My edition: Kindle Unlimited & Audio
Pages: 222
Length: 7 hr 4m
Narrated: Rachel Hollis
Genre: non-fiction, self-help
Published: Feb 6, 2018
Rating: 2 stars
Synopsis:
Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.
Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.
From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son’s request that she buy a necklace to “be like the other moms,” Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.
Review:
I had this on audio and then I saw it was on KU as well. What could I do but listen while following along with the KU? To be honest the only reason this book is on my TBR is because it was hyped up. Well if you follow me, you know my track record with hyped books. It’s not always the best.
I feel like I read more one-star reviews than I did five-star ones. Also, I have seen that there wasn’t really a middle ground. It was either love or hate the book. I tried going in with an open mind. But the open mind was based on the question is this Christian? There are many things and people out there that have a tag that says it’s Christian, only to find out it’s anything but. So with that in mind here is my review…
I tried really hard to listen to the audio, but I’m not a fan of Rachel’s narration. So I put the audio aside and just plowed through the KU. By plowing, I mean I skimmed some things. Right off the bat, I wasn’t a fan of the writing as well as the narration. Another truth, I had no idea who Rachel Hollis was, still kind of don’t. I only know her through two books that popped up and were super hyped. Yes, I have both books on KU. I have put these books off for so long because of the hype and the bad reviews. I’m not one to follow lifestyle people, because I don’t like that kind of stuff. People tend to make idols out of the lifestyle and get completely disappointed in themselves because they don’t look like those kinds of people. So I try to stay away from such things. That is why I’m very shocked I have her books.
There are some aspects of this book that are cliche. A reason I stay away from self-help books is that it’s almost redundant. I feel like they repeat the same stuff just in different ways. That’s what I felt about the topics Rachel brings up. Such examples like stop comparing, surrounding yourself with positivity, do what makes you happy. Those are amazing tips, but when repeated constantly they lose the value of what they had. We are now desensitized and we pass by with no regard because it’s been done before. I’m not a fan of how Rachel presents such tips as these. Again, that’s me not liking the writing.
I feel like Rachel is trying to be gentle in approaching her topics but sounds a bit judgmental. She just comes off wrong. I don’t know Rachel personally to say yes she is judgmental or no she just didn’t get the wording right. I can’t say that but I can see how people perceive her to be judgmental.
Is this book worth the hype? No. I don’t think so. If you want to read it to find out for yourself, then read it. If not then don’t. It’s not a life-changing book in my opinion. But that’s also because most of her topics are dealt with better in other self-help books. Is this book Christian? I don’t think so. Was it written by a Christian author? I can’t tell you yes or no. In this book alone, Rachel mentions she’s pentecostal. Though reading this God isn’t glorified nor does she really talk about her walk with Christ and how that helped her. So I really don’t think it is Christian. God may be mentioned but He is not the focal point.
To me, this is just another self-help book on how to rely on yourself and “fix” your own future. If it was truly Christian non-fiction, she would have talked about how to trust in God and what her walk with Christ looks like along with how that helped her be better. What she talks about and her tips are great for anyone. You don’t have to be a Christian for this. Like I said earlier, what she talks about has been done in other self-help books. They just do a better job of getting the point across. Again, this book doesn’t deserve the hype it has.
If this book helped you, cool. For me, it was lacking.
The Kansan Reader 