Book Review: You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan

Entering your villain era is something we all need to do every once in a while. You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan takes that to a new level.

When it comes to non-romance reads, I’m pretty selective. Upon hearing that You Should Smile More is a millennial take on 9-to-5 though, I had to read it and boy am I glad I did. This book was an absolute delight.

However, before getting into too many details, there won’t be any spoilers if you’re planning on picking this one up. If anything, I feel like this book has a very specific audience and I feel like some of my fellow readers would enjoy it so it was an easy one to feature.

Before getting into anything else though, I’d like to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC but let’s get into why it’s such a fun read.

If you’re entering your Reputation era, give You Should Smile More a try.

With the comparison to 9-to-5, I feel like this book will resonate with a lot of people but mostly women in particular. A lot of us are used to our bosses or fellow employees taking advantage of us, belittling us, and just making things harder than they need to be.

You Should Smile More takes it to an entirely different level as the main character, Vanessa is fired for her face. No, really. She’s fired because of the displeased and annoyed facial experiences she’s making as a telemarketer. Coupled with the fact that her job is essentially one step below hell, I can imagine why her face would be like that.

The face-firing is the catalyst for the entire book as Vanessa and her friends team up to take down their infuriating boss like in 9-to-5. Hijinks certainly ensure for a majority of the book but the few high points for Vanessa are the support system she has of Jane and Trisha along with her mother and her mother’s bridge group along with Carter.

Who is Carter? Carter is a man working at the unemployment office who takes on Vanessa’s claim until the two start having an attraction for each other. From that point on, it’s equal parts cute and sad as we all know how things can play out in fiction. Either way, Carter was an absolute sweetheart and I loved reading about him.

All in all, I really feel like You Should Smile More is for those who haven’t stopped listening to “Vigilante S**t” by Taylor Swift, those who secretly fantasize about quitting their job, or lastly, those who just want to be appreciated for the work they’re doing. If any of those categories apply to you, I feel like You Should Smile More needs to be added to your TBR.

If you’re looking for something to make you laugh, smile, and get irrationally angry, You Should Smile More fits the bill. No matter how you intend on feeling, this book is a lot of fun and I feel like this is a great debut for Anastasia Ryan and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan is out now wherever books are sold. 

Do you plan on reading You Should Smile More in January? Let us know in the comments.