I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author of this book for the ARC. I know I requested it and I'm really obliged to read it. Honestly, this one's the third book I read under this category. I dropped it because I read too much with the same context and the previous ones were too lengthy.

I rated it 4 stars because I wanted to rate it higher but I don't want to give it 5 stars because I find it a bit like textbook or a case study. I know that the author wants to show readers like me the basis of the book entries but for someone like me who have her personal struggles, I usually opt for an easy read that feels like a friend talking to me and sharing some advice that might help my situation.

Still, I like the effort and I know this book will be valuable to some people and it just happen that it doesn't fit my needs at the moment.

As someone who now realizes what and how I was influenced to be come a toxic striver, I found this book enlightening.

Do I have the characteristics? Do I perform the behaviors? Yes on both accounts.

Thank you to the author for her ideas. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
All opinions are my own.

This book gives a great explanation for toxic striving and explores how most women are raised in our current society to reflect toxic striving. I really appreciated the author's deep dive analysis and thoughts about how we can take back some of our time and energy.

This is a wonderfully informative resource about the intersections between wellness culture and productivity culture and how both dominant narratives harm us. Lots of good things to try to break out of this toxic cycle.

In Toxic Thriving, Paula Freedman goes after two of my greatest nemeses : wellness culture and productivity culture which I didn’t even realize are actually two sides of the same coin. Making yourself feel guilty for something you have very little control over and « selling » you a solution that is not sustainable in the long run. It’s everywhere on social media and very difficult to escape. If you are already struggling with anxiety, depression and a general feeling of low self esteem this is downright dangerous.
In this book the authors tried to entangled the myths both industries are forcing down our throats and I’m sorry to say that escaping those might take work. This book uses ACT therapy but I feel like you can take just a few pointers if that’s not something you like.
One thing I really appreciated was that she had advice for neurodivergent folks, the whole listen to your body and yourself doesn’t really work for some of us.
A really good read.

This book was incredibly insightful and helpful. This self-help book really stands out because it not only offers valuable advice and perspectives but also includes journaling exercises that I found extremely beneficial.

The journaling exercises were a game-changer for me. They prompted me to reflect deeply on my thoughts and feelings, something I hadn't done in a long time. I gained clarity on various aspects of my life, and they genuinely made me think in ways I hadn't before.

The examples in the book were wonderful and made me feel incredibly relatable. Seeing my own experiences reflected in the stories shared helped me realize I wasn't alone in my struggles.

Overall, Toxic Striving truly helped me. It provided practical tools and a fresh outlook that have already made a difference in my daily life. While I’m not sure how to rate it exactly, I can confidently say that it was a transformative read and I highly recommend it to everyone.

What a powerful title and an important book to read. I'm fully aware of the toxicity that wellness and hustle cultures bring to a person. I was happy to have Paula's advice on how to deal with these cycles. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.