Lonely Girl by Anna Vatuone, Now Available on Amazon
August 22, 2025
At twenty-six, Anna Vatuone packed up her Jeep and left California on a cross-country road trip with no destination — only the desire to see the leaves change on the East Coast.
From the outside, it looked impulsive. Maybe even reckless. A self-employed woman driving across the country alone, without a plan, during the COVID-19 pandemic. But underneath, it was something else: a last-ditch attempt to break free from a life that no longer fit. To outrun the quiet ache of never having been in love. The gnawing fear that she never would be. And the creeping suspicion that she was the problem.
Anna didn't just leave home. She was chasing the person she hoped she could become. As she documented the journey on social media, thousands of strangers started following along. Not for the perfectly curated story, but for the rawness of a woman rewriting the script in real time.
Lonely Girl is the journal of that trip across the continental United States — past and present woven together in vivid flashbacks and tender moments. It's cinematic, visceral, and true. A portrait of a young woman wrestling with her demons, and an unflinching account of what happens when the truth leaves you nowhere to
A Note from Anna
For years, I made a living by helping people share their stories online. I have always believed that our stories matter. But what most people couldn’t see back then, was that I was still holding back pieces of my own.
I told myself that if people saw the tender, messy parts of me, they might think less of me. As if my vulnerability would make me less credible and trustworthy.
But life has a way of showing you what you need to learn most.
When I finally let myself tell the truth, when I stopped hiding and began sharing the parts of myself I was afraid to show, something unexpected happened.
People didn’t pull away from me. They leaned in closer.
That’s what my book Lonely Girl became: my way of practicing what I preach. My reminder that the more of yourself you share, the more the world opens to meet you.
Your story is the thing that makes you simply magnetic and unforgettable, a never-been-done-before kind of brand. So this book isn’t just for readers. It’s a letter to anyone who’s ever wondered if they could be fully seen and still fully successful.
You can. And you will.