Bet on Yourself: Recognize, Own, and Implement Breaththrough Opportunities by Ann Hiatt

Bet on Yourself: Recognize, Own, and Implement Breakthrough Opportunities was recently recommended to me by a friend, so naturally, I bought it and was very excited to read it. The book, authored by Ann Hiatt, is Hiatt's unexpected journey from academia into the fast-paced tech world and working with Jeff Bezos, Marissa Mayer, and Eric Schmidt.

It's pretty clear why people like and enjoy working with Hiatt. You sense from her writing that she's a ball of positive energy and radiates enthusiasm and a can-do attitude. However, this book was not a story at all. Bet on Yourself is full of rah-rah enthusiasm but very little substance. It felt more like a memoir of self-discovery rather than a book on learning and emulating a path to success. To be fair, there are no two paths to success that look the same, but Bet on Yourself doesn't provide anything new, insightful, or meaningful other than a can-do, cheerleader-esque tone. I know there are people out there who will love this book, but I'm not one of them.

I skimmed the book after the first three chapters as the first three were essentially the same. By the time I got to the book's conclusion (aptly named Conclusion), it was a message of positivity, self-love, and follow your heart mantras. Had I attended a lecture of Hiatt's or watched a keynote of hers, I might feel differently. Still, plenty of others have already done this material (Marie Forleo, Pat Flynn, and any "unexpected success" story).

2/5 Didn't hate it, but I won't recommend it