Tag: non fiction

Book Review: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Non-fiction
Length: 311 pages
Author: Mel Robbins
Publisher: Hay House LLC
Release Date: December 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn’t you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can’t control and start focusing on what truly YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that’s made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you’ll realize how much energy and time you’ve been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how

Stop wasting energy on things you can’t control. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Break free from fear and self-doubt. Release the grip of people’s expectations. Build the best friendships of your life. Create the love you deserve. Pursue what truly matters to you with confidence. Build resilience against everyday stressors and distractions. Define your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

I ACTUALLY LIKED THIS A LOT.

I’m someone who doesn’t love self-help books because they rarely come off genuinely helpful. But it’s been years since I’ve read one and after I suggested my husband pick this up, I said I’d read it too, and I’m glad I did!

I think this truly had many sentiments that are applicable and realistic. I appreciated that this never made me feel like I was already failing. The stories are relatable and the science and research was laid out in an easy to understand format. There were multiple chapters that I felt like I could use the let them, let me reminder and have already used it in my life.

If you want help in feeling some peace and to stop letting everything around you dictate how you feel, I say it’s worth the read. I liked the audiobook (read by the author) but physical would have been nice to mark some passages.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction / self-help
  • Language: low

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Non-fiction Book Review: Big Kids, Bigger Feelings by Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Non-fiction
Length: 288 pages
Author: Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder
Publisher: Harvest
Release Date: September 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the coauthor of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions, a guide to supporting children’s social and emotional growth through the elementary school years (ages 5–12), a critical but often-overlooked developmental stage.

TOO OLD FOR TANTRUMS

TOO YOUNG FOR TEENAGE DRAMA

Meltdowns. Name-calling. Hitting, kicking, and hair pulling. Except, these aren’t the toddler years. Why is your elementary schooler still having these outbursts?

Long thought of as years when parents can finally enjoy calmer kids and deal with less emotional volatility and tears, the elementary school years are anything but. During these pivotal years, our children navigate a new set of social and emotional challenges. From playground bullying to cliques and exclusion, ever-increasing academic challenges—and plenty of physical growth and hormonal changes thrown in the mix—the elementary school years are more complicated than most parents realize.

Big Kids, Bigger Feelings is the guide you need to help your child thrive during these developmentally complex and wonderful years. The social and emotional skills you provide your children with now will prepare them for a lifetime of self-advocacy and stronger emotional intelligence. Campbell’s revolutionary Collaborative Emotion Processing (CEP) method, used in preschool and elementary school environments, teaches you how to work with your children to help them understand how they are feeling and process their big emotions in healthy, constructive ways. Discover how

Teach kids to handle unkind behaviors and set boundaries. Help kids learn to regulate themselves when they feel angry, sad, and upset, Manage technology use in a safe and healthy way, Navigate puberty, body changes, sex, drugs, and other important topics, Develop a deeper connection with your child. The elementary school years are rife with change—from changing bodies to changing social structures—and there’s never a better time to help your kids handle these ever-increasing challenges so they can thrive today and tomorrow.  

WORTH THE LISTEN.

I’m fairly anti-self help/parenting books because I’ve seen many lean on them TOO much, but occasionally I want to read one and touch base with how I’m feeling towards how I’m parenting and I thought this was a good listen.

I liked that it wasn’t a one size fit all or you MUST do it this way. There were multiple mentions of studies and recent data about everything from risky behaviors to screen use. I liked the implementation ideas and that reading this didn’t make me feel like I was a bad parent.

There were some ideas I hadn’t considered or want to look into more and I think that’s the sign of a good non-fiction book too. Will I take every single thing here and use it? No and that’s okay (and the point honestly). I found enough to ponder that I think it’s a solid read if you’re looking for a little extra help.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction
  • Language: none

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Book Review: No Dumb Questions by Jason and Travis Kelce

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: Non-fiction
Length: 240 pages
Author: Jason and Travis Kelce
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: June 2nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jason and Travis Kelce – brothers, Super Bowl champions, and New Heights podcast hosts – tackle their first book, No Dumb Questions, where the 92%ers get in on the fun to ask questions about sports, science, relationships, and whatever category “how many holes does a straw have” falls into.

This fraternal duo has dominated the football field and the podcast charts alike. Now, they take on a new opponent—life’s greatest mysteries—with spirited answers to their fans’ most burning questions such

What is a “down”? (Is it, like, dropping the ball?)IN THE Why don’t players squirt their own water? What would you do if you lived in a split household who root for rival schools? Which brother lifts the heaviest weights in the weight room? Do you pour the cereal into the bowl first, or the milk? MAD If you could make one of your body parts detachable, which would you choose? And so much more…
Packed with a slew of famous guests, insider football knowledge, and everything fans have wanted to know about growing up Kelce, No Dumb Questions perfectly captures the Kelce brothers at their wisest and funniest, no matter the subject.

Thank you to LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

YEAH, I’M NOT SO SURE.

I’ve listened to many episodes of this podcast but I’m not an AVID listener. I just catch things here or there so I feel like that helped me not be totally annoyed by this audiobook.

So let me explain.

This audiobook is a bunch of podcast clips put together. There’s a forward from both Jason and Travis but besides that, they didn’t actually WRITE anything. I’m curious what a physical copy of this looks like because of this fact. It ended up feeling like I was just listening to a bunch of reels in a row. Since I happened to have not seen most of these before I still gave me some enjoyment and chuckles.

I feel like if you listen to this podcast regularly there’s no point in you picking this up.

Overall audience notes:

  • Nonfiction
  • Language: mild

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Non-Fiction Book Review: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Non-Fiction
Length: 294 pages
Author: John J. Ratey
Publisher: Little Brown Spark
Release Date: January 10th, 2008
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In Spark, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s.

Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), Spark is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run — -or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

GREAT READ.

This was mostly preaching to the choir because I know on a deep level how valuable and important exercise is (and how it has saved me more than once in my life). BUT I had a lot of fun listening to the studies and anecdotes of the research available on the incredible power of exercise. While it’s from 2008 so more information is available now I still found it a solid read.

If you’ve ever wondered about the nuances of what exercise does on the cellular level, for mental health, and for conditions like ADHD, Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc. definitely check this out. I liked the audiobook format! But it is also available on KU too.

I also appreciated that this wasn’t anti-medicine. He discusses the importance of both in some situations or starting with medication too. It just well emphasized that exercise should be added more often into treatment plans.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction
  • Language: none

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