Book Review: Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Standalone Memoir

Publisher: Dey St

Release Date: 28th October 2014

Read Date: 26th July 2015

Tagged Under: 2015 read, 2015 favourites, audiobook, non-fiction, memoir, 4.5, book review

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Book Summary

In Amy Poehler's highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy's charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.

Book Review

I am not a Poehler fangirl. I don't watch Saturday Night Live. I have only seen a couple of episodes of Parks and Recreation. I am not a keen follower of comedy. Before picking up this audiobook, the only thing I remember about Amy Poehler is that she may or may not have been the "reporter" in the Sarah Palin sketch comedy I watched on YouTube several years ago.

So I can honestly say that my love and admiration for this book is totally unbiased.

I read Yes Please as an audiobook. I picked it up on a whim mainly because I was really behind on my GR reading challenge and needed creative ways to squeeze a bit more reading into my life. Although my previous experiences with audiobooks weren't bad, they didn't really make me fall in love with the medium. But after hearing great reviews from my GR friends about how audiobook is definitely the way to go with this book, I decided to give it a shot.

As an audiobook, it was absolutely fantastic. Everything about it just worked. Amy Poehler's narration was so warm, bubbly and easy to listen to. Her job as a comedian really shines through because the book is just so funny. Even when it is starting to get serious or solemn because of the topic at hand, Poehler is quick with a joke to lighten the mood again.

Another great feature of the audiobook is that Poehler brought in her friends and family to narrate along with her. With bits of ad lib thrown in, the audiobook really felt more like a podcast than a memoir. I really had a pleasant time listening to this book. 

As a book alone, Yes Please is a great memoir. The book jacket description is absolutely spot on when it said this book is "a big juicy stew" because that's exactly what it is. I'm struggling to come up with a better phrase than that. Life is difficult and it is messy. And although some readers will find the constant back and forth between past and present, as well as the changes in topics, confusing, I really didn't have a problem with any of that.

Overall 

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, entertaining and above all, real. While there is plenty of humour, there are also valuable life lessons. Even if you are not a fan of non-fiction and memoirs (I'm not either), I would still highly recommend this book!