Hello, dear Germs! Today I’m coming at you with something a little different. A while ago, I got an email asking if I’d be interested in reviewing a book that was, surprisingly, a genre that I had never even considered before. As soon as I read what this book was about, I was into it.

Now, technically, this book is filed under the category of “self-help.” When I was a teenager, I fancied myself so far beyond the idea of needing anyone’s help that I would have never even thought about picking this up.

After reading through it, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that this book, Express Yourself: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are, is legit. Seriously.

It is written by Emily Roberts, who does a lovely job of giving advice without being condescending — and it is really, really good advice. It’s all about being able to communicate with people and about feeling confident.

One of my favorite statements from the book comes within the first five pages. Roberts says about the book: “It will be your guide for communicating assertively — with confidence and without fear.” How awesome! I may not be a teenager anymore, but it is still really challenging to feel confident when you’re trying to navigate through all the hoops that get set up by family, friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends. So, having a book that is able to give you the tools to express yourself is really helpful and important.

As I was reading this book, I found that I was taking away something really great from it. One of my favorite sections was about saying “no.” It affirmed that you have the right to say “no,” and it gave some suggestions on how to do that. It can feel hard to say no to your friends, especially if you feel pressure to say yes. Roberts gave some really great advice on how to make saying no feel easier.

And now the fun part! Because this book is so amazing and important, we at Germ want to make sure that YOU are reading it!

We will be doing a giveaway on our Instagram for a copy of this book. Here are the guidelines:

• Repost our photo of Express Yourself to your Insta
• Add a caption telling us your favorite way to express yourself
• Use the hashtag #ExpressYourself

The giveaway will run from September 1st to September 8th. Good luck!