Fans of Rachel Hollis, beware: I didn't like this one. Which is probably unsurprising, considering I'm not a huge fan of hers to begin with--but I still wanted to give her a shot after all the buzzy praise that has surrounded Girl, Wash Your Face since its release. Really, I did. (It just didn't work out.) 

Girl Wash Your Face
by Rachel Hollis 

With wry wit and hard-earned wisdom, popular online personality and founder of TheChicSite.com founder Rachel Hollis helps readers break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled and exuberant life they are meant to have.

Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.

Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son's request that she buy a necklace to "be like the other moms," Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals. 

Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

There's this long history of claims against Rachel Hollis. From the countless accusations of plagiarizing through the years, to her history of betraying and duping friends and fans to other little things such as her weirdly condescending tone masked by faux optimism: Rachel Hollis is either someone you love or you hate. Given this fact, I was skeptical when a few friends--and former classmates--began hyping her work up to me. 

Still, I wanted to give this one a fair shot. Girl, Wash Your Face was promising on its exterior. The interior of it all, however, was full of so many cringe-worthy traits that I found myself in a fit of secondhand embarrassment that didn't truly waver. I'm all for tales of rising up against the odds, but it doesn't quite make up for other traits of entitlement she has seemingly embraced through the years.

Plus, knowing about all the accusations of plagiarism I had a hard time with her writing. There's this sense of, "did you really write this?" when it comes to people who have these claims against them. And in the case of Hollis, there are just too many claims to be a coincidence.

Ultimately, I found this book to be less self-help and more... something else entirely. While I can definitely see why so many readers flocked to this book and am definitely happy that it has provided some hope for many... there is just too much to ignore about Rachel Hollis.