The Sweet Life: find passion, embrace fear, and create success on your own terms

by Dulce Candy Ruiz, Joell A. Jacob (Narrator)

Since posting her first makeup tutorial in 2008, Dulce Candy has become one of the top beauty stars on YouTube, boasting more than 2 million subscribers, and garnering hundreds of millions of views for her bright and energetic how-to videos. But before she became a style icon and a role model to millions of young women, Dulce struggled to make her way in the world. Having emigrated from Mexico to the United States when she was six years old, Dulce battled depression and low self-esteem as a teenager and eventually enlisted in the army in an attempt to turn her life around. It was here, on the battlefields of Iraq, that she finally uncovered and embraced her true passion-fashion and beauty-and gained the confidence to move on from her past, follow her dream, and launch what would become her wildly successful brand. Part memoir, part manifesto, The Sweet Life is a fun, inspirational guide for any woman who wants to find success without compromising who she is.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Self Help, Fashion, Personal Development

Audio CD

First published August 4, 2015

Reviews

[Alora Smilez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book; Dulce Candy is simultaneously relate-able and full of wonderful advice that can be applied to both work and life in general!

[Erika L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off this review by saying that I received this book in the mail and finished it in the same day. I could not stop reading it. I liked that Dulce described what her childhood was like and also shared things about her life that we may or may not have known. She was very straight to the point when it came to sharing details about her life and I liked that she didn't drag it out. She got her point across very well. This book was also very inspring and motivational. I think that everyone should read this book. There is a lot of things that most individuals can relate to. Chapter 5 was one of the chapters that really hit home to me and it was about fear. As far as the writing style went it is a very easy book to read. I also liked that her personality shined through the writing. I totally would recommend this book. There are very few books that I have been able to finish in a day and this is one of them.

[p.and.ari 🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy and smooth read.
I have watched Dulce on You Tube for the last 5 years and she has definitely evolved to an influential person. She not only talks to us about her rise on youtube but also about her own personal stories. She truly digs deep into her experiences and shares them with us and that to me was special, since I have followed her videos for such a long time. However, if you haven't seen her videos on you tube I'm sure you could still relate and truly enjoy her book. She is married, a mother to an adorable little boy, she is a veteran and also a public figure. She talks about marriage, family, serving in Iraq, confidence, beauty and many more things in which everyone can relate. I highly recommend her book!

[Lizeth Arroyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It makes you wanna try new things and makes you realize fear is just a word that you could easily eliminate from your life. Her book shows you more about dulce candy and her struggles in life. After I read her book I admire her even more. The way she talks about life is just beautiful and it makes you realize that even the smallest things that life brings, should be appreciated the bad and the good.

[Katelyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars! I have been a fan of Dulce Candy for years now and she was one of the first people I EVER subscribed to on Youtube, so I was very excited to read her book. I met her at a book signing in 2015 and she was the nicest person ever! My book is personalized so I cherish it a lot. I remember reading half of it while waiting in line to meet her and never finished it... so here I am! Overall I thought it was an enjoyable read but I think I enjoyed it more the first time around. It is nice to read about her life and how she grew as a person and got to where she is today. I do still watch her videos from time to time and I think if I rated this a couple years ago, it would've gotten 5 stars. I think maybe one reason is because I have grown up and am not as much into makeup videos like I used to be, and that has an effect on my rating. But this was a great read and I would recommend it! <3

[Sharon Perera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to give props to dulce candy for opening up about her success with this book. I have been a subscriber for a while, but never watched her videos consistently. I have noticed that the recent content in her videos are very uplifting, and send a positive message to her viewers. I believe this book will explain her journey in her career, and what promoted her change of character personally and in her videos. Thanks you for your service, and I hope this book inspires many young woman to create success on their own terms. Bravo candy!

[Lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self Help or Autobiography? Meh..I guess you can say that reading about someone else's life is suppose to inspire you to succeed in life s well. 3 points (stars) breakdown: 1) Well written, organized and easy to follow. 2) Short, I don't think I could take more. I almost put it down, but I paid for it - so I kept going. 3) Has some good suggestions and advice if you don't already know how to vlog.

[Suzanne Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - I was fascinated by how her family emigrated illegally from Mexico. Also, hearing about her time in the military in Iraq was interesting. I like how she really turned her life around and tries to be true to herself. Didn’t finish it - too many other listens and it wasn’t a high priority. Listened 11/2019

[Karina Orantes Flies · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you are into makeup read this book if you like what you read start following her on youtube, in my opinion is also a self help book because it talks about her life but she’s tells you how she over come here struggles...

[Elsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watched her since early Youtube days so its nice to see her at this point in her career and hear tips on how she got be so successful. Good for her!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good written and had good tips on. I watched dulce from the beginning and this showed an insight into her life

[Tim Habert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from a goodreads giveaway.

[Urmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent book about a YouTube influencer and her life!

[Jeanille Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will forever be one of my favorite books!

[Simone Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was well written. I love how Dulce made it relatable to everyone, whether you are a content creator or a 9 to 5 person. Dulce Candy was someone I watched on Youtube, wanting to learn about makeup. I think she is a beautiful person inside and out. Sometimes you see content creators and think that it comes easy to them to post videos, but it is not. She took a chance and followed her dream. I admire her consistency and love for her makeup craft (I wish I was half as good, I would be happy lol).

[Karina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it 2 stars/ 5 stars. I would classify this as a memoir. I enjoyed reading about her time serving in the U.S. Army and how her family immigrated to the United States, and that was about it. This book is not motivational to me, but maybe others who want to grow their YouTube following or want makeup tips would enjoy this more.

[Katie Harder-schauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would leave an honest review.

You may have figured out by now that I am not a make-up person (I never have it on in any of the pictures I post with my reviews) and Dulce Candy Ruiz is very much a make-up person, so we're almost polar opposites. This fact had me a little worried going into this book, but I shouldn't have been. Mostly, this book isn't about make-up, at least not directly.

For me this book read a lot like a more mature version of Miley Cyrus's Miles To Go, especially the beginning where Dulce Candy talks about her childhood. Although the two childhoods were vastly different, the tone of voice while discussing them was similar. It was very conversational and I was very intrigued.

When the book moved on to the business aspect of Dulce Candy's life, I started to lose interest. It was still the same conversational tone, but it wasn't as engaging for me. In spite of that, I felt like the author made some very great points about life in general; a person doesn't have to dream of YouTube stardom to benefit from them.

I would recommend this book most to teenage girls; girls who can still benefit from the lessons of Dulce Candy's life before the make some of the same mistakes she did growing up. Girls that have likely been following her, or Jenna Marbles, or some other fashion and beauty vlogger. Not only would they relate better than I did, but they have more to learn too.

Reviewed on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog
http://www.justanothergirlandherbooks...

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book. I've been reading a lot of women's non-fiction/memoirs lately about creating/success/inspiring/vulnerability so this popped up on a recommended books list in my library account and I ordered it but didn't think I'd really care for it because I don't care much about makeup and beauty tips (maybe I should). The books is basically not about makeup and beauty tips at all (which is what the authors YouTube channel is about, hence her major success). It starts with her account of coming to America from Mexico as a child and crossing the border undocumented, which was incredibly moving because as much as I've read about this subject, this was the the first first-hand account I've read. She later joins the army and serves for 15 months in Iraq which was pretty incredible to me, especially considering the cover of this book!! The rest of the book is about enjoying life, finding simple pleasures, being a savvy and powerful business woman while still balancing your family life and your personal interests, and all that fun stuff. I adored every minute of reading this and look forward to learning more about Dulce Candy's brand, and maybe even getting into some beauty tips now and then :)

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one from the beginning but by chapter four or five I grew tired. I enjoyed learning about her life before YouTube but slowly it became just like other memoirs I've read. It didn't help that I began slipping chapters because it wasn't relevant to me. Also I didn't really like when she was offering tips about how to look your best there was one line about how people who are out of shape don't look beautiful like those on the red carpet or something like that. I know what she was trying to say that if you're stressed you don't think about yourself first, but I thought it was a bit judgemental. I'm glad I picked this up from the library. Plus the cover was adorable and I liked that she mentioned that in the introduction.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about Dulce and how she got to where she is now. While I read this, I couldn't help but relate to many things she went through (except joining the army). It was really inspiring and I can tell she is a very humble person the way she describes her life events and how blessed and grateful she is for all the struggles she went through and now she is where she is now. I enjoyed the tips/advice she gave in many aspects of life such as figuring out your priorities, boosting self-confidence, and many others. Fast, easy book to read that will leave you feeling motivated to finish up that blog or DIY project you had started long ago.

[Caity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from Goodreads first reads program.

Overall I liked the idea of this book but I didn't like the writing style. The lessons in the book are stated once then a story illustrating the point is told and then the lesson is stated again at the end of the story. These are good points I just don't think they need to be repeated so many times. The writing was also very simplistic to the point that it sometimes distracted from my enjoyment of the book. This may not be as bothersome for younger readers though.

[Erika Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Dulce Candy and I applaud her for all her success! I'm happy she chose to share her journey with us in the form of a book - I preordered months before it came out! I will admit that I enjoyed the autobiographical parts the most and that's just because I love a good story. Overall, though, Dulce has sound advice to share and a happy ending - or the sweet life as she dubs it - that inspires. I love that the book sounded like no one other than Dulce herself sitting in front of the camera, as if you were watching one of her videos. She was honest and simple and, best of all, relatable.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me forever to read this book but I finally finished it.
I was a very big Dulce fan a few years ago but just like she said earlier in her book about people thinking she was phoney, that's how I thought of her. I watched her videos religiously but then I just got bored with her. To me the book was all over the place and it also felt rushed. It was definitely an easy read just like most celebrities that put their stuff out there. Hopefully she gets better with her writing if she intends on trying to do book #2. I just felt like their were so many unanswered questions.

[Shachi Phene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very inspiring. I'm not someone who typically likes "self-help" books, but I think this book was different because it's part autobiography. The writing style is very colloquial, which actually works for the book because it feels honest. Plus, this book was really written by Dulce for her Youtube viewers. If you'd like a full, detailed review, check out my blog post on PeopleIMetInMyTwenties.com.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very well written. I'm left feeling extremely inspired and I learned many things. Dulce talks about her experiences and honestly I could really relate to her. I also come from a family that emigrated from central America. being a first generation college student and trying to figure out what to major in can get very cloudy and I commend Ms.Ruiz for coming out super successful and on top ! I highly recommend this book.

[Fernanda Cadambi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has some good tips, I found myself marking a lot of pages throughout the reading. I wish Dulce would have gone into more details in a few stories, like when she was in Iraq for example. But overall it was a good reading! I've always followed her on youtube so it makes me proud to see all the things she has accomplished. It was great to get to know her story a little bit more!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, she gives good advise and tips to help young girls feel better about themselves. I like how she went into a little more depth about her personal struggles growing up. I think we all go through them in a bit of a different way, and it is nice to hear that she got through them and came out successful.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sweet Life – It was nice reading about Dulce Candy’s and the obstacles she has overcome. I have been watching Dulce for a few years now and I couldn’t help but wonder if she written the book herself as sometimes it didn’t sound like Dulce (if that makes sense?). I appreciate her vulnerability and all she shared.

[Jamie]

What an interesting and uplifting book. There are some great ideas and it's all about empowerment, confidence, and believing in yourself.

I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Charissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Nice feel good book although I didn't get much from it.