Note to Self Book Review

Note to Self is the second ‘memoir’ penned by social media personality, Connor Franta. The CEO of three companies, including his own lifestyle brand of music, coffee and clothing apparel, he’s a big name in the social media world but has generally kept his personal life very hidden…until now.

He describes his second novel as being more of a look into his ‘internal life’. This is in comparison to his first non-fiction novel, A Work in Progress, being more focused on his ‘external life’.

The first thing to note about this book is the aesthetically pleasing way it is produced. Franta is a photographer at heart, and this is apparent with the inclusion of many gorgeous, colour photographs throughout the book. They add an extra element to the text, the novel feeling more like an exploration and art piece, than if it were just text driven.

The text itself is also something to note. Franta’s work is a mixture of essays, poetry, and musings, rendered via typography which leaves the reader ‘exploring’ the book, rather than simply reading it.

There are a few main themes that Franta endeavours to navigate in Note to Self. While he deals with these at a personal level, it was surprising to note how universally he did convey these themes – rendering them applicable to many readers who have experienced similar situations.

The most apparent theme would be that of heartbreak. In a way that is so raw, Franta explores what it felt like to go through his first real heartbreak. A break-up is a personal thing to go through, but the way Franta explores this via his writing is relatable to readers who have also experienced their own intimate loss.

Franta’s voice on the issues of depression, our absorption in technology, and being true to oneself while navigating an adult world, are also themes in his memoir. These are relatable aspects to most of us going through our early twenties – a time when we are still making mistakes and trying to figure out who we are as individuals.

Note to Self stands true to it back-cover description of being “an open diary”. But while being an intimate and personal account of someone who puts his life out for public consumption, it’s also relatable for the reader on a personal level.

That’s what makes this book so interesting and jarring, being more than I expected from a personal memoir. It both visually and mentally gives you something to take away from it, via the pictures and words it contains.

Rating: 3.5/5