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oprah_wimpy's review against another edition
3.0
A little self righteous and preachy for a self help memior. I think her lessons were heavy handed in an unapproachable way and I didn't really care for the book. I finished it and it was a quick read, but I wouldn't be suggesting it to others.
patiolinguist's review against another edition
1.0
This review is going to be uncharacteristically harsh, and that's probably because I've decided to abandon an excruciating week's worth of attempts to finish this book and the feelings are all still very raw. I resent that I actually paid full price for it and I am absolutely appalled at myself that it took me a good 180 pages to realise it wasn’t going to miraculously improve no matter how much I willed it to. And I'm angry for all the time I lost that could have been spent reading something more worthwhile (basically anything else).
Fortunately, I'm not worried about Glennon ever seeing this and being absolutely crushed, because her not giving a flying f*ck about what anyone thinks was like one of my main takeaways from the book.
For me, the worst parts of this self-indulgent memoir (series of lectures) masquerading as a self-help book were the sanctimonious and suspiciously polished exchanges between the author and her friends or children (sometimes also friends of her children). Somehow she always delivered the most perfectly woke, wise and articulate monologues(lectures)… which, apart from feeling totally manufactured, really never offered any fresh insights. And the smugness that permeated the entire book, I cannot even begin to describe how much it irritated me. A little self-love is great and I definitely want to support that, but OH MY GOD GET A ROOM, GLENNON!
Never have I felt so strongly that a book does not deserve to take up space on my bookshelf, but selling or donating it to the community library seems unfair to the poor schmuck who picks it up after me. Right now, my “Knowing” is telling me to destroy it with fire.
Fortunately, I'm not worried about Glennon ever seeing this and being absolutely crushed, because her not giving a flying f*ck about what anyone thinks was like one of my main takeaways from the book.
For me, the worst parts of this self-indulgent memoir (series of lectures) masquerading as a self-help book were the sanctimonious and suspiciously polished exchanges between the author and her friends or children (sometimes also friends of her children). Somehow she always delivered the most perfectly woke, wise and articulate monologues(lectures)… which, apart from feeling totally manufactured, really never offered any fresh insights. And the smugness that permeated the entire book, I cannot even begin to describe how much it irritated me. A little self-love is great and I definitely want to support that, but OH MY GOD GET A ROOM, GLENNON!
Never have I felt so strongly that a book does not deserve to take up space on my bookshelf, but selling or donating it to the community library seems unfair to the poor schmuck who picks it up after me. Right now, my “Knowing” is telling me to destroy it with fire.
hannaroucka22's review against another edition
1.0
Out of touch at best, otherwise it was offensive.
This book is an unorganized self help book that I didn't ask for disguised as a memoir. It is reminiscent of "Girl, Wash Your Face".
With every revelation that the author found themself making I just went "Duh". All things considered, I am someone who lives on the internet, and I am a queer woman in STEM. I find myself thinking about socio-cultural issues that Glennon addresses on the daily. Glennon is also 20 years older than me and was someone who found herself NEEDING to come to these conclusions. THAT IS GROWTH. Maybe 18 year old me would have appreciated some of this book more. This is probably as nice as I will be.
I find some of the concepts she discusses like "The Knowing" and "The Removal Miracle" to be literal bullshit. These are the kinds of words that people use to make them feel spiritual and autonomous. This woman is no more qualified to offer up advice than I am and the entirety of this book is her blowing sunshine out of her ass toward people who have dealt with greater hardships than those she explains in this book, such the woman who wrote to her about her dying child.
About halfway through this book I went from being bored to being pissed off.
With my girlfriend, I talk a lot about how I am a tiny white woman trying to support poc, but am often met with "shut up skinny white bitch". Okay, nothing I haven't heard before...Glennon had an opportunity to enlighten me as someone who experienced this on the grand scale of the internet. She was invited by a black organization to do a webinar to educate white women on how to remove themselves from the center of conversations on race. Backlash was people calling her racist for it instead of stepping back and pointing to black women as references instead of a white woman...okay nothing new, but I was like "So what did she do? How did she handle this?" And Glennon says "every white person who shows up and tells the truth - because it's her duty as a member of our human family- is going to have her racism called out. She will have to accept that others will disagree with how she's showing up and that they will have every right to disagree" so let black people be mad. Do nothing different.
This book is an unorganized self help book that I didn't ask for disguised as a memoir. It is reminiscent of "Girl, Wash Your Face".
With every revelation that the author found themself making I just went "Duh". All things considered, I am someone who lives on the internet, and I am a queer woman in STEM. I find myself thinking about socio-cultural issues that Glennon addresses on the daily. Glennon is also 20 years older than me and was someone who found herself NEEDING to come to these conclusions. THAT IS GROWTH. Maybe 18 year old me would have appreciated some of this book more. This is probably as nice as I will be.
I find some of the concepts she discusses like "The Knowing" and "The Removal Miracle" to be literal bullshit. These are the kinds of words that people use to make them feel spiritual and autonomous. This woman is no more qualified to offer up advice than I am and the entirety of this book is her blowing sunshine out of her ass toward people who have dealt with greater hardships than those she explains in this book, such the woman who wrote to her about her dying child.
About halfway through this book I went from being bored to being pissed off.
With my girlfriend, I talk a lot about how I am a tiny white woman trying to support poc, but am often met with "shut up skinny white bitch". Okay, nothing I haven't heard before...Glennon had an opportunity to enlighten me as someone who experienced this on the grand scale of the internet. She was invited by a black organization to do a webinar to educate white women on how to remove themselves from the center of conversations on race. Backlash was people calling her racist for it instead of stepping back and pointing to black women as references instead of a white woman...okay nothing new, but I was like "So what did she do? How did she handle this?" And Glennon says "every white person who shows up and tells the truth - because it's her duty as a member of our human family- is going to have her racism called out. She will have to accept that others will disagree with how she's showing up and that they will have every right to disagree" so let black people be mad. Do nothing different.
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
I have told numerous women to read this book. From the first chapter which stirred my head, to the chapter called Islands that helped me see how boundaries might work to the moments I realized I'd let myself be caged, I was stirred, inspired, intrigued. It likely won't make everyone feel the same way, but this was the book I needed right now
ebc726's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 rounded down to a 2. In theory, I understand why people like Glennon Doyle, but much like certain other best selling self-help authors, she and the book just weren’t for me. It felt all over the place. Also not a fan of the holier-than-thou attitude through much of it when talking about her relationship with Abby, sobriety, parenting, and White privilege. I felt like I was being condescended to through most of it.
campredwood's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Outing, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Addiction