First off, let me just say, this book is packed with practical tips and strategies that are actually useful. From building confidence to conquering social anxiety, it covers all the bases without being preachy or boring.

What I really appreciated was how relatable it was. The author gets what it's like to be a teen navigating the awkward world of social interactions, and they break things down in a way that's easy to understand and apply.

The best part? It's not just a bunch of theory. There are real-life scenarios and exercises that you can try out to put your newfound skills into practice. It's like having a personal coach cheering you on every step of the way!

Very clear and with an understable glossary. Hope it helps to parents and educational workers. It is write in easy terms, even can help some teen.

It's a skill to write a book for teenagers that feels authentic and non-patronising, but offers helpful guidance. I think Richard Meadows generally knows how to address his target group. However, I found this book a little too US-centric and lacking nuance re: social interactions, especially when it comes to the subjects of race, gender and sexual identities etc. I couldn't shake the feeling that the ideal reader is a teen who is white, has cis-het parents and generally is already somehow privileged, so has a head start in life.

As a BCBA and owner of a practice specializing in caregiver training for teens, I’m always looking for worthwhile social skills support materials. So many are aimed at young children so I loved that this focused on the teen population. I will be buying a few copies!

The content seemed relatable and to the point. Which can be a struggle for books targeting teens. Social skills are also much needed in light of the pandemic so I am happy to see content that aims to deal with this head on while adding personal stories and tricks that make struggling with social skills natural and relatable for others.

The Essential Social Skills Handbook by Richard Meadows is a self-help book for all teenagers but particularly those who may be dealing with poor mental health and may suffer from social anxiety, anxiety, depression and so on. This book takes the reader on a journey to develop a number of skills from communication to goal setting to allow them to thrive. The book is full of practical advice, particularly on social anxiety which there's a whole chapter dedicated. You may think you don't have social anxiety or any of these things but this book is still a very good read and you may even surprise yourself.

I like this book for a few reasons. Firstly, a central topic in this book is mental health and psychological issues which are commonly suffered by teenagers, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and so on. Anyone with poor mental health may feel alone and not feel like they can talk about their illness. This book changes this and really emphasises how many of these mental illnesses experienced are more common and many teenagers experience them. This alone is a great confidence boost. The book also has lots of great advice for the reader to use to really take control of their life and do new things which they may have originally been held back from.

A few things which I did not like about this book, firstly, despite this book being written for teenagers across the world, it is very American. For instance, there are lots of websites and phone numbers for mental health support but this is just for America and there are some terms and acronyms which may not be known by many non-Americans so this can make it slightly harder and less valuable to read in some areas. Also, the advice given in this book is great but it is written for a neurotypical audience. A neurodivergent audience with conditions such as Autism, Schizophrenia and other mental health conditions will have the same anxieties as normal teenagers but these will be heightened and they will also have additional symptoms. This will make the advice given really hard to follow and so may not be suitable for all individuals. Finally, whilst reading the book I was questioning the audience this was written for. There is some language which I feel would make this book more relevant to pre-teens or early teens which is good, but this book would also be good for older teens and even young adults so I hope some of the language used does not put the target market off reading this book.

Altogether, I rate this book 4 stars as it is a really good book to help teenagers not just with their anxiety but in many aspects of their life. The teenage years are not easy, as is acknowledged in this book, but the advice presented here can make this stressful period of life just that bit easier and more manageable. I would therefore recommend this book for all teenagers, young adults and parents so everyone can support each other but also improve themselves. I would like to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book in return for an honest book review.

Is your teen feeling anxious? Overwhelmed? Lonely? Do you see their confidence sliding and don't know how to help? Richard Meadows speaks to teens about these issues and more in his Essential Social Skills Handbook for Teens. Written to teens, this book covers topics such as self-esteem and confidence, communication, social media, managing stress and more! Meadows shares from personal experience, opening up about his own struggles and the principles that he learned along the way. He uses simple applications to boost teenage confidence and management skills to be successful in later life.

I found the author's writing style to be simple, but effective. Meadows writes as if he's speaking directly to teens. This makes his writing personal, although at times it did feel a little incomplete. On of my favorite parts is when he addresses personality types and how they aren't meant to be a handicap. Rather how important it is to know your personality's strengths and weaknesses, and how to work with them. It's a short and quick read, most applicable for younger teens ages 12-14 years. I do think that older teens would find the tone condescending; however, the concepts are important and I'd rather address these issues with my teens in the younger years. This would be a good books for a teen strugging with confidence and social anxieties as these are the major issues addressed. If your teenager doesn't struggle with self-esteem, this may be a title to skip.

*Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This author’s writing was difficult to get into, with choppy sentences. I also felt like he was trying to hard to talk to/relate to teens and it came across like he was “talking down” to them.

The parent section at the back was hetronormative and non-inclusive of different family structures with his “hello Mom and Dad” section at the end.

He says nothing about his training or work experiences that put any backing to his work.

I recommended this book to my best friends daughter and it changed her life.She is now no longer afraid to talk to people she does not know and her confidence has increased massively.

Throughly enjoyed The Essential Social Skills for Teens. Richard Meadows really captured the essence of how social media will follow our youth through their years of university and careers.

Highly recommend for parents, youth and educators. Teaching the essential skills to keep social media a positive life tool.

This handbook is a remarkably practical, down-to-earth guide for teens who are coming to grips with their own personality and anxieties. It hits a nice balance between allowing them to feel what they feel, and at the same time giving them tools to understand and meet some of the expectations of people around them. A truly helpful guide promoting self-awareness, good even perhaps for people past their teen years!
The book addresses things like social anxiety, communication barriers, and personality types (although it doesn't get bogged down by using just one methodology to define types),. It has encouraging suggestions for how to make daunting situations seem more manageable.

With two types of power you can save your life from harshly effects . First by power of thought ; Second by power of action .
To enhance power of thought , Knowledge is must have thing. After getting knowledge about special matter , it is now your turn to take action for your betterment.
To all teenagers or teachers and parents who have to deal with teenagers , I will recommend this handy book . You should read this to enhance your power of thought .
It will help you how to deal with your anxiety which is a harshly state of mind , and how to become confident in your life .
It's language is so pure and easy that it does not hurt its main motive.
It is helpful as it is not just Theory but includes those disciplines which are implementable in this real world .
It explains personality and all traits related to personality .
It is not boring .
The writer uses the phrase " Now , why I am telling you this ? " frequently . This phrase increases your interest and attention ; as after this you will find the logic and purpose of reading the material discussed in the book . The writer tried his best to involve the reader utterly .
According to writer :
teenage is the period of rapid changes in growth and personality. It is the tenure for which a person is not ready . Teenager is Moody and do things according to his will , sometimes which are said harmful by Aged people .
This time is for learning how to live life after maturation.
"Personality is how you observe , conceive , perceive and interpret your environmental events. "
" Confidence is the state of mind in which you rely upon your abilities . You think that your abilities are suitable for you . "
I paraphrased some main points from this book , I hope you will find it helpful if you read it .
So , change your personality and accommodate it according to your environment . Go , and get started today . It all starts from you .

This was good. I think for teens, this is essential, I’m sure after reading this, they’ll realise things they least expected. This isn’t for me, I’m not a teenager anymore and haven’t been for years, but the overall concept was very interesting to read about!