Listen to this book for sure

Any additional comments?

Amy Poehler is, above all, a performer. Listening to this book as opposed to reading it added SO MUCH to the experience. Lines that would have been quickly skimmed in text were hilarious when delivered by Amy. She cracks herself up! She plays the organ and sings a song she made up! She and Seth Meyers have an improvised conversation! PATRICK STEWART READS HAIKUS. Honestly, there is no reason not to listen to this book.

I really loved this book. It had me laughing on the street like an idiot, and tearing up on the subway....like an idiot. She's very sincere and incisive about herself, which fully supports her public persona of being a totally awesome person who we would all very much like to be friends with.

I'm generally not a fan of comparing women to one another because it's stupid, but I think people who listened to Bossypants will likely also listen to Yes Please. It's very different from Bossypants. It's more emotionally raw, more sincere, more warm & fuzzy. It's a totally different experience, and equally wonderful.

Highly, highly recommended.

143 people found this helpful

Not Necessarily for Knope Fans

It's taken me a long time to admit this publicly, but I did not love Yes Please. Given my obsession with Bossypants (Tina Fey) and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling), I assumed that by the end of this audiobook I'd be desperately hoping to run into Amy Poehler on the street so that we could magically become best friends...

I realized in listening, however, that my crush is actually on Leslie Knope and not on Poehler herself. Parks and Rec fans be warned -- you might not like what you find.

That being said, the narration is obviously awesome, and is filled with fun celebrity cameos.

129 people found this helpful

Extremely Disappointing

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I love Amy Poehler, and have since the Upright Citizens Brigade, but I'm sorry to say this book is not good. It rambles, jumping from topic and time period seemingly at random. There's smatterings of her personal life, and smatterings of her professional life, but neither is fleshed out in any compelling way. I don't feel like I actually learned anything about her. There's also a tone to the writing I really didn't like - similar to Tina Fey's book. Faux-self-depricating…smarmy…a little too pleased her own success…offering advice when it's apparent she's no more wise than you or I. I don't know…I question the point of someone her age writing a memoir, particularly one so devoid of actual details. And worst of all, the book really wasn't funny.

What was most disappointing about Amy Poehler’s story?

Instead of giving a more factually-based account of her life, or the trajectory of her career, or her working process, the story is almost all fluff. Lot's of "be grateful," and "love yourself" life lessons. I really get the sense that she wasn't ready to write this book. She even says "I don't like people knowing my shit." Okay. So why write this memoir? Why even touch upon your personal life if you don't want to talk about it? Because someone drove a dumptruck full of money up to your house? Talk about your career, then. Not your trip to the sleep specialist - a truly boring account that seemingly never ends.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

No one. The performance was okay. Not great. But I'm not sure who's do a better job of it.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Yes Please?

I would have subtracted a lot of the personal life lessons. They come off as schmaltzy self-help anecdotes. The story about offending the girl with cerebral palsy is really too much. It's the one real self-critical part of the book, and it's very faux-humbly written. "I did a bad thing, but I apologized, and I was forgiven. So grateful!" I don't doubt she's truly sorry, but the way it's written is just…smarmy. I would have liked to hear more specific stories about her career as a woman in comedy. Actual experiences recounted. Somehow by the end of the book, I just feel like I had very little idea of how she got where she was. But I was well aware of how pleased with herself she is! And not that she shouldn't be. It's just…I feel gross, having read it.

Any additional comments?

It's beyond irritating to pay $24.95 for a book that someone put so little effort into writing. I really feel gyped, and I wish I could return this. I wish I could un-hear it, actually. I think I like Amy Poehler less, having read it, which pains me to say. There's just nothing about it I liked.

127 people found this helpful

SorrySorrySorry

I know better than to purchase a memoir of a person who was born in a year that I remember vividly. I wish I would have followed my rule this time. I didn’t hate, Yes Please, it just didn’t fulfill any need I had or give any additional insight. I was left disappointed.


There is a treat with the audiobook edition. Not only does Amy read her own work, she brought friends. The cameo appearances were a nice little treat for me. The voice inflection when one recounts events with a beloved grandparent is the best reason to read/listen to such a personal work. Those few events were especially sweet. Amy also sings and finishes the final chapter reading in a stand up setting. I appreciate the extra effort of making the audio edition of her book a unique experience.

I might be wrong but, I expect to laugh out loud (and often) when I am reading a book written by an iconic comedic talent. Not once in this entire book did I have that experience. It didn’t even crack a smile for me till the final chapter. When you watch SNL, there is a point in each skit where it forks into either a ‘spot on’ event or a ‘never got out the gate’ event. This book had more of those that never got out of the gate and some even went over the edge (namely the long list of names that Leslie Knope didn’t have). Amy’s writing is completely without structure. She rambles, repeats herself, starts to go someplace interesting or funny then never get to a point that, you think, she was trying to make. I appreciate that she stayed on the high road, told a few sweet stories about her family and childhood. The book felt rushed and not thought out.

After the first dozen times that Amy uttered how much she hated writing this book, I started responding aloud, “Oh get over yourself,” every time she said it. I said it throughout the book. If you truly hated it THAT much, Amy, why didn’t you just give the ginormous check back and tell the publisher that writing books wasn’t for you? The second item that really rubbed me the wrong way was the ever-present sleep issues. The woman has a chronic health issue that has spanned over thirty years of her life and apparently causes her distress. Then we come to find that she shucks the prescribed treatment to the back of her closet because it just didn’t sit pretty on her bedside table, YET has the nerve to continue the "woe is me, I’m so tired" shtick. Cry me a river!

122 people found this helpful

I love Amy but the book is a duh!

Amy is one of the smartest minds in entertainment and I also avidly follow her Smart Girls page on Facebook. She is smart, witty and a household name but as a writer she fails. The book is a pointless ramble of her life's ups and downs... It's like reading a sucky column in a magazine every single day just coz you like that celebrity. She has no beauty in her writing or thoughts. She is NOT a writer. I love the challenges and cause that she is espouses, it's admirable but sorry doesn't make it on my bookshelf.

The performance of the audible is clearly one of the best coz Amy is one of the finest voices in the industry. The panache in her tone is beautiful.

87 people found this helpful

Honest, Humorous and Coarse

What did you love best about Yes Please?

What I loved best about this book is hearing how Amy reads her own work. When you hear a person read their own words, you can tell if they are joking, being serious or feeling emotional. Amy is a wonderful voice actress and the reason I get audio books is because I love hearing the author tell their story. I also loved her transparency and honesty regarding her struggles and her integrity when it comes to saying things the way they really are.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Yes Please?

I'd have to say that one of my favorite parts of the book is hearing the book titles about divorce. Maybe it's because I'm a retired marriage and family therapist, but I honestly thought that chapter was spot on. I've never been divorced (thank God) but so many who have live in a lonely, dark world and when children are involved it's definitely harder. Amy's ability to discuss this matter, with humor, but also not negating the serious pain, I felt was refreshing.

There were so many other parts of the book that I loved also, but that chapter stands out to me. That and the chapter where she apologized for making fun of disabled people.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Obviously, Amy reading the book herself, makes the book worth listening to. I did enjoy the other narrators because I felt they added to the humor of the book and they were funny, but I really bought the book because I enjoy Amy's work.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, it was the chapter on divorce titles for books. However, there were other parts too. I have to say at times I felt annoyed with her (like when she was going on and on about her looks etc), there were times I laughed and I enjoyed her stories (like when she mentioned who she is friends with while telling the long drawn out apology story) and there were times I felt just like "seriously?" - when she used vulgarity.... that's why I'm giving this 4 stars (note: vulgarity is stupid, you can communicate your emotion without being vulgar and reach more people - you're better than that Amy and SMARTER)- and like I said, the divorce chapter... I was honestly moved to almost a tear because I could hear the sadness about this issue.

Any additional comments?

Yes, I really loved this book and I think it was better than Bossy Pants (sorry Tina) and also Ellen's books. Although, Bossy Pants is VERY close - oh forget it, both are equally good. Aside from the vulgarity in the book, I really enjoyed it. I'm only a few years older than Amy, so I could relate to her context and I honestly just loved her transparency about things like getting older, how hard life can be, having fun and real life. Writing a book is something that puts you out there and it takes courage to do that because you know people are going to criticize you. I like that Amy has taken that risk and I hope she writes another book. I also say this as a very conservative Christian, who disagrees with her politically - so that says something. Maybe I'm really liberal?

79 people found this helpful

Nope, don't do it

I should have known better. I've been taken by this type of book before. It felt forced. The content was contrived. I love Amy Poehler but not this book. Couldn't finish. I did love Tina Fey's book.

68 people found this helpful

Funny in parts, wouldn't buy it again

If I learned anything about Amy, it's that she is a normal person with the same concerns as everyone. But it was a little like listening to my neighbors tell their life story. Interesting, but not really worth spending actual money on.

68 people found this helpful

'A Whiney and Boring Mess'

Would you try another book from Amy Poehler and/or the narrators?

If she narrated and didn't write it, absolutely. She's an incredible voice-actress.

Has Yes Please turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all!

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Miss Poehler is so so talented and funny, but "Yes Please" might be the whiniest book I've ever read. She complains no less than a dozen times how "hard it is to write a book" and "how busy she is". The book is a shallow, indulgent, wandering narrative that sort-of tells me what shaped Miss Poehler as a person. But after listening to her own performance of her own book, I was utterly bored. She gave no real insights into her personal motivations, her improv career, or anything that helped me connect with her as an author.Worse, she has the nerve (I guess?) to bring in "guest-speakers" to talk about how amazing it is to work with Amy Poehler! Ridiculous.I hate to say it, but I used to absolutely adore Amy Poehler. Upright Citizens Brigade changed my life. But this book made me lose almost all the respect I had for her.

What character would you cut from Yes Please?

Amy Poehler

Any additional comments?

"No, thank you."

48 people found this helpful

Sorry I just couldn't finish this!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I've been listening to audiobooks for 10 years and rarely do I stop listening til the end, but this one....enough is enough.I liked Tina Fey's book so I thought this one might be enjoyable too. Too much complaining!

48 people found this helpful