STAFF PICK: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

Title: Girl, Stop Apologizing
Author: Rachel Hollis
Narrator: Rachel Hollis

Have you ever felt like a book was literally written just for you and that it fell into your life at exactly the right moment? That is the feeling I got when I started listening to Girl, Stop Apologizing, which was released on March 5, 2019.

I have been working on a dream of mine since the beginning of this year, but I started to feel like the dream was fading and I didn’t know what to do next. I started doubting myself and wondering if it was still worth it. As soon as I started listening to this book, I felt so motivated that my self-doubt was gone almost instantly!

Rachel Hollis gives you real examples from her life experiences—both personal and professional—to help you reach your goals. She talks about how she started her company, The Hollis Co., and all the failures she endured in order to get to where she is now. Hollis’s mantra is that it is okay to fail; what really matters is how you decide to continue working towards your goal or dream. That toolbox of knowledge in your head is going to be overflowing with all of the tools she supplies, and you’ll be left motivated to do that thing you have feared for so long. Your dreams will seem less daunting and you will be able to create a road map of the steps needed to reach your goal.

There are plenty of motivational self-help books out there, but Hollis has really set herself apart from the crowd with her relatable writing and narrative style. I honestly felt like she was speaking to me as a close friend, giving me advice on how and what to do in order to bring my dreams to fruition. You’ll finish the book with the understanding that it is perfectly okay to work on your goals and dreams, and not just to help others with theirs (as women sometimes fall into the trap of doing).

Hollis narrates the audiobook herself, and this further enhanced the whole experience; her engaging, positive manner and personal touch indeed captivates the listener. The conviction with which she shares her ideas are sure to make an impact—you will immediately want to start taking action and striving for more.

I highly recommend this book if you are currently working towards a goal or dream, or if you’re simply a fan of motivational self-help books. Her drive and passion for helping other women strive for more are truly inspiring. I would also highly recommend her previous book Girl, Wash Your Face for even more wisdom and motivation.

Publisher Summary:

“I believe we can change the world. But first, we’ve got to stop living in fear of being judged for who we are.”

Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: women not living into their full potential. They feel a tugging on their hearts for something more, but they’re afraid of embarrassment, of falling short of perfection, of not being enough.

In Girl, Stop Apologizing, #1 New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself.

As an audiobook exclusive, join Rachel in a guided meditation bonus track designed to ground you in gratitude with focus and intention!

Read more and sample the audio →

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6 Fiction Audiobooks About College Life

Whether you’re a freshman or a graduate dreaming of your glory days, these audiobooks about college life will leave you yearning for the book stacks.

 

1. Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane, narrated by Caitlin Davies

Sorority.

Twinsets and pearls, secrets and kinship, rituals that hold sisters together in a sacred bond of everlasting trust. Certain chaste images spring to mind when one thinks of sororities. But make no mistake: these women are not braiding each other’s hair and having pillow fights — not by a long shot.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

 

2.  We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, narrated by Jorjeana Marie

We Are Okay.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the  tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and confront her loneliness.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

3. The Preservationist by Justin Kramon, narrated by Charlie Thurston

The Preservationist.

To Sam, meeting Julia is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Working at the local college and unsuccessful in his previous relationships, he’d been feeling troubled about his approaching fortieth birthday, but being with Julia makes him feel young. Julia, a freshman, is flattered by Sam’s attention. But their relationship is tested by a shy young man with a secret.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

4. The Red Word by Sarah Henstra, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

The Red Word.

A smart, dark, and take-no-prisoners look at rape culture and the extremes to which ideology can go, The Red Word is a campus novel like no other. As her sophomore year begins, Karen enters into the back-to-school revelry, particularly at a fraternity called GBC. When she wakes up one morning on the lawn of Raghurst, a house of radical feminists, she gets a crash course in the state of feminist activism on campus.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

5. We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, narrated by Jessica Almasy

We All Have Summer.

Belly has only loved two boys, Conrad Fisher and his brother Jeremiah. Now that she and Jeremiah are on the verge of a permanent commitment, Belly confronts her lingering feelings for Conrad and faces a painful reality. She must figure out which brother is her soulmate, which means someone’s heart will get broken.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

 

6. Inescapable by Amy A. Bartol, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Inescapable.

Freshman Evie is determined to find out what an enigmatic fellow student is hiding. She hoped that once she arrived on campus, the nightmare she’s been having would go away. It hasn’t. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, nothing makes any sense — but Reed acts as if Evie’s the worst thing that has ever happened. And for some reason, every time she turns around, he’s there. What is he hiding? Evie’s hoping that it’s anything but what she suspects: that he’s not exactly normal… and neither is she.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

New to Audiobooks.com? Get a free audiobook when you sign up for our one month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobook!

Celebrating Love of all Kinds

This Valentine’s Day, we wanted to give a special shoutout to those of you who don’t feel represented by the protagonists of traditional romance novels. So, we’ve put together a list of audiobooks that celebrate love in all its forms, with representations of people of colour, protagonists with disabilities, LGBTQ love, non-monogamy, and so much more.

Check out this teaser of some of our favorite picks, then browse the full list here!

 

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory

“What a charming, warm, sexy gem of a novel….One of the best books I’ve read in a while.” –Roxane Gay

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist. Now they are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty debut novel.

 

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity, Kristin Elizabeth Clark

The last time Jess saw her father, she was a boy. Now she’s a high school graduate, soon to be on her way to art school. But first she has some unfinished business with her dad. So she’s driving halfway across the country to his wedding. He happens to be marrying her mom’s ex-best friend. It’s not like Jess wasn’t invited; she was. She just never told anyone she was coming. Surprise!

Luckily, Jess isn’t making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe – nicknamed Chunk – is joining her.

Along the way, Jess and Chunk learn a few things about themselves – and each other – which call their feelings about their relationship into question.

 

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday, Colleen Hoover

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

Her Two Dads by Ariel Tachna

Her Two Dads, Ariel Tachna

Srikkanth Bhattacharya is a quintessential gay bachelor–until a tragedy brings his best friend’s newborn daughter into his life.

His housemate and friend, Jaime Frias, volunteers to help, never guessing he’ll fall in love with both the baby and Sri. Everything seems perfect until a visit from Social Services sends Sri into a tailspin, feeling like he has to choose between his daughter and a relationship with the man he’s coming to love.

 

Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan

Archer's Voice, Mia Sheridan

When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer’s Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice.

 

A Word for Love by Emily Robbins

Word for Love: A Novel, Emily RobbinsA mesmerizing debut set in Syria on the cusp of the unrest, A Word for Love is the spare and exquisitely told story of a young American woman transformed by language, risk, war, and a startling new understanding of love.

With melodic meditation on culture, language, and familial devotion. Robbins delivers a powerful novel that questions what it means to love from afar, to be an outsider within a love story, and to take someone else’s passion and cradle it until it becomes your own.

 

 

 

Water Under Bridges by Harper Bliss

Water Under Bridges, Harper Bliss

Louise Hamilton has returned to Sydney after her long term relationship broke down in Brisbane, and she’s loving her new job and her new friends. She feels like her life is finally back on track. Until a figure from her past unexpectedly comes back to haunt her.

What happens when a dark past comes back to slap you in the face? And can people ever truly move on from a deeply traumatizing experience?

 

Browse the full list to your heart’s content right here!