Beyond Self Care Potato Chips is an example of hard won freedom from self limiting behaviors that have taught others (and yourself) to treat you badly. In this book the author explains how she had to learn the hard way, like most of us, that a life of freedom to be her most authentic self was not going to happen by living small and eating self-care potato chips (those unrealistic doses of self care that make you feel good in the moment but have no real impetus on change or growth), but by eating a full meal: doing the hard work to really look at who you are, what you want your life to be, putting in place the systems to have that life and implementing them. Finding and reaching our highest potential can't be sustained by setting limits on ourselves that keep us caged. We must find sustainable nourishment that allows for and strengthens our growth. Beyond Self Care Potato Chips is an excellent book for women of all ages, but especially for young women starting out into the world of work, marriage, and family. It teaches about the necessity of boundaries, of setting and meeting out own expectations, and teaching others, especially our partners, how to treat us, support us and help us excel.

This was a good book, it had stories, advice, and the realism I've come to expect from self-help/self-care books. Although, a good read, nothing really jumped out at me that had me thinking about different sections days after reading them.

I absolutely loved this book! I am lucky enough to know the author so I was able to beta read this before it was ready to be an ARC copy and it was just as brilliant on re-read as it was in beta. This book is for anyone who is struggling in their relationships whether they are romantic or platonic or anyone who is struggling with self-care. Amber wrote this from the perspective of not only a woman but also as a person with a phD but not in a way that was hard to understand or made the reader feel dumb.

There is not enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book! Throughout the book, Amber Wardell provides insight and brings awareness to the struggle of being a parent, a partner, and trying to keep floating above the chaos of it all. Through a journey of self-realization aided by what seems to be an awesome therapist. Her anecdotes throughout the book read like a friend giving useful advice. Her words and tips are so relatable.

The opening preface SPOKE to me. It begins with an analogy of scarfing down potato chips to feed a quick craving and suddenly realizing you’ve eaten the whole bag but still aren’t satisfied. According to Amber, this is a euphemism for a woman’s life - always giving but not getting enough of what we need for ourselves. I am actually also a chip fiend and although she’s not talking about actual chips, I can relate to the constant struggle to find balance and inner peace.

Wardell recalls advice she was given to put in effort and pour ourselves into the friendships and relationships that are worth our time and energy. Another statement that I really liked is “mental load is an actual load”. Wardell’s entire book reminds us to give ourselves some grace and that our time, as women, is valuable. We all make mistakes and are human. We also all deserve to put just as much focus on ourselves as we do on every other aspect of our life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the advanced reader copy of this book. I found it brought a little inner calm for me and I hope you enjoy it too!

Beyond Self-Care Potato Chips is a solid book on self-care. There is a point where I think the book veered off from the original mission, but the author has solid tips and solid stories to inspire the reader to help themselves. It's a shame this isn't more majorly published because there are readers who could us this work. Most of the book covers overworked and stressed moms and wives. It's very feminine, cishet, abled focus even though the author tries to cover disabled readers. Overall, a solid work that should have a larger platform than it will.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

I love anything that has to do with self improvement, and this was no different.

Very insightful.

This was a great book. I really loved the message of this book and the writing was very well done. I loved that she told a lot of story that were very relatable.

3.5 stars
This is a nice self-help book with anecdotes from the author in each chapter. I liked that the book felt real, she talks about her experiences, her pain and stands up to unpleasant situations she went through. I think that especially for women this book can be of help if in the right mood. However, as with most self-help books, they dont really tell you anything new. And that is totally fine because sometimes the same idea only makes sense the 100th time somebody explains it to you because they explain it in such a different way. And quite a few of the advice given affected me differently than other self-help books. Still, I felt like most chapters dragged. We got the anecdote, the lesson that can be drawn and then 1-3 pages was just the same information repeated. Its not a long book with 200 pages but from the content inside could probably be half. Each chapter has a summary at the end which I really liked.
Would recommend if youre up for a different presentation of self-care that is especially tailored to women. But dont expect a life-changing book.

Toxic self-care culture tells women that bubble baths and Botox are the route to happiness and fulfillment. Though these types of self-care can fill us up in the moment, they cannot provide long-lasting nourishment. They are empty calories—the potato chips of self-care. And from them, we can never get full. In the same way, we will not feel fulfilled by reaching for the empty calorie “self-care” trends that toxic, materialstic self-care culture sells us. To fill our exhausted bodies and weary minds, to live fully and authentically, we need the kind of self-care that nourishes.

I appreciate the lessons and messages that the author tries to send in this book, but the delivery wasn't all what I expected. Wardell shares a lot of personal stories to illustrate her points and I feel like a lot of the "lead" was buried in these anecdotes.

A really important self-help book! The author tells a lot of stories about herself to make it relatable and I felt like I was talking to a friend while reading. I can really relate to these struggles, so this book made me feel not so alone. There are really helpful tips in here that are easy to digest (pun intended) and something for everyone who might be grappling with how to navigate self-care in a world that demands so much from us with very little chance to take care of ourselves.

A light and relatable self-help book based on the author's personal stories. The anecdotes offer simple, practical advice that's easy to apply. The personal touch makes it an engaging read, good to give an uplifting boost in your self-care routine.