Book Review: Living Real: Redefining Success, Presence, and Happiness by Dr. Camille Preston by Crystal Petry

Started Reading: April 27, 2026 | Finished: August 4, 2026

Every now and then you read a book that doesn't simply teach you something—it changes you. Living Real: Redefining Success, Presence, and Happiness by Dr. Camille Preston is one of those books.

Before I even opened the first chapter, Dr. Camille sent me a handwritten note tucked inside the book. Ironically, I've been using that note as my bookmark ever since. Somewhere along the way I realized I probably need an actual bookmark because that little note has become just as meaningful to me as the pages it has been marking.

My bookmark 🤣

I also had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Camille on my podcast, so I'll include a link to that conversation below. After reading her book, I can honestly say she is just as genuine, compassionate, and insightful in person as she is in her writing.

Three Pages In...I Wanted to Quit

The introduction begins with these words:

"We live in a world that rushes us past negative emotions. Then asks us to swallow our pain. That tells us to keep focus forward until we feel fine, even when we are anything but okay... We talk about moving on as if life were a race and emotions, something to avoid and leave behind, when the exact opposite is true."

Those opening paragraphs immediately stopped me.

They spoke to thoughts I had carried silently for years but never had the words to explain. Dr. Camille gave language to emotions I had only ever felt.

She talks about how society, friends, family, and even people with the best intentions encourage us to "get over" grief.

But grief isn't something you get over.

It's something you move through.

If I'm being honest...

Who wants to move through grief?

Who actually wants to sit with sorrow?

No one.

It's one of the reasons I believe so many people turn to distractions, medications, alcohol, or other ways to avoid feeling what hurts.

Then came page three.

Dr. Camille writes:

"The question is not whether life will break you—it will."

I literally stopped reading.

Out loud I asked myself,

"Can I finish this book?"

"Do I want to stay in this emotional space?"

Five years ago, my mother unexpectedly passed away.

Reading those words immediately took me back to one of the darkest seasons of my life.

I remembered the heartbreak.

The loneliness.

The people who said, "It will be okay."

The people who never even acknowledged that my mother had died.

The people who promised time would make everything better.

Even today, those emotions sit just beneath the surface. There are still moments when tears are never very far away.

I honestly put the book down for several days.

I wasn't sure I could continue.

But eventually I realized something:

If I wanted to grow, I had to keep reading.

What Does It Mean to "Live Real?"

On page 8, Dr. Camille defines "Realing" as:

"Being fully present and engaged while walking through each step of your daily life."

That definition challenged me.

Being present sounds simple.

Actually living it?

That's something entirely different.

Throughout the book, Dr. Camille reminds readers that this isn't something we're naturally good at.

It's learned.

I completely agree.

Living Real is a learned behavior.

In fact, writing this review is part of my own learning process.

Learning What My Family Never Taught Me

One quote that deeply resonated with me appears on page 19:

"We've become conditioned to feel less and less of the lows, which results in our muting the experience of both."

That sentence described my childhood.

My family loved each other.

But we didn't talk about emotions.

We didn't talk about grief.

We didn't process sorrow.

We simply moved on as though nothing had happened.

Without realizing it, I carried that same pattern into adulthood.

To be fair, emotional intelligence wasn't something people discussed years ago the way we do today.

But I love what Maya Angelou famously said:

"When you know better, you do better."

Because of this book...

Now I know better.

So I have a responsibility to do better.

Dr Camille Signed my book!!!!

You Can't Experience the Highs Without Feeling the Lows

One of the greatest lessons I learned is this:

To fully experience joy...

You also have to allow yourself to fully experience pain.

Nobody enjoys walking through sorrow.

But avoiding pain doesn't just numb sadness.

It also numbs happiness.

That realization alone was worth reading the book.

Are We All "Shallowing?"

On page 24, Dr. Camille introduces the concept of Shallowing:

"Avoiding discomfort, hard experiences, or uncomfortable emotions."

I found myself wondering...

Is that even possible?

Can we really spend our entire lives avoiding discomfort?

Maybe people ignore it.

Maybe they numb it.

Maybe they distract themselves.

But eventually...

Life catches up with every one of us.

Because as Dr. Camille reminded me on page three...

Life will break you.

Chasing More...Only to Feel Less

Page 52 asks a powerful question:

"Why do they chase more only to feel less?"

If you're reading this...

Raise your hand if you've ever chased more only to feel less.

✋🏾🤚🏾🦶🏾

I'm raising both hands and a foot.

For years I believed another title...

Another accomplishment...

Another achievement...

Would finally make me feel successful.

It didn't.

At this stage of my life, I'm no longer chasing titles.

I'm chasing peace.

There is a huge difference.

Growth Is Messy

Another favorite quote appears on page 67:

"Growth is messy."

Immediately I thought about Proverbs 27:17:

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

People love putting that verse on T-shirts and coffee mugs.

But have you ever actually watched iron sharpen iron?

It's loud.

It's difficult.

There are sparks.

There is friction.

Sometimes there's even fire.

It isn't pretty.

Growth looks exactly like that.

Messy.

Uncomfortable.

Painful.

But necessary.

If you want growth...

You have to choose the mess.

Living Real Changed One Conversation

This book changed something practical in my life.

One of my closest friends has been walking through her mother's dementia diagnosis for several years.

We've been friends for over twenty years.

Yet I had never asked her how she was doing.

Not because I didn't care.

Because I avoided the uncomfortable conversation.

After reading this book, I decided to step into the tension.

I simply asked,

"How are you feeling about your mother's diagnosis? What has this been like for you?"

It wasn't easy.

I felt uncomfortable.

But after our conversation ended, she sent me a text that I'll never forget.

"Thank you for being a real friend when so many others are not."

At that moment I realized exactly what Dr. Camille had been teaching throughout the entire book.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is simply our willingness to stay in the uncomfortable moment with them.

Being Present Has Changed My Relationships

Another lesson I've started practicing is being fully present.

Before reading this book, if someone talked to me while I was cleaning, reading, or working, I usually kept doing what I was doing.

Now...

I stop.

I turn toward them.

I make eye contact.

I listen.

If I truly can't stop in that moment, I simply tell them,

"Give me just a minute to finish this, and then I'd love to talk."

It sounds like such a small change.

But it has completely changed the quality of my conversations.

Sometimes the smallest habits make the biggest difference.

Final Thoughts

I could honestly write another several pages about everything I learned from this book.

But if you've made it this far, you've probably earned a break. 😂

This wasn't an easy book for me to read.

In fact, I almost didn't finish it.

Not because it wasn't good.

Because it was too good.

It forced me to sit with emotions I had spent years trying to move around instead of moving through.

And I'm incredibly grateful I kept going.

Dr. Camille, thank you for writing this book.

Thank you for giving words to feelings so many of us have struggled to explain.

Thank you for challenging us to stop simply existing and start truly living.

If you're considering reading Living Real, my advice is simple:

Read it.

But be ready.

This book may ask you to feel things you've spent years trying not to feel.

And that just might change your life.

Listen to My Conversation with Dr. Camille Preston

I had the incredible opportunity to interview Dr. Camille on my podcast before finishing her book, and after reading it, I appreciate that conversation even more.

🎙️ Listen to the interview here: (podcast link)

Get Your Copy

If you're ready to redefine success, presence, and happiness, I highly recommend adding Living Real to your reading list.

(Amazon link)