I was really looking forward to reading 'To Myself with Love', but unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I'd heard about this book for ages, but I never really knew what to make of it. Everyone seemed to be raving about it, calling it the ultimate guide to self-love. It was always stocked on the shelves with the bestsellers, but I wasn't convinced it was worth the investment - a nearly thousand bucks is a lot to spend on a book, after all. Spoiler alert: my instincts were right, and I'm glad I didn't shell out the cash. I finally got around to reading it when I discovered Yandex Books, and that's a whole other story.

Price for the paperback version starts at 400 rubles (softcover) and goes up to 1000 rubles (hardcover).Release year is 2020, but the online version is from 2025.Publisher is Bombora.

➤ About 'To Myself with Love: A Guide to Appreciating and Caring for Yourself':

'To Myself with Love' is a book for people who choose themselves. For those who've spent years ignoring their desires, suppressing their feelings, and never quite accepting their bodies. But today, they want to become their own best friend.

Nurturing self-love isn't about making a resolution or giving yourself a pep talk - it's a journey. Let this book be your guide if you're ready to explore your 'can'ts', 'won'ts', and 'don't wants' with kindness and curiosity. Instead of going with the flow or against it, let's head in the direction that feels right for you.

Open this book anywhere and feel your shoulders relax, your breathing ease, and your mind clear. A warm wave of self-love will spread through your body.

At first, the author wraps you in a warm hug and reminds you that your feelings and emotions are valid, and that you should accept yourself just the way you are. I was totally inspired by these words! I thought to myself, 'This is it! I'll finally figure out the secret to self-acceptance!' But, as it turned out, that wasn't exactly the case. Somewhere in the middle, I found myself thinking, 'What am I doing? Why am I still reading this book?' It was right after that point that the chapters started to offer some actual useful insights. But, unfortunately, I'd already come across most of this information elsewhere - either in other books or online articles that were published way before this one.

➤ The author decided to share her love for herself by describing different aspects of life, breaking them down into 'gentle touches'.

For example, there's a section on being gentle with your body. This is definitely an important aspect, and Olga does a great job of describing how to accept and love your physical appearance.

To Myself with Love. A Guide to Appreciating and Caring for Yourself. Olga Primachenko This is exactly where I'm at right now, but I got here before reading this book. It's all me! Whether I'm feeling fresh and full of energy or bloated and puffy (thanks to a late-night drinking session), this is my body, and it's my rock! It'll never let me down and will always let me know when something's off. I got here not because of Olga's book, but after reading Tatyana Muzhitskaya's book.

➤ There's a little reminder of self-care at the end of each chapter, summing up the main points.

Self-care reminders. Olga Primachenko➤ After all the 'self-care' sections, Olga suggests doing a self-care marathon.

I wasn't a fan of it - it seemed too childish.

I won't go into each self-care section in detail, as it would get boring to read. I'll give you a general idea of what I liked and didn't like.

Why I liked the book 'Self-Care'✅ The author talks about how important it is to accept and feel your emotions, rather than suppressing them.

Self-Care. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself. Olga Primachenko✅ The topic of honest self-reflection was also covered - who we really are. It's essential to give yourself an honest answer, without sugarcoating or pretending to be someone you're not.

Self-Care - accepting yourself On accepting yourself and others✅ In life, it's essential to prioritize your goals and organize them. It's especially challenging when you've lost yourself, like I did after a long-term relationship ended. When you're just compromising and bending over backwards, you end up not knowing what you want anymore!

I found the author's writing style to be a bit too verbose, which made it hard to focus.

Self-Care. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself✅ We can't control how others think or perceive us. No matter how hard we try to explain ourselves, people will always see us through their own experiences.

Self-Care. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself. Olga Primachenko

Being kind to myself. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself.Things that didn't quite work for me- The advice to do whatever you want is great, but it can be taken too far, especially if you're a family person. I tried to do only what I want, but it didn't work out for me. For example, what if you don't feel like cooking and you can't afford delivery? Sometimes, there's just a need for something simple. Or, you can look at it from a different perspective, like Tatyana Muzitskaya does in her book 'The Theory of Improbability'.

Being kind to myself. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself. Olga Primachenko- I liked how Tatyana Muzitskaya set up her goals and desires - it was simple and fun, without any unnecessary detours.

- The author talks about how to learn to make decisions, starting with small things. It's a great tip, but one thing that struck me is that I'm reading Labkovsky right now, and he also talks about this approach, but his book came out a lot earlier.

Being kind to myself. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself. Olga Primachenko- Another nod to Labkovsky - only answer the question that's been asked (one of the points in the 6 rules).

Being kind to myself. A book about valuing and taking care of yourself. Olga PrimachenkoWhat didn't work at all❌ Too many repeats and unnecessary words.

❌ Jokes and detours from the text. I found myself getting distracted and my mind wandering off to other things. I realized that it's just not my style. It reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw, which the author mentions a couple of times. I'm not against Carrie, I used to like the show, but I've outgrown it, and it didn't work in the book.

❌ You can overdo it with being too loving to yourself. You need to approach things with a clear head. You can get so caught up in your feelings of suffering that you can easily slip into depression. In my life, there's a clear example of someone who got so caught up in their suffering that they developed pathological addictions and didn't want to change anything 'because I feel so bad, I feel this way'. Yes, you do need to suffer sometimes, you do need to live through some moments, but you need to know when to stop, shake yourself off, and keep moving forward! Or the other extreme - living with the attitude 'I can do anything, everything should be mine'.

THE VERDICTI was charmed by the author's introduction, but that charm was short-lived after reading the section above.

I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends. When reading any book, you need to have your own head and make your own conclusions, rather than blindly following what's written. 'With you, I'm home' was next on my list, but after 'Being kind to myself', I just didn't feel like it.

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