The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Content: A book about forming new habits is totally my jam. I love to read and am always trying to make my life healthier and more meaningful. The book is divided into ten chapters where the author is trying to build a new habit like no sugar or no shopping. She consults various people while working on her habit missions and documents the rocky road to habit formation.

Writing: This is where the book will either be a hit or a miss for you. Some people would love the writing style and some people wouldn't. Unfortunately for me, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea. I found it fluffy, rambling, disjointed and lacking any depth. But it may just be me. I know people who liked this book specifically because of the writing style.

Miscellaneous: Nothing new, nothing ground breaking. You should read a chapter first to see if you like the writing style. If you do, go ahead and devour the book. If you don't, well leave it alone and take another look at your long TBR list.

I received a free copy of the book from Netgalley. It doesn't impact my views in any manner.

I loved this book. This book was everything that I didn’t realize I needed until I started reading it.

I requested a copy of this book on NetGalley. It’s outside of my typical read-n-review genre, and I could relate a bit to the synopsis. It wasn’t until I began reading it thought that I realized how much I related to Jacqueline’s problems.

When Jacqueline began writing the book, she was 34, single and broke. She was knee-deep in credit card debt, and the undercurrent of her emotional state was vague unhappiness. In an effort to combat this feeling, she began removing items and habits from her life in an attempt to see if these changes would bring her greater peace.

She removed social media for a month, sugar, alcohol, and negative thoughts, among others — to varying results.

Further, Jacqueline has chronic Lyme disease. She’s been sick since she was 12. Throughout the book she discusses her fatigue, her physical pain, and the limitations of her disease — and I couldn’t relate to this because I’ve been lucky with my health. I did appreciate reading about it though, as I’ve known people who have been affected by Lyme and it’s constantly being misdiagnosed. Watching Jacqueline persevere through her sickness was inspirational.

Overall, Jacqueline felt that her “withouts” brought her a greater sense of clarity, and a closeness to herself and the things/people who are truly important to her. Once she came to this realization, only then did she feel happy, and like she could begin letting new experiences and people into her life.

I’ve been in a funk for much of the last year. I struggle with (at times crippling) anxiety, and the ideas that I could and should be doing more. I’ve tried to buy my way to happiness with money that I don’t have, and it obviously never works. This book inspired me to change some of my own habits, and participate in my own bouts of “without.” I’ve just begun these, and I’ll record some of the experiences on this blog — but I don’t believe that I would have known where to start without this book.

I was so grateful to Jacqueline for writing this book that I found her on Instagram and sent her a private message telling her all my feelings about her book. She’s lovely, and she replied with such a sweet message that I wanted to cry.

Beyond the content of the book, Jacqueline is a gifted writer and the book was easy to read and understand. She masterfully bounced back and forth between her own life, her case studies, and the professionals she interviewed without missing a beat, or leaving the reader confused.

If you’re struggling in any way (or even if you’re not), I would recommend this book as one to read to feel inspired by someone who opens herself to new experiences and the world, allowing herself to be vulnerable in a way that’s unseen in today’s social climate.

If you like memoirs, research, non-fiction or case studies, this one is also for you.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jacqueline Raposo for the e-arc copy of this book.*

A non-sensical memoir, that bores, without being relatable, sounding more written by someone interested in self-loathing, and complaining, than teaching the lessons she has learned. It is a long torture session, that I can do without.

I think this book is best suited to those who can relate to the author or those going through the same things such as chronic illness. I found it a bit disjointed, and a bit of a dip into current trends rather than a serious attempt at making big life changes. I found the constant reference to illness and negativity a little discouraging. The writing style did not appeal to me, and it was very culture based. I do think the book will appeal to those in a similar situation and fans of the author. The book did not uplift me until the end when the summary and snippets of advice were very good, I am sure there will be lots of people out there who will love this book and it will be an uplifting read. It is just not for me, but thank you and Good Luck with it.