Seventeen-year-old Lian Tran has always believed that perfection is the only way to survive - in school, in debate, in friendships, in life. But when she freezes during the biggest competition of the year, everything she's been holding together begins to crack.As academic pressure mounts, friendships strain, and rivalry intensifies, Lian discovers a leather notebook left behind by her late mother - a notebook containing a single, powerful passage about kindness. A passage that becomes her lifeline.With the help of her grandmother, a quiet artist named Evan, and the painful lessons of her past, Lian begins a journey of self-forgiveness. But storms don't pass easily, and learning to be gentle with herself may be the hardest challenge she's ever faced.Dramatic, humorous, and deeply inspirational, Awaken Kindness Within is a YA story about burnout, healing, friendship, love, and the courage it takes to open your heart - first to yourself, and then to the world.