#BookReview: Breathe In, Cash Out by Madeleine Henry

breathe in cash outAbout the Book

In this sizzling debut for fans of The Devil Wears Prada, Wall Street banking analyst Allegra Cobb plans to quit the minute her year-end bonus hits her account, finally pursuing her yoga career full-time. But when she forms an intense relationship with the #InstaFamous guru who may hold the ticket to the life Allegra’s always wanted—she’s not sure if she’ll be able to keep her sanity intact (and her chakras aligned) until bonus day.

Allegra Cobb’s resume: Straight-A Princeton grad, second-year analyst at a top-tier bank, one-time American Yoga National Competition Champion. Allegra Cobb’s reality: Spends twenty-four hours a day changing the colors on bar charts, overusing the word “team,” and daydreaming about quitting the minute her year-end bonus hits her account. She has no interest in the cutthroat banking world—she’s going to launch her very own yoga practice.

But her plan isn’t quite as perfect as the beachfront yoga pictures she double-taps on Instagram. On top of the 100 emails an hour and coworkers already suspicious of her escape plan, Allegra’s hard-driving single father has always expected fiercely high achievement above all else. That his daughter works on Wall Street means everything to him. Still, she marches on, taking it day by extremely caffeinated day.

But after (1) unknowingly sleeping with the man now leading her banking cohort on one of their biggest deals to date and (2) meeting the #blessed yoga guru who might just be her ticket to the life she’s always wanted, it really hits her: her happy-ever-after will be harder to manifest than she thought.

Fast-paced, laugh-out-loud funny, and totally irresistible, this is the story of a fearless young woman determined to center herself in the life she truly wants.

My Review

What a standout! I had so much fun from beginning to end with this. Breathe In, Cash Out is a smartly written debut novel, taking readers from the depths of Wall Street to the online yoga world. As someone who works in social media, it was so fun to read about Instagram personalities – and how what you see while scrolling might not be the same in real life. I’m also a dedicated yogi, so I knew immediately I wanted to review this book. I found Allegra so relatable (even though I know squat about investments, Wall Street, heck what’s even a bar chart?) and her journey of following her passion was so down to earth. I’ve been in a similar position – keep a great job, stable income and fabulous benefits, or follow a dream that is still so non-traditional that everyone questions your decision – and I love reading stories about women who are trying to handle that hurdle. The writing was fast-paced, engaging all the way through, and there was even a surprise or two thrown my way, which I always appreciate. I am so impressed with this novel and highly recommend!

5 stars