I have found myself reading more non-fiction, self-help or psychology style books lately. So when I saw this book appear on my feed in Netgalley, I was intrigued. However, when I was reading this book, it reminded of readings that were assigned in middle school or the early high school days. There is a lack of depth and a surplus of filler and it feels like the advice offered in this, is only helpful for pre-teens, maybe. I applaud the author for creating a work, but this one won’t be their bestseller. As more of their writing is published, I can predict that one of those future books will be a bestseller, but they are just not there yet.

"Go Ahead...Pick Me Up! Put Me in Your Backpack!" by Dr. Pamela Boehm is an inspiring self-help book designed for individuals seeking to enhance their well-being and fulfilment. The book addresses the common struggles of finding contentment, joy, and happiness, exploring the underlying motivations that drive people to seek more from life.

Key Themes and Purpose
Self-Improvement: The book offers practical strategies and insights to help readers "pick themselves up" during challenging times.
Journey of Life: It resonates with those who feel unfulfilled or dissatisfied, encouraging them to embark on a journey toward personal growth and satisfaction.
Inspiration: Dr. Boehm emphasizes the importance of self-empowerment and provides tools for readers to feel their best.

I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I wanted to read more non-fiction books this year and this one caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley. The cover and title had me curious even though I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. This book is split into chapters with every chapter being named after a song. It's a motivational and inspiring read with a lot of positivity and encouragement.

The backpack in the title refers to the metaphorical backpack you take on your journey of life and each chapters contains multiple tools you can put in your backpack. I liked the way the book was written and positive and encouraging tone of the writing. I enjoyed reading about the author's personal life and the lessons she learned and is now sharing through this book.

There are parts on how to get more out of your life, how to handle difficult situations or what to do when you're not feeling so well and need a pick me up. The chapters were short enough to easily pick up the book and read a chapter or two and they all had this short ending that introduced the song title for the next chapter. I liked how some some chapters had an exercise. Each chapter also had a summary of the tools for your backpack that got mentioned in that chapter. I like the way the book was structured and I enjoyed reading it.

To summarize: This was an interesting and enjoyable read. I liked the analogy of a backpack for your journey of life and the tools you put in your backpack. The writing style was positive and encouraging. I enjoyed reading the book and thought it was informative and uplifting. There are some great tips in there and the book was easy to read the way it was structured with chapters short enough to easily pick it up and read one or two.

This practical guide provides quick, actionable tips for enhancing your life by framing it as a journey and drawing inspiration from music. Each chapter offers useful exercises and strategies to help you tackle challenges and improve your well-being. I personally connected deeply with this book and would highly recommend it to my patrons.

Long title there, so I will instead say, this book has a great concept of using backpack analogies crosses songs for tips and reminders.
I enjoyed quite a lot of the exercises.
The author’s writing style and the range of tips were mixed bag - sometimes they resonated with me and sometimes not.
I expected more insights, layers and depth.
Younger audiences might find more value in this book. Recommended.

I really liked this! It's very creative the way it uses songs for each chapter, the only thing I'd say about that is it might date the book quite soon but it's not a big deal. It's a great pick me up when you need to focus on feeling something meaningful