This self help book is actually full of decent advice that won’t make you want to throw up.

I feel like it all comes from a place of understanding and realizing you have to do what makes you happy.

Each chapter comes with challenge for the reader to engage with their own experiences. I think this book would be really helpful to someone going through a hard transition in their life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Owen and Adams Media for the opportunity to read this book. I have written this review voluntarily.

52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life, Updated and Expanded Edition by Andrea Owen encourages women to live their best possible lives, and aims to tear down the walls that so many of us have constructed around ourselves. I was not familiar with Ms Owen before picking this one up, but her no-nonsense, personal approach is both powerful and accessible, and I found many of her points to land firmly on the nose. Each short and direct chapter is followed by a challenge to the reader to take a lesson on, and to then apply it to their individual circumstance. The benefit, I feel, will be most fully absorbed by taking pen to paper, and fully engaging with each challenge as it comes.

Ms Owen makes some astute observations about what holds us back from achieving the life we seek to live, and her willingness to draw from personal experience only strengthens her teachings and suggestions. This is a book that you will want to read again and again as you progress through the work of taking these very actionable steps.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Adams Media for an ARC.

Andrea Owen’s 52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life, Updated & Expanded Edition is an empowering guide for any woman ready to shed self-doubt, silence her inner critic, and take decisive steps toward a more fulfilling life. Owen, a seasoned life coach and host of the popular Your Kick-Ass Life podcast, shares no-nonsense advice and compassionate wisdom that cuts straight to the core of personal growth.

The book’s structure is accessible and action-oriented, divided into 52 distinct challenges. Each one is designed to tackle common obstacles faced by women, from people-pleasing to self-sabotage, and to help readers gradually overcome these habits. Owen's direct and unfiltered voice creates a candid and supportive atmosphere, making the lessons feel like they’re coming from a tough-love friend who’s also deeply invested in your success.

The updated edition includes fresh insights and revised exercises at the end of each chapter, enhancing the hands-on nature of the book. Readers are invited not just to reflect but to act—something Owen emphasizes as essential for anyone ready to break out of complacency and create the life they truly desire. She stresses the importance of accountability, both in one's relationships and with oneself, which is a central theme throughout the book. Rather than overwhelming readers with perfectionism or lofty ideals, she promotes small, actionable steps that make change feel doable and sustainable.

This is not a feel-good, surface-level self-help book. Owen’s approach is refreshingly blunt and free from sugar-coating. She confronts readers with the hard truths they may have been avoiding but also encourages them to approach these truths with self-compassion. For anyone looking to break free from limiting beliefs and reclaim their potential, 52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life offers both the structure and the tough-love push needed to kickstart that journey.

In essence, this book is a tool for self-reclamation, encouraging women everywhere to take charge of their lives with unapologetic boldness and authenticity. Whether you’re a self-help veteran or new to the journey of self-discovery, Andrea Owen’s latest edition will inspire you to live a bigger, more gutsy life—one kick-ass step at a time.