC of YOU: The Story!

YOU is such a helpful guide for aspiring writers! Sections are broken down into different components from plot and characters to dialogue and research! & the sections end with a little recaps and prompts to help take what you learned and put into practice.

This is definitely something that can aid young & aspiring writers and I would definitely recommend this to them!

This is a writer must read. So much rich advice in these pages that I can’t wait to apply to my process.

Really useful guide for young people (and dare I suggest adults) looking to hone their writing skills.

This was so inspiring and I loved the writing advice that was given! This was a great read and I think everyone who is considering writing a novel should read this one.

Really a guide through writing from memory interspersed with the author's own memories
Anyone who has admire Ruta Sepetys' young adult fiction will enjoy her advice on writing from your own memories. When she channels her mother's phone message style, it's quite funny and intimate. The whole book is like a chat between two friends who haven't seen one another in a while.

I really enjoyed this book and am so thankful to have an early copy! This book really helped me brainstorm writing ideas! Thank you so much to netgalley for this advanced readers copy!

This book wasn’t for me. I really wanted to love You, but I didn’t connect with the protagonist or the storyline.

Disclaimer: I did not get a chance to finish this title.
However, the first couple chapters I had a chance to read were fantastic. I was an aspiring writer in my childhood and adolescence, and I would have loved a book like this. The anecdotes connected well to the chapter theme, and the tips were straightforward and simple. The writing is simple but not juvenile, and it does not talk down to its readers. This is a book perfect for youth, but can also appeal to anyone who dreams of being a writer.

This is a very interesting book. I really liked the advice given. This is not my normal read and it was a good read. Getting into Ruta Sepetys’ brain you can see why they have been successful.

Ruta Sepetys is a master storyteller, and in her nonfiction work, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory, she gives masterful guidance to help others along the path to that goal. This is a how-to book that leaves the pedantic behind and is enjoyable reading even if you're not trying to improve your writing skills.

If you are, Sepetys's has clearly defined instructions on plot, character development, voice, perspective, setting, dialogue, research, revision, input, and courage will gently guide you toward becoming a better writer. Each of these sections is illustrated by fascinating personal anecdotes as well as exercises, writing prompts, and intriguing questions to research.

Sepetys is both a master storyteller and a master teacher.

As a youth reviewer, I have been asked to read and review a few books by Ruta Sepetys for national and state awards. In 2022, I Must Betray You was at the top of my historical fiction list. Her stories are incredibly well-researched, with compelling characters and strong links to historical and current events. Her novels cross over between teens and adults.

For some reason, the word 'writing' can be daunting, but 'story' is not, " said Ruta Sepetys at the virtual 2023 PRH Spring Book & Author Festival. I was excited to be an ARC reader for her new non-fiction book, "You: The Story."

With excellent organization and colored headings, she breaks down the elements of a great story. Plot, Character, Voice, Perspective, and Setting are addressed in individual chapters. It breaks down the details of well-crafted writing while encouraging readers to find these puzzle pieces in their own lives.

Research, Revision, and Input are chapters that draw attention to the process and her commitment to writing as a craft.

This book gave me tools to see books in a new light. I have a better understanding of how to critically read and review books. It also gave me an appreciation for the process and many people that contribute to books that help readers explore the many viewpoints of life.

This is the equivalent of taking a master writing class from Ruta herself. Her writing is so personal and heartfelt, it reads as an engaging set of lectures on the craft of writing. Her examples are engaging and often humorous, and I really enjoyed the recaps and writing prompts. I can see teens and even adults reading this to get started writing or using it as a refresher as they work on a piece or prep to teach a writing class.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So proud of myself for reading this with my eyes.

Ruta always has a way with words. Whether that's historical fiction or non-fiction. This book is packed with advice on how to craft your story and give the characters the opportunity for maximum emotional damage. As someone who has loved all of Ruta's works, she definitely knows what she's doing when it comes to writing historical fiction and creating characters. I always learn something from her books, and this was no different.

You: The Story is part writing guide, part random facts, and part story of Ruta's life and experiences. I definitely would recommend this one to fiction writers and will be passing this one along to a fellow writer!

You: The Story is a wonderful tool that anyone who writes could benefit having in their toolkit. Sepetys provides interesting insight into how to write in an impactful way

Is there anything Sepetys can't do? I don't think there is. The queen of historical fiction is now giving us a how-to on getting our own stories down on paper and it's golden.

We get her classic writing style and a nonfiction debut! This is sure to be a treasure with all writings.

Thank you to viking books and Netgalley for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy of You: The Story by Ruta Sepetys. I was intrigued by this book because I love how Ruta Sepetys tells a story. A how to nonfiction of how she achieves such wonder has to be good! I really enjoyed reading this book. Sepetys goes through how she crafts her novels from inception to publication, and it is absolutely fabulous. She intermittently sprinkles in stories from her life that have inspired stories. She uses examples and creates mentor text to teach someone how to craft their own stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone working on their own works of fiction.

I’ve been reading a lot of writing craft books lately and this one I got as an ARC from the publisher. It was an uncorrected proof and there were SO many typos and formatting issues in the digital copy that made it very hard to keep reading for me. But focusing just on the subject matter, I think it could be good for a beginning writer who would like to find prompts to get inspired in your writing. Sepetys included some stories from her life that related to the prompts and that was very interesting to read. I will say that the pacing and organization of the book felt off to me. It felt a little all over the place as there’s prompts and life stories and research questions and it felt like she was trying to cram every single thing she could think of about writing into 1 book. But again, taking a subjective look at her writing advice, I do think it’s a valuable book for the beginning writer. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of writing, setting, characters, plot, etc. I believe it’s geared toward young adults, but writers of any age can use this book and find value from the advice.

I requested access to this book after watching a discussion with Ruta Sepetys where she explained the book's origins and her philosophy of life as a story in motion. I had initially assumed it was written for young adults, but having read through it I can see how it can be applied to writers of almost any age. Sepetys does an excellent job of explaining the major aspects of story writing, including plot, character, setting, dialogue, etc., and providing prompts that reinforce the writing concepts and open up the reader/writer's creativity. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, or autobiography.

"When the creators put a piece of themselves into their work, it was much more likely to become successful. . . Some writers believe they must create from nothing. But often, creating from nothing results in a feeling of the same. Nothing."

A masterful roadmap to mining your life for writing material. Sepetys encourages writers to use emotional stakes or interesting personality quirks from their own life experience, but to put them in fictional stories. She also encourages writers to question their lens and learn to think about scenarios in a new way.

Sepetys is an expert at the craft, interspersing her own stories with how-tos on how to create emotionally gripping material that paints a scene for the reader. The prompts and writing exercises are interesting. I especially liked how Sepetys encouraged writers to dig deep by coming up with multiple scenarios for the same prompt. She recognizes that often, the first idea is not the most interesting idea.

This book will help ignite your own creative spark!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The formatting of the eARC was also so awful that, at times, the pages were impossible to read. I actually completely gave up on reading it and was so frustrated by that fact. The awful formatting made Sepety's writing feel disjointed and it didn't make sense (words/letters were missing as well, making it feel like I was having to translate rather than read).

However, the publisher graciously reached out and offered me a print copy of the book. I'll be honest, I began my read very trepid after my previous experience, but the book was formatted beautifully in a manner easy to read and eye catching. And I ended up absolutely loving this book. Lessons on writing craft are interwoven with Sepety's story of her own memories and experiences in life, and as a writer myself, I feel like I can approach writing with a brand new perspective. A perspective that brings a lot more emotion, feeling, and reflection to writing. I'm already growing even more excited to revise my current project based on what I learned in Septey's book and am so glad that I gave it another chance!