Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(EDIT: Coming back a few weeks later to reread my review. I am fully recovered from the fog of irritation that reading the book put me in. I ripped this author a new one in this review, so I just came back to soften my language. I still stand by all my points. None are changed. A few were redacted. Just got carried away the first time writing this.) There is a solid amount of great content in this book, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. Definitely high-value strategies in here, but I'm surprised she didn't manage to get Entrepreneur Magazine to publish this thing with a pink bow and glitter inside. I'm sorry, but this book is insanely obnoxious to read. 220 pages of cringe. It’s literally so annoying when she uses the word “literally” like a white girl in private school. That alone is enough to take a solid cut from the merit of this book. Her style of writing is simply annoying, distracting, and filled with super unnecessary, cute prose as well as random tangents. I had to make an appointment with my ophthalmologist to check my eyes because they rolled back in my head so many times reading this. (So that’s *exactly* the kind of sentence she includes on almost every page. See? I'm not exaggerating). Here are some examples of the cringe sprinkled throughout her book. If you think I’m being unfair by taking these out of context, I’m not. They sound as random throughout these chapters as they sound just reading them in a list: • “I'm spilling all the beans. Even the pintos!” • “I’m a loyal fan of the Green Bean Roasting Company in York, Pennsylvania, [Hi, Jen and Vanessa!]….” • “It seems I either hire people who have the same delicious obsessions as me, or I rub off on them over time…. Especially if you’re willing to throw in Pumpkin Spice, aka Soccer Mom Catnip.” • “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want.” • “More cow bell!” • “Give it to me baby!” • “Take a nap. Because you can.” • “Buy an artist’s smock because you are now officially a ‘creative type.’” • “Wear your artist smock out to pick up an extra-customized obscure coffee drink. Resist the urge to order it on your mobile app so you don’t have to say all of the bizarre ingredients out loud.” • “Do a little happy dance…. Keep on boogying.” • “Dream of having an emoji created in your honor someday because of your Instagram awesomeness.” • “If Doublemint gum is still a thing, chew it in honor of doubling up your efforts.” • “Create your own touchdown dance when you check your follower numbers.” A solid 10% of this book is promo for other marketers. She fills up pages with fluffy interviews with digital marketers and conveniently plugs their info throughout and at the end. She’s marketing to people in a book about marketing. Jinkies!!! Also, anytime you see a book that has (until now) unanimous 5-star reviews, your BS detector should go off. For your future research of ANY business book––especially marketing––please understand that the authors can hustle Amazon reviews like nobody's business. When a book has ALL 5 STAR REVIEWS… please understand that it’s not a coincidence. Kim... this book reads like a cute mom blog. You isolate the 99% of the readers who don't have children to deliver to soccer practice. Entrepreneur Magazine pumps out AMAZING "Ultimate Guide" books on marketing. I have no idea how they could let this one go. I just really would suggest the next book you write to cut the fat. Your fun-to-read delivery doesn't make the information easy-to-read––it’s just massively distracting and annoying. I’ve read a ton of marketing books from Amazon. This one is about 30% substance and not worth the money, in my opinion. I've made this point a few times already, but it will be fun to read for the female demo like 40+. If you're not in that demo, there are better options for learning about Instagram marketing. There is no info in here that you won’t get anywhere else delivered without the glitter. Hands down the best one is 500 Social Media Marketing Tips. (I’m not affiliated with the author in any way and this isn't a promotion. That book is just insanely practical.) Hope this sheds light to those who needed to know this.