#GIRLBOSS

By: Sophia Amoruso

Narrated by: Sara Jes Austell

Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn’t fashion - it was a stolen book. She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, she had resigned herself to employment, but was still broke, directionless, and working a mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance.

It was there that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer with more than 350 employees. Sophia’s never been a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is winding as all hell and lined with naysayers.

#GIRLBOSS includes Sophia’s story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia. It’s deeply personal yet universal. Filled with brazen wake-up calls (“You are not a special snowflake”), cunning and frank observations (“Failure is your invention”), and behind-the-scenes stories from Nasty Gal’s meteoric rise, #GIRLBOSS covers a lot of ground. It proves that being successful isn’t about how popular you were in high school or where you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break.

A #GIRLBOSS takes her life seriously without taking herself too seriously. She takes chances and takes responsibility on her own terms. She knows when to throw punches and when to roll with them. When to button up and when to let her freak flag fly.

As Sophia writes, “I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let’s do this.”

©2014 Sophia Amoruso (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Rather than present a get-rich-quick manual or a list of business tips, Amoruso teaches the innovative and entrepreneurial among us to play to our strengths, learn from our mistakes, and know when to break a few of the traditional rules." (Vanity Fair)

"A witty and cleverly told account ... It’s this kind of honest advice, plus the humorous ups and downs of her rise in online retail, that make the book so appealing." (Los Angeles Times)

"#GIRLBOSS is more than a book ... #GIRLBOSS is a movement." (Lena Dunham)

I can't take her seriously

What disappointed you about #GIRLBOSS?

In the middle of listening to her book, I Googled her. I found negative information on her company. Nasty Gal went bankrupt in 2016. There are also several complains from her former employees. Lawsuits included. I'm disappointed. I can't take her book seriously anymore. I stopped listening to it.

Fantastic Story, Inspiring - but not practical

Loved Sophia's story and came away feeling inspired but not necessarily equipped.

The central message is go balls to the wall on your own dream. Be your best self. The book was about how she did that. But it doesn't necessarily show you how you could do that. It's very anecdotal.

Great read for a Saturday.

For those who haven't done much

A lot of repetition driving home the points of "be yourself" and "don't care what people think". This is a good inspiration book for people just getting out of high school who are interested in doing something similar to the nasty gal vibe, or for someone who is a huge fan and wants to hear about all the examples of Sophia being a "badass bitch" from elementary onwards. No real business advice or trade secrets, just a lot of "fly your freak flag". What Sophia has done with the Nasty Gal brand is amazing and admirable but her talents lie in marketing, fashion and styling and this book should only be viewed as a promotional tool for her brand catering to the young women who shop there. Very very little practical advice and way too many stories of her being a crust punk, dropping out of school and still making it big.

#BossBook!

This was by far so much better than I anticipated. I never intended on listening to #GirlBoss because I couldn't get past how cheesy the title was, but Goodreads offered this audiobook for free. So hey, who can say no to free? At only a little over 4 hours long, I expected some boring tale of how some rich girl stayed rich. Well, don't judge a book by it's cover because if that's the kind of book you're looking for...keep looking!

I've never heard of NastyGal or Sophia Amoruso, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear she was just like me - a regular girl. She managed through hard work, diligence, and (she does not believe in luck) a persistent drive, to create a million dollar company - all before the age of 30!

Amoruso's candid advice of how to become a girlboss was not intimidating, unlike other self-help books that can be overwhelming. I think a big part of that was due to the fact that she is just like the average Jane - trying to make it and get by; but she did much more than that. She became it.

I'm definitely encouraged to become a girlboss after reading this. It is more than inspiring - it is encouraging and I feel as if my dreams are within my reach after listening to this book. The narrator also helped in this sentiment - because she sounded like a girl next door. I promise you will finish this book feeling like "If Sophia can do it, I know I can!".

Red Bull to Sandberg's Skinny Vanilla Latte

This book is the Lean In for the Millenial Generation - fresh, bright, gritty, pragmatic, and fun. No less important than Lean In, and I bet Amouruso and Sandberg aren't too far apart in age - but worlds apart in perspective. Work ethic is the same. Women working their asses off, getting shit done.

Better narrator than Lean In, as well. No whining.

It's good and then it isn't

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Time listening was well spent if I could avoid cringing when she used the term "girl boss" so often.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending simply spent too much time repeating the same theories over and over again.

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

I enjoyed the narrator in this book. Well spoken.

Any additional comments?

The book IS worth reading, but after the first 2/3rds of the book, you might as well stop listening. It repeats itself.

#BossedUp

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I initially bought this for my lady, but found myself listening daily.

What three words best describe Sara Jes Austell’s voice?

I enjoyed the narrators voice. It was an excellent selection. She brought the story to life.

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

Sofia seems like such the anti-hero. I love how she's so cool without even trying. She kept it TO REAL at times, and I loved it.

Any additional comments?

I'd recommend this to all my Boss Ladies around the world. There are many paths and blueprints to success. This is one they should know about.

Semi interesting largely annoying

The story was interesting and somewhat informational but mostly self aggrandizing and kinda irritating/grating. I enjoyed about half of it but then finished it just to make sure I hadn't missed something everyone else seemed to love. I was annoyed by the tone/sass of the book and the author, but I guess that's the appeal as well. Didn't have a ton of substance.

Sophia Amaruso is wholly unlikeable.

I really. Expected this to be like the Netflix series, rather than a self-help biography describing how amazing she is.
Although there are some interesting moments in the book, Sophia Amaruso comes across as a terrible human being (if she sees someone who is uncomfortable in their dress she judges them, and if she sees someone struggling in heels she wants to push them over). She repeats Girlboss so often it loses all meaning and actually becomes slightly grating. Also, the profiles are a bit odd and not that interesting.
The context of the book being that she is the master of the universe is also marred by the fact that she had to step down from her company after driving it into the ground.

not my role model

an egotistical and self serving story and by the time this book was published she had run this fast fashion business into the ground and filed for bankruptcy sooo