Disclaimer: I was given a free ARC of this book by Dial Press in exchange for a review.
I don’t pre-order a lot of books, and there are very few authors that I would jump up and down squealing over a new book from them. But Tara Schuster is one of those authors, and you best believe that I pre-ordered this book as soon as I could. I’ve been a fan of Schuster’s for years, ever since I read Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies in 2021, which I can genuinely say changed my life for the better and started me on a healing journey that continues to this day. Glow in the F*cking Dark is a follow-up to Lilies, as those in the Tara Schuster fan club refer to her first book, in which Schuster reflects on the healing practices that helped her begin to thrive after losing her job as an executive at Comedy Central in 2020 and finding herself in a dark place with the same humor and enthusiasm I’ve come to expect from my parasocial bestie.
I have the feeling that I will be revisiting and rereading this book for years to come, much like I have with Lilies, whenever I need a boost of inspiration or a good solid kick in the pants to remember that I am worth prioritizing and taking care of, even when there are a million things and people that also feel like they need my care and energy. There are some real gems of insight in this book, and once I get my hard copy, I’m sure it will be dogeared and annotated beyond belief. As a note, while I am usually very format agnostic, having read this as a digital ARC, I would highly suggest getting this book in hard copy. Schuster loves her footnotes, and it is really distracting to try to read in digital format. That said, Glow has inspired me, as well as hit me with so many big realizations that my therapist is now deeply familiar with this book over the last few weeks of my reading it.
Side note: it now has my therapist’s provisional seal of approval, for what it’s worth.
That said, the biggest difference between Glow and Lilies is just that: it’s probably a bit more helpful if you are also engaging in other supported healing practices like seeing a therapist. Liles was filled with actionable steps you could take to start reparenting yourself; I don’t think a single reader with whom that book resonated with doesn’t have a journaling practice, and probably a gratitude practice now. Glow, on the other hand, is more abstract and motivational. It leads you down paths of self examination, but aside from a few exercises and meditations, it isn’t as easy to make the ideas in this book stick. It will take a lot more time and processing for this book to truly sink in, I think. I don’t mind that, as I do have a support system to help me process, but it isn’t a quick fix self-help book by any means.
I would absolutely suggest this book if you are on a healing journey or just looking for some non-woo inspiration for thriving, even in a world that feels like it grows darker by the day. Make sure you have a journal, some tissues, and at least one good friend on standby.