Book Review: The Year of Yes

I know I am a bit late to the party reading this book, in hindsight, I am glad I didn’t rush out to read it when everyone else was. Again, I listened to the Audiobook that is read by Shonda which does make it a little more authentic in many ways.

Overall though I can’t say that The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes would make even my top 30 list of favourite books.

Like millions of other people I love her shows – How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal are two of my top shows! And while Greys Anatomy may have gone of for 14 seasons too many, the creation of the Gray-Yang friendship will be one of the best TV couples ever! So I had high hopes for this book.

The basic premise of the book – say yes more to things that make you scared or that bring you joy. As someone who says no, a lot, I can see the value in doing this. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone to start living your life more intentionally and mindfully. It is inspiring to watch her life improve and her experiences grow richer as she starts saying yes to more and more. It has made me more intentional about what I am saying no and have often switched my no’s to yeses as a result.

It is always interesting for me to get a glimpse behind the scenes of extremely successful and popular women. I love the fact that she is an intentional single mom who had her 3 children on her terms, when and how she felt ready. She also talks often and openly about having (and needing) help – she doesn’t have it all, instead she has what she wants.

There is, however, a lot of waffling, a fair amount of humble bragging, don’t get me wrong, I have huge respect for Shonda Rhimes, she is a powerhouse and deserves to scream her achievements loud and proud, but it feels misplaced almost in the context of this book.

Would I recommend you read this book, yeah if you can get your hands on a copy for free. Not sure I would spend money on it.