Let’s be real here- there was an exactly zero-point-zero percent chance I wasn’t going to absolutely love this book.
Now, I’ve only read it once, but I think this needs to be required reading for every girl/woman/lady/whatever at some point during her formative years. The advice and stories are on point and honest and raw and absolutely worthwhile and totally relatable. Everyone else has (I’m sure) inevitably been making comparisons between Yes Please and Bossypants, but as a testament to Tina and Amy themselves, they are completely and totally different books. Same good advice, same sense of humor, but there’s something about Amy’s take that’s just a little more generalizable. Perhaps it was what seemed to be a more intimate look at her life. But you know what? There’s ample room for both of them. Read them both. Buy the box set. They’re incredible women who are supportive of each other and that’s the greatest. It’s lovely to read a book in which so many characters are recognizable and it’s so clear that they’re all absolutely obsessed with each other and you just want into the crowd. If you were mentioned in the book and you’re reading this, I want in.
Her advice though- so spot on. She’s so funny and so adorable and tells it exactly like it is. I loved her insights on everything from the entertainment industry to being a woman to apologizing to talking to strangers to that little voice inside you that tells you you can’t (and how to deal with it). She said it somewhere in the book- you don’t need a self help book when you have Amy. She has theories on time travel and the greatest anecdotes about being on the set of Parks and Recreation. Her kids are hilarious. Amy knows herself and knows her place and is so seemingly humble yet self deprecating about her fame- exactly how you’d want a celebrity to behave. This book was, in short, the giant hug I never realized I wanted from Amy Poehler…without having to meet her. And if you know me, that hug would end in hyperventilation and tears, so this might be better.
If nothing else, it’s worth it for the pictures- a mix between some cool Amy Poehler throwbacks from her personal files, but also some new glamour shots specifically for the book. Gotta love someone who can laugh at herself in her own book- when she could make herself look the best.
Have I made my Amy love clear enough? Get on this ASAP.
(I’m also not too proud to admit that I teared up when she thanked Will Arnett in the acknowledgements. It’s still totally devastating to me that they aren’t together anymore, but I really do like Nick Kroll and she clearly does too. I’m working through it, you guys.)
You’ll like this if: you like to laugh, you like Parks and Recreation, you’re way too interested in the statuses of celebrity marriages…just read it. You won’t regret it and you’ll probably want to hug a lot of people.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 