There was a lot to like about this book. The author was very knowledgeable, personable, and didn't take himself too seriously. The material felt accessible (the text is taken from multiple transcribed speeches).

Despite that, I had a hard time connecting with this book. It could have been because I am new to buddhism and this book assumed a certain level of familiarity with vocabulary and concepts. It could be the organization style. It may just have been the wrong book for me for right now. I pressed through the first 60%, but it just didn't click for me. I certainly don't feel like that should be a reflection of the book or the author.

I appreciate the author and publisher. They provided this book to me in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have done my best to provide. #NetGalley #WakeUpToWhatMatters

Wake Up to What Matters is a breath of fresh air in the self-help world. With focus and no nonsense attitude, this novel combines modern cognitive behavioral techniques and Buddhism in order to teach us to better our own lives and the lives of those around us.

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book piqued by interest being about Buddhism and how to apply it to our modern daily lives. I am not Buddhist, but really like learning about other cultures and practices. I had no idea this was written by a monk which made it 100x better for me. I feel like he really explained things clearly without going on and on. Definitely will recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was super pleased with this book!

Wake Up to What Matters by Avikrita Vajra Sakya is modern, accessible, informative, and best of all, a little funny. This was everything I wanted and/or expected from a book that said it would introduce me to Buddhism in the modern generation. The style of writing is simple and straight-forward and its obvious throughout the book that the author cares a lot about making his subject easy to understand and relate to our lives. As someone who's always been interested in Buddhism but didn't know that much about it, this book taught me a lot and I really enjoyed myself.

Would recommend, yes.