Scan barcode
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Lucy Cooper is an executive assistant to a woman who preaches about the work life balance and her boss Katherine even wrote a book that is all about achieving the work life balance while also being a full time wife, mother and boss. But Lucy Cooper has everything in her life but balance - a great boyfriend, an ok job (she wants something else) and great friends and family, but she can't do any of it full time as the job she has is taking up a lot of hours!
I am an executive assistant and there a few moments where both my work life and my personal life are exploding at the same time and I wish for an assistant for this assistant! This book hit a nerve with me and a good one! I loved reading about how interesting of a job it is to be someone's assistant and help them with both personal and professional tasks. I loved her boyfriend and how he was pressing the marriage issue and although I didn't relate to her divorced parents aversion to marriage, I did understand his annoyance with the times that work just comes first.
For some this book could be on the fluffy side, but for this reader, it hit close to home and I loved every minute of it. I would love to pass this book along to the skeptics of what I do and how interesting of a lifestyle it is!
I am an executive assistant and there a few moments where both my work life and my personal life are exploding at the same time and I wish for an assistant for this assistant! This book hit a nerve with me and a good one! I loved reading about how interesting of a job it is to be someone's assistant and help them with both personal and professional tasks. I loved her boyfriend and how he was pressing the marriage issue and although I didn't relate to her divorced parents aversion to marriage, I did understand his annoyance with the times that work just comes first.
For some this book could be on the fluffy side, but for this reader, it hit close to home and I loved every minute of it. I would love to pass this book along to the skeptics of what I do and how interesting of a lifestyle it is!
nicki_j's review against another edition
3.0
This was light frothy chick-lit that I read in one sitting on a plane flight. It tried a little bit too hard in all of the references (theSkimm, huffpost, etc.) so I think it will be a bit dated in a few years but still entertaining.
inliterarylove's review against another edition
5.0
Suffering a book hangover this morning! I started this book yesterday afternoon during my child's nap and was hooked immediately. The Balance Project is about Lucy Cooper, "Coop" trying to do her best in the professional world when all goes to hell. Her boyfriend of 8 years is ready for marriage, but fear on Lucy's side gets in the way. She loves her job and her boss, but still longs for the profession she intended to be in. Her world is spinning, spinning, spinning and then- catastrophe. Ultimatums, the struggle of loyalty, betrayal and revenge and following her dreams all come at Lucy fast within a short amount of time. I could not stop reading. After the kids were in bed, I ended up staying up til just after midnight to finish this book. It has a Devil Wears Prada feel, only with a more put together Andy and much, much nicer Miranda. Even if things get sketchy for a bit. Need an escape from YOUR troubles? Read Susie Orman Schnall's The Balance Project. I don't think you'll mind being in Lucy's hectic life for a while.
taralpittman's review against another edition
5.0
I'm such a huge fan of the author's actual The Balance Project; she has interviewed over 80 successful women (authors, actresses, attorneys, surgeons, designers, entrepreneurs) to find out how they make life work for them and it is fascinating. What she's discovered, in her own search for balance, is that it is a constant struggle for all types of women; women have an innate desire to "do it all" and her latest novel, while fictionalized, is inspired by this desire and its consequences.
Schnall, through her character Katherine, addresses some very current and significant contributions (for lack of a better term) to the concept of "doing it all," such as Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In and interviews with prominent psychologists and consultants on this phenomenon. I love the fact that Katherine believes that she is "doing it all" and has "achieved balance" in her life...until she doesn't. Schnall admits through her own blog that she has always been "a little obsessed" with whether the women she admires are "doing it all;" Katherine finds out, the hard way, that her definition of "doing it all" must evolve before her life falls apart.
What makes this novel so much fun, though, is that the story is told through the eyes of Lucy, her beleaguered and shamelessly loyal assistant; things begin to unravel for them both when Lucy starts thinking about the lack of balance in her own life and what it would take for her to live the life she wants.
"This is not about our close relationship. This is about Katherine knowing that I am clearly holding it all together for her. That my all-encompassing devotion to her career allows her to maintain this illusion that she is, indeed, America's Darling of Balance. [...] I'm tired of this shit. I want to work hard to further my own career, not someone else's."
I couldn't put this book down; I love Schnall's writing, the wit and sarcasm of her characters and the "putting it all out there" attitude of this story. I certainly found it entertaining after a tough day at work, as I forgot about dinner and enjoyed a glass of wine; I think you will, too.
Schnall, through her character Katherine, addresses some very current and significant contributions (for lack of a better term) to the concept of "doing it all," such as Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In and interviews with prominent psychologists and consultants on this phenomenon. I love the fact that Katherine believes that she is "doing it all" and has "achieved balance" in her life...until she doesn't. Schnall admits through her own blog that she has always been "a little obsessed" with whether the women she admires are "doing it all;" Katherine finds out, the hard way, that her definition of "doing it all" must evolve before her life falls apart.
What makes this novel so much fun, though, is that the story is told through the eyes of Lucy, her beleaguered and shamelessly loyal assistant; things begin to unravel for them both when Lucy starts thinking about the lack of balance in her own life and what it would take for her to live the life she wants.
"This is not about our close relationship. This is about Katherine knowing that I am clearly holding it all together for her. That my all-encompassing devotion to her career allows her to maintain this illusion that she is, indeed, America's Darling of Balance. [...] I'm tired of this shit. I want to work hard to further my own career, not someone else's."
I couldn't put this book down; I love Schnall's writing, the wit and sarcasm of her characters and the "putting it all out there" attitude of this story. I certainly found it entertaining after a tough day at work, as I forgot about dinner and enjoyed a glass of wine; I think you will, too.
suzannefine's review against another edition
5.0
I really don't know where to begin. I absolutely loved Susie Schnall's newest book, The Balance Project. I loved her style of writing in On Grace (on of my favorite books), so I knew I would love this, I didn't realize how much. I'm a working mom of two - so there were just way to many things that I had in common with Katherine. I loved how the story was told, and there were twists that I didn't expect to see coming. The love story between Lucy and Nick was written so well, you could feel Lucy's knots in your own stomach. I am especially a fan of authors who tie their stories up in the last chapter - so you can see where the characters end up six to nine months down the line. Oh, and Grace's little occurrence in the book - perfect touch. The only problem is now I'll have to wait for Susie Schnall's next book to come out! Would HIGHLY recommend to all of my friends and fellow readers.
jenabrownwrites's review against another edition
4.0
“You’ve got to make your own dreams happen, Lucy,” Ty says. “Sounds a lot like you’re helping to make someone else’s dreams happen.”
The Balance Project is such a fun read! Very reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries, The Balance Project is about the life of a working woman who earnestly and whole-heartedly believes that women can have the perfect life, everything they’ve ever wanted. If only they balance everything just right.
That woman is Lucy Cooper’s boss, Katherine Whitney, COO of a juice empire. Her new book, The Balance Project, has launched her into a new level of success with millions of women dying to know how they too can successfully have it all.
Lucy on the other hand, does not have it all. She doesn’t want to be an assistant forever, so her career isn’t exactly moving on the right track. And she doesn’t want to get married, which her boyfriend Nick is adamant about, so relationship may also be slightly unbalanced. When Katherine begins to fall apart at the seams, it falls even more on Lucy to hold it all together for her. Which is fine, until Katherine betrays Lucy unexpectedly. Not Lucy has to make a choice, and that choice will impact the course of her life. And Katherine’s.
“It sure doesn’t seem like your life is all that balanced, and you’re at ground zero of this balance operation.”
This book is a very fun read! And very funny! Lucy has an internal dialogue that is sarcastic and witty, which made her very enjoyable to read. Even when she makes the wrong choices, or doesn’t stand up for herself, she’s written in such a way, that it doesn’t feel cliche. She feels very real to me.
I think we’ve all had moments in our lives when we actively justify things that are happening, or make decisions we instantly regret, or even decisions we later regret. The thing I enjoyed about Lucy was it didn’t matter if you didn’t agree with how she processed things, or her decisions. The point was you understood. And were usually entertained along the way.
“It feels like there are crack-addicted trapeze artists in my stomach, and they are just beginning their routine.”
I really liked how we are introduced to the situation and characters without a giant info dump at the beginning. The flashbacks and narration is well paced and done so that it feels very natural to the progression of the plot. We learn a lot about Lucy and Katherine in the first chapter through a clever use of an interview. We also get a very real sense of the pressure Lucy feels as Katherine’s assistant in that first chapter. I loved that the tone and pace were introduced and maintained very consistently throughout the entire book.
Ava, her best friend is probably my favorite character. She’s the only one who I liked the entire time. It would be easy to hate the best friend who loved her job and made everything look easy while also posting an inspirational quote daily, but Ava is so kind and awesome you just want to be friends with her. I really loved that, because it’s so easy to go Mean Girls these days. It was nice to not have that cliche love/hate your best friend trope, and to also have a character that I genuinely adored throughout the entire book.
“Ava works at Cosmo – she is a fun, fearless female – as an associate features editor. She loves her job, and by love I mean she would make out with her job if she could.”
Nick, I wasn’t a fan of. And this part may get a touch spoiler-y so BEWARE! I didn’t like how the author managed to hold every other character accountable to their shitty behavior EXCEPT FOR NICK! Somehow he gets to act like a complete jerk to Lucy, give her a really intense ultimatum and in the end, he gets off the hook. Something about his list and how he handled her rejection just really didn’t sit well with me. It reeked of control issues and a refusal to compromise that didn’t fit with the rest of the books message.
Lucy is a complex character for me as well. She is willing to admit her fears and her weaknesses, but is also willing to allow people to treat her pretty poorly at times. Namely her boyfriend and her boss. And while their behaviors can be rationalized, Lucy doesn’t seem to be able to stand up for herself in healthy ways until extreme situations hit. The interesting part is I actually really liked Lucy, so maybe I just wanted her to be a bit more of her own advocate. I wanted her to see her worth more than if felt she did.
I realize that we all have to go through bad jobs, and bad relationships, and bad friendships to learn where our boundaries are. This book is a good exploration of that process. I think Lucy did forgive Nick way easier than Katherine, and wish that Nick would have offered a little more reflection on his bad behavior like other characters.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast read, I finished in an evening, and there were multiple laugh out loud lines. Even though that part with Nick really bothered me (obviously because I can’t seem to let it go), the book was a good presentation on how important it is to balance your life when you’re young.
Lucy explores some very relevant issues facing most women at all ages. How do we balance work and personal lives? When is too much too much? Is marriage and being a mother right for you? These are all very real things that most women struggle with. I was really happy to have a book that is enjoyable to read without seeming preachy, but still gives a thoughtful examination of some of these struggles. I think that most women will find a lot of it relevant and relatable, not to mention sassy and thoroughly entertaining!
Thank you BookSparks and She Writes Press for sending a copy to read and review!
The Balance Project is such a fun read! Very reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries, The Balance Project is about the life of a working woman who earnestly and whole-heartedly believes that women can have the perfect life, everything they’ve ever wanted. If only they balance everything just right.
That woman is Lucy Cooper’s boss, Katherine Whitney, COO of a juice empire. Her new book, The Balance Project, has launched her into a new level of success with millions of women dying to know how they too can successfully have it all.
Lucy on the other hand, does not have it all. She doesn’t want to be an assistant forever, so her career isn’t exactly moving on the right track. And she doesn’t want to get married, which her boyfriend Nick is adamant about, so relationship may also be slightly unbalanced. When Katherine begins to fall apart at the seams, it falls even more on Lucy to hold it all together for her. Which is fine, until Katherine betrays Lucy unexpectedly. Not Lucy has to make a choice, and that choice will impact the course of her life. And Katherine’s.
“It sure doesn’t seem like your life is all that balanced, and you’re at ground zero of this balance operation.”
This book is a very fun read! And very funny! Lucy has an internal dialogue that is sarcastic and witty, which made her very enjoyable to read. Even when she makes the wrong choices, or doesn’t stand up for herself, she’s written in such a way, that it doesn’t feel cliche. She feels very real to me.
I think we’ve all had moments in our lives when we actively justify things that are happening, or make decisions we instantly regret, or even decisions we later regret. The thing I enjoyed about Lucy was it didn’t matter if you didn’t agree with how she processed things, or her decisions. The point was you understood. And were usually entertained along the way.
“It feels like there are crack-addicted trapeze artists in my stomach, and they are just beginning their routine.”
I really liked how we are introduced to the situation and characters without a giant info dump at the beginning. The flashbacks and narration is well paced and done so that it feels very natural to the progression of the plot. We learn a lot about Lucy and Katherine in the first chapter through a clever use of an interview. We also get a very real sense of the pressure Lucy feels as Katherine’s assistant in that first chapter. I loved that the tone and pace were introduced and maintained very consistently throughout the entire book.
Ava, her best friend is probably my favorite character. She’s the only one who I liked the entire time. It would be easy to hate the best friend who loved her job and made everything look easy while also posting an inspirational quote daily, but Ava is so kind and awesome you just want to be friends with her. I really loved that, because it’s so easy to go Mean Girls these days. It was nice to not have that cliche love/hate your best friend trope, and to also have a character that I genuinely adored throughout the entire book.
“Ava works at Cosmo – she is a fun, fearless female – as an associate features editor. She loves her job, and by love I mean she would make out with her job if she could.”
Nick, I wasn’t a fan of. And this part may get a touch spoiler-y so BEWARE! I didn’t like how the author managed to hold every other character accountable to their shitty behavior EXCEPT FOR NICK! Somehow he gets to act like a complete jerk to Lucy, give her a really intense ultimatum and in the end, he gets off the hook. Something about his list and how he handled her rejection just really didn’t sit well with me. It reeked of control issues and a refusal to compromise that didn’t fit with the rest of the books message.
Lucy is a complex character for me as well. She is willing to admit her fears and her weaknesses, but is also willing to allow people to treat her pretty poorly at times. Namely her boyfriend and her boss. And while their behaviors can be rationalized, Lucy doesn’t seem to be able to stand up for herself in healthy ways until extreme situations hit. The interesting part is I actually really liked Lucy, so maybe I just wanted her to be a bit more of her own advocate. I wanted her to see her worth more than if felt she did.
I realize that we all have to go through bad jobs, and bad relationships, and bad friendships to learn where our boundaries are. This book is a good exploration of that process. I think Lucy did forgive Nick way easier than Katherine, and wish that Nick would have offered a little more reflection on his bad behavior like other characters.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast read, I finished in an evening, and there were multiple laugh out loud lines. Even though that part with Nick really bothered me (obviously because I can’t seem to let it go), the book was a good presentation on how important it is to balance your life when you’re young.
Lucy explores some very relevant issues facing most women at all ages. How do we balance work and personal lives? When is too much too much? Is marriage and being a mother right for you? These are all very real things that most women struggle with. I was really happy to have a book that is enjoyable to read without seeming preachy, but still gives a thoughtful examination of some of these struggles. I think that most women will find a lot of it relevant and relatable, not to mention sassy and thoroughly entertaining!
Thank you BookSparks and She Writes Press for sending a copy to read and review!
yourbookfriend's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure: I was provided with a free galley copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The idea for this book was interesting, and the main character was witty and personable. However, some of the writing felt a little bit forced for me, as if the author were trying a bit too hard to make the book seem trendy and relevant. The quips about social media and the entire arc with Lucy's friend Ava and her Instagram quotes were especially distracting. Some of the jokes towards the reader felt labored in a similar way. It didn't help that the galley file had some entire chunks of text out of order, which made the reading experience confusing. I liked the book enough to finish it, but it wasn't one of my favorites.
The idea for this book was interesting, and the main character was witty and personable. However, some of the writing felt a little bit forced for me, as if the author were trying a bit too hard to make the book seem trendy and relevant. The quips about social media and the entire arc with Lucy's friend Ava and her Instagram quotes were especially distracting. Some of the jokes towards the reader felt labored in a similar way. It didn't help that the galley file had some entire chunks of text out of order, which made the reading experience confusing. I liked the book enough to finish it, but it wasn't one of my favorites.
thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful book! The Balance Project addresses a very pertinent issue for present day women – the issue of balance in day-to-day life. Today, there is so much pressure for women to try and excel at every aspect of life, and the novel succeeds in making the reader ponder what it really means to “have it all.” The main character, Lucy, is extremely likeable but also very human. I enjoyed following her story as it played out.
Susie Orman Schnall is a fabulous writer. She has a clever way of writing, at times directly addressing the reader, that works very well for this story. This is a thought provoking and totally entertaining read, and I did not want it to end. I look forward to reading her other book On Grace very soon.
Susie Orman Schnall is a fabulous writer. She has a clever way of writing, at times directly addressing the reader, that works very well for this story. This is a thought provoking and totally entertaining read, and I did not want it to end. I look forward to reading her other book On Grace very soon.
teresat's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book by Schnall that I have read and I loved both books. Lucy is a great character and I was pulling for her throughout the story. Schnall's style of writing is very engaging. There are funny moments but also some "gasp!" moments. I look forward to reading more by this author.