CONFUSING teenage years can get even more difficult without proper guidance and answers to many questions that arise during this time.

One of the reasons is a disconnect between generations, which is perhaps more pronounced within South Asian households. Talented TV host and journalist Suzanne Virdee provided some much-needed answers with her acclaimed 2015 book A Teenage Girl’s Guide To Being Fabulous.

She has followed it up with this second book, which goes a step further and empowers the reader. With this book, the author provides empowering messages for a potentially difficult period in a teenage girl’s life covering a broad array of topics, which range from social media to body image and self-esteem. It is full of inspiring quotes from women of all backgrounds who display having “sparkle”, a can-do attitude and self-belief.

What makes this book so fantastic is rather than just being told what to do, the interactive nature of it acts like a friendly mentor, who speaks a similar language while prompting you to think for yourself and also teaching important lessons, within the privacy of pages.

The book goes a step further by engaging the reader with journal pages and guides to being kinder to yourself. By concentrating on aspects of making the mind stronger and challenging the reader, Virdee respects teenagers like an adult. Many of the topics and answers will stay with the reader and prepare them with wisdom when needed.

The free-flowing, well-written book is easy to read and accessible to all. Overall, this essential and uplifting book is a great tool for every young woman to own and the author should be commended for delivering such an important book. Now, someone just needs to write something similar for young teenage boys.

Author: Suzanne Virdee
Publisher: Summersdale Publishers