I first saw this on Instagram and was intrigued. I also heard that the authors are rather well known and have a podcast, but I am a newbie when it comes to their ideas. The title was enough to catch my attention, as it seems like there are more than a few people I know who could reverse people and things in the title.
Whenever I read a nonfiction book, I tend to just read a chapter at a time, then think about it before moving on. The length of each one was between 30-40 pages, which worked well for me, as I am new to minimalism.
Joshua shared an amazing personal story that really resonated with me. When his mother died, he was tasked with emptying her home and discovered that she had held onto so much stuff. But it was all in sealed boxes, put away, and most likely never looked at again. He then decided to only keep the things that were necessary and to go home and declutter his own life too.
This really was a lightbulb moment for me, because I grew up with a mother who was just the opposite. She didn't save anything. When she died, there were no pictures, or cards, or anything that I would consider having sentimental value. It kind of hurt to realize that anything I had ever given her was not deemed worthy of keeping, and though I am nowhere near being a hoarder, I think I have held onto more than I need. Thinking about what things I have and whether or not they are actually important was one of my main takeaways from this book. It is much more than a get your stuff in order book though, it is about getting your life and priorities straight. A really perfect read after a year of imposed social distancing as I think I will reenter society with a much greater appreciation for the people and not the things that define my life.

I really like these authors, and have listened to their podcast on/off for many years. For their fans, there will be very little if anything new here. For those that are new to their work, there's some great stuff here. I could have done without the preface and intro (of personal background), but some readers will no-doubt find it relatable.

Minimalism is tough to discuss over a long time period, since there is a finite amount to say about it (in my view). But this book summarizes some excellent idea/approaches. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Love People, Use Things goes far beyond decluttering the home and focuses more on relationships - but not just with people. My favorite chapter was on creativity (and how distractions can hinder our creativity). The beginning goes a bit deeper into the background of Joshua & Ryan (which I always appreciate) and helps set the stage for why both of them have chosen to live the way that they do. I'm a practicing 'minimalist' and have read many books on the subject; however, this one stands out as different with information that isn't regularly repeated by others.

Love People, Use Things
by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus
Publishing Date: July 13

I am so glad I chose this ARC. Before reading the book I had not heard of this author and I am so amazed by the great stuff I can use from this book. I really agree with the ideas presented and am now following their podcast and will check out the Netflix show. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sharing the ARC with me.
5 star
In Love People Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences—and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey—to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life.

This book is not one of the usual decluttering books that have cluttered the market in the past few years, It is really a look at the minimalist life stye. I do have some good takeaways from the advise given however I found the tone of the writing pretentious and condescending which was off putting to me.

I'll admit to never having heard of the Minimalists before seeing the except of their book Love People, Use things offered on BookishFirst. The concept of the book is simple enough: we have too many material possessions. When the Celadon Readers program gave me the opportunity to review a copy through NetGalley, I figured I'd give it a try, hoping that it would give me some insight into home organizational techniques. After all, the Marie Kondo method has ushered in a new era of "sparking joy" and finding contentment in one's space.

And I do agree with it's basic premise: America is laden with rampant consumerism and it's not improving our lives. But I had several issues with this text.

Firstly, for a book about simplifying your life, the narrative is anything but simple. In fact, it's all over the place, seeming to not know what type of book it is. I had assumed it was going to be a how-to book in finding a system to get rid of all that extra stuff in your house. But the parts that deal with that are relatively few and are scattered through a variety of other topics. Is this about organization? Building community relationships? Strengthening your marriage? Focusing on your financial literacy? Improving your health/healthy eating/not taking dozens of/abusing prescription drugs? I suppose it can be all these things, but it had a strange flow.

And I'm very weary of people whose mantra is: "simplify your life and don't do any unnecessary spending, so you can give to others and be fulfilled, but oh, do buy this book (instead of me providing the contents on say, an online blog) and go buy a special 'companion notebook' so you can journal with our prompts (what's wrong with suggesting you use one of the old notebooks you have lying around your house you found when packing up all your worldly possessions in boxes?)."

Secondly, I absolutely hated the tone of this text. Maybe I'm not the target audience, as my family's financial situation is fairly responsible at the moment, but I found the authors' (mostly Joshua, I suppose, as Ryan was only thrown into 'codas' at the end of each chapter) voice really off putting. From insulting the audience (your stuff is a "child's blanket" and a "pacifier") and just being downright preachy. You're irresponsible for using a credit card because you can't afford what you're buying? Excuse me? How does one make an online purchase then? This is pretty tone-deaf as we're just coming out of a global pandemic where everyone panicked and shut a bunch of stuff down soooo...how would one go about paying in cash on location? And what of people who don't max out a dozen cards (as the author admitted to doing) and pay off their balance every month?

Maybe I needed to listen to their podcast first, but this book is filled with so much pretentious condescension, that I'm going to pass on that. It's really hard to relate to someone who is basically using this book as a platform to say "we screwed up everywhere in life (it details 5,000$ a month drug habits, divorce, huge credit card debts), so you shouldn't enjoy the finer things in life either. I mean, really. I found it hard to sympathize with a guy who claims to have been making 200,000$ a year by his mid twenties while at the same time was driving around in not one, but two Lexuses and a Range Rover in that same time. AND built his own house. You know where I was at the same time (we are the same age roughly, so living through the same economies)? Driving my beat-up Chevy Cavalier to my 30,000 a year teaching job. And I also recognize that even I enjoyed many privileges others didn't.

I'm sure we've all heard the saying that money doesn't buy happiness. There are plenty of anecdotal evidence of lottery winners and Hollywood types living with depression to know that this adage is somewhat true. But money does make life a little easier (as people who grew up poor--including the authors, according to their narrative--know). And to imply that there's no way to lead a fulfilling life and enjoy material things at the same time is a little shortsighted. What is the alternative anyways? Because the book doesn't give anything as an antidote to the issues of Western capitalism. I can think of the historical opposite, and well, I suppose people were living minimally under the Iron Curtain! I'm not sure I want that either though...

So in the end, I was hoping I'd find some fresh insights in this book, and maybe some of the charm that Marie Kondo exudes. Unfortunately, this didn't work for this reader.

Thank you to Celadon Books for allowing me this copy in exchange for an honest review--I always appreciate your titles!

An excellent guide to minimalism by two leaders in the field.Really enjoyed reading the authors personal stories,the lifestyles that made them startridding themselves of unnecessary things and paring down objects focusing on relationships.A perfect guide for anyone who wants to follow in their path.#netgalley #celadonbooks

This is a helpful book for anyone who is new to minimalism. For those of us who have followed these guys before, it’s mostly just a repeat of their other books.

I really enjoyed Love Things, Use Things. I think it was a great way to work through lots of non-stuff issues through the lens of minimalism. While some elements of "memoir' weren't the best for someone who is familiar with the minimalists, but forgivable for those unfamiliar.

To see my full video review (live on 6.18.2021 @9am): https://youtu.be/hPqd4vlbIcg
Full text version here: https://www.matthewschaefer.xyz/post/_lput

When I picked this up, I thought it would just be another of those books that encourage people to get rid of all the clutter in their homes. I'd never heard of the two authors before, Joshua Fields Millborn and Ryan Nicodemus, but apparently they have a large following. After reading the book, I can see why.

The book begins with Joshua’s story of how he went to his mom’s house to pack it everything up and move her things to a storage unit after she passed away. When he looked under her bed, he noticed boxes that had been sealed with tape. Curious about them, he opened one only to discover papers from his days in school. It was one of those lightbulb moments. She had saved these because of the memories she had, but never looked at them again. He canceled the moving truck and the storage unit, sorted through her things and kept a few for himself getting rid of the rest. Then he went home and got rid of a lot of his own belongings. The act made him feel freer than he had in years.

After that experience, his friend Ryan commented on how happy he looked. Joshua told his friend about what he had done, and a movement was born. This book is actually more than a book to help you get rid of clutter—although it does cover that. It’s also about enjoying life more and who doesn’t want that?

Since this book offers more than the decluttering books currently on the market, I think it is a good place to start.

For minimalists, they cover a wide variety of topics. Which, I think those topics can connect back to having less “things.” While I found helpful aspects to this book (covering money, relationships, and stuff), there were a lot of personal tangents and stories to go along with it. I couldn’t decide if this was nonfiction/memoir or self-help, but it seemed to be a little all over the place.

I definitely thought this was going to be another Marie Kondo type of book, which was perfect because I love spring cleaning! But it was a little bit of that, with a mix of a lot of other things. Even though this wasn’t the book for me, I will definitely take away tid bits I learned throughout their stories.

If you’re in need of some help letting go of anything, literally anything, I think this book would be good for you.

Big thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus call themselves The Minimalists. They have two documentaries on Netflix and are now trying to reach a bigger audience with their book,  Love People Use Things.  The book started out promising, convincing their readers how we've become a society highly influenced by consumerism. They asked their readers two important questions on the first chapter. How might our lives be better with less? Can we get rid of stuff by asking ourselves does this bring me joy?

I was very excited to read more. I wanted to learn how I could get rid of clutter that only brings about stress and temporary enjoyment. I wanted to learn how minimalist living could bring joy into my life.  Instead, I feel like I got an insight into the authors lives and a lesson on how to live a more purposefully life with others.  Halfway through the book, the minimalist agenda was lost and the book lost me.  Don't get me wrong, I do agree with the book's overall message. I just wish it would have focused more on the minimalist life and less on life lessons.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. As many people I am sure, I first found out about "The Minimalists" through their documentary on Netflix. When I heard they had this book coming out I moved it on top of my list for 2021. It most certainly did not disappoint. I learned a lot and I really liked how the intro was about the pandemic making it even more relevant and dire. Definitely recommend.

This book is not for me. It is by the same two men who host The Minimalists on Netflix. If you are fans of the show, you may feel differently than I do. I was turned off by the first chapter, in which one of the authors goes on at length complaining about his childhood and his mother. I assume he eventually writes about something else (perhaps minimalism?), but it went on for a long time and I couldn't keep reading it.