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A review by maudsmeets
The Hidden Power of F*cking Up by The Try Guys, Zach Kornfeld, Keith Habersberger
funny
2.25
Enjoyment: 3 stars
Quality: 2 stars
I'm not sure who the targeted audience for this book is. If you don't know who the try guys are, you will probably feel out of the loop. The guys rely often on jokes you won't understand if you've never watched their videos. But on the other hand, if you're a big try guys fan, you will recognize a lot of the information and stories presented in this book.
The format is also confusing. This book is presented as a motivational self-help book, but is basically just a collection of essays with a 'stream of consciousness' writing style. A lot of those essays felt like prompts that would have been better off as videos. This makes the book feel incohesive. They also sprinkle in these little motivational quotes or facts in between chapters, which only took me out of the story. I didn't care about them. Also, some of them were just blatantly not true. Einstein didn't drop out of college and that fact could have been checked by a simple google search. The book felt rushed and like a memoir (that should've been deeper) packaged as a self help novel.
I personally listened to audiobook, I don't think I would have finished the book if I hadn't. The audiobook narration was a double edged sword. On one hand, it made the book feel personal and engaging. On the other hand, it just felt like I was listening to a podcast.. but less good.
I like the Trypod, I personally think the Try Guys are strongest in that dynamic. When they're not adhering to a script and just talk and crack jokes. With a podcast, there are no set expectations other than an hour of banter. I think they tried to replicate that in the audiobook, but it didn't work the same.
Some of the narration just fell flat, particularly their group sections, since the conversations didn't always feel genuine, because the emotions felt a little forced and overly dramatized or 'acted.' The guys also dropped a lot of f-bombs. An unnecessary amount. A guy saying fuck ten times in a row isn't exactly hilarious in my book. Those things combined with Ned and Keith shouting too much just didn't work for me.
I really like the Try Guys and although I don't think this was a good book, I still enjoyed it. Some stories were delightful. I enjoyed hearing more about how Keith and Becky met, Zach's struggles with physical and mental health, the birth of Wes and Eugene's relationship with his family. Eugene actually was a really strong writer, followed by Zach.
Conclusion: I think this book would have been better had they taken more time, and delved deeper into everything. They often mention how busy they were whilst writing this, and it shows. They just needed more time to figure out what exactly this was going to be. If you like the try guys and really want to read this, sure, go for it. I'll stick to their videos and podcast though.
Quality: 2 stars
I'm not sure who the targeted audience for this book is. If you don't know who the try guys are, you will probably feel out of the loop. The guys rely often on jokes you won't understand if you've never watched their videos. But on the other hand, if you're a big try guys fan, you will recognize a lot of the information and stories presented in this book.
The format is also confusing. This book is presented as a motivational self-help book, but is basically just a collection of essays with a 'stream of consciousness' writing style. A lot of those essays felt like prompts that would have been better off as videos. This makes the book feel incohesive. They also sprinkle in these little motivational quotes or facts in between chapters, which only took me out of the story. I didn't care about them. Also, some of them were just blatantly not true. Einstein didn't drop out of college and that fact could have been checked by a simple google search. The book felt rushed and like a memoir (that should've been deeper) packaged as a self help novel.
I personally listened to audiobook, I don't think I would have finished the book if I hadn't. The audiobook narration was a double edged sword. On one hand, it made the book feel personal and engaging. On the other hand, it just felt like I was listening to a podcast.. but less good.
I like the Trypod, I personally think the Try Guys are strongest in that dynamic. When they're not adhering to a script and just talk and crack jokes. With a podcast, there are no set expectations other than an hour of banter. I think they tried to replicate that in the audiobook, but it didn't work the same.
Some of the narration just fell flat, particularly their group sections, since the conversations didn't always feel genuine, because the emotions felt a little forced and overly dramatized or 'acted.' The guys also dropped a lot of f-bombs. An unnecessary amount. A guy saying fuck ten times in a row isn't exactly hilarious in my book. Those things combined with Ned and Keith shouting too much just didn't work for me.
I really like the Try Guys and although I don't think this was a good book, I still enjoyed it. Some stories were delightful. I enjoyed hearing more about how Keith and Becky met, Zach's struggles with physical and mental health, the birth of Wes and Eugene's relationship with his family. Eugene actually was a really strong writer, followed by Zach.
Conclusion: I think this book would have been better had they taken more time, and delved deeper into everything. They often mention how busy they were whilst writing this, and it shows. They just needed more time to figure out what exactly this was going to be. If you like the try guys and really want to read this, sure, go for it. I'll stick to their videos and podcast though.