Book Review: I Belong to Me: A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma by Tia Levings-Self-Help

Hello, dear Readers,

Below is my book review of I Belong to Me: A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma by Tia Levings.

Title: I Belong to Me: A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Non-Fiction/ Self-Help

Author: Tia Levings

Publisher: St. Martin's Essentials
Publication Date: May 05, 2026

Language: English

Hardcover: 400 Pages

Meet the Author: Tia Levings

Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

What does it mean to heal from trauma caused by the people, beliefs, and practices of your faith? And to rebuild a sense of self, when high-control religion said you shouldn’t have one?

Indoctrinated from early childhood to obey, conform, and want what others wanted for her, Tia Levings learned love and acceptance meant being someone other than herself.

After years of abuse in a violent marriage and high-control religion, Tia Levings escaped with her children (a story told in her memoir, A Well-Trained Wife) and thought the hardest was behind her.

But leaving was just the beginning.

With an audacious persistence to reclaim her life, Tia set off on a 15-year quest to psychological peace. The result is an emotionally regulated, actualized, self-aware woman who is able to tell her harrowing story without retraumatizing herself ―a woman who can reach back to help others claim what’s theirs. If trauma took your past, it shouldn't get your present and future, too.

Through a series of personal stories, therapeutic stages, and resources, Tia Levings guides readers through the journey that helped her leave abuse, rediscover selfhood, and heal her mind, soul, and body after religious trauma ―so that you can too.

My Thoughts

I will say this over and over. I am so glad I found Tia Levings's work. I read her first book and now this, her second book, and she will definitely be an Auto Buy author for me forever.

More than a self-help book or a step-by-step instruction book, I Belong To Me is what these types of books should be. An honest, raw, and hopeful guide based on personal stories, journeys, backed up by research, and, more importantly, from real-life situations. 

In her first book, we learned how Tia escaped from a high-control religion and how she took herself and her children out of a horrible living situation. Now, in I Belong to Me, we learn how Tia was able to rebuild her life and heal from that high-control religion, her controlling husband, and a life of not being able to be her true self. 

It will always amaze me how, through other people's lives, we can learn so much about many other things that happen in the world. I will always be grateful to Tia because, thanks to her work, not only her books but also her social media platforms, newsletter, etc, I have been able to educate myself and better understand a lot of what is going on in the world now. From politics to religion to subjects that specifically concern women. 

I highly recommend this book. You don't necessarily have to be a religious trauma survivor to read this book. I believe what Tia shares with us in this book can also be applied to many other situations, including traumas or difficult situations we have experienced in the past or may be experiencing now. 

Thank you, St. Martin's Essentials and NetGalley, for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear-Self Help

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear.

Title: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Self Help

Author: James Clear

Publisher: Avery
Publication Date: October 16, 2018

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages
Meet the Author: James Clear
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
  •  make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
  •  overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
  •  design your environment to make success easier;
  •  get back on track when you fall off course;
...and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

My Thoughts

Atomic Habits is a very well known, popular title among the book community. It immediately caught my attention. It took me a little longer than expected to finish it, but glad I did. I listened to it on my audiobook app, narrated by the author himself, and enjoyed it a lot.

Atomic Habits is a well-explained, easy to understand guide on Habits. Either you are beginning to implement those in your life, or like me, to help complement/improve what you are already doing in your daily life. 

I have read a lot of self help book and have to say what I like the most about Atomic Habits is that it is easy to go through it, without feeling overwhelmed with too much, complex information. It is straight to the point, and written in a way that is is easy to understand. 

I also loved how the author first started the book explaining what happened to him early in his life, and how that helped him to be where he is now. Most important, how his experiences are helping so many other people to have a better life through this book.

I totally recommend Atomic Habits. 

Wendy