It takes a certain kind of audacity to walk into someone’s mental space wearing highlighter yellow, drop the F-bomb on the first few pages, and still be taken seriously. But that’s what Jen Sincero does in You Are a Badass—a book that doesn’t knock gently on your door of self-doubt; it kicks it open and shouts, “Get up. You’re wasting your life.”

And somehow… it works.

I didn’t read this book in a café, or during a peaceful weekend retreat. I read it in bed, late at night, on one of those days when confidence had packed its bags and left me with second-guessing, overthinking, and lukewarm ambition. The kind of day where you need something—anything—that feels like a cosmic reset. Enter this book: unapologetic, loud, and lovingly confrontational.

From the first chapter, I felt like Jen wasn’t trying to “fix” me. She wasn’t a guru, or a life coach, or a “just-think-positive” influencer. She was that brutally honest friend who says, “You’re better than this version of you pretending to play small. Now get out of your own way.”

Jen Sincero writes like she’s sitting across the table with a triple shot espresso and a mission to shake you back into belief. Her words are caffeinated, bold, and sometimes even a little reckless—but they crack something open.

She makes self-doubt sound boring and limiting. She reframes “too late” into “why not now?” and dares you to want more without guilt. The message is clear: you are powerful, you are worthy, and if you’re not living a life you love—well, stop blaming the world and start looking inward.

It’s a pep talk in paperback form.

And I needed that. Some pages felt like soul CPR. Especially when she spoke of fear, disguised as responsibility. When she challenged readers to rewrite their money stories. When she reminded us that we are not our pasts, our jobs, or even our childhood wounds. We are the creators now.

But… (and here comes the honesty)

As much as I devoured the first half of the book with fire in my belly, somewhere around chapter ten, the energy started to feel… repetitive. The same metaphors spun in slightly different outfits. The same sentiment repackaged with more exclamation marks.

And here’s where the inner critic in me—not the self-doubting one, but the critical thinker—started asking:
Where’s the nuance?
Where’s the room for real struggle, systemic barriers, mental illness, trauma?

It’s empowering to say “you create your own reality”—until you realize not everyone is starting from the same starting line. And while the tough-love tone can be motivating, it risks becoming dismissive if read by someone in the middle of something deeper than just a lack of motivation.

Also, as someone who balances logic and faith, I found the “ask the Universe and just believe” advice a bit too oversimplified at times. Manifestation is a beautiful concept, yes—but it’s not a magic wand. And not everything you desire is meant to be yours just because you decided it should be.

That said, I still recommend this book—but with a little context.

Read it like you would read a motivational playlist. Let it lift you when you need lifting. Let it remind you that you are not meant to play small. But also? Don’t let it shame you into thinking your pain is your fault, or that your dreams will come true just because you journaled them in gold ink.

Use it as a mirror, not a rulebook.

You Are a Badass isn’t a manual for healing. It’s a matchstick. A moment of spark that can help you light the fire—but you’ll still need to do the slow, quiet, often un-glamorous work of tending to that flame.

It’s the kind of book I’d reread during a slump, not for advice, but for attitude. To borrow back some boldness. To laugh at how absurdly dramatic self-sabotage can be. And to whisper to the weary version of myself, “You’ve done hard things before. You’ll do them again.”

Would I recommend it?

Yes—with the understanding that it’s a loud companion, not a quiet coach. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. Other times, what we need is gentleness. This book is not that. But it’s a damn good first spark.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars)
✨ One star off for lack of nuance and over-simplification
✨ Four stars for waking me up, making me laugh, and reminding me I already have what it takes