I started reading Simply More by Cynthia Erivo after receiving it as a gift from my daughter-in-law, and from the very first chapter I felt myself slowing down, pausing, and listening. This is a book about learning to trust yourself and honor who you are becoming, so is perfect for anyone who is moving through a season of transition or self-questioning.
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Some books arrive in your life at exactly the right moment.
Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much came to me as a gift from my daughter-in-law, and I am grateful in ways that are hard to fully capture.
In case you weren’t already aware, Cynthia Erivo is a British actress, singer, and songwriter who has achieved remarkable success across stage and screen. Her most recent acclaim came for her amazing performance as Elphaba in the 2025 film adaptation of Wicked. Ms. Erivo, born in London to Nigerian parents, has sometimes been described as “too much” due partly to her perceived intensity and earnestness in interviews and public appearances, and partly due to her bold fashion choices and dramatic personal style (including her shaved head and elaborate looks which include many piercings and avant-garde fashion choices).
Erivo’s elegant yet edgy glamour, combined with her confidence and the sheer weight of her accomplishments, can make her an overwhelming presence for some – a woman who simply refuses to be small.
This book reads as a direct and personal response to the criticism Erivo herself has faced – reframing ‘too much’ not as a flaw, but as a gift. Yet rather than serving as a mere defense of her own choices, she endeavors to pay it forward, offering her hard-won perspective to anyone who has found themselves shrinking under similar scrutiny, or quietly questioning whether their truest self is simply too bold for the world to hold.
I find myself pausing as I read, sitting with Cynthia Erivo’s words, and asking what I could learn from her experience, confidence, and compassion.
Her writing is clear, direct, and deeply human. It doesn’t confound with flowery writing or ambiguous sentiments.
Instead, each chapter feels like you are having a conversation with Cynthia herself, a heart-to-heart where she encourages you to trust yourself more, to love yourself in a way that allows you to respect your own voice, your boundaries, and your sense of worth.
Every page feels like she is speaking directly to me, especially in this time of transition, reflection, and reframing what comes next in my life and work.
This book explores identity, belonging, creativity, and courage in a way that feels grounded and real.
It is not about perfection or following a prescribed path.
It is not about reinvention for the sake of it.
It is about the journey of a life’s discovery of who you are and who you are meant to be.
It is about recognizing the parts of yourself you may have diminished, hidden, or second-guessed, and learning to bring them forward with honesty.
It’s about being authentic to YOU.
I find I am stopping from time to time to underline a sentence or reread a paragraph. Not because the language is complicated, but because it is true. And because it is true it is beautiful and powerful.
Her voice feels compassionate without being sentimental, and confident without being preachy. This is most evident in the last half page of the last chapter. It is a love letter to all of us.
I recommend Simply More to Charli first, because I can imagine you one day reading it during a moment when you are growing into a fuller version of yourself and learning to trust your own instincts.
I also recommend it to anyone who is navigating change, rebuilding confidence, or figuring out how to carry themselves with greater self-respect and self-compassion.
This is a book to read slowly.
This is a book that I see myself returning to when I need a reminder that I am already whole, already worthy, and already allowed to take up space in my own life.
Perhaps this could be a lovely reminder to you, too.
For Charli, and for anyone who is finding their way through a new chapter, this book is a thoughtful companion on the journey.
And I am grateful to be reading it right now.
