Because I cannot do anything earnestly, I'll preface this review by saying that I really, really hate the title of this book. It's a blatant play on Mindy Kaling's first book, but it doesn't stick in the memory. In fact, I couldn't remember the title well enough to look it up, and had to go by the author's name.

https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/who-thought-this-was-a-good-idea-and-other-questions-you-should-have-answers-to-when-you-work-in-the-white-house-review/

With some mild complaining out of the way, let's do this thing. (I say, as if I could possibly limit my tendency to complain to just one paragraph in a review of anything.)

I'm debating between three and four stars as I write this. I feel a tad lied to - I was told this was essentially Mindy Kaling's writing style + politics + fun behind the scenes Obama stories. I am obsessed with Mindy Kaling, politics, behind the scenes stuff, and Obama, so I was IN. I heard about this book through the author's very charming interview on one of my favorite podcasts, Pod Save America, and I bought it immediately after. So the expectations were high and very specific.

What I got was more...advice book. Heavy on the politics, light on the Obama. Very different from Mindy Kaling - which isn't, like, automatically a bad thing. Still. Who likes a false promise, am I right? Let alone approximately one bajillion of them.

But don't let my constant whining fool you - this book is not bad. Not by a long shot. Alyssa Mastromonaco is One Badass Bitch. (I hope she would take that as the compliment it is intended to be.) It makes sense this isn't just, like, pregaming for Obama's memoir. It's about the author herself, which of course makes more sense. Even if ex-POTUS takes up more space on the cover.

It's also wayyyy more compulsively readable than any political memoir, like, ever. I read it in two sittings. (The second sitting was the last 30 pages because I took cold medicine and fell asleep on this book. No shade to the book; all credit to Nyquil Severe.) It's not always funny, but it is pretty much always relatable.

A fun thing is that I am this book's exact target audience. I am six months out from being its epicenter (young women interested in politics ages 15-25). And another fun thing: This book made me kind of, sort of, a little bit want to apply for internships on Capitol Hill. I know. Thanks, Alyssa Ms. Mastromonaco.

It's not funny, exactly, but it's wise in this really particular and useful way. Like, it genuinely may have inspired me to try out politics once I'm outta this dump (by which I mean the American college experience). That's really crazy. I probably will chicken out, but still. Crazy.

Bottom line: Give this book a try! Especially if you're a girl or semi-interested in politics. Also, listen to Pod Save America.