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always_need_more_books's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
frannymuzza's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Inspiring book discussing failure giving insight into a wide range of people’s challenges in life
misstazzytea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
eryn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
leapyearkiddo's review against another edition
3.0
I recognised myself in many parts of this book. I found myself rereading sections as I couldn't believe how true they rang.
sarapruc's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely, honest book about so many interesting topics that everyone can relate to. I've been a big fan of the podcast for years, and this book put it all in the perspective of Elizabeth Day's own life.
littlewhittle_'s review against another edition
2.0
How many times can you say that failure is not a big deal and to move on with your life? Every chapter comes to the same conclusion. Could Day not feel the repetition while she was writing this book?
The most interesting parts are about the interviews. The thoughts she shares here are authentic and honest but they do not belong to her. Day cannot offer this within her own stories and keeps the reader at arms length the entire time.
A lot of people have been comparing this to Dolly Alderton’s ‘everything I know about love’ and I understand why. She is approaching the same audience but it falls short in every way to Alderton’s book. While Alderton addresses her privilege it does not bleed into her mistakes and outlook. Day writes of small failures, ones she often can only make because of her privilege - tennis, tests, not being where she wants to be in her journalism career but still being at the Evening Standard. Every failure she has discussed is dramatised.
Where are the brutal failures, the real big life regrets? To write a book on failure is almost pretentious when you observe what Day deems as failure, one minor test where she received below 50% but then gets great grades and goes to Cambridge Univeristy. How is this failing at tests? How are you qualified to speak with authority on this? This sadly, is a question I repeatedly thought of as I continued reading.
Even the details of her dating life and relationships are opaque and we receive another story of the troubles of online dating. The whole ‘it was not like this in my day’ speech.
There is rarely a refreshing anecdote, conclusion, or thought in this book. When you get to how to fail at relationships, she tells you she is holding back from being honest and if she meets you in person she might tell you what happened in her marriage and then continues to write about her failure to write. What a misleading chapter. I can’t imagine what the chapter on marriage says. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at this. When you choose to write a book like this, you choose to be honest.
I found myself skipping over paragraphs and then chapters and then settling on the decision to stop reading it altogether.
If Day was not a famous name already, I could not be surer that this book would have failed. Now that would be something interesting her book could discuss. I rarely give up on books but here I am at page 126.
The most interesting parts are about the interviews. The thoughts she shares here are authentic and honest but they do not belong to her. Day cannot offer this within her own stories and keeps the reader at arms length the entire time.
A lot of people have been comparing this to Dolly Alderton’s ‘everything I know about love’ and I understand why. She is approaching the same audience but it falls short in every way to Alderton’s book. While Alderton addresses her privilege it does not bleed into her mistakes and outlook. Day writes of small failures, ones she often can only make because of her privilege - tennis, tests, not being where she wants to be in her journalism career but still being at the Evening Standard. Every failure she has discussed is dramatised.
Where are the brutal failures, the real big life regrets? To write a book on failure is almost pretentious when you observe what Day deems as failure, one minor test where she received below 50% but then gets great grades and goes to Cambridge Univeristy. How is this failing at tests? How are you qualified to speak with authority on this? This sadly, is a question I repeatedly thought of as I continued reading.
Even the details of her dating life and relationships are opaque and we receive another story of the troubles of online dating. The whole ‘it was not like this in my day’ speech.
There is rarely a refreshing anecdote, conclusion, or thought in this book. When you get to how to fail at relationships, she tells you she is holding back from being honest and if she meets you in person she might tell you what happened in her marriage and then continues to write about her failure to write. What a misleading chapter. I can’t imagine what the chapter on marriage says. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at this. When you choose to write a book like this, you choose to be honest.
I found myself skipping over paragraphs and then chapters and then settling on the decision to stop reading it altogether.
If Day was not a famous name already, I could not be surer that this book would have failed. Now that would be something interesting her book could discuss. I rarely give up on books but here I am at page 126.
annetjeberg's review against another edition
3.0
This was a comfortable read, nothing new, very much relatable, without really getting under my skin. I was hoping (or looking?) for more.