
Member Reviews

What an interesting book and I am so glad I read it in the fall when I did. The theory that life should be lead differently in each season was such a concept that I appreciated reading as I am on the cusp of winter. I loved having a book verify that my need to nest and rest in fall was a natural feeling and that I should learn hard into that feeling.
I loved the full experience of this book that it encompassed, exercise, sleep, food and all aspects of your life that change as the seasons change. I think this is a book that I will reach for again and again as the seasons change and concentrate on the season that is upcoming to remind myself of what that season entails and how I should live!

This one is a challenge. It is interesting and well written, but incredibly extreme in what it actually encourages people to do, and I can't put my finger on it exactly but there is a thread of toxic masculinity that runs through this in a way I didn't pick up on in his previous books. YMMV

A lot of good information about diet, exercise, and productivity. I enjoyed reading about how the seasons affect us and what we should eat in certain seasons and why. Some of it I didn't find very practical, and even at some times it even seemed judgmental.

I was intrigued by this book since our family really does live pretty seasonally and I do believe strongly in the benefits of it. It turns out that for the most part, we already walk this path more than the author does in many areas. I agree with many of his points and don't with others (especially regarding food). I found it interesting that he calls out his own best selling books and diet plans as being bad for you long-term, considering there are some well known folks who live by the "whole 30" lifestyle full time.
Much of the advice may be hard for modern Americans to follow these days. We are lucky in that we homeschool, work from home, grow and forage a lot of our own food, and have been otherwise able to adjust our lives so that we have the natural cycles of the seasons. I laughed every time he talked about how fall is for slowing down though, since anybody who really lives seasonally knows that you do a ton of work in the fall as you process and put up food for the winter, chop wood if you have wood heat, take advantage of the huge bounties that are in nature then (nuts, fruits, mushrooms), etc. Fall is as busy as summer for us, just in different ways.
All that said, I found it a fun read and did think there were a lot of good points. I do believe wholeheartedly in living seasonally, and I liked his perspectives about how we need to tailor all of our lives to seasonal cycles (exercise, social expenditures, diet, etc.).
I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

DNFing at a little past halfway for very much me-not-you reasons.
You have to be at a very particular point of balance for books like this to be useful. A balance between "my life is or may soon become an utter f*@#ing shambles" and "I would like to do something to change or prevent my life from being an utter f*@#king shambles." Unfortunately, I am at the far reaches of utter f*@#king shambles and I think about trying to implement any of the very good ideas in this book....and it just seems too far out of my reach.
Maybe I'll try again when I've scraped myself together a bit, as the concept of seasonal variation in everything from diet and exercise to social interaction and mental reflection was actually really interesting.
If you like health and wellness self help, I'd recommend at least checking this book out.

The author did a great job of conveying the four seasons of life and the relationship to the 4 seasons without using too many boring scientific terms or including non-pertinent scientific facts. I found this to be interesting to read, as the author's evidence supported their theory.

I like Dallas Hartwig and listen to his podcast with Pilar Gerasimo, which is why I requested this book. However, one of the issues I have consistently had with him is that he seems to think his way of life is the best/only way to live. I don't think he is condescending on purpose and I agree with some of his assertions, but there's a tone issue here for me that I have found often (but not always) in what he brings to the podcast as well. Additionally, I found this book to be somewhat repetitive... but this genre often skews that way. I'm still giving this 3 stars because I do think there is an audience for this, but it just didn't work for me personally.

Have your diet mostly in hand but looking to continue to improve your other behaviors? The 4 Season Solution, by the author of the Whole30 diet, expands the behavioral change beyond food to include sleep, movement, and meaningful connection. He also suggests adapting all four of those areas based on the time of day, season, and life.
I was totally on board with the lifestyle suggestions presented here until the author threw beans in a group of “nutrient poor foods” that also included pizza and pasta. Really? Then, I noticed there was almost no research backing up The 4 Season Solution presented here. The Notes section references popular magazines much more than peer-reviewed scholarly journals.
This book is motivational. Getting away from social media in favor of in person interaction and sleep is an obviously good idea. But there isn’t some great hidden solution to improving your life presented here. 3 stars.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

'With his runaway bestsellers It Starts with Food and The Whole30, health trailblazer Dallas Hartwig has helped millions of people improve their lives by changing how they eat. In this groundbreaking new book, he reveals the antidote to today’s epidemics of burnout, weight gain, disease, and fatigue. Rooted in ancestral health, yet designed for our busy, modern lives, The 4 Season Solution is a blueprint for not just eating better, but living better.
Not long ago, our ancestors lived according to the changing seasons, adjusting how they slept, ate, moved, and even socialized throughout the year. But today, we are more disconnected from the natural world than ever. We wake before the sun rises and go to bed long after it sets. We eat tropical fruits in the dead of winter. We exercise in climate-controlled environments. We connect virtually instead of emotionally. Our lives are frenetic, stressful, and exhausting. In other words, we are living in a chronic summer, and it’s killing us.
Packed with crucial research and clear-eyed writing, The 4 Season Solution provides a new, sustainable model for living in sync with the natural world. By making small but meaningful changes to the four keys of wellness—how you sleep, eat, move, and connect—over the course of the year, you will reclaim your health, regain your energy, and let go of excess weight. At once a bold new philosophy and an accessible plan to live well all year long, The 4 Season Solution is a new health paradigm for an increasingly unhealthy world.'
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This book makes so many great points about our modern life that we don't really think about in our day-to-day lives. For most people, we get up before the sun rises and go to bed long after it sets and we do this throughout the year. We have constant access to light and the outside world, which continues to stretch out our days. I was really interested in this book in regards to how technology impacts our lives, but it was also interesting how spending our days in climate-controlled environments and eating fruits and vegetables out of season contributes to throwing out bodies out of balance.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, I was worried that it might be dry but there was actually a pretty good flow that kept me reading. That's not to say that I didn't need to take a few breaks though and then go back to it, as it does start to feel a bit repetitive. And although I think many of the ideas he puts forth could be quite difficult to implement into out modern world, Hartwig is very motivational and there are several ideas of his that I took note of to try working into my daily life in the future.
If you're looking for a more natural, seasonal way of living and a way to take a bit of a step back from modern life, this is a great book to read. Likely not everything will be feesible to incorporate into your lifestyle, but I'm sure you'll get at least a few good ideas to try from the reading.
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an eARC with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review.

The 4 season solution by Dallas Hartwig is an awesome book! Anyone looking to better themselves needs to read this book!
The description of the book says:
The 4 Season Solution provides a new, sustainable model for living in sync with the natural world. By making small but meaningful changes to the four keys of wellness—how you sleep, eat, move, and connect—over the course of the year, you will reclaim your health, regain your energy, and let go of excess weight. At once a bold new philosophy and an accessible plan to live well all year long, The 4 Season Solution is a new health paradigm for an increasingly unhealthy world.
I recommend this book!

After an indulgent weekend, I reached for this title & am already loving it! Dallas Hartwig motivates us to connect the seasons of the year to how we live our physical lives. Also note the words “small but meaningful” - that made me feel, “I got this” ! He also has walked his talk, I found his childhood living counterculture fascinating.

The health advice in this book makes sense. Our ancestors didn't have the options that we do now, so those modern options didn't mess them up the way we are messed up!

I love the way that this book combines modern culture (such as fad diets) with ancestral knowledge to create a real plan that can be easily followed. Naturally, any time you change your routine, it takes some getting used to, but this is a plan that changes with the seasons, giving the body and soul what it craves when it needs it. In all of the books I've looked at for health, diet, anxiety, etc etc, this is the most natural and easy-to-follow guide that seems to have sound science behind it.