Loved this collection of essays on unlearning the pressures so many women put upon themselves—all told through fresh, voice-y anecdotes from Mattoo's life.

I received an ARC of this book, and I loved it. I think the best writers are able to suck you in and make you identify with them even when you are different, and this author did that. I am not an immigrant or a parent, two strong aspects of her identity, and yet I kept feeling like she “got me” and like my best friend could have written this.

I love how unpretentious she is, how she recognizes both her privileges and challenges together. She acknowledges fights with her husband while simultaneously describing him with utmost love and respect and kindness. It feels real, and like I would love to be her friend. Warm.

The plot of the essays does follow her overall desire to control less in her life, to set better boundaries and priorities, to understand who and why she is how she is. I loved how each essay both built on the previous ones and could stand alone. Sometimes it feels like authors just throw a bunch of stories together, and this felt better thought-out and intentional. I never felt preached at, but I felt I was choosing strategies and ideas to take and improve my own life cadences. I used one this morning. Beautiful book.

Funny, smart, and surprisingly useful for a book about being less useful. Priyanka Mattoo makes a strong case for doing less, caring less about being endlessly productive, and giving yourself permission to step back once in a while. I finished it feeling slightly less guilty about not optimizing every waking minute.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely adored this book! Priyanka Mattoo shares her experiences in a vulnerable and raw style. This reads like a collection of essays with an overarching story that was easy to dip in and out of. I loved the honesty, humor, and writing style. I related to the author in many ways, especially as an eldest daughter who often feels responsible for fixing everyone's problems. I really enjoyed getting to follow along with Priyanka as she spent time deeply reflecting, learning how to spend her energy more sustainably and how to let her community support her back. While Priyanka shares what she’s learned, and habits she’s tried to implement, it’s never preachy. Rather than telling the reader what to do or try she simply shares her experiences. While I think the target audience is midlife, I thoroughly enjoyed it in my late 20s and would absolutely recommend it to any readers who are looking for an honest and witty memoir, especially women who struggle with feeling like they need to be able to do it all.