Recommend me a book that has an insecure/hesitant MC who has difficulties making decisions and believing in themselves, and who grows and changes and overcomes these fears. I want to see how other authors have handled this. Also, if you have a situation/scene/character type that you want an example of, ask here. I'm sure we all have extensive reading lists, we can probably help each other out.
Vin in Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first character that comes to my mind, due to her difficulties trusting people. Though that may have been more a distrust directed outward than inward. An indecisive character may be difficult to write, as readers prefer reading active protagonists who are always doing things.
I don't have a specific example, but a lot of the romance novels I've read have one of the two protagonists be a shy, awkward person with low self esteem that doesn't understand why the other person is interested in them and through the growing power (phrasing) of love, turn into a beautiful, confident human being with good posture and a daily oral hygiene regimen.
One of my favorite Nora Roberts books is a great example of this - Jewels of the Sun. Jude starts out in the beginning with terrible self-esteem from a nasty divorce and a lifetime of always doing exactly what everyone else expects of her. She blossoms into a strong, secure person not only because of the Love of a Good Man (hey, it's a Romance), but also by finding friendships with some amazing women and finally focusing on work that's intellectually and emotionally fulfilling to her.
