Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade (And What Really Matters) (Bridget Hustwaite, Penguin)

Bridget Hustwaite (How to Endo) is well known as an author and podcaster for her valuable insights into women’s health. Her latest book, Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade (And What Really Matters), is about more than the cliched ‘life crisis’ many experience at this age. Part memoir and part guide, the book explores some of the challenges Hustwaite faced around this milestone. Her story forms the backbone of the book, which is structured around significant life events such as big break-ups, friendships, marriage, babies, family estrangements and health diagnoses (specifically ADHD and PMDD) and explores the influence of family. There’s also a chapter on Saturn return, the astrological phenomenon that some believe accounts for the bumps you may encounter as you enter your 30s. Throw in the pandemic and some interstate moving, and Hustwaite’s introduction to her 30s was anything but smooth. Despite no longer being in my 30s, I still found this book eminently readable, which I attribute to Hustwaite’s chatty style and intimate authorial voice. Her frankness made this feel like a conversation with a good friend. Amid her personal recount, anecdotes from others and interviews with experts provide ballast and useful advice. This is for readers who enjoy Dolly Alderton or are ready to progress from Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald’s The Space Between. It’s for daughters, sisters, quarter-life crisis sufferers, the heartbroken, or anyone grappling with feeling like they’re not where they’d like to be in life.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Joanne Shiells is a former editor of Books+Publishing and a high school English teacher. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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