Laugh It Up!: Embrace Freedom and Experience Defiant Joy by Candace Payne (Audiobook)

Hey Everyone!

So who remembers this video?

A bunch of you right? Or maybe not, I don't know.  I remember my mom sharing it on Facebook, and then it just showing up everywhere!  Funny thing, I never got around to seeing it, up until about a week ago.

I was rather surprised to receive Laugh It Up! Embrace Freedom and Experience Defiant Joy, the audiobook, by Candace Payne (Chewbacca Mom herself!) for Christmas from my mom.  Apparently, Candace Payne is some sort of inspirational speaker now.  She inspires people to believe in joy and just enjoy themselves.

Joy.

That word...

I have never heard that word used so much before.  No joke, the word "joy" must have been used EASILY a hundred times in this book.

From Goodreads:

The world knows Candace Payne as "Chewbacca Mom", the wife and mother of two from Dallas who captured the hearts of nearly 200 million people around the world with nothing but a toy Chewbacca mask, a smart phone, and infectious laughter.

Candace's viral moment of simple joy became Facebook Live's top video.  But what the video doesn't show is Candace's storied journey of daunting obstacles on the way to the joy-filled life -- extreme poverty, past trauma, and struggles with self-worth.

Laugh It Up! tells the rest of the story behind the woman in the mask.  Like most of us, Candace has often felt overlooked, undervalued, and insignificant.  But she has also discovered the secrets to unshakeable joy that no circumstance can take away, and Laugh It Up! will help you discover and experience the same.

Join Candace to discover the gift God has given us all to experience life to the fullest.  All you need to do is answer "yes" when joy, whom Candace personifies as a friend, calls you to come and play.

Do your knees knock when thinking the future?  Joy hopes for what can be.

Do you feel unseen and unnoticed?  Joy is content whether backstage or center stage.

Do you feel crushed under the weight of regret?  Joy loves you enough to weep with you, but also enough to help you move on.

When life punches you in the gut, it can be difficult to muster a smile -- must less a laugh.  But with humor and power, wit and wisdom, Candace lights the way forward to a life that is free indeed. 

My Review:

So...first off, I'm just going to say it...

Why did Chewbacca Mom write a book??  

One YouTube Video and that needs an autobiography??  

My mom got me this audiobook, hoping it would cheer me up and get me to laugh.  It is not a cheery book.  Besides her rants about "joy" throughout the book, there was honestly not much to laugh at.  

Where to start...

First off, there were quite a few rants throughout this book.  Not only about "Joy".  There were five minute descriptions about the plots of the Disney movies Inside Out and The Lion King...not necessary.  A lot of people have seen those movies, and if they haven't, they need a one sentence (two tops) description, and then people can look them up themselves.  

Second, her choice of words got to me.  "The struggle is real", was used multiple times, and same with "what evs".  Both of them make me cringe so much anytime I hear them.  From anyone!  Hearing it on audio...ugh.  She also used hashtags in her sentences.  Also cringe worthy!

And third, she was a bit preachy for my taste.  

Now, while this book wasn't the enlightening experience my mom thought I would receive, it had its moments.  I can see where Candace is coming from.  She really does seem like she is trying very hard to fit in, and be a happy person.  I truly admire that.  

I will say this...I still don't really understand why an autobiography was necessary for Chewbacca Mom.  Now, to be fair, some people really wanted this...I guess.  I am just wondering how many people saw the Chewbacca Mom video and thought "I want an autobiography!"??  

This woman has had things happen to her in her life, but so has my neighbor, my cousins, people I see on the street, and even myself.  But I don't think that means those people need to write a book about it.  Shit happens.  Please excuse my language. But seriously!!

Overall Review:

So overall, this book is an okay read, just not something I found to be helpful myself.  I wanted more humor, I think is what it is, but that didn't happen.  And I may have walked away disappointed.  I am giving it two bookies, just because there still were a couple of good moments that I enjoyed.  Like her story of going to Disney World.  But overall, I found it to be an unnecessary rant about "joy", and how a broke mom bought a Chewbacca mask, and made a viral video that has been viewed about 200 million times; and how her entire life before led to that random glorious moment, that led to her five minute fame.  That being said, I think it is admirable that a stay-at-home mom of two boys was able to get out of her shell and get out into the world, and experience things.  

The Romance Bookie :)