Thank you netgalley and dreamscape media for an advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was super fun to listen to and I loved the characters. They were all dynamic and super fun to follow. It's felt like there was a little bit of a mystery, but had such a fun revenge plot.

Absolutely loved this book! The narration was great too! I love a good revenge story and I was rooting for the MC the whole way through! Her mother and mother's friends were hilarious too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be truthful - I was expecting this book to be annoying and too-fluffy. I couldn't resist the title, though, so I took a chance. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong; this is not the story for folks who need their books to be ultra-realistic, or for their heroines to pursue justice through ordinary means (like, say, suing your employer for firing you because of your face and comparing you to Medusa).

Vanessa Blair finds herself being fired from her telemarketer job for that specific reason, because her boss is clearly unhinged. He goes around barefoot with his suit pantlegs rolled up, and fires employees for the most inconsequential of reasons. Employees are also forced to participate in embarrassing team-building on their downtime ('80s work prom, anyone?).

What follows is a very ridiculous tour-de-force of justice and revenge, and it's a hoot. This is basically a cozy mystery without the mystery (or at least no murder, just some white collar crime), and if you like foster kittens, light romance, glitter bombs, misappropriation of funds, and interfering mothers, this might be a fun, palate-cleansing read for you.

Hillary Huber does a capable job of giving the characters distinct voices, and she sounds adult without sounding like someone's great-aunt (a common problem in light novels about younger folks).

What a witty and fun story. The key focus being on women banding together to end the horrible treatment that they've been recieving goes above and beyond what I could have hoped for. I love the side character kittens and how everyone is wonderfully built for community!

I started this one and did feel like it would be for me, but after about 4 hours of listening to this audiobook, I was able to realize that it was not my cup of tea. I did appreciate the tone of the narrator and the overall themes of feminism and empowerment because, lord if I had a nickel for every time a man told me I needed to smile more, I'd be a millionaire. I think there was too much romance and flirtation in this book for me to be totally onboard with its overall themes.

You Should Smile more is a ridiculous, fun, laugh out loud tale about Vanessa Blaire, who is summarily dismissed from her job because, in part, her boss does not like her face. Her friend Jane is fired right behind her, in part because she is friends with Vanessa. Trisha stays, but is punished for having been connected to the two of them. After the firing, they all get together and plot their revenge... but Vanessa really want to just move on with her life. Until, her crazy boss Xavier, tries to block her unemployment claim. Then... all bets are off, and a lot of crazy antics ensue. As they trio, along with the Bridge Brigade begin to look at what is really going on with the company, they uncover some things that no one was expecting. Throw in a potential romance with Vanessa and Carter - the gentleman from unemployment, and you have a book you will not want to stop listening to.

Anastasia Ryan did an incredible job depicting all the potentially outlandish things that management may do and going even further with it. Throwing in characters that you cannot help but love and a bunch of adorable foster kittens, and she has written a smashing success of a novel. When I started this book, I thought it was maybe too silly, and took a little break from it, but when I came back to it - I fell in love with the story, the characters and all of the wonderful made up words that came from Xavier's mouth. The Bridge Brigade, made up of Vanessa's mom and her friends, added extra antics to the story, that I adored. The narrator did an amazing job with bringing the story to life. This book is not to be missed!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley, for giving me an opportunity to listen to this wonder novel in exchange for my honest review.

So much fun! Realistic, quirky characters that made me want to be a part of the action. Excellent narration that brought life to both the characters and the situations that they found themselves in. You'll laugh and be inspired to volunteer at your local animal shelter after reading this book.

Hillary Huber narrated this audiobook perfectly and I think that her narration was a big part of what made the book so engaging for me. I also loved the main character's mother's friend group and their involvement. I don't know how much the romance element really added - or came to life for me, for that matter - and the former boss/"villain" felt fairly over-the-top to me, but this was a fun, enjoyable, light-hearted read nonetheless.

This was a very surprising treat. I hadn't heard anything about the book, the author or the narrator, and I truly enjoyed it. All I could think was that this should absolutely be a movie or tv show- and surprisingly it might be the mom and her bridge club that would deserve the sequel or spinoff. It was funny, I liked the way the plot was played out, and I very much enjoyed enduring that psycho boss and the friendships that bloomed because of it. YOU SHOULD SMILE MORE was a lot of fun!

Not entirely sure what I thought this book was about but I was pleasantly surprised. The word "zany" fits it best. Vanessa gets fired from a horrible telemarketing job because of her "face" but realizes there's something fishy going on with the company, and it's not just the boss and his no-shoes fetish. Several of her friends get laid off as well and reluctantly Vanessa starts digging in to the company and it's shady dealings. I mean, someone needs to feed and house her foster kittens right? Her Mom and her bridge brigade also get involved and set up a murder wall. Vanessa meets a handsome tatted cat-lover Carter that works at the unemployment office and sparks fly but the romance is a small piece of this book. If you like the timing and humor in Finley Donovan you will love this book.

But we need to take a minute and recognize the narrator of this book - Hillary Huber. OMIGOD. Hillary brings this book to life, her voices for the friends, Vanessa's Mom, the swarmy boss Excalibur, it's incredible. She nailed the slap-stick comedy bits and the depth and sweetness of Vanessa and Carter. Immediately looking up what else she narrates ...

What woman hasn’t heard this at least once in their life? I know I hear it all the time - but I can honestly say that I’ve been fired because of my face and its lack of smiling. Our MFC cannot say the same.

After she’s let go from her job as a telemarketer, our MC finds herself in the quite the spiral. She’s jobless, the company is fighting paying her unemployment, she’s fostering a little of tiny terrors (aka kittens) and on top of everything - her mother is insisting she can help by meddling. Hilarity ensues.

I’ll admit, I requested this entirely based on the title and it’s worth it. It’s funny but still deals with serious topics (like job loss) in a way that doesn’t diminish the very real struggle. I received an audiobook through NetGalley and found the narrator to be quite enjoyable. It was kept lighthearted while still clearly portraying the frustrations and other feelings of the characters. It was such a cute read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a cute little romance about a woman who is fired due to her facial expressions. The plot involves a lot of investigating and exposure of corporate shenanigans, with a slow burn romance woven in. Based on the title, I was hoping this would be a bit of an exploration on the theme of unsmiling women as perceived as hostile, but that topic wasn’t address at all.

*ARC review*

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, quick read. The romance is definitely a secondary plot, and not highly developed. I was less invested in that story arc, but if you’re interested in a romance I don’t think this is the book for you.

The main plot is kind of like 9-to-5 without the kidnapping. Several women exacting revenge on their shitty corporate boss. It was entertaining. The flow of the book was sometimes uneven but overall it was an easy read and enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for sharing this book!

This is one fun audiobook, I laughed a lot and I cheered on some of the victories that Vanessa and her coworkers achieve. Personally I was a big fan of Tricia, she was hilarious and I kind of want her to rule the world.

Is this story a little ridiculous at times? maybe. is it so fun I didn't care? also yes. The story also manages to have moments of interesting depth about women in the work force and shady things that happen. Add in kittens, a little romance here and there, and a funny set of moments with Vanessa's true crime loving mom and her friends (and Excalibur lol) this was a most welcome audiobook for my commute.

If you like cats, amateur detectives, and ridiculous workplace shenanigans, you should give this book a read. I absolutely flew through the audiobook. It's short and compulsively readable, and the narration is clear enough to speed up.

When Vanessa is fired for an absolutely ridiculous reason--her boss doesn't like her face--she is understandably hurt. Her friends come over to vent, and they drunkenly joke about a revenge plot. When one friend puts the first step of the plot into action, thing begin to spiral into hilarity--but Vanessa and her friends realize that something shady is going on at their former workplace.

It's rare that a book actually makes me laugh out loud, but You Should Smile More did. Vanessa's boss was just so ridiculous--I'd love to ask @byanastasiaryan where she came up with this stuff!

Of course, the cats made my day. Who wouldn't want their time at home to be spent covered in a blanket of furry calicos? (Okay, my pup might be upset about that, but I'd be happy)

Anyways, this debut was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to reading what Anastasia Ryan writes next!

Ugh I so wish I liked this more than I did. It was a fun plot idea - woman and her friends get wrongfully fired, so they take revenge on their corrupt boss - but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me.

Thoughts:
-It felt like all reality was tossed to the side. It was an interesting storyline that just went haywire and a lot of illegal things were brushed over like illegal spying and listening devices
-The romance aspect of it was odd. There was no build up and no chemistry. It felt like an unnecessary b-plot
-I’m not a big fan of unbelievable villain characters and that’s what Xavier, the boss, was
-Vanessa (MC) complained that her mom still treats her as a kid, but then proceeded to be incredibly immature through most of the book
-As someone who loves cats, there were entirely too many mentions of her kittens

I’ll keep my thoughts here short - though I’m pretty sure it was meant to be satirical it was just not for me. If you’re looking for a quick read maybe give it a shot — you may have a different opinion than me!

Thank you Netgalley, Anastasia Ryan and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! This was such a joy to read. I loved the mystery aspect of what was going on behind Nessa’s crazy ex-employer’s closed doors. Nessa was such a fun character and I really loved how she found her footing again at the end of the story. 100% would recommend this to anyone, and I will be adopting kittens as soon as we move. 🐈🐈‍⬛ thank you NetGalley and @dreamscape_media for the audio ARC. @byanastasiaryan

#bookstagram #bookreview #youshouldsmilemore #anastasiaryan

Let me just preface the following- I have so much respect for authors and am amazed of what they can conceptualize and put into words. I listened to this on the audiobook and this just wasn't for me. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Cute story about getting revenge after being wronged in the workplace. I think we can all relate to wanting to "stick it to the man". Vanessa gets fired for her "face" and is even compared to Medusa by her old boss. She teams up with a few friends, her mom and the bridge club gals, and together they all aim to take down Xavier, her former boss. The was laughter and a little romance mixed in. Overall I enjoyed the audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley, Anastasia Ryan and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun one with a trope of work revenge, kitty love, and a sprinkle of romance! Nessa gets fired for her resting B. face or so we think, and with the help of her ex-coworkers, mom with her bridge club gals, and Carter she puts Xavier where he belongs. I absolutely loved all the characters, except Xavier of course. This book is just perfect to read or listen to if you need a pick-me-up kind of book. The narration was on point!!! Only reason I didn’t 5 star this is because it was missing something; maybe a bit more action/drama??? Anyways, I highly recommend this one.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Thank you so much Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#YouShouldSmileMore #NetGalley