The author, a PhD behavioral scientist, has written something unique here. Blending witty, self-deprecating reflections on her own life with insights from her work and those of other behavioral scientists, Watters’ memoir will resonate with anyone who isn’t quite sure how they got where they are. Bonus points if your Inner Critic tells you that whatever happened, it’s probably your fault. Although I’m well past my 30s (likely the target audience), I saw myself in many of her thoughts, and her insights on the stories we tell ourselves are comforting.

The author uses a lot of wit, sarcasm, and self-deprecation throughout the book. If you don’t think she’s funny or if you just don’t vibe with humor in nonfiction, this won’t be for you. She does lean a little too heavily into this, but I think she’s funny and I enjoyed this aspect.

The only other thing I’d say is that, despite being a fan as you can probably tell, I finished reading with a little bit of a sense of whiplash. Moving quickly between her memories and the behavioral insights was a good choice (this makes everything flow without feeling choppy or getting boring), but I think stronger segues or connections between points and/or chapters would make the book better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and the promise of personal insight, but overall, it didn’t work for me. It felt like an overly long blog post written by a pick-me girl trying too hard to be relatable, funny, and helpful, and it fell short in all three areas.

The tone came across as self-congratulatory at times, reflecting a style sadly more and more common in modern nonfiction, where self-help is often synonymous with self-absorption.

This book might resonate more with readers who enjoy conversational, casual self-help and quick reads. The target audience seems to be millennials, specifically women in their 30s who might feel behind in life. Unfortunately, it just didn’t align with what I look for in a memoir.

3.5 rounded down - I always feel bad giving a middle rating to a memoir but this read like a novel not a memoir. First off, the language and how it’s written was really hard for me to digest. I found myself going back and rereading sentences so I could fully understand what was being said. Although beautiful, hard to read. Secondly, I’ve seen comments this book had moments we ‘all’ encounter as being in our 30s, is disagree. I don’t feel like I related to this book or experienced what Sarah did. And maybe I’m the minority!