Take 2

February 18, 2013
TV personality Gibbons takes a misguided stab at the lucrative self-help genre with this unfocused hodge-podge of clichéd, obvious, and recycled advice. The book is unquestionably geared towards women (and includes a long chapter of hair and makeup tips, some of which flog Gibbons's own makeup line, "Sheer Cover"), particularly, it seems, to tired, over-committed housewives, who, she urges, should more frequently say "no" (whether on business trips or at school bake sales). There is nothing wrong with any of the lessons that Gibbons impartsâthey all trend towards self-empowermentâbut her tips cover so much ground that they lose any power they may have had. She suggests things as disparate as admiring local architecture, humming, relaxing with elderly friends, and eating microwaveable tomato soup. A lot of the rhetoric sounds familiar: "give yourself permission," "look for role models," "declare your value," drink water, etc. The final product is more a collection of bullet points than a book, and it may be difficult for readers to extract any helpful advice from these pages.