It’s a good, quick read great for girls and women who need a reminder that no one has their shit together and we’re all wading through without a clear path.
But.
At times, this didn’t feel like a self-help book “sheltered girl tries to relate to your problems.”
Hollis does this thing were she will tell a story of her life and then bullet points of how to you can do whatever – but she skips over the meat of it. I kept wanting to asked, How?
This book, while cute and inspirational, it lacked something deeper. It’s like she is trying too hard to relate to people she doesn’t know, with problems she’s not familiar with.
I enjoyed this book, but Hollis got annoying after a while. She’s annoyingly optimistic in the first few chapters and lacks a real-world grounding. She talks about God and faith a little too much for me – so if you’re not into Christian nonfiction, this book isn’t for you. It picked up about halfway through.
But, for what this book is – an inspiration to girls and women of all ages – it is worth a read. It is a reminder that we’re not alone. That we can achieve our dreams. That we can be okay while surrounded with chaos and seemingly impossible roadblocks. Us girls all struggle with things, imperfections and our image and how we think the world wants us to look, feel, act, and be. Stress isn’t cool, we all have problems, and it’s okay. That is what this book is about.
But. Her “bad relationship” story annoyed me. Here’s a rundown: she meets a cute older guy, becomes a booty call, decides to get out, throws a fit, and then she and he get married and are still together. Yup. Oh, did I mention he was her first boyfriend?
Now, as a girl who has gone through several relationships that were sub-par, this kind of relationship story absolutely pisses me off. Because she married her first boyfriend (who she met when she was 19). How is she suppose to relate to that feeling of loneliness that comes when you’re 28 and single with no prospects? when you’ve gone through five boyfriends in the past six years and they’re all losers? The entire chapter just irked me. It could be because I had high expectations, and or that I am utterly sick of getting relationship advice from women who married their first boyfriend and don’t understand that very real possibility of being alone and never having a sex life or a movie night.
But the chapters on writing? That’s my jam. She gets the rejection thing. Even though she glosses over the entire self-publishing process. She goes from “I self-published” to “I sold a bunch of copies and totally stuck it to those big publishers.” My question – how?
While this book is a charm, I wish it had been more in-depth. Or, maybe I just want someone to tell my how to fix all my problems and assure me that I’m not a failure in life, love, and my career.
So, overall, Girl, Wash Your Face gets a 4 out of 5. It’s highly readable, charming, and full of that innocent girl wit.
Beatrice B. Morgan 