The Bell Jar by 
Continuing on with my journey through the classics, I really, really wish I had read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath when I was in my early twenties. Maggie Gyllenhaal did a great job narrating and I know the reason I got through this as quickly as I did was because of her narration. You might be thinking, how can you say you wish you’d read this in your early twenties but also say you only got through it because of the narration? Simple, this writing style is just not what I’m accustomed to being a contemporary reader. It feels of a bygone era and took a hot minute to get used to it. Once everything started happening, however, boy did it ever take off.
I think, despite or maybe even because of the heavy subject matter, this is something all young women should read. I felt so seen and validated. Seeing Esther try to balance what society wants of her, what men expect from her, what her family wants of her, and within that chaos, trying to find what she wants, it felt like everything I, and my AFAB friends, went through in our early twenties. Hell, it feels like what every AFAB goes through at that age.
The heartbreak and attempt at self-discovery just felt so true to life. I promise, if you get past the slowish beginning and start to really get used to how the story is told, you’ll get it immediately. Definitely a must read for any woman in her early 20s.