Okay, so I feel weird giving this a star rating but this was great. I'm pretty sure I had a good cry (in a good way) after reading some of these stories...

These stories were short, but so real and gripping and I think everyone should read this because I think they can help anyone struggling, so they know they aren't alone.

It was great! I loved it- felt like more in depth Humans of New York. The only drawback I found was that a few of the stories - especially the one about Louise, mother of “Sam” and “Will”,- confused me. There was a sentence that said she was mother of 3 girls and only one son. But the stories of Sam and Will, both boys, both her sons, are intertwined. Not sure if it was my own misunderstanding or if there was something missing in terms of explanation. Overall, though, would recommend to anyone who likes to see snippets of others’ lives.

Not so much "secrets" as people's stories of their biggest struggles. Problems include marriages, drugs, addictions, a bunch of things. A very fast read.

This book was... interesting and just okay. Secrets from complete strangers, some were rather disturbing, others so incredibly sad, and a few were encouraging. I enjoyed listening to most of their secrets but then there was one chapter that was completely political and not really a story at all so I was really confused, it just didn't fit with the rest of the book.

Craigslist Confessional
By: Helena Dea Bala


When I saw this book making the rounds on #bookstagram and being compared to Humans of New York, Post Secret, and Chicken Soup for the Soul; I knew I had to read it!

Helena Dea Bala was working as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Day in and day out she was grinding. But what for? What was her purpose? There had to be more than just working to pay off student loans. So, one day she decided to eat lunch right outside of her office with a homeless man she regularly sees there. They talked and talked about literally everything under the sun, judgement free. It was a lightbulb moment.

So what does Helena do next? She takes out a Craigslist Ad and offers to meet people in public for coffee and listen to their problems and stories, judgement free. Initially she just went listened, but over time she began asking if she could take notes. And Craigslist Confessional A Collection Of Secrets From Anonymous Strangers was born.

The book includes 40 real, raw - gut wrenching stories. Each story is it’s own chapter simply titled with confessors name and age. The stories are broken down into these categories:

.Love
.Regret
.Loss
.Identity
.Family

My take aways? No one in this great big world is really a stranger. We are all more alike than we are different. It really made me think. Pay attention to the world around you; Pay attention to people. We never really know what someone else is going through. Lets all be a little kinder.

Rating: 4 stars! I highly, highly recommend!

This book was wildly entertaining. It made me feel every emotion from fear to happiness to completely devastated to proud. There was only one story that was very confused and the author prefaced that it would be. I would love to read even more of these!