This was such a fun read! I love a good workplace comedy and revenge plot. I related to Vanessa so much and thought the side characters (especially the cats 🐈 ) were hilarious. It was lighthearted and entertaining, though I would’ve preferred more romance and less of Xavier’s foot issues 🙃.

DNFd at 10% not feeling it.
Might retry at another time.
Could be the writing style or maybe just bc I’m a mood reader? Not too sure yet.

If you are looking for a funny and clean story this is for you. This is a fun and light-hearted girl power story about office revenge and a group of friends who don’t tolerate the narcissistic boss

Vanessa is let go from her job because of her face and her "dark soul". In order to get away with it, they marked it off as insubordination and tried to get her to sign for a three day severance pay instead of unemployment. She decides not to sign it and to request unemployment instead. Since the unemployment office has questions, due to the nature of her being fired, she has to go into the office and meet with Carter to answer some questions. Carter is baffled and doesn't understand why she would have been fired and tries to work with her to fix the situation. In that he meets her foster kittens and decides he will adopt one when the time comes. Vanessa with some of her former co-workers figure out the scheme that has been going on at the telemarketing company and uncover the whole mess. In the end, Carter keeps all five kittens and Vanessa finds a job that she is happy with. She also ends up with Carter. It's a fun listen and very funny despite the serious topic that surrounds the whole story.

💭Thoughts:
Where do I start?! This book is a bit of a trip! I was laughing. I was cringing. I was was ready to DNF a few times.

I was first drawn to this book because of the title. It felt relatable. I have had multiple people in the past tell me to smile more. Thankfully never my boss. Mostly just male coworkers.

I enjoyed the little moments of romance between Vanessa and Carter. I wanted more of the romance and less about Vanessa’s boss Xavier’s foot UTI. The nurse in me kept cringing every time that was mentioned in the book. Crusty foot UTI?!

The story was all over the place like this review is. The story bounced from cats to romance to friendships to solving mysteries to job interviews to stalker older ladies. I wish the plot had been more flushed out. The story just didn’t flow for me.

I will say on a side note the narrator did an amazing job narrating so many different characters! Props to her!

Overall, I think a lot of people will find this story funny and relatable. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

3.75/5 Star; 0.25/5 Spice

So I enjoyed this book more than I expected, but UGH this book would have been phenomenal if it had a dash more romance! The characters were all super obnoxious and dramatic, but I viewed that more entertaining. The main plot of corporate fraud seemed a bit unrealistic, but again, it was pure fictional entertainment. Definitely recommend if you want a lighthearted work place fictional story,

Brief Plot: Vanessa was fired because essentially she has a resting bitch face. With the help of two former co-workers, the three set out on a mission to bring justice to their old wacko boss. As this is all happening, Vanessa is applying for Unemployment, and the attractive and tattooed Carter unwittingly helps her through the whole process

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for an eARC Audiobook copy of You Shold Smile More, written by Anastasia Ryan, and narrated by Hillary Huber. This is my honest review!

An entertaining and engaging corporate revenge story. A recommended purchase in all formats for most collections

This is the most entertaining book I've listened to in a very long time. Vanessa works as a telemarketer, but at the beginning of this book she is fired, despite having good production figures. When she asks her "eclectic" boss why she's being fired, he says he doesn't like her face, that it gives off bad vibes. She's dumbfounded, to say the least. When she later realizes she's one of many people recently fired, she and her friends begin a quest to determine what's really going on at that company. In the process, she meets a handsome unemployment counselor who just happens to love cats as much as she does (she is fostering 5 calico kittens). And then her mother and her bridge friends take up the investigation and make it even more outrageous.

With just a hint of romance, this book stands out for the hilarious escapades and the out-of-this-world characters. Xavier (her ex-boss) is quite the piece of work and good for lots of laughs. The women in this book are kick-ass women that I admired. And, the kittens add their share of mischief to the story, even though they are clearly adorable! I finished this book in record time because I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The narrator definitely made it so much fun. You've gotta listen to this book!

Vanessa is a character I can't wrap my head around how I feel about. She had good moments and I felt for her I really did. but something about her rubbed me the wrong way at times.
That being said this book was a lot of fun. Who wouldn't want revenge for their creepy boss who treated them like crap and then fired you because of your face. This man was shady AF and I love the end of this book so much!!!!

Things I didn't like
It seemed like every bad stereotype you could fit into a person was shoved into Xavier so it was a little much.
With how many audits go on in today's society I feel like it would have been really hard to get away with what he did for as long as he did.. but that is just me. How would that information not come up when people do taxes!

Things I did like
Vanessa's mom and her friends. I want to be her when I grow up!

A very interesting story and the narrator added to the enjoyment of the book. I liked the characters and the way the book progressed. I was very impressed with it all.

3.5 stars

I wasn't sure where this story was going to go, but as things progressed and it was more apparent what all was going on behind the scenes, I was all on board!

I'm sure every woman out there has been unjustly reprimanded for their facial expressions at one point, and this story took that to the extreme. I can't even believe this happened to poor Vanessa, but I was so glad to see things pan out for her! Her friends, mom, former co-workers, and Carter all made a great little ragtag bunch perfectly fit for sabotage, and the sprinkling of foster kitten shenanigans made things all the better.

Xavier was the literal worst, and the saddest part is that there are all too many companies out there truly treating employees like this.

Overall, this was a fun read with good characters, a compelling story, precious kitties, and some very crafty undercover sleuthing/sabotaging.

I did not love this book, but the audio was excellent. The narrator did a wonderful job telling the story.

I loved this one so much and just felt seen by Vanessa and get DGAF energy that I need to embrace. This one was just so fun.

A really funny read/listen. Fired from her job as a telemarketer for having RBF and a dark soul by a totally whackadoodle boss was the last thing that Vanessa was expecting when she went into work that morning. After a booze filled girls night out, she and her friends are set on figuring out what is going on in the ex company she becomes a student of the book The Art of War and they plot, plan and figure it all out in and get revenge with a lot of sleuthing, plotting and humor. Enjoyable, silly, light, some romance, adorable kittens and be honest, who amongst us hasn’t thought about a little getting even ourselves. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Vanessa was fired from her job for “her face”. Totally illegal, right?!? Carter from the unemployment office is looking into things while Vanessa’s friends her mother’s group of friends try to get revenge! There are cute cats, funny hijnks, and some flirty interactions between Vanessa and Carter. Super cute, not overly sexy, and I loved watching this crew try to get some payback!

This was a very enjoyable, fun read that was narrated perfectly.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

A ragtag team of women working together to stick it to the man? SIGN ME UP! Oh, and there’s adorable kittens, a suspect wall complete with pictures and yarn, and several adorable romances. And how could I forget the mom and her “bridge” group turning into ridiculous and clumsy spies!?! This book truly kept me engaged, laughing, and gasping the whole time!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*

This hilarious, quirky, and downright fun read is an absolute treat for anyone looking to laugh. YOU SHOULD SMILE MORE isn't always realistic (in the beginning I was screaming for Vanessa to just sue for wrongful termination), but this book follows the laws of any good rom-com and it's better to just accept the twists and logic for what it is.

Vanessa Blair-- and her motley crew consisting of her mother's bridge club, former coworkers, five calico kittens, and a very attractive Unemployment Office employee-- begin investigating DirectUs after she loses her telemarketing job due to her face. Or, rather, the expressions her face makes. What ensues is a crazy story involving foot-bladder infections, murder walls, 1980s themed work proms, and lots of shenanigans.

I knew from the title alone that I was going to enjoy this book. It was equal parts funny and sweet all in one. A very realistic feel to it and I would definitely recommend this to my library patrons!

I got this audiobook from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media so big thanks to them!

This is a workplace revenge comedy - Vanessa's weird boss fires her from her job as a telemarketer because of "her face." She ignores the documents they send offering a tiny severance package in exchange for her agreement not to file for unemployment. When she files for benefits and when others are also fired, the unemployment office and the group of former colleagues start to figure out something isn't quite right. Vanessa's mom and her friends jump in (uninvited) to help solve the puzzle.

I really enjoyed my time listening to this book. It's snarky and fun, and the characters find themselves in some ridiculous scenarios that, while unrealistic, made the book really humorous. The narration was done really well. 4.25 stars for me on this one.

I have worked in a few places where I did feel like I was still in high school and all that was missing was the yearbook. This book makes that seem tame compared to some of the things that happened at Vanessa’s place of employment. Legal? Nope. Feasible. Probably not. Hilarious? Definitely. I loved the characters and laughed throughout the entire book. Not quite a romance; it’s more contemporary fiction with a little romance thrown in. Whatever it is, I loved it! It was exactly what I needed.

Narration was excellent, perfect for the story.