One thought on “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person”

1. Ok so I know this review is of a personal vendetta than an actual reflection of the book itself, but I had to stop reading 5 minutes in when she criticized the idea of being a quiet librarian in Ohio As an actual quiet librarian living in Ohio, all I have to say is what s wrong with that

   Reply

---

2. 300 pages of Shonda ramblingOh, how I wanted to like this To think the book from the woman who owns Thursday night prime time could be so trivial is shocking than most of the characters she kills off I wanted to root for her like Tyra, but kept feeling like she was just meandering and bragging about things while rarely reaching a cohesive point.The thing is that the book isn t boring, and her writing style seems much like her personality quite pleasant She just has such a roundabout way of expl [...]

   Reply

---

3. Who knew this was what I needed to hear Shonda Rimes did A gifted writer who has created some of America s beloved television characters, Rimes tells it like it is and reveals her flaws, insecurities, and weaknesses all while sharing the story of the greatest challenge she made for herself YEAR OF YES gives hardcore helpful advice on how you can t do it all, it s okay to admit you need help, and saying YES to yourself comes in many forms Highly recommend to all women

   Reply

---

4. I like the spirit behind this book and I like the author a lot, but I really disliked the tone of the writing I just felt like get to the point already.

   Reply

---

5. Shonda Rhimes heartfelt memoir about the power of embracing who you are and having the courage to set aside what you are not.Though outwardly successful, Shonda was miserable Between over working and her introverted tendencies, she turned down every invitation and social event The ones that she was forced to accept were anxiety inducing trials or complete blanks because of panic attacks.Shonda didn t even realize she was unhappy until, one Thanksgiving, her sister tells her that she doesn t say [...]

   Reply

---

6. Dear Ms Shonda Rhimes, I want to be your friend You don t know me but I want to be your friend Since I m requesting a friendship I should start by being honest first I m sorry but I ve never watch any of your show And I have to apology again since I will unlikely watch them in the future It s not you, it s me But thank you for saying yes for a year, and writing your experiences in a funny, frank, honest book which felt like we had a long conversation over a delicious lunch as if we were friends [...]

   Reply

---

7. It was OK it wasn t what I expected it to be an inspiring tale of someone taking on the world with one simple response to any question YES It was sadly egotistical and focused around a handful of experiences within that year no doubt profound to Shonda, but not thoroughly inspiring to the reader If you like Shonda Rhimes and want to learn about her, then great, this book is for you.For someone that doesn t like talking about herself, she does a really fabulous job of talking about herselfOn th [...]

   Reply

---

8. This was a surprisingly good book about confronting your fears and being open to new experiences Shonda Rhimes is the writer and producer of several popular TV shows, including Grey s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder A self described introvert, she realized she was always turning down opportunities to attend gatherings because she would rather stay home with her kids or just keep working.So she challenged herself to spend a year saying yes to things that scared her, such as goin [...]

   Reply

---

9. I wasn t going to say anything about this book because I abandoned it Then the publisher advertised it on my Facebook feed, inviting my comments I left a negative comment based on what I read, which the publisher then deleted So here goes.The self indulgent twaddle in this book became nauseous early on Rimes spends a surprising amount of time talking about whether or not certain situations will cause her to poop her pants I pulled the plug when she speculated about the sex life and drug abuse of [...]

   Reply

---

10. I was happily surprised when I was approached by a representative from Simon Schuster asking me if I was interested in reading Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes in exchange for an honest review I couldn t refuse I knew Rhimes s book was due to be released soon and wasn t sure if I d be able to pick it up to give it a try.Even though my work schedule has butchered my reading and blogging for the moment, I m still managing to read a bit here and there Year of Yes was my latest conquest and it arrived 4 [...]

    Reply

---

11. Shonda Rhimes narrates the audio version of this book, which took this book to the next level for me This book read just like one of her famously written shows I could her the characters she created coming to life and spinning off parts of Shonda While she certainly didn t share any tough childhood experiences, or struggles She managed to inspire and give hope for those that don t dream, but do She shares real instances of body image and stage fright, and breathed life into the woman behind the [...]

    Reply

---

12. Honestly, this book could ve have been 150 pages She repeats herself SOOOOOOO much Did you know she s a writer She is She s a writer She makes stuff up for a living, cuz guess what She s a writer Although the focus of the book is purportedly about how Shonda Rhimes finds a way to love herself, I can t help but think she loves herself quite a lot Part of me hates saying that because, well, good for her She should be proud, happy, and fulfilled I think that s great Even though I don t care for her [...]

    Reply

---

13. I do not like many memoirs And I do not like many inspirational books And yet here I am, really liking Shonda Rhimes inspirational memoir Initially I had my doubts I m a divorced single parent trying to make waves in a new career and scraping through to get food on the table She s arguably the biggest thing in television, running her own production company, and while she s a single mom, she s got a nanny, a support system, and plenty of money How does someone who has it all inspire you How do th [...]

    Reply

---

14. Is there anyone out there who doesn t think Shonda Rhimes is something special She has got it all going on, creating TV characters in a time frame that would cripple most of us for several shows that reflect the best and worst of ourselves She is a genuinely interesting personality So it was something of a shock to discover she is an introvert who would much rather stay home reading and writing in her PJs than get out there and take her place on stage But of course Rhimes is an introvert How els [...]

    Reply

---

15. Shockingly, the problems of a zillionaire TV mogul and my problems have zero overlap So nope.

    Reply

---

16. I listened to this audiobook the last two days and I really adored it Going into this book, I didn t know that it was by the writer of shows like Greys Anatomy, Private Practice and How to get away with murder Neither did I know who this Shonda Rhimes even was But the title caught my attention Year of Yes Year of yes Since I m a person who struggles to say YES on a daily basis, that title made me want to read this book I discovered that for autobiographical books, audiobooks work best for me I l [...]

    Reply

---

17. A fun and sometimes enlightening journey of personal growth I enjoyed myself a lot on various occasions but it failed to truly hit the spot It was funny, honest, and entertaining non the less I d still recommend it especially if you are a fan of her work One of those quick nice treats that come in book form.

    Reply

---

18. A combination of memoir and self help book, The Year of Yes was a quick and easy read It is written in a very conversational tone unlike many books in the self help genre and that may put off some readers So help me, I had absolutely no idea who Shonda Rhimes was and I must confess that I have never seen any of her TV shows The writing in this book left me wondering about the writing for the shows she must put on a different hat for writing those, for I can t imagine this style producing award w [...]

    Reply

---

19. I love love love this book It makes me want to really take care of myself and love myself If anyone needs an inspirational self help kinda read, whatever your main struggle in life, this book will help make you feel so much better Even if you re not looking for particular advice on a thing, like me, read it too Because we can always do with self encouragement and love from others, and Shonda Rhimes gives that here She is such a lovely role model and friend Yeah I do feel like we ve become frie [...]

    Reply

---

20. Beautiful A game changer I m going to try to take her words to heart because the knowledge she imparts is wise, true, and unapologetically real Every woman should read this book.

    Reply

---

21. I think a lot of people dream They are busy dreaming, the happy people, the really successful people, interesting, powerful, engaging people Are busy doingJust finished Year of Yes YES It was at times a bit down putting when Shonda described how she used to be and how she used to see herself as too big and too this and that but it picked up and became an empowering and inspirational read Some quotes l ll carry with me forever.

    Reply

---

22. At first glance, I m not the obvious audience for this book I ve never seen even a single episode of one of Shonda Rhimes s shows I m not bragging or anything I m just not a big TV watcher So I didn t pick up Year of Yes because I was a big fan I picked it up because the description resonated with me Shonda and I are both introverts who have to work to force ourselves out of our comfort zone I ve even done something similar to the Year of Yes already a few years back, I chose a word of intention [...]

    Reply

---

23. Originally Posted at Confessions of an Opinionated Book GeekI like to start every year with a memoir autobiography Non fiction book by someone who I respect and who inspires me As an aspiring television writer who wants to turn at least one of my many pilot scripts into an actual TV show you can imagine that Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are on my read shelf I love those women and they inspire me in every way, but do you know who my be all and end all of TV inspiration is You guessed it [...]

    Reply

---

24. I would say I m a 4 or 5 out of 10 on the Shonda Rhimes Television Show Enjoyment Index That I Just Made Up Right Now I watched maybe two seasons of Grey s Anatomy and then stopped I watched two seasons of Scandal and then gave it up I watched a few episodes of How to Get Away with Murder and then never watched any I think those shows are better than a lot of what s out there, but I just never found myself compelled to keep going I felt exactly the same way about this audiobook I liked hearing [...]

    Reply

---

25. I was slow to warm to this book I loved the idea of the topic and enjoy Rhimes work on television, but initially found her writing to be too casual and chatty to really hold my attention After putting it down for a few days, I picked it up again and found that I read half the book in one sitting Rhimes is confessional and funny, writing with a wit and rhythm that probably works best when read aloud of course, she writes for TV Once I adjusted to that rhythm, I couldn t get enough many passages m [...]

    Reply

---

26. que mulher meus amigos, que mulher.

    Reply

---

27. Holy cow, that was good in so many ways I had initially just picked it up because I heard the audio read by Rhimes was great I m finding lately that I m becoming increasingly inclined to check out an audiobook for its reader alone and not necessarily the storyweird Anyway, it quickly turned into this mega personal moment, being so perfectly timed on the verge of graduating with this second Master s degree and maybe finally having all the free time that I never had during my 20s along with desper [...]

    Reply

---

28. There s so much I want to say about this book but it appears I have no way to express myself.I d started to review it a few times but backspaced my words away One review was a letter to Shonda, explaining why we should be friends Nothing has felt right, though.All I can say that I felt an outpouring of love for this book.I wasn t necessarily in this to get pointers from her journey I took my own version of that journey years ago and mine was much different and much shorter But I loved hearing ho [...]

    Reply

---

29. Maybe it s because this was an audio read for me, and Shonda was SO DARN DELIGHTFUL speaking its words in my ear, but this was a definite five star read for me I ve been a fan of this woman s shows for quite some time though admittedly I don t watch Grey s or Scandal at present and I admire the way she OWNS.HERFE Without apology Without the Who me I don t deserve this lack of confidence so many women can fall for as a trapping of their own success On the surface this book may seem an unnecessary [...]

    Reply

---

30. I was so excited when I received an email pitch for this book because I am a huge fan of Shonda Rhimes I love all her shows, including Private Practice And it turns out I didn t even know because now I want to marry her If either of us wanted to get married which, as it turns out, we don t Maybe we can be best friends or live across the hall or something.Anyway You know how sometimes you read a book at the exact perfect time and it just becomes this huge source of inspiration That s Year of Yes. [...]

    Reply

---