I just loved this book and it was a great surprise as I am not a fan of travel books but this one was different.
I know it may seem silly to someone who has not read the book but i felt honoured to have been let into the lives of Kim and Brian and travel with them.
I felt sad when it looked as if their lives were unravelling and happy when they discovered each other over again.
The yellow envelope money which is an extrinsic part of the story makes one think of the small jesters that can go into human kindness and make such a difference.
I would suggest that if anyone who is considering to go travelling should read this book as it is a great insight into what to expect.
I cannot praise this book high enough five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book. I loved the premise of this book. The idea of traveling to far off places to find a sense of fulfillment, and along the way have the opportunity to brighten the lives of others. This was quite a journey.

The Yellow Envelope a book written by travel writer Kim Dinan tell the amazing adventures spent by her and her husband in the world. In a different world less civilized but maybe more real.

The Yellow Envelope, incredible to believe, rejected by publishing houses something like 100 times before to being embraced by Sourcebooks a publishing house opened to tell at the world histories of people very diversified.

The launch of The Yellow Envelope just few days ago. You can find the book in your local bookstore or Amazon.

It's a story this one I feel very close.

Days ago in fact I lunched with some neighbors and very close friends. We said all good-bye to a childhood friend and her husband. They decided to leave their big city, Milan for going to live to Cambodia.
A big change.
I was very worried for them and I remember I saw more negative than positive sides of this choice and I am sorry for it, I am still complaining with myself, because I projected on them all my doubts and perplexities not being at all psychologically helpful.

Reading this book I understood that there is a lot of richness in the exploration of the world.

Most people for the most different reasons decide to drastically change their existence.

Kim Dinan didn't have any financial problems like also her husband Brian. Just she didn't love anymore her house, her job, her reality.

Her western structured civilized life where certainties were spending an entire day closed in office, in a cubicle, and then back home, in a safe home the couple decided to buy with all themselves and restored completely. Although these blessings, Kim felt that no: they were not enough to her for being happy. She wasn't searching for a comfort-zone, it became intolerant to her, she was searching for exploration, for a face-to.face with the most unknown and sometimes also dangerous world.

Kim wanted to travel, to discover the world, a different world. To write about what she would have seen and lived.

Kim was searching for a world able to enrich her spiritual life with new meaning, a world able to let her become a good travel writer and a different human being.

Her husband Brian followed her without hesitations.

In the process of selling the house once invited by a couple and for dinner this couple changed maybe the course of their future trips influencing also their future: they donated them in fact a yellow envelope with 1000 dollars with three rules:

- # Rule 1- Don't over think it. It's important not to think too much of the best thing that you can do with this money. Listen to your soul and try to do your best with this money, giving away money in any way that makes you come a life.

Rule # 2- Share your experience: people you decided to donate your money at, and why. But just what you want to tell. Keep the rest for yourself.

Rule 3 #: Don't feel pressured to give it all away.

With this touching gesture from their Portland's friends and the melancholy of their beautiful house sold with all the furniture inside, apart few journals and other little items saved, the couple Kim and Brian ready for leaving for Ecuador.

They arrived at La Brib.

They needed to keep clean the place where they stayed in and their main rule was to teach to children, something Kim does with pleasure although not knowing spanish at the end will confess that these children donated her much more than not what she donated them.

Agatha one of the first children interested (at the beginning the example of the "tax driver") by the couple for the project: The Yellow Letter.

Agatha was in fact orphan of dad from a year and she was very sad, although money not only couldn't reinstitute her dad to her, but couldn't also remove the sadness in her heart. Then there was another old couple who needed a pair of shoes.

Kim felt during this process melancholy for her choice: the desire of returning to the USA sometimes strong, although she understood that what she was doing was good.

It was in Peru, La Mancora that the frictions with Brian became more serious, and where also another couple of friends started to develop problems, while another couple seemed to stay very well together. There wasn't any kind of great sex since Brian and Kim left Portland. Brian a closed man, someone who didn't want to tell his feelings to her and what truly believed of all of this story as well. The couple together from more than a decade, surely Kim knew her husband a lot and understood that he wasn't feeling great.

The couple visited Titicaca and then moved to Lima, but they also passed through other beautiful mountains like Pachatata and Pachamama, the Mother and Father Earth ending up at Amantani's island.

These populations live also of a system of collectivism. Children who wants to go to school as it happens in every other rural place in the world must go somewhere else for attending the other grades of school. For this reason to the local people of Amantini Island tourists are so important.


For some people little money mean a lot and for Veronica, another destinatary of the yellow envelope it meant richness. There is in fact a great disparity or there was, between our living system and the living-system in South America.

Sure the relationship between Brian and Kim is at the same time not going on well.
Brian quit his job and followed his wife in the world for traveling but both appear at the same time miserable.

Kim discover that maybe she doesn't want to be married anymore but Brian will continue to follow her in her trips.

After some brief moments in Germany the couple afford to India.
India is a beautiful place, absolutely, stunning for spirituality. Sure not the cleanest place of this world. Animals respected as people because Indian thinks that animals are reincarnation of their dear ones.

Many adventures and not just in India but in Nepal, Indonesia, with also a great surprise at the end of the book.

The Yellow Envelope speaks of personal growth through a radical change of life-style and if we want, certainties. The certainties of routine, work, friends, habits, customs, put behind for starting to research something new.

At the same time, the couple of Brian and Kim will grow up more solid experiencing with their same eyes what it mean to populations less lucky than them The Yellow Envelope and the word solidarity.

To some of them maybe it was a change of destiny, a big help for their children, or something able to make the difference in better.

Wherever they went, Brian and Kim didn't never forget the lesson of The Yellow Envelope.
Random act of Kindness as remark the author very important in a world desperately in need of it.


I thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this book

Kim Dinan has given us a fascinating memoir telling of her journey, with her husband, around the world. As they prepared to set off on their adventure, their friends gave them a yellow envelope containing $1,000 for them to use for those in need on their journey.

Whilst I found the descriptive way the author talks of the places visited very interesting, I would have preferred to read more of this than the sections which read more journal-like. However, this is clearly a memoir and not just a travel story.

I would recommend this as a very fascinating read. The synopsis had me excited to get started and I was not disappointed!

Thank you to Netgalley and SourceBooks for the opportunity to read an advance copy prior to publication.

Well written travelogue and memoir, although I occasionally became weary of the self exploration. Kim and Brian have first world problems. The concept of the yellow envelope is a good one and it helped to take them out of their own heads. $1000 is not a lot of money really so they are forced to make thoughtful decisions. This really is more memoir/self help than travel book- I would have liked more about the places they visited. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is perfect for EatPrayLove fans.

This was am interesting memoir journeying through Kim and her husbands travels. It did remind me of eat pray love in its reflection. Thanks to netgalley for my early copy.

I really enjoyed this travel memoir with a difference. I loved the author's wonderful descriptions of the countries she visited, making me feel as if I was on the journey with her. Although difficult to read at times, I did enjoy her honesty about her emotions and feelings toward her husband and their marriage. The dilemma about about who and how to share the yellow envelope money with was fascinating, I could imagine myself feeling the same way in each situation.

I definitely recommend this if you enjoy travel writing and memoirs and for those who enjoyed Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Source books for my digital copy.

Format: Paperback
With it's mysterious title, interesting synopsis and eye-catching book cover, this book caught my attention immediately. I'm a sucker for real-life stories and travel. Despite a comfortable and happy life with her husband in Oregon, Kim Dinan decided she wanted a change of scene. She convinces her husband to join her on this venture and they sell their home and possessions. While saying goodbye to their dear friends, they find themselves armed with the contents of a yellow envelope which contains $1,000. To make things more exciting, there are three rules they must abide by while they are away. They set off on the journey of a lifetime, a voyage of self-discovery. Told by Kim, The Yellow Envelope takes the reader on an exciting adventure through different countries as she and her husband experience cultures that they didn't know about before. The book is written in the style and tone of a diary and I was swept along with the descriptions of the couple's experiences in each country. Thank you to the publisher (Sourcebooks- Non Fiction) for a copy of the book via NetGalley.

The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan

I was excited by the description of this book – and was not disappointed in the least. It lived up to my expectations and much, much more.

The premise of giving up your job, selling everything you own and casting off into the world just you and your husband, is really, really scary. Anyone who has travelled somewhere where they not only do not comprehend the language but are unable to read the written words, let alone say them, will understand. This is described perfectly when the intrepid pair arrive in Ecuador, where they do not know whether they are in a safe place, or whether they can trust the police – who are heavily armed.

Following Kim and her husband from place to place where they rely on one another was revealing. I liked Kim and was sad that their relationship was going through such turmoil. At the same time, the generosity of their donors with the money in the yellow envelope was amazing and even though they lived through the experiences vicariously, the sheer goodness of their spirit was uplifting.

What came through loud and clear was ‘there are good people throughout the world, we just need to be able to recognise that’.

Thank you Ms Dinan, I thorough enjoyed your book which was well-written, well-presented and very uplifting.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Yellow Envelope is the true story of how Kim and her husband quit their jobs, sold all their possessions and travelled the world. Before they left, their friends gave them a yellow envelope of money to give away to those they encountered on their travels. The rules for the envelope were simple: Don’t overthink it; share your experiences; and don’t feel pressured to give it all away. I was excited to receive an arc of this story because I thought it was a wonderful premise of paying it forward on a global level. My first mistake was thinking it would mimic Eat, Pray, Love as far as the travel details go. I found the descriptions of the places that they traveled to to be fairly sparse. The predominant focus of the book is on Kim and her struggle to make up her mind about what she wants. I knew I was in trouble when not long after arriving she seems genuinely shocked that things are difficult because she doesn’t speak or understand the language. I was also really surprised at their choices of lodging. I completely understand traveling on a budget, but I draw the line at covering a hole in the floor with a blanket so the cockroaches don’t climb over me while I sleep. It’s just not how I imagined a couple who both had very high paying jobs and had sold all their possessions would go out and see the world. They do give out yellow envelope money on a few occasions, but this too, seems overshadowed by the author’s internal struggles and dialogues in regards to her marriage and what she wants out of life. The book just wasn’t what I expected it to be, so it’s 3 out of 5 stars for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars

When Kim and her husband decide to quit their jobs and travel the world, they are given a yellow envelope with $1000 to distribute to those they want to help in some way. They begin in South America and eventually make their way to India and other countries in Asia. Kim and Brian argue A LOT and that sadly was the focus far too often in the book. I think I was hoping for a book like I Will Always Write Back or even No Summit Out of Sight where the reader gains a lot of information and insight about the foreign locations in the book. While there is some of that here, the focus is really on Kim and how unhappy she frequently seems to be. Having the opportunity to take the time to travel the world is not something everyone experiences, and at times it was almost painful to read the complaining instead of witnessing her taking advantage of this wonderful trip. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I might have mentioned my love for travel once or twice before, and as soon as I saw this travel memoir I had to request a copy. I enjoy reading non fiction and I've had the chance to visit both Peru and Ecuador twice, so I was looking forward to read about the author's experience in those countries as well as those in Asia. Unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy The Yellow Envelope as much as I thought I would and the story fell kind of flat for me. Rather than a true travel memoir, this story has mostly been a (rather self-centered) description of the author’s failing relationship with her husband, feelings and journey of self-discovery; definitely not what I expected at all and not as enjoyable to read either. Another thing that bothered me were the (negative) cliches about the countries they visited; I've traveled both alone and with my partner in both Ecuador and Peru during roughly the same time period (2012-2013) and I don't think the descriptions of those countries are just or accurate. I also felt that both countries and people in general were talked down to; each country/culture/person is unique in its own way and the negativity really bothered me. I also don't think it is right to claim there is a correct/superior way to travel either; each person should be able to decide which way is best for them and the 'superior' tone was actually quite annoying. And that's coming from someone who has traveled for a long time without a real home as well, so I kind of know what I'm talking about. I'll stop this rant and say that if you are looking for a memoir about the story of the road to self-discovery with just a hint of travel, The Yellow Envelope will probably interest you. I liked the idea of the yellow envelope and what it represents; it was probably the strongest feature of this memoir.

Kim Dinan tells the story of her own true adventure. She and her husband Brian decided to leave the rat race and set out on a journey around the world. They had to sell everything, and sacrifice their lifestyles in order to do so. It's a pipe dream for many of us, so since these guys were prepared to make such a hardcore decision for real, I was happy to grab the book and live vicariously through their experiences.

The yellow envelope was given to them by their friends Michele and Glenn, who wanted to make a tangible gesture toward the trip. They presented the envelope, full of cash, to be distributed along the way to worthy recipients as Kim and Brian felt led.

Whew, the first part wasn't at all like I expected, and I found myself getting irritated by Kim's impossible-to-please attitude toward Brian. The travelogue took the back-burner to whether or not their marriage could be salvaged. She convinced him to quit a job he liked to jump on board with her idea, then decided that maybe what she really wanted was just to be alone, because being regarded as one half of a whole cramped her style! The theme of that chunk of pages was, 'I want to figure out who I am without being defined by you. Just sit in this corner and give me space until I figure it out.'

At that stage, she gave me the picture of a totally self-focused person. Kim does whatever Kim wants to do, and Brian learns that even when he gives up everything and lets her call all the shots, she's still not happy. Whenever she expressed puzzlement over not having as much fun and joy as she expected, I remembered the old saying, 'Wherever you go, there you are.' I think her spiritual crisis was the type we westerners have. From what I've observed, Easterners just seem to get on with their lives, knowing deep in their hearts that there's no point in buying into all the angst about finding ourselves, since we're all part of something larger anyway.

Yeah, her attitude drove me nuts at that point, and all that kept me reading was the fact that she wrote Brian's point of view with sensitivity and understanding too. It gave me hope that she'd discover a new way of looking at things, which is what did happen. She experienced a revelation about the misguided focus of her attitude which revolutionised her way of seeing things and saved their marriage. The second part, when they set out as best friends on the same page, is far nicer to read.

The descriptions of the places they visited were great, although there wasn't enough of them compared to the emotional angst. I love their initial plan, which was to have no plan. The book introduces snippets of the lifestyles of people who are living lives poles apart from most of us, with several interesting culture shock moments. Even day to day greetings show the different mindsets. While Americans and Aussies may ask, 'What do you do?' people in India naturally ask, 'What's your concept of God?'

When they bump into other first world tourists along the way, Kim and Brian figure out the difference between tourists and true travellers. Tourists never actually leave home in their hearts, and demand their usual comforts wherever they are, whereas travellers are driven by a true desire to enter other worlds to the extent that this is possible. It's what Kim and Brian felt they achieved after the experiences of this book take them through Ecuador, Peru, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Mexico.

I do like how she says she found what she was looking for, even though it didn't look like she expected it to. That's something that tends to happen even to those of us who don't travel the globe.

Thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for my review copy.

Kim Dinan decided that she needed a change. She persuaded her husband that they should both quit their jobs in Oregon, sell all their possessions, and travel around the world without any specific plan. Before leaving, close friends gave them a yellow envelope containing $1000 to be given away as they saw fit on their journey. The Yellow Envelope is Dinan’s memoir of that journey. This is another book that leaves me with a mix of likes and dislikes. I liked the premise, and found the places Dinan traveled to interesting, but I would have liked a travelogue that was more outward looking – focused on what Dinan and her husband saw and did, and the people they met during their travels. There was definitely some of that – each section has a country as its title and Dinan does talk about some of what they did. But The Yellow Envelope is very much focused on Dinan’s personal inner journey – what led her to make the decision to go on the trip, the intense struggles she had during the trip over her relationship with her husband, the inner challenges she faced in deciding who to give money to from the yellow envelope, and her surprise and delight at discovering how nice and generous people around the world are. To me, her memoir is peppered with too many inner emotional struggles and epiphanies. I’ve read a few memoirs recently, and I’ve been impressed with those that take me to a time or place that is unfamiliar to me, and that minimize the moments of reckoning in a way that allows them to feel meaningful. The Yellow Envelope felt more like a diary – Dinan’s very personal inner step by step rationalizations and attempts to understand her decisions and reactions throughout her period of travel. Unfortunately, this inner gaze didn’t always give me a good view of what she saw and did during her travels or a sense that she saw the people she met during her travels in all their dimensions. I suspect my reaction is a question of taste. Many people will be interested in Dinan’s decision to “give it all up” to travel and its attendant personal consequences. For me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Kim has got the life she’s always wanted to live: a good job, a husband who really loves her and a nice house in a good neighbourhood. Still, at some point of her life, she starts feeling like something is missing. Anxiety never lets her alone and her life doesn’t seem to fit her anymore. One day, she realises what she really wants to do: to travel the world and to write books. These have always been her dreams, but she’s given up to them a long time before. At the beginning, her husband Brian is really skeptical about that, but then he gives in and the couple finally decides to sell everything they own and to start travelling the world. Shortly before their departure, Michele, Kim’s first boss, gives them a yellow envelope which contains a short letter full of instructions and a 1000$ check. There are just three rules to be followed. One of them consists in giving away that money following the instinct and nothing else, in order to make the world a better place to live in.

From Ecuador to Argentina, from Nepal to Indonesia, Kim and Brian’s journey entertains the reader while teaching him that life has to be taken as it is, without forcing it or trying to be something we’re not meant to be.

I really enjoyed this book and I’ve finished it in few days. What really strucks me is the complete honesty of the book. Kim never tries to soften the blow and she doesn’t want to make travel seem as a 24/7 happy adventure. On the contrary, she tries to show us how travel can be heartbreaking and emotionally hard to bear and, at the same time, she also explains how the world can be supportive when things become unsustainable.

I think this is an incredible good book to be read not only for travellers but also for anyone else. Indeed, the main aim of the book is not to tell you “Look how brave I was! You should do the same!”. Not at all. The main aim of the book is to make you question yourself and the life you’re living, in order to understand that sometimes life is worth a radical change.

I received an email from Kim Dinan at the beginning of the month about her travel memoir and thought #1: hmmm, this sounds interesting and #2: I would love to do something like this. The memoir is not focused only on the "ups" of Kim's travels, she invites the reader right in and holds nothing back about her feelings. She is raw in her emotions and her stream of consciousness writing was very relatable to me and how my thoughts wander in situations as well. Even though Kim and her husband sell all their belongings and travel the world, they're still a married couple and that means there are always issues/problems. It was lovely to read about a woman who was working on "finding herself" both individually and as a half of a partnership. While the "yellow envelope money" guides the story, I found the story of Kim's personal growth the storyline I most identified with. If you loved Wild and Eat, Pray, Love, and Pay It Forward, this is the book for you!

I really connected with The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan. The concept of the yellow envelope was very simple: Do with the money as you want. Help others, spend it all, keep it. It had a few rules: to not overthink things, to share their experiences if they wanted to, and to not feel pressured to give it all away. This notion is a bit stressful at first because there were so many people who would benefit from their money, but eventually it became a gift of its own, and I really enjoyed that aspect.
One of the few passages from the book that touched my heart are these:
“The lines between what came from us and what came from the yellow envelope were blurred. Eventually we’d agreed that it didn’t really matter. The yellow envelope made us more aware of opportunities to give, and that awareness made us more charitable. Whether we were giving yellow envelope money or our own felt less important than the fact that we were giving at all.”
I would recommend reading this book and feeling the change of how you look at giving (be it money or of your time)

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNFed at 51%.

Kim decides that she's sick of her regular 9 to 5 existence and convinces her husband that she missed out on traveling the world and writing. The only way to rectify this travesty is for them to quit their jobs and head out to South America where they can travel cheaply. Friends give them a yellow envelope as a gift with money they can give away if they like.

9% in I knew I was in trouble with this book. I say: “Okay this woman is crazy! I loved she started with the story about the boy and haggling with him. That whet my interest before she got into how obsessed she was about her midlife crisis…”

22% in I was so, so tired of this woman that if I could I would have given her husband a medal for enduring her! This is what I said: “I find this woman incredibly selfish… now at her first stop not only does she regret doing this but now she feels the husband she convinced to go with her to be an albatross around her neck. She wants to travel alone and be free of his noncommittal ways. *rolls eyes* but it’s all worth it because the kids taught her to let go and she’s working up to making a mistake…”

34% in I decide that I have truly been deceived about this book… I say: “I feel like this book is more about Kim trying to decide if she should get a divorce or not rather than about the yellow envelope or her travel experiences. Telling us that she’s been cheating in her mind while her husband is wishing for them to be happy together does not endear me to her.”

37% I was fed up…I say: “I am seriously considering DNFing this. I HATE doing that to a book I’ve been given for free to review but my honest opinion is this book misrepresented itself. It did not talk about a crazy selfish woman who dragged her husband on this trip only to struggle not to cheat, leave or divorce the man! This is supposed to be about the experiences from the trip… can’t read anymore today…”

The horrible fact is the mid-life crisis continued without relenting. We get these same thoughts over and over and over and over again all through the 50% I read until he finally agrees… I won’t say that the recount of her travels was without some mention of the places she visited or the experiences she had but they were a dim 5th or 6th to her ranting about her feelings and how she must be alone without her lousy husband who agreed to this trip at her insistence. I can’t say that I would recognize a single place she mentioned if I visited it myself. The descriptions were that poor.

“I loved the idea of the visit to the lake island but the descriptions were too abysmal! Literally just “a crushing blue sky”! What about the lake and the ruins – I mean describe it!!”

What really incenses me is that the yellow envelope was rather incidental to her whole experience. It was more about her learning how delusional she is and how focused on appearances she’s been. Kim literally runs her husband into the ground, it’s hard to respect this woman though I understand. She’s been told to believe only she matters, only her feelings and her perspective.

I waited until the great rickshaw race and when that turned into self congratulating about how kicking her husband to the curb was the way to go I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to like this book! I wanted to read about cultures and people that Kim fell in love with, hated or scared her. I wouldn’t have minded if her struggles in her marriage were a brief part of the story that highlighted what she learned from her cultural experiences. But I drowned in the overwhelming ranting… It felt like she simply pulled what she’d written while on her trip and was so self-centered that all she found in her journal were simple notes about the people/places and pages and pages about her marriage.

I sincerely felt finishing the book would damage my own mental health.

BOTTOM LINE: A guide on how to divorce one’s husband.**

**To be frank I don’t care if they worked it out and all is happy between them. I really disliked being ranted into a corner so much that I didn’t care a flying flip about Kim or the state of her marriage!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The yellow envelope taught me how to give, not just money, but to give of myself." I've never been fond of memoirs, can't give any good excuse why not, it's just not my reading-thing. But this travel memoir by Kim Dinan might just change my future views on memoirs.

Kim turns into a wonderful storyteller through her travels across the globe. Ecuador, Peru, Nepal, India, Vietnam - all these places reel by in your mind and yes, they are all so infinitely google-able. Every time Kim and Brian touched shore at a different location - it was googled.

Even more than enjoying all the great "sight-seeings", I thoroughly enjoyed the way Kim shared her thoughts through all the different places, people, animals and transport devices she experienced. - "As a traveler, I'd only ever be passing through, but I wanted to slow down and stay still long enough for the country to make an imprint in my bones. As we cycled on, I knew I missed something that could only be learned by stopping".

For more quotes from this highly Enjoyable travel memoir, follow my blog: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/...