BOOK REVIEW: Breathe In, Cash Out by Madeleine Henry @MadeleineSHenry @atriabooks #breatheincashout #bookreview

Madeleine Henry’s Breathe In, Cash Out is a charming, laugh-out-loud story that had me hooked from page one! Allegra is so relatable to me, someone who also has a high-stress job (though my job is nothing compared to this one! I was exhausted just reading about how tired she is). The characters in this book are wonderful—trust me, this is a read-in-a-day book if you are able to!

About the Book

Allegra works in the finance industry, and her job is INTENSE. She is expected to be available 24/7, and most of that time is spent in the office. But Allegra only has to make it 2 more months until she hits her two year mark and gets her bonus—money that will help her live for a few years as she pursues her true passion, teaching yoga.

And just as Allegra is thinking about how to transition out of this high-pressure world she has lived in for so long into the zen world of yoga, an unlikely source offers to help her get started. Skylar is a yoga super star and Allegra has followed her since before she was famous. Allegra loves the thoughtful writing that Skylar posts with each thing. She’s the real deal!

Skylar noticed Allegra at a yoga competition she won a year or so before, and found Allegra’s poses breathtaking. When Allegra talks to Skylar about her plan, she offers to help her begin to let go of her high stress job. If only it were that easy! Allegra has recently slept with a man who turned out to be her boss, got staffed on a project requiring her to stay in the office around the clock even on the weekends, and is trying to avoid letting her coworkers know she doesn’t plan to stay in finance, lest it impact her bonus.

Reflection

When I say this book is laugh-out-loud, I mean it! Starting at the beginning, her wit and humility is charming. From the description, you wouldn’t think a straight-A Princeton grad working in finance would be remotely likable or relatable, but Allegra is. She comes from a blue-collar family, and she always worked hard to make her dad proud. When she got to Princeton, she got caught up in the flow of students heading to big financial and consulting firms, because that is what was expected.

But two years later and Allegra is DONE. One thing I loved about her is that she is a character who doesn’t care about the power, success, and money that comes with her status she’s achieved. Allegra has all of the skills and work ethic to be a successful hedge fund manager or banker, she just doesn’t have the desire to do it. Allegra went with the flow, but she is a woman who is meant to carve her own path.

I don’t want to spoil where the plot heads in this book, but I’ll say following Allegra’s last two months in finance as she prepares for her major transition to teaching yoga is fascinating! I couldn’t wait to find out more, and Allegra is a character I miss now that I’ve finished the book.

But there are many well-created characters here! I loved Allegra’s deskmates, Tripp, Chloe, and Puja. Each had a unique personality and they were truly supportive of each other. And then there is Mark, who Allegra sleeps with one day after a yoga class, not realizing he is her new boss. Mark is such an interesting person! I could go on and on about the people that work at Anderson Shaw with her, but I won’t bore you now because you should go read it. I’ll also say that the yoga characters she meets, Skylar in particular, have their own vibe. It is quite the mash-up seeing yoga next to finance, but that combination is inspired by the author’s own passions! No wonder this book has an authenticity that is rare to find in many books.

Madeleine Henry is a wonderful writer, and I hope this isn’t the last book we get from her! This book is a gem, and one I will be reading again!