The premise pissed me off from the start- if someone actually got fired for not smiling enough there would be a lawsuit, not an amateur orchestration of a revenge plot. And to fall in love with the unemployment agent? Everything was too implausible to be believable. I had a hard time getting into the story because of these reasons. I also think the book had the opportunity to shed light on toxic work environments and how to enforce healthy work life balance, but the message didn't hit home for me.

You Should Smile More was a really entertaining read. The romance was not the plot’s focus, but it added to the overall story. I loved how all of these women teamed up to make things right, to take down their old boss, and to help our MC pursue her dream. Her mother was a hoot, and the shenanigans she got into were some of the most entertaining parts.

⭐️Rating: 2/5
✍🏼Author: Anastasia Ryan

Summary::

Telemarketer Vanessa Blair isn't in love with her job. It pays the bills and feeds her foster kittens, but offers only one other perk: her friendships with Jane Delaney and Trisha Lam. But, as mind-numbing as her job is, things are about to get worse. Xavier Adams, her self-absorbed boss, calls Vanessa into the conference room and fires her. The reason? Her facial expressions. Apparently, she has resting bitch face, and it doesn't matter that her sales numbers are stellar or that she organizes office events.
After a girls' night of schnapps and imaginary retribution, Vanessa awakens to find her friends bent on a revenge strategy based on the classic business book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. At first, Vanessa wants nothing to do with it.

My thoughts::

This one just wasn’t for me but I know plenty of friends who have been raving about it. I think the audio book ruined it for me, and the story itself was all about the corporate 9-5 life and it gave me anxiety mostly. I think the narrator was very dry and didn’t keep me interested. Again, I know plenty of people who enjoyed it but I personally didn’t.

Thank you dreamscape media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars - didn’t quite have enough to round up.

This book gave me “Finlay Donovan” series vibes. I thought the setting was interesting and unique, which kept me drawn in. While listening to the audiobook, I struggled with following where we were in time because there were time jumps. I think it would have been really helpful to have chapter headings that would be read to indicate the timeframe.

Overall, the story was meant to be comical with a heartfelt message underneath it all. It wasn’t as unbelievable as Finlay Donovan, which I appreciated. I did feel the story wasn’t moving at a quick enough pace, and it felt like some parts of it would drag on.

All that to say, I would definitely read another book by this author.

Oh my gosh, this book was fantastic! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was AMAZING. She really brought the characters and story to life through her many voices and emotions. The first page literally had me smiling and laughing out loud. I was listening to this while shelving books at work and I could tell people were looking at me. But I didn’t care, this book was such a delight and was exactly what I needed. I loved the main character and how relatable she was. The side characters had their own personalities, depth, and added to the story. The romance, even though it was light, was done so well! It was a cute romance that didn’t feel forced. Overall, this book felt like a hug and I’m so sad that I finished it in one day. I wish I could have stayed with these characters longer. I would highly recommend this one and if you’re able to definitely listen to the audiobook. Remember this book is meant to be fun, a little out there, and even unrealistic but that just adds to its charm.

This book was such a wonderful and funny read! I listened to the audible version and the narration is amazing. Easy to follow and listen to. This book is about friendship, karma and there’s cats!! I really loved the characters. Vanessa works as a telemarketer and hates her job but it pays the bills. One day she is called into the conference room and is fired for her looks. One night she is hanging out with girlfriends and after some drinking a revenge plot is created. This book had me laughing at loud at so many moments. I loved Vanessa’s mom ‘bridge’ gang. Lots of great moments in the book. An easy fun light hearted read. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook!
I went into this thinking it was going to be a workplace drama featuring unfair firing practices with the main character getting vindicated in the end, and while all of that did happen, it was so much more fantastic than I imagined. First, we get the emotionally 80-years-old Vanessa with strong RBF (a powerful state of being), a love for cats, staying home, and true crime (basically my twin especially the studying Latin part). Then we get fired-up, recently fired, and angry-about-sexist-employers women who decide to burn it all down—even though they don’t quite realize how true that will become. Add a dash of romance and a satisfying comeuppance for the aforementioned sexist boss and his bros and we get the book of my dreams.

Was it perfect? No. Did it make me laugh out loud often and leave me really happy? Yes. All the stars.

(Also, the narrator was fabulous. The voices she used were just different enough to help me follow who was speaking and also fit the characters so well I almost believed there was more than one narrator.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the ARC! What a fun, light-hearted, hysterical novel! The characters are hilarious, and the description of the corporate events were too funny. Anyone who has worked a telemarketing job for a large company knows the struggle (albeit embellished here) all too well. Many times I laughed out loud while listening. The narrator did a great job with the various characters and set the tone. I also appreciated the use of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for framing, a unique touch. Overall this was a satisfying, fun & fast read.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC. I received this in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This title was the first part of this book that caught my eye. How many times as a female have I been told to smile by complete strangers. I felt like this audiobook really demonstrated how some women are treated in the work place. In life, women can be seen completely different then men for showing the same emotions. I found this book addressed some important concepts. This book is about women who get fired at the same telemarketing company. The women at a girls night decide to seek retribution. This story follows there plans and unexpected events that follow. I would encourage anyone who wants to read this book to read it!

Read if you like:
Female empowerment stories
Work place drama
Women in the workplace
Coworkers and Friends

This was positively adorable! Even as someone that isn’t a cat person (sorry haha) and doesn’t work in corporate America. I still loved the story. The cast of characters was hilarious. The narrator was perfect. The story was enthralling. Part rom-com, part mystery, part contemporary novel…this book has it all. It’s perfect for audio and the narrator is so so good. I laughed and couldn’t wait to pick it back up after I put it down. It’s so relatable because we all have these people in our lives. The crazy boss, the work family, protective friends, the crush and they all make our lives what they are. I will be recommending this 100%.

Vanessa is wrongfully let go from her job because her boss doesn't like her face...he friend was also fired and then her other friend was punished for being their friend in the first place. There were funny parts to the story but overall it was boring for me. Her mom and her bridge club rallied around her trying to help solve the reason her boss is such a jerk. Her unemployment rep even had a thing for her, but it was not a big part of the story.

4 1/2

I think that Anastasia Ryan’s delightful romp You Should Smile More is for every woman to whom a man has said, “You should smile more” or the abbreviated, “Smile,” which we might have done and then immediately rolled our eyes after we passed them by. While Vanessa Blair does her fair share of eye rolling, she also manages, with a little help from her friends, to achieve something greater in this funny, endearing novel.

Vanessa Blair, a telemarketer, is fired from her job by her constantly barefoot, narcissistic, and smarmy boss, Xavier Adams, who has more than once commented on her facial expressions–hardly relevant for a telemarketer–and tells her the reason for her firing is her face. Despite the fact the comment comes from her former idiot boss, it smarts and makes Vanessa feel self-conscious.

Vanessa and her two work friends, Jane, who was also fired, and Trisha, who had to write an essay in lieu of being fired, rally around a bottle of peppermint schnapps and Trisha’s knowledge of The Art of War by Sun Tzu to eventually formulate a plan that Trisha takes seriously and Vanessa barely recalls. What comes next is a slapstick story involving supportive friends, family, calico kittens, and being forced to find your true life waiting after the ruckus settles.

You Should Smile More is often funny, sometimes touching–especially the ending with Vanessa and her face. There is a nice little romance between Vanessa and her unemployment representative, Carter Beckett, which is not the focus of the novel and for which I’m glad because I found the comraderie among the women to be a nice touch with many feel-good moments.

While the climax was something of a slapstick free-for-all, it was hugely funny and satisfying.

I enjoyed listening to Hillary Huber narrate You Should Smile More. One of her voices reminded me of Sue Sylvester from Glee who I kept imagining when I heard her speak. Ha. Huber brought the story to life and leant further enjoyment to an already entertaining novel.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that I enjoyed enough while reading it but I don't think it will stick with me or anything - just fun and fluffy (literally!)

The story is decent, about a group of friends who got fired in shady ways from what sounds like an insane place to work and their group effort to get their lives back on track and hold their former employer responsible. The story jumps back and forth between present day and the weeks before to unravel details behind what's going on.

It was pretty silly at times, going juuust beyond the realm of realistic but it didn't bother me too much. I liked the characters and even though their antics were wacky it was a pretty quick read and I did enjoy it. It wrapped up pretty quick there at the end though and I cared WAY more about the side plot of Vanessa fostering cats than I did the main storyline...maybe the author will write a sequel about that.

I did think parts of it were weirdly put together and there were things in the plot that just didn't really seem to fit - like starting every chapter with a quote from The Art of War..did we need that? Also the main character majored in Latin which was only relevant in that she randomly spouted proverbs in Latin throughout for seemingly no reason? And otherwise had absolutely no stake in the plot at all. It kinda felt like the author was trying to make the character more developed by giving them a trait that wasn't necessarily directly relevant to the plot but it just felt really random.

Recommended if you like employee revenge, ridiculous work stories, or fluffy foster kittens.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Anastasia Ryan for an advance listening copy of You Should Smile More in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed the premise of this book and found myself rooting for the main & supporting characters throughout the novel. I enjoyed seeing the attempt of taking down Directus while listening!! The narrator did a great job of keeping me engaged and focused when listening (and that's a hard feat for me)!! This is a cute little rom com that features some cute cats!! I hope all my rom com and cat lovers pick this one up on February 2nd!!

This was a really fun audiobook! Vanessa Blair dislikes her job but it works for now as she fosters kittens and pats her bills. One day she is surprised to find herself called into her boss’s office, where she is fired due to her RBF. Really?! Really. Her friends try to help her plot against the company to expose just how terrible the work environment is. What she really wants to do is move on. Find a job she enjoys. A monkey wrench is thrown into things when she faces trouble, as her boss rejects her unemployment claim. What is uncovered as a result of this all was more than Vanessa and her friends ever bargained for… Thanks Anastasia Ryan, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC!

Quick listen, felt like there could have been a little bit more storyline line. I loved her Mother and her Bridge Group I would read a book just about them and their crazy adventures.

This audiobook started off really good! The amount of cats and humor was great and it was easy to follow along! However, towards the middle I lost the plot and was unsure what was even going on anymore. There was A LOT happening and it made me lose interest fast. This book isn’t something that I would read again but I think reading it physically would help with the experience over listening to it!

Despite that I still finished and I can say that the appearance of cats really makes this book! When the boss’ wife is reunited with her cat reminded me of me with my own cat and I am happy she got reunited and the corrupt people got what they deserved!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this Audio ARC!

DNF

I was about to write that perhaps satires just aren’t for me, but sts not true. I have rated some satires well.

This.. nope, I can’t. Perhaps it is because I am a lawyer or perhaps it is because I can’t do another main character who is supposed to be smart (she has a 4.0, see) but does incredibly dumb things.

This book had me laughing out load so many times! it was so enjoyable! The Bridge Brigade was my favorite & I want to be friends with all those old ladies! When they bugged the office & could hear Xavier giving himself a pep talk I was in stitches. The story had great pacing & I wizzed through it. The perfect easy/relaxing read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an ARC of You Should Smile More in exchange for an honest review.

Findings of Fact
Vanessa Blair loves fostering kittens, and volunteers for a local animal shelter. Until recently, she was unhappily employed at Directis, a telemarketing company. In addition to being overworked and held to impossible goals, Vanessa and her co-workers were forced to participate in a number of terrible corporate morale building activities like a lunchtime Office Olympics and synchronized chair dancing performances. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Vanessa was fired by her gross, always-barefoot Xavier Adams for her allegedly “dark soul” and “resting bitch face.” Over drinks that night with her friends Jane (also fired the same day) and Trisha (retained, but on a “permanent probation”), Vanessa wallows and talks of revenge, only to learn the next morning that Tricia has bugged the Directis office and is putting their drunken, over-the-top plans for vengeance in motion. Vanessa is torn between wanting to move on and find a better career path and wanting to uncover why she and so many others have been recently fired. Throw in a cute unemployment agent named Carter, and a wildly intrusive mother, and Vanessa’s life seems to have come to something of a crossroads….

Issue
Is You Should Smile More a book worthy of your time?

Law
“Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine.” — Sun Tzu

Reasoning
I don’t know that I would have picked up You Should Smile More were it not for the multiple references to the main character filing a claim for unemployment compensation benefits. I have a connection to the field, and I just had to see how the system would be portrayed (that’s also what gave me the idea to write this review like an unemployment hearing decision). While there were moments that had me sounding like a doctor watching Grey’s Anatomy and muttering at the screen “that’s not how that works,” it was a reasonable depiction overall. The only significant quibble I’d make is that I don’t believe there’s any state where an employee can legally sign away their right to file for unemployment benefits.

And what about the great majority of You Should Smile More’s story that is not about Vanessa’s pursuit of unemployment benefits, you ask? I’m happy to report that it’s good. Maybe it’s because I just watched it, but the story here really reminded me of the movie 9 to 5. Like Dabney Coleman, Xavier Adams is cartoonishly evil, a dozen bad boss stories rolled into a single villain. And like Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton, our heroines Vanessa, Jane, and Trisha will have their comically exaggerated revenge through everything from glitter bombs to conspiracy walls to wildlife gone wild. Vanessa’s interest in Carter the unemployment agent is a fun subplot, but it’s a minor one; this book is not a romance or even a rom-com. And Vanessa’s mom and her bridge group regularly appear to stress Vanessa out and take matters into even more absurd directions.

Decision
You Should Smile More is a fun story about an insane corporate workplace, the friends you make along the way, and figuring out how to get the career you truly want. And the audiobook is very well-performed by Hillary Huber. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.