Are you a social media skeptic? In a culture that often tends to prioritize style over substance, it’s easy to be a little influencer leery. But these new books—all penned by social media sensations—are among the most inspiring and life-changing we’ve seen in a while. Whether they’re mining their own personal heartbreak, sharing their self-love journey or exploring love and loss through fiction, these internet phenoms have transformed their experiences into powerful reads. From memoir to manifesto, road map to “romantasy,” these five new books from influencers are sure to influence your life for the better.
Awake: A Memoir
By Jen Hatmaker
Before her 26-year marriage imploded early on in the pandemic, Jen Hatmaker was a funny, talented bestselling author and speaker. After? She’s still just as funny, talented and popular, just maybe wiser than ever in her coming-of-middle-age memoir Awake. The For the Love podcast host takes us through crisis with her signature wit in this deeply personal chronicle, challenging everything from gender roles to religious subservience along the way. Told in real-time vignettes, we follow Hatmaker over 40 years, including the building of the life she thought she wanted, the aftermath of its destruction and how she grieved what she lost. It’s a sort of love story… just not the way you’re expecting. One thing is for certain: Hatmaker is living the second half of her life wide awake, and she’ll inspire you to do the same.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve
By Drew Afualo
Social media and podcast star Drew Afualo is on a girl power-y mission to help women reclaim their power from the inside out. Her millions of fans—Afualo has more than 8 million followers on TikTok alone—know her as a straight-shooting vigilante against misogyny, calling out fatphobia, racism and other forms of bigotry in her viral videos. Both hilarious and heartwarming, Loud is her personal anecdote-filled playbook for self-love and confidence, encouraging women to reject societal pressures telling them how they should look, act, speak and, well, do pretty much everything. Afualo is the BFF every woman needs in their corner, reminding them that they deserve nothing less than to live a life of their choosing, not what men choose for them.
Buy this book on Amazon.
I Thought It Would Be Better Than This: Rise From Disappointment, Regain Control, and Rebuild a Life You Love
By Jessica N. Turner
Raise your hand if you’ve experienced pain and disappointment. Yes, literally everyone will learn something from content creator Jessica N. Turner’s latest book, where she uses her own painful experience navigating the end of her 16-year marriage to help readers confront their own disappointments and create a fulfilling life. It’s for anyone who’s felt stuck or who’s taken a look around them and wasn’t exactly thrilled with where they’re at. But don’t worry, Turner is here with the unstuck solution. I Thought It Would Be Better Than This is a relatable road map to take control of your circumstances and make intentional changes, a how-to manual for creating more meaningful relationships and a manifesto for hope.
Buy this book on Amazon.
And Then Em Died…: Stop the Insanity! A Memoir
By Susan Powter
In the ’90s, “Stop the insanity!” was an anti-diet mantra and fitness guru Susan Powter’s rallying cry to put down the SnackWell’s and focus on whole foods and exercise. Known for her shaved head and energetic infomercials, Powter was everywhere, even scoring her own talk show. Money mismanagement and bad business deals left her with nothing—she filed for bankruptcy in 1995 and now lives in a senior community for low-income residents and works as a delivery driver for companies like Grubhub and Uber Eats. But her departure from the public eye wasn’t the end of her story. With honesty and grit, Powter recounts her experiences in this inspiring memoir, a remarkable glimpse into the life of a fitness icon and all the challenges she’s overcome.
Buy this book on Amazon.
The Book of Heartbreak: A Novel
By Ova Ceren
What if heartbreak could actually kill you? That’s the premise of BookTok and Bookstagram influencer Ova Ceren’s romantasy novel following a girl cursed to die every time her heart gets broken. Ceren, better known to her thousands of followers as @excusemyreading, trades reading for writing in her debut novel, and who better than a self-described “half-woman, half-book” to write the page-turner we all need right now? After surviving four heartbreaks, main character Sare has one final chance to stay alive. Exploring love, loss and the fragility of all our hearts, we journey with Sare to Istanbul as she attempts to unlock the mysteries of her mother’s past and end this curse once and for all.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Photo by Mackenzie Smith/Courtesy of Jen Hatmaker
