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The Tao Of Kristen
Kristen is a woman who knows what she wants and isn't shy about getting it. If that means leaving a little collateral damage in her wake... well... she won’t lose any sleep over it. So, when she aims to be nothing short of the Queen of Marketing, you know sparks are going to fly.
Kristen knows how to pull men’s strings. She’s got it down to a science. But, when her best male friend, a musician, starts showing more than just platonic interest in her, maybe he wants more from her than she is prepared--or capable--of offering. Hey, it’s not her fault she’s such a muse!
And when she finally starts an internship at the oddball agency RoseGreer, the only thing standing in her way is the incompetence, office politics, and cronyism infecting the firm. Conflict management isn’t really her thing, but she’ll need to figure out how to fit into this strange new world to be successful.
Don’t worry…everything is under control.
Until it isn’t.
One Canadian summer, a chain of events is unleashed that leads her on a journey of discovery, introspection, and ultimately irrevocable change in this dark, satirical tale of post-university life. For Kristen, it means reconciling the shadows of her past that still loom over her today with her dreams for the future, but it also means having to deal head-on with her greatest fears in a summer filled with awkward romance, handcuffs, baoding balls, and bagels…lots and lots of bagels.
Kristen knows how to pull men’s strings. She’s got it down to a science. But, when her best male friend, a musician, starts showing more than just platonic interest in her, maybe he wants more from her than she is prepared--or capable--of offering. Hey, it’s not her fault she’s such a muse!
And when she finally starts an internship at the oddball agency RoseGreer, the only thing standing in her way is the incompetence, office politics, and cronyism infecting the firm. Conflict management isn’t really her thing, but she’ll need to figure out how to fit into this strange new world to be successful.
Don’t worry…everything is under control.
Until it isn’t.
One Canadian summer, a chain of events is unleashed that leads her on a journey of discovery, introspection, and ultimately irrevocable change in this dark, satirical tale of post-university life. For Kristen, it means reconciling the shadows of her past that still loom over her today with her dreams for the future, but it also means having to deal head-on with her greatest fears in a summer filled with awkward romance, handcuffs, baoding balls, and bagels…lots and lots of bagels.
448 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 30, 2020
When I saw my name spelled correctly in the title, I was instantly intrigued. Then I saw the “Canadiana” tag and I knew I had to at least give this book a try. Turns out, I wasn’t the right audience for this book. Firstly, my Scandinavian ancestry takes great issue with the German appropriation of the spelling of the name. My experience largely went further downhill from there. The book is well written. It had to be for me to have this kind of visceral reaction to it. There’s even a twist of psychological thriller once we start reading about the ad agency Kristen’s interning with. I actually kind of feel like I need to scrub myself down with bleach just having read about that toxic environment. My biggest issue with the book was that I felt no sympathy for these characters. The titular character behaves like the worst kind of narcissist, and there were a couple of times I wondered if she was a sociopath. I’m horrified to share my name with the Kristen of this book. Though, on a lighter note, I will commiserate with her over the inability of so much of the population to ever pronounce it correctly. At first, I thought Lauren was a saint for putting up with Kristen for so long. However, while Lauren is never as willfully cruel, she’s not as different from Kristen as my first impression suggested. We eventually see a softening of a few of Kristen’s sharpest edges, but she never deals with the trauma that caused her to feel the need to behave so abysmally. She finishes the book not quite as hateful as she started it, yet I still can’t call her anything like a nice person. I guess, I just would have liked to see greater growth from her character.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Hidden Gems Books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Hidden Gems Books.
July 16, 2020
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
The Tao of Kristen.
According to Wikipedia, Tao is the Chinese word signifying the "Path" or "Route".
So this book is essentially, The Path of Kristen.
This would lead you to believe that there was a drastic change in personality or lifestyle, which unfortunately there wasn't?
Kristen and her childhood best friend Lauren have just graduated college and are trying to find internships in their respective fields during the summer months in Canada.
The Tao of Kristen starts off in a café where Kristen bats her eyelashes at some guys until they come over to their table, and continuing to use their womanly charm, manage to convince the men to pay their bill. Love this !
I am all for women being strong and independent and so on, and thats exactly what is happening here! Kristen knows her strengths and plays them to her advantage.
She can however, come across as a massive narcissist... I think she is extremely rude and loves forcing her 2 cents on you. That girl loves being adored, and even likes being hated, but how dare you ignore her?
Her best friend Lauren deserves a medal for sticking around. They've been best friends since they were 3 and the memories portrayed throughout the book were adorable, and its nice to know that there is someone in Kristens life who knows why she is the way she is, and loves her regardless of it all. She's a good friend to have in your corner.
Well of course, she gets knocked down a few pegs regularly throughout the book and it causes her to reevaluate a few things.
There is growth, and you can't say that she hasn't become a little more down to earth since the beginning of the book, but I just don't feel like we actually got to see much of it. There was slight relationship building, slight, and then some relationships were just left unfinished or didn't have a valid reason for existing in the first place? I can't get into it too much without spoilers.
Overall I did enjoy reading the Tao of Kristen and I knocked it out over the weekend, it is a story how a girl doesn't need anyone in her life to get where she needs to go, but it doesn't hurt to have some friendly faces cheering you on.
The Tao of Kristen.
According to Wikipedia, Tao is the Chinese word signifying the "Path" or "Route".
So this book is essentially, The Path of Kristen.
This would lead you to believe that there was a drastic change in personality or lifestyle, which unfortunately there wasn't?
Kristen and her childhood best friend Lauren have just graduated college and are trying to find internships in their respective fields during the summer months in Canada.
The Tao of Kristen starts off in a café where Kristen bats her eyelashes at some guys until they come over to their table, and continuing to use their womanly charm, manage to convince the men to pay their bill. Love this !
I am all for women being strong and independent and so on, and thats exactly what is happening here! Kristen knows her strengths and plays them to her advantage.
She can however, come across as a massive narcissist... I think she is extremely rude and loves forcing her 2 cents on you. That girl loves being adored, and even likes being hated, but how dare you ignore her?
Her best friend Lauren deserves a medal for sticking around. They've been best friends since they were 3 and the memories portrayed throughout the book were adorable, and its nice to know that there is someone in Kristens life who knows why she is the way she is, and loves her regardless of it all. She's a good friend to have in your corner.
Well of course, she gets knocked down a few pegs regularly throughout the book and it causes her to reevaluate a few things.
There is growth, and you can't say that she hasn't become a little more down to earth since the beginning of the book, but I just don't feel like we actually got to see much of it. There was slight relationship building, slight, and then some relationships were just left unfinished or didn't have a valid reason for existing in the first place? I can't get into it too much without spoilers.
Overall I did enjoy reading the Tao of Kristen and I knocked it out over the weekend, it is a story how a girl doesn't need anyone in her life to get where she needs to go, but it doesn't hurt to have some friendly faces cheering you on.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews