A week later I made it my mission to purchase 'Summerlandish'. On the journey home, I could barely contain my excitement. Now, I’m not much of a reader, nor do written words tend to draw emotion from me. But Summer Land’s prologue made me belly laugh so loudly on the train that I accidentally dropped the book. Strangers were looking at me in curiosity. Little did they know what I was reading was hysterical self-deprecating humour at its finest. I do not want to ruin the prologue for readers who have not yet read 'Summerlandish', but it sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the book.

 

Summer Land is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Aryan-looking Jew from the USA. She is self-deprecating, with no shame but plenty of self-respect and confidence. She speaks her mind and lacks a brain filter. Her love for toilet humour, poo and fart jokes are something I strongly relate to but can’t admit to anyone but my best girlfriend and a handful of close guy friends.

 

However, what truly inspires me about Summer is that we share the same birth year — yet she has accomplished so much!

 

I’m not going to lie — I’m envious of Summer Land. Her birth name (explained early in her memoir) demands attention and draws curiosity. Her confidence, positive nature and lack of inhibition is inspiring. It’s obvious that what Summer wants, Summer gets. It’s not even an egotistical thing. It’s a demonstration of her drive and determination to live life to its absolute fullest, with no regrets. You get the sense that she lives life for herself but likes to have fun along the way.

 

But she always remains true to herself. Without giving away any spoilers, I think a great exhibition of Summer’s character is how she ended up with her partner.

 

In a recent blog post about having it all, she says that while she’s grateful for her success and accomplishment, she struggles with the continuous travel and hard work required to build her profile. She feels guilty for being (or trying to be) a dedicated writer with a husband and a newborn baby girl. Although she has responsibilities as a wife and a mother, she also has her own dreams, desires and aspirations to fulfill.

 

'Summerlandish' reinforced my belief that if there is anything you want to do in life, do it! Don’t dwell on it. By delaying your success, you’re putting off the inevitable. Yes, you might do it tomorrow, just like that diet you promised to start five years ago. You may be young, stupid and naïve, with dreams that seem unrealistic and unachievable. But if you break those dreams down and have drive and dedication, you can achieve anything.

 

It may appear audacious releasing a memoir at the barely-ripe age of 26, but Summer proves she’s lived one thousand lives in her quarter of a century. Her memoir shows that you should never feel bad about your successes, especially if you worked hard for your accomplishments and achieved a positive result you didn’t foresee. Don’t let your age or ‘inexperience’ hinder you acting on your dreams. After all, there are fifty year olds out there that have had less excitable experiences as a vivacious 26 year old akin to Summer Land.

 

Check out Summer's blog and Instagram

 

Have you read 'Summerlandish'? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!