Madeleine Henry has written a clever story packed with humor and reality. Allegra is a 20 something Financial analyst. Biding her time at her high power Wall Street job until her bonus comes in, then she can pursue her real passion.... yoga.🧘🏻‍♀️ when Allegra meets her yoga hero Schuyler she thinks she has hit the jackpot. But Allegra soon learns that the yoga world is just as cutthroat as Wall Street. Loved this book! I just had such a fun time reading it. Allegra was such a fantastic character and I loved spending time with her even though her life was exhausting. 20 hour work days trying to sneak in scheduled yoga breaks that occasionally found her in some compromising positions. Surviving on caffeine, caffeine, and more caffeine. This book certainly did not glamorize The banking industry. All the characters were so well drawn even if you didn’t necessarily really like all of them. There also is a dash of romance in this book that I found simply adorable. I can definitely see this book being made into a movie, this was SO entertaining!

Allegra was such a likable character I was rooting for her the entire book. I cannot imagine working a job that expected your attention 24/7. I can however imagine working in the fitness industry, because that has been the only place I’ve worked my entire adult life. Things certainly have changed with the introduction of social media, really kind of changed the landscape. I also like that there were strong female friendships in this book, always a bonus. And the females that worked with allegro were all pretty darn supportive, so yay! My only small complaint would be there wasn’t enough romance, but I think that was by design. This was a really well-done debut and I am looking forward to what’s next from Madeleine Henry.

*** Big thanks to Atria for my copy of this book ***

Sticking in a job long enough to make the money she needs to live the life of her dreams is exhausting to Allegra. But when she meets Skylar, someone that looks like she's living the dream Allegra thinks it is possible. But things and people are not always what they seem. Will Allegra survive to see her dream come true? A story of determination, resiliency and finding your dream.

A really entertaining read!

This is a witty and interesting first novel. It is set in NYC, where Allegra works an analyst at an investment bank, but dreams of becoming a Yoga instructor. One day Allegra is contacted by influential Yogi with a strong following on Youtube and for Allegra cannot wait until getting her bonus and leave her life as a banker. But not everything and everyone are what they seem....

I loved this book. I'm a refugee from corporate life and this was a stark reminder. Henry's power of observation and dry sense of humor makes the descriptions of banking life entertaining. The descriptions of Yoga and the "Wo wo" community are also spot on.

I will buy this book for my friends who do Yoga but also friends in the banking sector. It's definitely worth their time!

Thank you to the Atria Books and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2880728606

https://www.amazon.com/Breathe-Cash-Out-Madeleine-Henry/product-reviews/1982114533/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

https://annasbokblogg.wordpress.com/2019/07/10/hilarious/

I was once a trainee for a big company, and somehow everything that Allegra goes through in this book happened when I was a trainee. Long hours, working in the weekends, and even the car ride back home if it went past a certain time of the day. So it was interesting to see her journey trying to juggle yoga with her job at a bank - two worlds that don't seem to match at all. The book is nice, with a little bit of Devil Wears Praga vibe. It takes place in Manhattan, with rich yogi and bankers. Definitely an entertaining quick read.

Princeton graduate Allegra lands her sought after job in the world of high finance. The job is hell and she is just counting the days until she receives her two year bonus, can quit, and become a yoga instructor.

I had a difficult time with this book. The first 80% really didn’t resonate with me. I found none of the characters particularly likable or engaging. The last part of the book seemed an improvement and for that I give the book three stars rather than two.

There have recently been a some witty novels that skewer the world of the young professional (See: Startup by Doree Shafrier) that I have really enjoyed. This was not one of them.

I tried reading this book but ended up DNF’ing pretty soon. The main character is so dull. They don’t explain much of what her job is. I knew the yoga poses discussed since I practice yoga, but if I didn’t practice it, I wouldn’t have know what poses the author is talking about. Also the main character seems too much like a basic girl who is totally unrelatable.

Such a fun read I reallyenjoyed it, it was entairtened . I like the premise of it and the heroine.It was refreshing and lighthearted . Allegra is an investment banker but she doesn't like this job she wants to be a yoga teacher.She was fun and I liked her most of the time, there was some moments she was getting in my nerves but nothing too much:-)

Breathe In, Cash Out

Madeleine Henry


Wow, all I can say is, this story kept me giggling! You will find yourself laughing out loud as you are reading BREATHE IN, CASH OUT by Madeleine Henry. She will have your emotions all over the place. Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop! The twists and turns made it impossible to put down, as I had to know what was going to happen to Allegra! What an awesome story. All of Madeleine's characters feel genuine and relatable and put your emotions on one heck of a roller coaster ride. As you are reading, you will find yourself cheering for all of them, praying they can work out their problems and be happy once again.


BREATHE IN, CASH OUT is a funny story that will hold you hostage until the very last page. Once you start reading, it will be very hard to put down! You also won't be able to stop yourself from laughing at Allegra and the situations she gets herself into! All Allegra wants to do is get to her year end bonus check from her boring Wall Street banking job, then she is going to cut herself loose. She has big dreams of becoming a yoga teacher and opening her own yoga studio. Nothing is going to stop her. Besides liking Allegra, I had taken an interest in Tripp, her co worker, with his stupid one liners and his even dumber bro jokes! He kept me giggling throughout the story!


BREATHE IN, CASH OUT is without a doubt one of my top funniest books I've read in 2019 so far. I was instantly emotionally invested in all of the characters. My heart broke for Allegra when she met her Instagram guru, Skylar. She learns a hard lesson as she begins to realize that people aren't always what they seem to be. Madeleine Henry sure knows how to hook the reader with an awesome story. I can't wait to read more by Madeleine.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars.

Allegra Cobb has spent nearly two years working as an analyst at one of the most well-known banks. Between working an unbelievable amount of hours each week, redoing PowerPoint slide decks and bar charts for her supervisors, and trying not to lose her mind, she dreams of quitting her job to start her own yoga practice—just as soon as her year-end bonus comes in.

She's spent most of her life being an overachiever, driven by a father whose primary mechanism of communication and affection was coaching her to victory. She went to Princeton, excelled at every sport she played, and she even won gold at the American Yoga National Competition. But now she's tired of being treating like a slave by her bosses, working until 4:00 a.m. some days only to be right back at her desk before 9:00 a.m., and she's ready for it all to be over.

All she needs to do is be patient and wait for the year to come to an end. It appears, however, that won't be easy. She's just slept with a hot man from her yoga class—who is now her new boss on a major deal. She's also just met Skylar, one of her yoga idols, and she's taken a real interest in Allegra. The thing is, however, Skylar wants to help her begin to focus more on herself, become more centered and intentional about her goals and her yoga practice. That doesn't seem to reconcile itself with the hellish pace at which Allegra spends her workweek.

As Allegra tries to balance her daily responsibilities with following Skylar's advice, she finds she's successful at neither. And the results are spectacular—spectacularly bad, that is. If things keep up the way they're going, she might get fired before she gets her bonus, which, of course, will leave her nowhere. She's alienating her closest coworker and burning the candle at both ends is also taking its toll on her physically. What do you do if you fall asleep when you attempt meditation?

The closer Allegra gets to bonus day, the more confused she becomes about what path she should take. Should she follow Skylar or set her own path? Is she crazy to abandon a promising—if destructive—career in finance to pursue her dreams? And perhaps more importantly, what is her father going to say when she tells him she's quitting? It's enough to make even the most centered person feel completely off-kilter.

Breathe In, Cash Out is a humorous look at the cutthroat world of finance and the first-world problems of young people making six-figure salaries right out of college yet feel they are overworked and underappreciated. (Wow, I might have totally sounded like a grumpy old man just then.) It's also a fascinating look at how easy it can be to self-destruct when you're not 100 percent focused, and how sometimes it just takes one person's belief in you and your dreams to help you pull yourself together—however briefly.

Madeleine Henry worked for Goldman Sachs and then started her own yoga practice, so she definitely knows of what she writes. She has a breezy, funny writing style, and even though I didn't understand a lot of the terms her characters used when talking about the finance world, I found myself fully immersed in this story. The plot is a little bit predictable but Henry still created enough uncertainty in exactly how far Allegra might fall, or whether she'd decide to pursue her dream in the first place.

Things did get a little repetitive toward the middle, and there are times when I almost wanted to read the book with my hands over my eyes because I was waiting for everything to simply explode, but this was a tremendously fast and fun read. The marketing for the book compares it to The Devil Wears Prada, and while there may be a few similarities, this is an enjoyable book on its own.

Trust me: you'll see Breathe In, Cash Out in a lot of people's hands this summer and fall. I am just trying to think about who could play Allegra in the movie version.

NetGalley and Atria Books provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

This book publishes July 9, 2019.

Allegra Chopp has a plan—push through to Bonus Day, then quit her frantic job at the investment banking firm Anderson Shaw, get her 200 hour yoga teaching cert, and live her dream life as a yoga teacher. All she has to do is survive the next two months. Until she fucks her boss. And meets her new yoga guru, Skylar Smith.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. But, I was tricked by that cute cover into thinking this would be a cute contemporary romance with laugh out loud mad-caps while skewering both the ruthless capitalism of Wall Street and the hypocritical reality of yoga influencers.

The world offered in Breath In, Cash Out, is one that is completely superficial, with people obsessing over money and fame and the appearance of having it all while actually dying more and more on the inside. So some turn to culturally appropriated practices to find enlightenment and a sense that all of their efforts are worth it—and are occasionally exploited by assholes looking to exploit the exploiters. It's a dog eat dog world, and I think the reason I'm so frustrated is because this could have been so much more than it actually was—particularly with the middle-class underdog MC who looks like she wins it all and then leaves it behind to pursue her passion. The potential and idea was there—the execution was not.

Like Severance and #FashionVictim, this offers a look into the self-crazed millennial, and the consequences of social media and the relative ease of finding fame (case in point: Allergies' sudden popularity on Instagram when she became "discovered"—although not once does she ever really dig beyond the surface).

However, while this book tried to be a satire of capitalism and yoga à la American Psycho, it wasn't the searing indictment of Wall Street that I was hoping for? Or that it could have been? Same with the potential for a scathing look into the yoga influencer world—it kinda tries, but ultimately falls short. Sure, there's a barbed reference to Bikram and I'm sure a certain yogic influencer (yeah, I don't know which one but there have been several who acted like Skylar—and that she's rotten to the core is not a spoiler, anyone with two eyes and a functioning brain can tell what she is), but aside from that there are no consequences.

No actual yogic teachings or epiphanies. No real look into the cultural appropriation of an ancient religion and practice (beyond a couple limp acknowledgements and descriptions of upscale yoga studios and the pretzel stand dude).

For a first person narration, My-Name-Is-Awful was just...boring and bland? She has not one ounce of introspection in her entire body and doesn't possess a single strand of common sense to bounce alongside her two brain cells. Her grand epiphanies are facts that are baldly obvious to the most inattentive reader, and the majority of her issues lie in situations entirely of her own making, caused by her own severe lack of judgment (this is something that she never, ever, not once realizes).

Yes, I get that she's grossly sleep-deprived and over-worked, but come on girl you don't need yoga you need serious therapy.

I think a lot of my frustration was Anaconda's innate ability to be so fucking awesome at asana...although she doesn't think much about the rest of yoga. There are some quick things, but we're told how good she is at things while inside she's like, "But I'm not??" (I get Imposter Syndrome, but girl basically transforms into Skylar in the end). Granted, she's remarkably good at asana, because despite constantly thinking she's out of shape and has no muscle definition whatsoever she considers the splits a resting warm-up position and can pop into full handstand scorpion with little to no warm-up or training. Oh, and she can take gold at a yoga competition with no formal training in asana (yeah, this is a thing that happened...but before the book started).

Additionally, everything with Skylar makes me want to scream and punch Annalisa in the face. HOW DID YOU NOT SEE THAT COMING?? And also—the police are totally who you call after that.

Also, I was disappointed with the entire thing with the sleeping with her boss. It was terrible, he was terrible, it kinda didn't really continue, but while she constantly goes "omg I slept with my boss??" she never once really reflects back on it with any kind of introspection. Plus, the weak-ended romance at the end just made me want to shake my head. Actually, the entirely weak ass ending just made me want to launch my kindle into the nearest active volcano (which, in case you're wondering, is about 2,280 miles away, which means a driving for 37 hours, a border crossing and a drive through literal purgatory—Atlanta—to get there).

I had picked it up because (1) I like yoga and am a certified yoga teacher (2) I left a job that sucked the literal soul out of me to become a yoga teacher (spoiler: I don't actually teach) and (3) this looked like a scathing indictment of social media influencers in general and yoga influencers in particular, and the soul-withering world of Wall Street, Ivy League schools and finance.

Ultimately, this was not the book for me.

But maybe it will be for you.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

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

I loved this book. It was like a breath of fresh air.
Allegra (This was the ONLY issue I had with the book...every time I read our lead character's name I kept seeing the allergy medicine.)
This was not one of those books that I went into thinking it was going to change my life. It really isn't. However, it is one of those books that I love to read. There is a fun plot (Woman hates her job but somehow gets caught up with a crazy Yoga lady)

Allegra is an investment banker. A job that she loathes and she dreams of being a yoga teacher. She starts her day after a one night stand that just happens to be her new MD on a new career changing deal that she is assigned (and he's married with kids) On top of all of that, a Yogi Personality on instagram Skylar, has reached out to Allegra about her instagram and makes our A her pet project.

Let's throw in lots of comic relief from Alegra's Pod mates (Tripp, Puja and Chloe) You have a fun book that is the perfect break from life read.

The publisher compared this one to The Devil Wears Prada and while I usually hate those type of comparisons, this one was dead on. I had NO idea the world of investment banking was so cutthroat and harsh and seeing it juxtaposed alongside the yoga world was not only fun, I was fascinated by the inside look to both worlds.

Besides Allegra, who by the way won me over early on with her biting wit and sheer determination, there was a supporting cast of characters that added even more snark and dry humor, the type that just really speaks to my soul. Tripp is in Allegra’s pod at work and his bro jokes and stupid one liners made me crack up. Her budding friendship with yoga guru Skylar was also amusing as well. There was much more to this one than just humor though, it had a lot of depth and dimension, both in the characterization and the overall story itself. This is a beach read with bite, it’s incredibly smart and has enough juiciness to satisfy my need for gossip as well. Super impressive debut, I would definitely read more from the author and I can totally recommend this as a summer read!

Breathe In, Cash Out in three words: Smart, Sharp and Witty.

DNFed at 20%. I could not get into this book and all of the banker speak honestly confused the crap out of me. I didn’t understand what was going on half the time and I really didn’t care for the characters. The beginning showed promise for me and intrigued me and then it went all downhill from there.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the free copy of this book for my honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up. This one had potential but fell flat for me. I found it hard to root for Allegra and didn't think she really came very far over the course of the novel. This was very predictable yet sort of hard to read- I kept wanting to shake her and say, "Get a clue!" - unfortunately I won't be recommending this one.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Allegra Cobb is working on Wall Street and hating every minute of it. She's counting the days until her bonus hits so she can quit and become a yoga instructor. As we meet Allegra she's just had a one night stand, only to learn the man is the new team leader at work. She's also ready to meet her favorite Insta Yoga Guru, Skylar Smith. Of course, both situations lead to problems in Allegra's life. The writing in this book was good, but I had some issues with the story. Allegra is a straight A Princeton grad and we're told she's self taught enough at yoga to win a competition, but she makes some choices in the story that just don't line up with that persona. Overall I would have liked more depth to all the characters. While this story wasn't what I hoped for when I read the synopsis, I will give the author another try with her next books.

I loved this book! Reading about the crazy, high stress world of NYC banking was absolutely fascinating. I knew that it was a high pressure job, but I had no idea what that really meant. And, the combination of finance, yoga, and the crazy Instagram Influencer made for a book that has to be one of my favorite summer reads so far this year. Breathe In, Cash out is the ultimate summer read-light, romantic, and just enough insanity that you can't put it down.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I loved this fast paced read debut from Madeleine Henry!!!!!!! Such a cute enjoyable summer read!!! Definitely a new fan of hers. In this sizzling debut Wall Street banking analyst Allegra Cobb plans to quit the minute her year-end bonus hits her account, finally pursuing her yoga career full-time. she forms an intense relationship with the Instagram famous guru, who may hold the ticket to the life Allegra's always wanted. She's not sure if she'll be able to keep her sanity intact (and her chakras aligned) until bonus day. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my honest review

This beach read is just what the back-of-the-book synopsis describes; it is exactly that story. Perhaps that explains my modest response to it. There are no surprises here once the synopsis has been read. So, although author Madeleine Henry writes well, this tale is very straight forward once it begins. I would have enjoyed a few curves in the road. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Oh MAN I enjoyed this one. When do we ever get a banker heroine? Never! Maybe because all our bankers are off being way too busy to contemplate writing novels.

This did stress me out so much though--every time there was an impending deadline I found myself reading faster in order to get to the point where the deadline was met because things being not done makes me anxious.

Allegra is excellent. Her pursuit of her dream is really heartening, and the interaction she has with her dad are something that I related to in that there were only certain levels for them to connect on.

The romance subplot was absolutely perfect--it barely touched the heart of the story and didn't distract from the plotline but was terribly sweet to the extent that I reread a few pages to melt a little but further.

Can't wait for more from Henry.

Allegra Cobb hates her job. She is a banking analyst at a prestigious investment firm; a job that pays very well but requires her to work 24/7. Leaving the office before 11 p.m. (or at all) is seen as slacking on the job. She regularly gets emails at 1 a.m. asking her to re-do everything she and her team just spent hours doing. Allegra's dream job is to teach yoga but she does not want to disappoint her father. Allegra meets yoga guru, Skylar, and is thrilled when Skylar says she has potential. Skylar wants to help Allegra achieve her dream of teaching yoga. Skylar gives Allegra advice to lessen the stress in her life including time out for yoga at work and fasting for two days with absolutely no food or water. For someone who lives on caffeine this is incredibly hard for Allegra. As Allegra dreams of quitting her job and becoming a yoga teacher with Skylar's help, she begins to realize people are not always as they seem.

This book is very funny. Allegra is trapped at work but still tries to find time for yoga and ends up falling asleep in a closet only to be found by a co-worker! Her antics while on the two day fast made me laugh. I found the book a little repetitive while describing the way Allegra must always be on call at work and working 24/7 but it did not detract from the overall book. I felt this was a very light and easy read. Perfect when you want lose yourself in a book!

Thank you to Atria books for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.