Adventures in Opting Out is such a refreshing and timely guide for finding one’s own path in life. I don’t know about you all, but I am spending more time than ever on screens and somehow less time feeling purposeful.

Kait Flanders is attempting to live a self-reflective, purposeful life. In her first book, THE YEAR OF LESS, she recounts her decision to go a year without spending money on anything except essentials. She also told of her earlier decisions to quit drinking and drugs, to switch jobs and cities, and to end certain relationships. She shared bits about others choosing similar journeys. Her new book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, follows her travels in 2018 and 2019 as she vacates her home, becoming basically homeless, and sets out to do some "slow" travel in Great Britain. Flanders uses her travels -- the bumps, mistakes, and rewards-- as the backdrop for her message about how others may choose to "opt out" of what they may consider dead ends or troubled spots in their lives. Throughout the book she referred back to her decisions to quit drinking, move cities, and change careers. Having read the previous book, I remembered her initial, in-depth explanations of those decisions, but I am not sure if those who have not read THE YEAR OF LESS or heard her speak about those decisions would feel as fully informed. I am sure there is an audience for Flander's self-reflective writing, and while I found much to consider in the first book, I was overall disappointed in this book. I received a copy from Netgalley and all opinions are mine.

The general idea of opting out of the things that don’t bring you joy or fit what you want rings really true to me, but the format of this book felt tedious. The hiking analogy grew tired very quickly and when I realized she was really going to take it all the way through the book I started to lose interest. Also at nearly midway through it already felt fairly repetitive. I think the author stuck to an idea so rigidly they kind of lost the purpose of the book. Could’ve been great, but just didn’t work for me.

I found this book to be fairly basic. I understand the author's intentions but the examples felt shallow and not relatable to me. I don't think I needed this at this point in my life. I am currently in full action mode and the idea of "opting out" does not sound fun or right for me at the moment.

I've followed Cait's work for a while and have always enjoyed her voice. However, I thoroughly struggled to connect with the premise of this one. I understand feeling discontent and choosing to take drastic measures to change things up, but most of the ideas/choices didn't land for me.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

Delighted to feature this title in the big annual Holiday Gift Books Guide (in print in the weekend edition Books section on November 28, 2020) in The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. Full feature at link.

Overall, I enjoyed some of the ideas in Cait Flanders' Adventures in Opting Out. She details some of her experiences and those of her friends as they have "opted out" and gone done an unexpected path. She is balanced in terms of not just focusing on the fun and glory of choosing a different route, but also focusing on certain trials and tribulations that may arise.

Unfortunately, I did not love the structure that she used for the book. She used hiker's analogies as a scaffolding for the book and I found that sometimes led us astray for too long before returning to the core ideas that she wanted to cover. Maybe a hiker would appreciate this structure even more...?

Flanders' writing was good overall, though, and I would still like to read her previous book, The Year of Less. I hope that that one will be a better fit for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Little, Brown and Company for an opportunity to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I should not have bothered with this book, based on my response to the author's other book, The Year of Less. Flanders must have a fantastic publisher, because she gets her mediocre work published. Great concept with little advice and resources. I'd say don't bother. Thanks to NetGalley and this publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a wonderful self-help book that discusses how to opt-out of the big things in life to keep you on your path to the life you want to live. I loved how the author used the analogy of hiking a mountain and how it relates to making big changes in your life. The advice she gives to achieve a goal is spot on; for example, do your research before making a big decision, have a cheerleader to support you in your choice, take your time to accomplish your goal, be flexible with the change, and take time to evaluate what is or isn't working. I enjoyed the stories from the author's life that illustrated the point she was trying to make. I would recommend this book to anyone who is contemplating making big lifestyle changes and needs some inspiration to move forward!

I read Cait Flanders's first book, The Year of Less, when i was starting my own journey to minimalism and had opted out of the material world. I gained much insight from her first book and at that time she was blogging which was a wealth of information on doing without materialism , opting out of "expectations" of others and being true to yourself. I admire independence so I have followed her journey and always admired how she creates and re creates her life to suit herself which is what we should all strive for. It is a rare person that has mastered looking inward and Cait does that well.

This book was a different read then expected. It is not a memoir but her own journey told through the stories of her friends and others of how hiking parallels with life in many ways. Each chapter relates to hiking which is the author's happy place so good for her for writing of what makes her happy. She infuses wisdom here as well which everyone can glean insight from for life changes. If you are a independent person and one who walks your own path definitely this book is for you. If you are a seeker of a independent life away from sociatial expectations you will gain knowledge from this book that will help you on your own journey. Well done to the author for being true to herself and writing a fantastic book that is both insightful and useful to her readers. I do highly recommend this book by Cait Flanders for your personal journey to insight and leading your own life.

“Adventures in Opting Out” by Cait Flanders is a great little guide to help those who are on their path to living an intentional life. It’s a self-help book for those, like me, who choose a different path.

Over the past decade, Cait has opted out of a lot of things. Pot. Alcohol. Shopping. Spending. And, most recently, home ownership.

Now she's on a mission to be a nomad and to not have a "home." At least for as long as it works for her.

Here are my big takeaways from this book:

You can, too!
Cait's goal in writing this book isn’t to show you discreet steps in how to opt out. Instead, she hopes her story serves as inspiration that it’s possible to change for your life, too.

Have a sense of wonder
She learns about having a “seventh sense” from one of her hiking friends. Essentially, we need to look at things differently, with a unique perspective. We should be more mindful of our surroundings, and live more in the moment.

Say yes
When it comes to opting out, it’s about creating space so we can say yes to the right things. So there’s room for what brings us joy. So we can do more of what we find valuable.

Find your people
The more we opt out and determine our values, the more people we’ll find who share similar values. But we have to look for them. Cait encourages us be open and make space for new, healthy people to enter our world.

Know when we’re out of alignment
It's good to take time to reflect on what’s important. The COVID pandemic has helped many of us get quiet and listen to our inner voice. Especially the one that says when something is no longer serving us.

Let go
If we’re on the way to living our best life, we have to let go of our past self. And we’ve got to be willing to stand out (and perhaps stand alone) on our journey.

"Hike your own hike"
This is a popular saying that means we should live an intentional life. We should not follow or copy anyone else’s. Instead, we should listen to our bodies. And do what’s right for us. This is an act of self-love and confidence.

Become self-aware
“It’s safe to say the experience of opting out is a process of becoming more self-aware,” Cait says. “To be self-aware, you have to know what you’re doing and how you feel about it. And if you don’t feel good about it, you have to make a practice out of trying to realign with what feels right for you. By opting out of one thing, you’re opting into yourself.”


I didn’t really think of my life in terms as “opting out.” But that’s exactly what I’ve done since my early 20’s. I love being different and doing the unexpected. It brings me joy!

How I've opted out:
I moved away from home in my 20’s. I traveled significantly. I bought a home on my own (without a man). I got married fairly late. I moved to the beach. I left the corporate world, and started a business. I had a kid late. I got sober. I went vegan. And I met some of my closest friends on the internet because we share similar values.

Overall this is a good book. It has a hiking metaphor throughout. And it could have been much shorter.


Thank you to Little, Brown Spark for an electronic copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Year if Less, so I was looking forward to reading this new book by Cait Flanders. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason, but I did not enjoy this nearly as much. Comparing taking months off to travel in England to a hike seemed forced and a bit simplistic. I couldn’t relate to this book, because I don’t have the luxury of taking months off to travel due to the nature of my work.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adventures in Opting Out by Cait Flanders is a non-fiction book written to share the experience of the author and other individuals who "opt out" of what others and society tell them to do. It also helps the reader to use those stories to reflect upon their own lives and identify any areas where they can intentionally opt-out of the things they don't actually enjoy. I think this is an important topic, especially in the midst of COVID which is forcing people to reflect upon their values and what is actually important in their lives. The writing includes hiking terminology as a metaphor for life and aspects of opting out which is unique, but at times became trite. I enjoy that the author pushes the reader to "opt-out" of the things not bringing joy to their live, but also highlights the importance of calculated risks rather than being reckless or hurting others in the process. At times I found the writing tone a bit harsh on individuals who don't fall in line with the author's lifestyle, especially aspects of minimalism. But I think like most goods keep the good and discard the irrelevant to you. Overall I recommend this for individuals who are more oriented towards the hiking, minimalist style.

Many thanks to the publisher Little, Brown Spark and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was such a wonderful read! Cait has carved a unique and intentional life for herself, and her honesty and candid writing are refreshing. Even as someone who lives a fairly normal, unadventurous life, this book challenged me to look for ways the status quo isn't working for me and to examine them. What a wonderful second book from Cait Flanders!

I read Cait's first book and that was the reason I wanted to pick this one up. I was disappointed. I felt that she leaned too heavily on other people's experiences and did a lot of repetition throughout the book rather than to present new ideas. I had higher hopes for this one.

I read and enjoyed the author's first book. This one didn't hit home with me quite as much. There are some good bits about opting out from "regular" life and following the life path that suits you best. Flanders tried to parallel opting out with hiking terminology and it sometimes works, but at other times just feel a little gimmicky. From reading the book, I know the author was trying to make the information here more generalized rather than sharing more of her own story but I think this book would have benefited from more of her own experiences. We can get self-help from anyone. What makes a book stand out is the author's own story and we get some of that but not a lot.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let me preface this by saying that this is not the genre that I normally read. That said, I really enjoyed this book.

I appreciated the way that the author wrapped her pertinent life tips into this narrative of going out for a hike - taking a journey somewhere. Although I'm not an avid hiker, I got a sense of adventure and exploration from it; it's something I can somewhat relate to even though it's not something I actively do. What I really loved, though, was how this book is not written with the voice of a cheerleader. That is, it's not someone cheering you on and lying to your face and telling you that you can be and do anything you want to be and do if you just positive think it. She is honest about the real struggles that come up and the challenges you're going to face and the questions you're going to ask yourself, and that's not something that most of the world takes the time out to listen to...but we should. It's the kind of honest, real voice that we need that says hey, it's not easy. It doesn't just all fall into place. Not everyone loves it. It might be worth doing anyway.

One of the challenging things, as a reader, is when the imagery is not entirely consistent. Most of it is wrapped in the hiking motif or the outdoor adventure, and you kind of get drawn into that. But when the author doesn't seem to have a strong enough point in that regard, she branches off into other stories that she has apparently already told in other places. So it's mostly hiking, but it's also sobriety and self-employment and shopping and environmentalism and.... It can make your head spin sometimes because you're expecting the hiking imagery and then all of a sudden, it changes. While I appreciated the grounding in real, messy life, the book kind of promises a consistent thread and when it starts to pull on that a bit, it risks unraveling. At least a little.

Good concept, good analogy through hiking/travel. If you liked the author’s last book, you’ll probably like this one too.

<i>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

My honest to god gut reaction while reading this was: Cait...girl...please tell me something I don't know.

I appreciate the message that <u>Adventures in Opting Out</u> is trying to deliver. I fully ascribe to the belief that we should live our own lives fearlessly the way we want, not how other people want us to live them. Make messes, go on big or little adventures, find your niche community whether it is bookworms in quirky cafés or fisherman in little river boats or hikers struggling to reach the next peak. Live this life fully. Yes. Preach.

That being said, Flanders' writing style, although friendly and warm in tone, left much to be desired. The same annecdotes or lists of her personal life accomplishments were repeated over and over. She continuously crammed the chapters with references from her previous book, her friend's stories, and references of the works of other inspirational/motivational mental health speakers and authors (such as Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown and Cheryl Strayed). It left little room for her own thoughts and comparisons to the struggle of living authentically with climbing a mountain peak. This almost felt like a rip-off of Strayed's <u>Wild</u>, it was so unoriginal. Plus all of these choppy inserts left my reading experience feeling stilted and disjointed. The book probably could have been condensed to 25-50% of what it was without these additions and the message would have stayed the same.

I won't be adding this one to the shelf, nor recommending it either, unfortunately. Sorry Cait - but congratulations on publishing the book you have always wanted to write! Someone else will appreciate this cathartic read, but it won't be me.

Life is like a hike. Leave your stuff behind in your Dad's basement and travel. I'm sorry to say that this book was not for me. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.