July 2, 2025

What Makes for a Successful Life?

LitUp Fellow Natalie Messier reveals the cover of her debut novel.

What Makes for a Successful Life?

LitUp Fellow Natalie Messier reveals the cover of her debut novel.

Dear Reader,

When I was eighteen, I thought I had a clear vision of the person I would be by the time I turned thirty—the things I would have accomplished; the life I would have built. My teen mind was confident that within just twelve short years, I would truly come into myself. It was a degree of self-assurance I will likely spend the rest of my life seeking to rediscover.

Every Version of You is a romance novel about a woman who dies in her early thirties and is given the chance to relive a formative time in her adult life: her freshman year of college. Determined to get the “one who got away” to fall in love with her, she tries to undo her biggest regrets, only for new ones to pop up in their place.

The story came to me at a time when I was floundering in my career. I had goals I had been working toward for years and absolutely zero clue how to achieve them. My brain started down a thought spiral that many of our minds have traveled: If only I had worked a little harder; if only I had been more practical; if only I had known then what I know now.

I asked myself: what would I do differently?

I was surprised by the answer at which I arrived, because although my spiral had started from a place of career insecurity, my answer had very little to do with work. No, I hadn’t accomplished much. I wasn’t confident I ever would. And yes, that thought terrified me. But I realized that instead of making sure I didn’t become the failure I feared I was turning into, I hoped I would fail more. Fail bigger. Fail more audaciously. And then I hoped I would get back up faster.

The truth was, if I could go back and do it all over again, I hoped I would call my family more. Maintain friendships I had let fade away. Tell the people I loved that I loved them. Be quick to forgive and even quicker to apologize. I hoped that I would travel more, that I would allow myself to experience joy without guilt, and that I would read even more romance novels, because a constant source of regret is the fact that I will never be able to read all the books I hope to.

And so Joey, my main character, was born. She is in many ways my opposite: a professional success, but a personal disaster. The kind of daughter parents love to brag about—while conveniently neglecting to mention she hasn’t called them back in weeks. The kind of woman who doesn’t spiral, just keeps all her regrets bottled up inside until they boil over.

I am so excited to share Joey’s story with you. Every Version of You is, at its core, a romance, but it’s also a coming-of-age story about a woman who tries, for the first time, to figure out what living life for herself looks like. Two parts “wish fulfillment” and one part “be careful what you wish for,” the story uses magical realism and romance to explore themes of self-discovery and second chances. I hope it encourages you to live the life you dream of living, today.

– Natalie Messier

#ad The transition from 'driving them everywhere' to 'buying them their own car' is peak parent energy 📚💕

@tembilocke is living the empty nester chapter (and documenting it beautifully in her audiobook "Someday Now"), but she's already thinking ahead to that moment when her daughter comes home from college to the ultimate surprise: her first car–found on @carsdotcom 🚗✨

Tell us your dream first car in the comments 💛
Is there anything better than an open road and time to listen to your favorite podcast? Take a drive with us and put on the latest episode of Bookmarked, featuring our July author, @BeckDoreyStein.

This week, @DanielleRobay and Beck talk all about her new book, Spectacular Things, and what inspired its creation alongside the challenges of being a writer, a mom, and finding time for all of your dreams and ambitions.

We also dive into her bookish behaviors like dog-earring pages and her reading red flags. Listen now on the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to hear it all from Beck herself.

Where are you listening to this week’s pod?
Manifesting a summer where we measure time in chapters, not hours. Pool optional. Book? Non-negotiable! 📖☀️
When book covers mirror real life... 

"At its core, Broken Country is a gut-wrenching, raw, and honest portrayal of love and loss." On a scale from one to gutturally sobbing, how much did Broken Country break your heart?

📷+💬: @alltoo.wellread
Nothing like a comfort read for the dog days of summer. 💙📖 What's your ultimate comfort read? We are making a list!
You’ve seen her all over our feed the past few weeks and now we are introducing the wonderful @BeckDoreyStein to the new Reese’s Book Club podcast, Bookmarked! 💙

On Tuesday, join @DanielleRobay to hear all about the July Pick, Spectacular Things, from the author herself, and her nostalgia for the 1999 US Women's Soccer Team, that inspired the story ⚽📖

Listen on Tuesday from the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
No better place to enjoy a thrilling read than the woods. 🌲 What's a thriller you can't stop recommending?
Is there a better spot to dive into Isola? 🌊 Where's your reading taking you this weekend?