Review for Net Galley of My What If Year by Alisha Fernandez Miranda


What an inspirational memoir Alisha Fernandez Miranda has written. Despite a successful track record as CEO of her own company, Alisha in her early 40s, yearns to actualize her professional dreams. With the full support of her husband we watch her becoming an intern at a Broadway play production company, then at a creative exercise company, then working for a renowned art dealer, and finally, in the hospitality world at an inviting Scottish hotel. What Alisha learns during her journey is invaluable. Now she is not afraid to make mistakes or fail. Now she recognizes the value of lifelong friendships, especially with other women. Now she realizes that being a control freak is unsustainable. Alisha never minimizes how hard it is to change her life but following her passion in this what if year brings her moments of unexpected joy and happiness. These are only some life lessons that may have eluded her had she not risked taking an experimental year.
Alisha Fernandez Miranda is a super talented writer. As a reader I felt like I was right there with her, inside the four different worlds she experienced. New York’s theatre world was the most compelling. After many fascinating rehearsals for Assassins, I too was disappointed when the Sondheim play was put on an 18 month hold because of the pandemic.
Alisha is witty and insightful. There are some laugh out loud moments, especially when she’s delving into the snooty London art scene.
I’ve always been a big fan of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet in which Rilke urges the poet to always be “a beginner.” Alisha’s year of four internships would have made him proud.

Carol Orange, award winning author of A Discerning Eye.

A fun and thought-provoking book about the way our life's trajectory changes as we make certain choices in our youth about our educational experiences and work opportunities, and what it feels like to go back to "the roads not taken" and explore where those roads could have led us. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

This book reminded me of Shauna Niequest’s I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet mixed with a little Eat Pray Love. In her mind, this book was titled “The 40-Year-Old Intern” and it is also that. Almost 40 and a CEO, Alisha Fernandez Miranda dreams of doing something different. She organizes a few interns (about a month each, unpaid) from Broadway to fitness to art to a Scottish hotel. Throughout the book, she shares ways she challenged herself and lessons she learned from each, all of which happened during the peak of Covid.

As a mom also in her 40s, I had a life change in my early 40s, going back to grad school and becoming a school librarian, so I understand the desire to begin anew.

From Chapter 1,

“At last, I “had it all”: an expanding business, a family, my dream life in London. And I thought I was happy. I told everyone I was happy. But over time, like a boulder slowly eroding as it’s crashed upon by waves until it’s no more than a pebble, I came to realize that I really, really wasn’t.”

It had been a long, long time since I’d let myself indulge in something as distracting—and as magical—as a “what if?”

I loved her comment of
“joy being my guiding star”
joyful is my word of the year, so I love this and I can see this from the choices she made.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your life had taken a different path professionally? I have and was excited to read Alicia’s story of how she made space in her life to become an intern at 40. With the support of her loving husband and family, she tells both the fun and the difficult parts of the professions she has long envied. Recognizing both her privilege and good fortune in being able to go on this journey, she takes the reader along. Her wit, humor, and vulnerability as she relates the story of each internship makes for a fun read. Will I ever do this? Probably not, but I’m so glad Alicia did.

I enjoyed reading about Alisha's life-changing journey to self-discovery: her desperate need for something new. She takes a year-long adventure, mostly away from her family during the pandemic. She becomes an intern, doing jobs that she had considered when she was younger, before following her chosen path that had brought her such a successful career. Looking back on things that once made her happy, Alisha has the courage to explore and to let go of her insecurities. Inspiring.

My final book of 2022 was MY WHAT IF YEAR and it made me consider my New Years intentions in the best way. As a successful CEO with a loving family, Alisha Fernandez Miranda couldn’t shake the feeling something was missing. In her debut memoir, she revaluates her priorities and commits to starting at square one with various entry level internships in the middle of a pandemic. It turns out timing isn’t always everything it's cracked up to be.

What a bold move, Alisha! I loved that this hard-working mother and business owner was able to take a step back from her middle-aged life and reimagine what happiness could look like. Sometimes bravery looks like leaving behind everything you thought you wanted.

With humility and a healthy dose of self-deprecation, Alisha’s zest for lifelong learning jumped off the page. Her words will inspire others to expand their definition of success and pave the way for something new, fresh, and maybe a bit scary.

MY WHAT IF YEAR is the first book launched by Zibby Books, a woman-owned publishing company looking to publish books in an innovative way. I’m looking forward to reading more from Alisha and eagerly anticipate the monthly arrivals from Zibby Books.

Thank you NetGalley and Zibby Books for an ARC and wonderful book mail in exchange for an honest review.

MY WHAT IF YEAR inspired me. As someone obsessed with the idea of trying jobs in multiple fields, I loved seeing Alisha step outside her comfort zone and embark on new journeys. She's hilarious, but she's also excellent at acknowledging discomfort, boredom, and the sacrifice her family made as she found joy. I hope she gets everything she wants in life!

By most accounts, in 2019, Alisha Fernandez Miranda was living the dream. Raised in Miami as the daughter of Cuban immigrants, she'd studied hard and gotten into Harvard. Although she majored in Women's Studies, a field her father considered indulgent, she achieved her dream of settling in the UK, married a loving and supportive man, became the mother of longed-for twins, and the CEO of a consulting company which advised clients on how to invest ethically and responsibly. On her Instagram feed, she can be seen socializing with the likes of King (then-Prince) Charles. And yet, she had some niggling doubts about the career path she'd chosen.

With her husband on board, she decided to try out some different jobs via unpaid internships to see what she might have missed, and try to determine in which direction to point her life after forty. Having acquired an impressive list of acquaintances (i.e. Bill Gates and King Charles mentioned above), she inquired of her connections and set up four internships in vastly different fields -- Broadway theater, fitness, art, and upscale hospitality.

In early 2020, she set out for New York for part one of her adventure, leaving her kids and husband behind (with his blessing). Miranda writes humorously about trying to make herself useful behind the scenes of two Broadway shows and of running into (literally!) the legendary Stephen Sondheim. But then we all know what happened next. An insidious virus started spreading, and Miranda's first internship was cut short.

I admired her persistence in soldiering on. Instead of giving up on her project, she managed to intern remotely for a fitness instructor who'd shifted to online classes, while sharing homeschooling duties with her husband. While a lot of readers would probably prefer to forget about that bleak period, or would rather not be reminded of it just yet, I think that in years to come this book will serve as a valuable account of what it was like to live through a pandemic. I, personally, was in Japan and my kids had already graduated from high school. Reading this book left me in awe of everyone who had to try to teach their own kids long-division.

Miranda's third internship took her into the art world. Again, it was intriguing to read how things work behind the scenes between art dealers and their billionaire clients. Her final stint, at a fancy hotel in Scotland, reminded me a bit of my days serving in restaurants, something I would rather not do again. However, I have a new respect for servers who manage to carry carefully arranged edible works of art to the table without disturbing their composition. Apparently, it's not as easy as one would think!

Not everyone would be able to up and leave their families to pursue their bliss, especially during a global pandemic, and Miranda reminds the reader that she is well aware of her privilege. However, I think it's safe to say that the author has proven that one's life is not necessarily set in stone by the age of forty. It is possible to pivot, to pursue new interests, and abandon old goals. To ask "What if..."

Highly enjoyable.

I loved the idea of what the book was about. I could picture having similar discussions amongst the security of close friends. but it was a slow read for me. I kept wanting there to be a pick-up in pace or a turning point, but I didn't find it in this book. Still, I had an admiration for Alisha. I found the place in life she was in relatable and was intrigued on her concept of interning and finding her passion again.

My What If Year was a lovely account of author Alisha Fernandez Miranda’s experience taking time away from her full-time job as a CEO to try new roles in new industries as an intern. It is an encouraging read for all high achievers who sometimes wonder, what if? Or what’s next? Alisha’s internship project felt like a real life experience in life design - experimenting her way through new things to see what may or may not work for her life and understanding there is value in trying new things even if such experiments do not reveal a hidden talent or lead to a new passion.

Also, I am a Florida girl, so love the Florida references. Highly recommend!

As I find myself at a point in my life where I wonder "What if" ...this book was just what I needed. I applaud the author's bravery in taking on this journey not really knowing where it would end. She made sacrifices and worked so hard for these opportunities she was given and truly made the most of her "What if year" I honestly had a hard time stopping at chapters especially as I knew the pandemic was looming and I wondered how she would be able to continue. Her opportunities were fascinating and I loved living through her experiences! If you have ever wondered "what could have been" pick this up! Thank you NetGalley and Zibby Books for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How much did I love this book. Perfect for our English collection.

I have spent so much time "wondering what if" on so many choices in my life.

This book was kind of inspirational and basically gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this moment.

Nicely paced story and I found myself really looking underneath to the message that this story conveys.

Should you have done something different with your career? Something more creative, artistic, or in a completely different industry? What if you could try out those different careers now when you’ve already reached success? That’s exactly what this author did. I admired the bravery, the pursuit of joy, and the willingness to try new things. I had a hard time getting through the book, but I’m so glad I finally finished. The end of the story highlighted the insight after her year of discovery that I kept waiting to hear as I read the pages. If you’ve ever wondered What If..this book is for you.

A moving story of a woman who wants to work in fields she didn't have time for as a newlywed and later as a mother of young children. When she and her family decide that they can hold things together while she serves in a number of different internships to fulfill her true interests--and not just to pay the bills--a global pandemic breaks out. My What If Year is a tantalizing story of chasing our dreams all while making sure our families are all right back home.

Alisha Fernandez Miranda's clear and conversational prose immediately pulled me in on her audacious journey - reliving some of the missed opportunities of her early career years.

Many women (especially mums) will likely identify with her dive into the fanciful "What if?" imagining, but I was so impressed with her willingness and motivation to actively *do* something about it. Too often we see ourselves stuck in rumination and regret, feeling as if the lock has clicked in on our long-held passionsnot followed as part of a standard sliding doors trope. Alisha beautifully shows us how to shift that energy and give something new a go!

At once self-effacing and tenacious, I loved reading her vulnerable (and strongly relatable) stories of discomfort, near-missteps and keep-going-anyway energy in search of personal fulfillment.

A perfect read for anyone who has wondered if they missed their moment and wants confirmation that they *can* still experience variety and deep satisfaction chasing dreams they'd thought had long since passed them by!

Alisha goes on the ultimate adventure and seeks answers to questions I think we all feel and have...especially after becoming mothers and hitting that 40 mark. I love her candidness, humor and lessons learned along the way. I felt like I was with her the entire journey and was very excited to discover the decisions she made at the end. We all deserve a What If Year!

My What If Year is a cute, light-hearted story about a woman able to go back and try the different avenues she didn't take as a twenty-something. Definitely a fantasy for many, and easy to relate to. Fun!

I really enjoyed this story! I felt like it was a good story that allowed myself to internally think. I'm not always in the mood for that type of book, but if you are, this is a must read!

Haven’t we all dreamed of our What If year? Alisha Fernandez Miranda had the courage to take that leap. But of course what seemed like a good - or at least passable - idea in 2019, became something entirely different during the pandemic that began in 2020. If we learned anything during these last strange years, it’s that we can plan and plan but life will still surprise. This memoir offers lessons in resilience and perseverance, overlaid with wisdom and humour. The author identifies both the peril and privilege inherent in making such a leap - in her case becoming an unpaid intern in several long held dream jobs - and it was a pleasure to be along for the ride. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and Zibby Books for the recommendation

Interesting premise of pursuing things later in life that you wished you had explored early on. I would recommend this for those who would like inspiration to go after their passions and pursue every opportunity possible. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.