I think this book is a great resource for thoughtful and genuine ways of learning how to write vividly by learning how to call on your own experience and observations and turn it into fiction. It has good tips and exercises and I think would be a helpful classroom tool for people just starting out or for writing classes in high school and undergrad!

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Who doesn’t absolutely adore Ruta Sepetys? As a huge fan of her five YA historical fiction novels, I was so excited to find out that she was releasing a craft book on writing. You: The Story gives writers tips for crafting a story inspired by their life experiences. As some of you may know, I recently launched my freelance editing career, and as a developmental editor, I found this book filled with wonderful knowledge and exercises.

The feature that I enjoyed the most was the personal tone of the book. Sepetys shares her own life experiences (which are utterly wild in the best possible way) to demonstrate how to add meaning and depth to writing. Her stories were both hysterical and heartrending (look at me using those “H” words she talks about!). I found myself laughing and crying at quite a few of them.

Additionally, I appreciated that the book was written for people who don’t necessarily have experience with writing or editing. It covers introductory material for a wide range of topics, including plot, dialogue, setting, etc. This made it very easy to apply Sepetys’ techniques and makes it the perfect book for editors to use with their clients.

Finally, the layout of the book was well-thought-out. There are writing exercises throughout that help writers practice the techniques Sepetys discusses. There are also recaps for each chapter, which summarize the main ideas nicely. As a whole, the formatting was very user-friendly.

All in all, I cannot recommend this book enough! Whether you’re an aspiring author or an editor, this book has essential information on the writing process. The fact that it encourages writers to draw inspiration from their lives only adds to its power. Honestly, I’ve never really wanted to write a book myself, but after reading this one, it’s something that I would consider doing in the future. In the meantime, I will certainly reference You: The Story with my clients and use it to help guide them.

I like this book I think for a young author who might struggle to pull from their really life this would be very helpful. I liked some of the ticks and hints but others are stuff everyone kinda knows.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I really loved this book. As someone who hates writing, this book actually inspired me to do some writing. I loved the prompts and the way the whole book was laid out. Highly recommend for libraries as well as classrooms.

Self help worrying book with a lot of good tips. It gives you idea prompts as well as general help. A good read or helping book of you are thinking about becoming a writer of any type

This book was both a wonderful insight into how Ruta Sepetys does her research and writing and a how-to for anyone looking to write a memoir or really any type of book. Ruta's voice throughout made it really readable and a wonderful resource, especially for teen writers.

It's hard to rate this as it's based on personal experiences and non-fictional advice. Ruta is a natural storyteller and I really liked her tone in this guide. I liked the mix of personal story along with easy to follow tips and tricks whether you're writing a novel or not. It was light and easy to follow as well as easy to remember. It didn't feel too convoluted and I thought it was broken up nicely. Overall this was helpful and I can see myself using these things in my own writing journey. Thank you to Viking Books for sending me a copy of this book to read and review!

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Sepetys takes readers through the writing process by tapping into their thoughts, ideas and memories. Each chapter focuses on a particular area of a story - setting, plot, characters, etc. She offers examples from her own life and pulls from observations from others to break down the process into manageable pieces. I appreciate her encouraging tone throughout the book. She acknowledges how hard writing can be and challenges readers to do it anyway. Though geared to young adults, this book is inspiring for writers of all ages. A lovely gift for teens exploring their passions and a definite addition to library shelves.

Likes:
✨ Writing tips from one of my favorite authors on crafting setting, POV, conflict and more plot points.
✨ Pushed me out of my comfort zone to write about my lived experience
✨ Stories about the author’s life. I would seriously read her memoir.

Dislikes:
✨ I’m not sure the purpose of the random questions throughout the book e.g. “Which member of the Partridge family became a teen idol and inspired mass hysteria at each appearance?”
✨ Not conducive for fantasy writing because the writing exercises are based on personal life.

My favorite quotes:

“Do not ignore the failure in your story.”

“To build a strong plot, it helps to ask strong questions— questions that set a scene or encourage a detailed, creative response.”

“Voice can be established with punctuation, lack of punctuation, point of view, diction, and syntax. Or even by the way you use white space on the page.

“They feel that because they haven’t experienced far-flung destinations or drama, they have nothing to write about. But that’s not true.”

Ruta Sepetys never fails to warm my heart and teach me something new in every book she writes. This writing craft book is no different! The book is split into easily digestible sections with short chapters, section recaps, and brainstorming ideas. She also weaves in funny and heartwarming anecdotes from her exciting life to teach writing principles, which makes this an enjoyable, easy, and fast read. I will say that this book is simplistic, which perfectly appeals to teen writers getting their feet wet in writing. But it's no less heartfelt or important. Ruta Sepetys really inspired me to think about my memories and emotion in creating stories that connect me to other people.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Content: 4
Inspiration/Value: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the arc!

This was a fun read. After reading Sepetys' historical work, it was interesting to be allowed a glimpse into her own experience. As a Michigander, I enjoyed the Detroit perspective. It's less a writing manual than an autobiography, and that's ok with me. I do think that reading about an accomplished author's experiences and inspirations could help a writer's craft.

This book is a book on how to write a book. I didn't really think it was helpful to me, just because I am not a writer. But it had a lot of useful stuff in it. I do think it would be super helpful for someone else. But I am happy I read this.

I DEVOURED this book once I was approved for it. This is the BIBLE for writing stories. I loved how the author had short stories of her own experiences as examples for each topic she was teaching us. You best believe I took notes. I'm in the middle of writing my own novel and this was the inspiration I needed to keep going! Ruta Sepetys, if you ever see this review, please know that you completely changed my life with this book. Thank you for creating a book to help authors of all ages!