Unfortunately not what I expected. I was drawn in by the cover but the writing let it down. Sadly not what I was hoping from a book about minimalism.

While lots of the ideas in the book are interesting, I don't feel that it is something I engaged with as many areas were not new to me. I have read a lot about minimalism and enjoy acting on this concept already. I hoped it would add to these thoughts but perhaps it is better as an introduction.

I requested this book as I myself am a fan of minimalism and wanted to read a bit more about it and how to implement it into my life better. I liked some ideas in it, but to be completely honest, that already was quite it with aspects I liked whilst reading this book.

Throughout reading this book I constantly had the feeling like the author is some "perfect exemplary human" that knows everything better and that I should look up to. At some points it made me even feel bad about myself, which was also why it took me a while to read this book - I was really discouraged to read it. As already mentioned, some aspects I agreed with but they didn't really stick with me. I cannot really recall what was written in the book two weeks after reading it.. The rules and ideas presented in the book felt one-sided, the author was not really showing some aspects from all sides, and only talking about her ideas and vision. This was the case when she wrote about sports and her routine. She also used terminology that I or a normal person is not really acquainted with on a daily basis. When using these technical terms no real explanation was given, meaning that you were left in the dark with what that is supposed to be.

The book is not really backed up, it is mostly just the author writing about how minimalistically she is living and amazing that turned out for her. It has a very preachy tone that I disliked throughout the book and gave me a feeling of unprofessionalism.

The book didn't help me as the contents were so short and no new or special ideas were presented in there. The challenges at the end of every chapter are a nice idea, but I had already forgotten them before ending the next chapter, I'd need to write them down to think about them again. The hair-care tips were nice, but other than that, the book wasn't anything special to me.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really impressed with this book, to be honest. The author sets herself up as some sort of expert to look up to, but there's very little information about who she is. I couldn't even find a photo of her, bio or real information about her online, which is kind of weird for an author who sets herself up as a "babe" and role model. The book is full of very short chapters on her thoughts of how to minimize areas like your budget, your social life, your workout routine, your traveling, etc. None of it is new, and it's so short that it's not likely to be of much help. Some of it seemed like strange advice to me, like to get rid of most friends because "smart people experience lower life satisfaction when they socialize more." I liked the one page of natural hair treatments to try (standard stuff like oils for treatment and to braid your hair wet to get natural curls), but I didn't find anything else of use in the rest of the book. I disliked the excessively preachy tone and how much the author acted like a self proclaimed guru with nothing to really back it up.

In the end, it wasn't my cup of tea but people who are new to the topic may find it useful.

I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

2 stars for "it was okay"

In a world where everyone is buying this and buying that, being flooded with emails, texts, tweets, and the likes, it is no wonder people want to minimalize things in their lives. This is where Lola comes in. In her book, she lays out the foundations for minimalizing all the “stuff” in your life and finding ways to cut back. However, there is so much more than her book tries to teach you. She includes a section on finding ways to fit into society (walk, talk, dress) and even addresses healthy eating and the world of social media.

While I am already minimalizing my life and many of the principles were a refresher, this is a great starting point for anyone who wants to change their lifestyle. The author includes lots of tips, tricks, and things to get you motivated

Working as a blogger and influencer myself the chapter about social media hit home very hard for me. I understand where the author wanted to go, but it was super one sided and a quite negative chapter. Yes the problems she is talking about are real, but instead of telling everyone to delete social media she could have written to only focus on the good of social media and on the advantages it gives us today. She was talking like life was much better before the internet, and that’s not something I can support. Many creative people would have been hungry and homeless if it weren’t for the online world and their social media accounts. I would have wished for a more differential sight on this topic. Also calling people who are professionals and (erfolgreich) on social media „narcissts“ was a bit much to me.

Another thing that I didn’t think for myself was her talking about relationships. That if you are living more minimal and introperspective, you will be more likely to find a loved one. Maybe you aren’t a minimalist at all, but your future partner will be? Maybe you can find someone who loves clutter, but still is your soulmate? The book wasn’t differential enough for me in many topics.

All in all I have read a lot of minimalist books and the cover of this one pulled me in, but it was too elitist and one minded for me. It felt like someone wanted to put me into a drawer, where I have to stay forever, because it was easier for the author this way. I liked some of the tips, but wasn’t happy with the overall content.
The most productive thing for me, was the list in the end and some of the questions in the end of the chapters.

I have a deep interest in minimalism and the minimalist lifestyle. It's something I stumbled onto by myself without input from any outside sources - finding I preferred to have less stuff, and that clearing things out gave me a sense of fulfilment and pleasure, as did living with less. Since those days when I was gleefully cleaning out my cupboards, we've had The Minimalists, Marie Kondo and numerous others adding their voices to the trend, making it something of a movement.

Minimalism can be a touchy subject. Culturally, we've been told repeatedly that more is better. Success is measured by the size of our houses, the value of the car on our drive, whether or not our clothes are designer. We feel a sense of security, of comfort, surrounding ourselves with stuff, as if having it is a protective layer of permanence against what is increasingly an ever changing world. Trying to tell someone that they could benefit from giving that up is often met with resistance.

Which is where gentle voices like Lola R. Marie are fantastic. She's not a hardline 'you should only have what you can fit into a rucksack' sort, but approaches minimalism from the angle of wellness. Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Here are some ideas about minimalising not just your belongings, but your digital life, your diet, your health and beauty routine that will leave you refreshed and better equipped to face the challenges daily life presents.

It's a short book - a lot of bullet points and lists - but explores several different areas of your life, with actionable tips to help you make a start at simplifying your life for the better in each of them. I noted down several of the pointers and am already looking to implement them in my life. Particularly the stuff around health and beauty, which I've not seen covered by a minimalist writer before.

Overall, this is a handy book of information that could easily be found on the internet, but is packaged for your convenience with lots of actionable advice. Perfect for a beginner to minimalism looking for a good place to start, or for the minimalist looking to extend their lifestyle beyond their amount of possessions.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has some useful tips, but nothing that you can’t find elsewhere. The author spends entirely too much time on how cool her own life is and how much she’s influenced her friends. If you like GOOP, you’ll probably love this. It’s at about that level of intellectual stimulation.

First I wasn't to eager to request the title as I am put off by the word "Babe", but I am glad I did in the end.

I felt chaotic and unbalanced for quite some time and have read up on the whole process of downsizing, minimizing and self-development.

I was already familiar with Marie Kondo and her method from back when it wasn’t on main stream TV and I have to say that it’s great that more people are jumping on this train, but also that I feel that they leave out the “inner part”.

Great, now you have gotten rid of lots of extra stuff, but you’re still stuck in your old thinking and behavioral patterns. This is what I wanted to avoid.

So yes, I have started meditating. As cheesy as it sounds, it is incredibly helpful – being alone with yourself, doing absolutely nothing, stepping away from the everyday-hassle of streams, news, fashion, gadgets and social media.
I have been able to concentrate more on myself and mental health as well as on my own projects like setting up my home page for my art and getting back into reading and reviewing books that I love as well as chasing my dreams.

This is one of the books that helped me immensely and I am really grateful for giving me the push I needed.

I can highly recommend this to everybody who’d like to go all the way and change their lifestyle and habits.

I loved the chapters, summaries and challenges as well as the lists at the end of the book.

This book was a real surprise to me as I was surprised by all the book covered in term of life. Will certainly be recommending it to women that want to streamline their life.

It is not the first book I read about minimalism, and they all say mostly the same stuff, but these things are worth repeating because right now we are so deep in consumerism that we do not even realize that we do not need all the stuff we already have! Off course my tentative at minimalism stops in front of my book hoarding problem, but that is just my problem.

Questo non é certo il primo libro che leggo sul minimalismo, e dicono quasi tutti la stessa cosa, ma e anche giusto ripeterla perché attualmente stiamo affogando in un oceano di roba che non ci serve. Naturalmente ogni mio tentativo di minimalismo si arresta improvvisamente quando si parla di libri, ma questo é un mio problema.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

The essential, chic guide to the minimalist lifestyle and a fantastic recollection of a personal journey from one babe to another. The of the best in its genre. 5/5 stars