Durkins’s snappy, affirming debut offers hard-won testimony, inspirational advice, and practical tools to support readers in the work of being authentic, creative, and finding happiness rooted in the best of what’s already within one’s life and self. “I’ve learned through my own experiences being authentic is the foundation of curating the life you love,” Durkins writes, and she shares, with transparency and vulnerability, stories from her childhood, adolescent, and adult years that demonstrate the many ways she learned to be true to herself despite past trauma, grieving the loss of both of her parents, and letting the all-too-human tendency to let the outside perspective of others weigh her down. She poses to readers the hard questions she has asked herself: “Many people say they’re living authentically. Are you when being authentic only serves others, not yourself?“

With lessons on the importance of friendships and companionship with those who truly know you, about being courageous and true to your truest self, and being grateful for the good things and people in your life, Fiercely Joyful is a first-hand account of learning how to thrive and be comfortable in your own skin even in the face of adversity and pain. Durkins shares “11 Keys to Living Authentically & Creating a Life You Love” and the steps she took to heal from her past and fully live in the present by learning forgiveness, opening her heart to those around her by being true to herself, and giving with a kind heart and loving spirit.

From facing and understanding one’s self to giving it a polish to present it most powerfully, Fiercely Joyful lays out clear steps to playing to one's strengths (“understanding our superpowers,” as Durkins puts it) and being confident and intentional with who you are and how you connect with others. Fans of motivational memoirs with clear, upbeat, pragmatic life lessons will enjoy this impactful self-help book.

Takeaway: Rousing self-help guide to being your best and truest self.

Comparable Titles: Stephen Joseph's Authentic, Jennifer Hunt's Unlocking Your Authentic Self.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A