I am a fan of Laura Vanderkam's work but found this a really difficult book to review. It is fiction and takes the form of a fable to relate the work and life experiences of Riley - a consultant pulled in all directions and failing in all of them - who ends up at a corporate retreat hosted by the Martha Stewart/Joanna Gaines esque character named Juliet. Through some soul-searching, some magical-ish moments with Juliet, and reflection Riley realizes she can't continue working 24/7 and needs to prioritize better to solve her problems.

I think because the book is perhaps aimed for those in the corporate world who are taking place in some leadership training already and might discuss this as a group, it can be hard to accurately gauge it for us corporate people. Much is made of Riley's career as a consultant but consulting on what??? IT is all so vague. Other than manage teams it is not clear what her job actually is. Vanderkam also chooses some pretty bland fictitious names for her companies (MB Consulting) that, when combined with everything else, all just feels a bit generic. There were random bits of info about Riley's background and Juliet but really the whole thing was...think about what you want to be know for..and focus on that. Even with the short length of this, it still seemed like too long for that one message.

I think readers would fare much better with Vanderkam's other works. Her non-fiction writing is straightforward and easily digestible, but I don't think she has quite got a handle on fiction yet. Dialogue can be clunky and very little diversity in the characters or their back story.

This was an inspiring, quick read. If you are familiar with Jon Gordon's books, this is in a similar style. This parable follows Riley, a young business woman, who receives a less than stellar review from her employer. Caught off guard, her life begins to spiral downward as she is forced to face the fact that she is not managing her time well. At an already scheduled retreat, she discovers a new way to look at her life and the decisions she can make to improve her situation.

If you like Laura Vanderkam (who doesn't?), you will really enjoy this short parable. It is a breezy read, but has a lot of underlying big ideas. The end of the book also includes tips to restructure your days and some questions to consider as you move forward planning your life.

Juliet's School of Possibilities is a parable designed to help readers consider the choices and priorities they have in their lives, particularly as those choices relate to their careers.

The parable centers around a young woman named Riley who is struggling. She's having trouble meeting her employer's and clients' expectations; her boyfriend is fed up with her not having time for him; her best friend has has enough of the brush-offs.

It's as if Riley is trying to keep 1,000 plates spinning at once, but her priorities are in the minutiae of responding to emails as they come in (rather than delegating to her assistant, or prioritizing the important email). She's so distracted with everything calling for her attention that she succeeds at nothing.

Riley attends a corporate retreat at a mystical place run by a prominent, has-it-all-together woman, Juliet. Juliet takes an interest in Riley and is able to help Riley "see" some possibilities: one a lonely life with nothing to be proud of; another with all of her dreams coming true and then some. This part of the book reminded me a little of The Alchemist, and I see I'm not the only reviewer who had that thought.

The story continues, and I'll stop the plot summary so you can see how it concludes.

At page 117, Laura Vanderkam steps in and speaks directly to the reader. She reminds us something from the parable: expectations are infinite, and time is finite. Vanderkam has questions designed to help the reader look to the future and consider some possibilities with regard to career and personal life. There's blank space to record your responses.

There are additional questions for those reading the book as a group. Reading groups, especially formed among colleagues, might yield interesting conversation and practical ways someone might be able to adjust their own workflow.

I think some readers will appreciate the example within the story and discussing Riley's life and her choices. Maybe they'll see aspects of themselves in Riley; or maybe they can't relate to her.

The parable fell flat for me. I didn't think Riley's situation or the way it was presented was believable.

My favorite part was at the end where Vanderkam asks questions designed to challenge us and how we treat our priorities. These are ideas similar to what she explores in depth in her previous books.

I worked as consultant for years and I found a bit hard to believe that someone as clueless and disorganized as the main character can make to associate partner. Especially in a top consultancy firm, after working as project manager.
On a general level the book was a nice and easy read, with interesting ideas and hints.
The tone reminded sometimes of a fairy tale but I can appreciate how this was used to pass the message.
I think it can useful for people who have issue in prioritizing and managing their time.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Short book with a big point to make. I am often guilty of getting stuck in the gotta-get-it-all done rut. This was a good reminder about prioritizing and making time for what really matters.

This book was enjoyable & a good read. It had great tips to help with time management & realizing what is important & what you should make time for.
This book would be great to read in a women’s group or book club & to gain some valuable tips to use in real life applications.

I am a huge Laura Vanderkam fan. I have read and loved all of her books, and I listen to her podcast weekly. Juliet's School of Possibilities is a small, enjoyable book that takes some of Vanderkam's most important lessons and turns them into a work of literary fiction. This book is perfect for people who don't think they like non-fiction, or don't think a time management book would be interesting. The main character of this story, Riley, is struggling in her career and personal life. She feels like she never has enough time and she's failing in both areas. Then a hugely successful woman teaches her that "Expectations are infinite. Time if finite. You are always choosing. Choose well." Riley learned that possibilities are endless when you learn how to prioritize in all aspects of life. We can all benefit from thinking about that and how we can use it in our own lives. I highly recommend this powerful book.