Year of Yes

A wildly successful television showrunner who commanded fictional worlds from behind the scenes realized that in her own life she had become a hermit who said no to nearly everything outside work, declining invitations, opportunities, and challenges out of fear and exhaustion, and after a sister's offhand remark stung her into action, she resolved to spend one full year saying yes to everything that scared her, and this memoir chronicles how that experiment transformed her health, confidence, relationships, and sense of self. Rhimes writes a funny, candid, energetic memoir that blends behind-the-scenes glimpses of a high-powered career with honest reflection on introversion, anxiety, people-pleasing, body image, and motherhood, using the year-of-yes conceit to model how confronting fear directly can remake a life. The tone is warm, brisk, and rallying, delivered in a distinctive, conversational voice. This suits readers who want an inspiring, funny, candid memoir about overcoming fear, setting boundaries, and saying yes to life, and anyone drawn to a successful woman's honest reflections on anxiety and growth. It fits less well anyone wanting a systematic self-help program or Hollywood gossip, since the book is personal and reflective. The detail that the author committed to saying yes for an entire year to everything that frightened her gives the memoir its transforming premise. Funny, candid, and inspiring, it rewards readers seeking encouragement. Those wanting a program may find it anecdotal, but its honesty and energy are exactly what make it so engaging.

Best for readers who want to finish a book feeling better about the world than when they started. The prose is accessible: you can read this quickly and it never asks too much of you. It moves quickly: once you're in, it's hard to stop. If you're drawn to darker, more complex territory, this may feel slight.