Beyond Getting By by Holly Trantham- 2.5 stars

[Jen K]

The title and cover of this book drew me in. I thought it would provide guidance on managing finances once you were past living paycheck to paycheck such planning for retirement. It had a little of that but went deeper into other topics that seemed to be odd detours but that may have been my misunderstanding the purpose of the book. It tackled prioritizing and I guess the intent was to discuss living well rather than living for money or myths about time and money. It promoted taking time for hobbies, the myth of the girlboss and the problem of burnout. While I appreciate and applaud them debunking the need for an instragram life and that celebrities or children of celebrities succeeded with their businesses due to a significant leg up than the average person. It wasn't exactly the information that I hoped to find and felt that it was meant for a much younger and less aware audience. It also made me roll my eyes when it frequently congratulated the reader for being so smart and discerning as to read the the book.

This may be a helpful book for some but note that it is less of a financial guide than a lifestyle (maybe?) book. Though short it took me a while to get through and somewhat ironic timing on my own real life work situation. Maybe it would improve with a different lens.