When's Happy Hour?: Work Hard So You Can Hardly Work

by The Betches

The New York Times bestselling authors of I Had a Nice Time and Other Lies and Nice Is Just a Place in France are back with a guide on how to thrive professionally, get ahead in the workforce, and basically become the Beyoncé of whatever you aspire to do.

We get it. You run shit. You can go from being blackout at drunk brunch to being ready to meet your new boyfriend’s parents in two seconds. But how do you go from being the boss of your personal life to taking charge of your career? That’s where the Betches come in.

We are dedicated to making you the most successful, betchiest career woman you can be. After all, we only became Betches after we worked like, really hard. And now we’re confident enough to help you become the best. You’re welcome. You can thank us later. As New York Times bestselling author Jessica Knoll says, “I only ever want the cold, hard truth from a betch.”

So whether you’re trying to become a CEO, navigate an office hookup, or just save enough money to go to happy hour twice a week, we’re here to help. It’s time to channel your inner Elle Woods, Miranda Priestly, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Per our last email, you better read this.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Feminism, Audiobook, Unfinished, Humor

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[Archana Manohar · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a woman is in late twenties, works a 9-5 job, loves it and earns a six figure salary doing so ( the only reason I bring up money is because apparently this book is a guide to be a rockstar employee who earns well) I can vouch that this book is not worth your time or effort.
Reasons:
- Every single idea in this book can be discussed in a single blog post and it has been in a multitude of brilliant posts in other digital media.
- There is no tangible benefit from any of the so called ideas. Yes, I know I am supposed to befriend the good girl in the office, the question is how do I?
- Unnecessarily “wanna be cool” language.
- Lack of actual experience; I might be wrong here, but I don’t think these women have actually worked a corporate job before they started their own gig.


I could go on and on. I love to read women, and I picked up this book thinking “what’s better than a woman author? Obviously women authors!” and was distributed at the lack of quality and content and disgusted at how marketing seams to sell everything cool. Stay away and save your time on something worth your time.

[torin_kylara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, this book is not good. I thought it would be a funny comedy book about escaping work (that is what the title implies, no...?), but instead it was just a (tries to be) mildly amusing how-to guide for new employees.

Ugh.

No one wants to read that. Do you know how many books on business I have read? The like 3 that were required for my business class and that was it. Until this one. No, nobody wants to read a book on how-to in business. If I need to get advice on how to perform in a certain situation, I will ask my friends and if they don't know, I will ask the internet. I don't need a 300+ page book to flip through every time I have questions.

Also, if I did turn to this book for my questions? I wouldn't get any answers. More generic advice for more generic situations, with only a few actual real-world scenarios and solutions (none of which apply to me) sprinkled here and there.

So, no, I don't recommend this book for anybody. Not those looking for humor, and not those looking for work advice.

Ask reddit, you'll get a lot more practical and personal advice on there.

[Runner10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

When’s Happy Hour? Is filled with timely advice in the modern workplace. I found myself laughing and cringing when I read this book. I think young professionals will enjoy this book and may even recognize some situations they have already been navigating.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for someone starting out in their career. Funny and useful advice!

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that the book is supposed to have a sense of humor, not workable advice for everyone under every situation, but this was for me not very funny and the advice didn't seem practical to me on any level.

Before anyone says it, please let me, yes I am not a women, hence maybe it wasn't meant for me to "get it", the only thing I can say is that that's a sad excuse for a badly written book.

[Shari Suarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I'm not the target audience for this book. I'm not a Millennial and I'm not just out of college.
I think this book has some good advice for young women just leaving college. I'm sure the casual tone will appeal to Millennials and Gen Z. It just seemed a bit much for me. Too many references to the Bachelor and Vanderpump Rules for me. The authors have two best selling books already so there must be a market for this type of book. I did appreciate the chapter on harrassment and I found myself nodding my head at the Betches take on feminism.
I'm sure they have another hit on their hands with the right audience.

[Rebecca Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

The struggle I have with this book is that it comes from authors who to my knowledge don’t have any experience in a corporate 9-5 yet this book is directed at that. It also makes this book extremely unrelatable to anyone working in the public sector where we don’t have the ability to ask for a raise as it is set by the government, whose cover letters are expected to be four to five pages and you won’t get the job if they’re not and for people who wear a uniform to work. I think even more of a disclaimer that not all their advice will apply to every job would be helpful especially for the target audience is millennials just starting out and may take this advice as the law. Also they seem to be very specific on what’s considered “right” and “wrong” when it comes to how many friends you have, that you shouldn’t enjoy spreadsheets, and that you’re not a good person if you don’t want to move up the corporate ladder quickly. I think what could have succeeded instead of this book was a book specifically on starting a company instead of only one chapter. This would allow the authors to really draw on their experiences without making generalizations that were not always accurate.

[Maddie Lamothe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good lord I read the first chapter of this and the privileged white feminism is almost laughable- I don’t even mean it in a harsh way but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that while they go on about the history of feminism it feels ridiculously surface level. I don’t think they mention people of color or non binary people once. Feels like I’m grasping at straws to say it’s good that they wrote about history but that part left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention at the end of the chapter they have an advice column- their advice to the person was literally to ask someone else what they should do😂Then again it is my fault for trying to read it after they preface the intro by basically saying they’re white girls with who went to a good college/have rich parents lollll

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

**I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review**

Impossibly terrible. This is a "how to be a professional" book. I'm aware the Betches brand prides themselves in their casual, conversational tone, but this was so poorly written it was difficult. I felt like I was reading a pre-teen's text messages, not a published book written by women who built their own media company. Also, the fillers were pointless. As with bloggers, it was as though they didn't know how to fill an entire 300 pages with actual content, so they tossed in pointless movie quotes and advice columns to fill in the blank space.

I cannot recommend this book less.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5

I thought this book was a funny, relatable, well-rounded guide to entering the career world.

It was a quick read, and I loved the way the chapters were organized (and the quotes/tidbits they added throughout). This book made me laugh out loud and sometimes hit too close to home, but it offered some solid advice! Although majority of the content for me was common sense or stuff I had learned about, I do believe everyone can learn at least one new thing from this.

Obviously, the brand is known for being pretty straightforward and even said so in the beginning of the book, but there were some very small sections I wasn’t a fan of based on their approach to discussing. I also hoped they could be more inclusive, and they definitely tried which I will give them credit for (including admiring their own privilege and where they could only offer up so much advice). But simple things like explaining intersectionality when talking about feminism or not making it about straight sorority girls would be a good perspective.

Altogether, I think this is a well-rounded career advice book that gives the must know basics while empowering women. For those of us entering the work force, and for millennial/gen-z women, it’s a decent quick read!

[Mary Bonomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. Probably more on par with a 3.5 star rating but this was a great career book for millennials working in corporate American. I thought there were actually some great points in here regarding salary negotiation, office etiquette and what it’s like being a woman in the workplace in 2019.

[Rizwana · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of paper ! Written by entitled, uneducated and ignorant Karen’s. Especially the dig at Saudi Arabia lol these women have lived in their bubble, have no cultural exposure to the rest of the world and give “advice”. Claim to be feminist but look down at women from other cultural and religious backgrounds. Absolutely nauseating book. Couldn’t make it past chapter 1

[Karlee Elmhurst · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cringe.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the introduction, the authors claim that this book may not be for everyone. I actually liked the introduction and the first few chapters, but I came to recognize myself as the "not for everyone" reader as the book progressed. While there was a great deal of justification for self-permission for informal language "bros" would get away with, the tone did not change throughout the book. Some nuggets of wisdom were included here in terms of how to present self, prepare for interviews, and pace career development, but the authors needed to change the presentation to more sincere writing or actually go the opposite way to heightened satire and comedy.

I'll look up the blogs by the Betches. I suspect that I would prefer that format for this group. Simply, an old-fashioned book was not the best medium for the lessons here.

[Amy Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great graduation gift for a sorority girl. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way—I read it as a 26-year-old who has been in the “real world” for over four years now, and as someone who feels like they have a relatively solid sense of direction and success in life, there just wasn’t much in here that could help me at this point in my life. That said, the Betches are always hilarious and never fail to give great advice in a relatable way, which in itself makes the book worth picking up.

[Sarah Paulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The millennial woman's guide to the work force. A quick, easy read I think this book would be good for women just starting out in their careers or trying to figure out how to navigate the workforce post college. Good advice and honest truth telling that as a manager I would love for people to know. I also found good advice for myself but mostly it was a snarky entertaining read in the same style as their blog/instagram account.

[Lana Dial · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely speaks more to women that are just entering the workforce, than women who have been working for some time. I find the book’s voice a little too juvenile and lacking in actual in-depth advice. Perhaps, being a working 40 year old woman colors my judgement, but some of these pointers just seem incredibly basic and common sense. If people need to be told that flipping out on your boss and sleeping with random coworkers is a bad idea, the problem is a lot worse than we think!

[Bianca Lagoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave this an honest review. I read the other 2 betches novels years ago back in college and from what I remembered they were really funny and it fit for probably the timing I was at in my life. This was just kind of stupid. I’m already working and have my life settled. This book is more for a senior in college trying to possibly land their dream job and or if they don’t know where they want to end up in life. It’s more of a help book rather than a novel with a plot.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was definitely written with a particular audience in mind. Though I fit their demographic perfectly, I was not the intended audience. This was a bit disappointing as I hoped to get more from this book, but I will give it props for the last few chapters (and an extra star).

The premise is to provide “extremely relatable, honest, and humorous content for millennial women”. Though I can vouch for the honesty, I can’t for the relatability or humor, though some parts did occasionally make me laugh. The most frustrating aspect is the voice used. While the point is to be a straight-talk book, the overuse of “like” and cross-outs/corrections felt like the voice was trying way way too hard to keep it real. Also the prevalent assumption that most millennial women spent their college years in or wishing they were in sororities or constantly inebriated made it hard to relate for those who took work seriously even back then.

There is some good career advice, although the vast majority of tips are basics one could acquire by being slightly observant and trying to be a good employee. This book is best suited for female college students who are hit or about to be hit with harsh reality once they graduate from the college bubble. In that sense it is highly valuable “stuff everyone expects you to know” advice that may be sorely needed. If you have been in the workforce for even a little while and have been a decent employee, there isn’t a whole lot to take away. There are small gems here and there, most of which are stacked in later chapters.

Where this book shines is in its handling of women at work and related life concerns. The authors’ take is incredibly refreshing and presented an interesting idea about the origin of insecure masculinity. Their handling of this topic and several related chapters following was on-point and the most valuable part of this whole book.

[nats_bookstack · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1️⃣3️⃣9️⃣

I’ll start off by saying that when I purchased this book, I was at a very different place in my life. However, there was no way I was leaving a book unread on my shelf and thought I may possibly learn a thing or two in the process.

This is my third book from these Betches (I’m seeing a trend here with my reading as of late), and even though I feel this may be my last, I want to share my thoughts.

🍹This book is clearly written by women who are strong believers of feminism. However, they were able to provide somewhat (see bulletpoint regarding Chapter 8) of a balance between their viewpoint and women choose to live their lives in more traditional sense.

🍹If you followed the “series”, you can clearly see that the authors have made personal growth and no longer have that carefree fuck the word attitude of the women who first wrote “I Had a Nice Time and Other Lies…” (which is the best out of the collection). I prefer to read books about women being hot messes…just throwing it out there!

🍹I enjoyed Chapter 3, specifically the information on building a resume. As someone who tends to hold on to a job for years, it’s not an area I generally feel comfortable in. Plus, I absolutely DISLIKE writing cover letters. They are my weakness…

🍹Do yourself a favour and tag useful areas of the book for future reference.

🍹Provided solid viewpoint on wage gaps I had not previously considered. I’m not saying anything more on the topic 🤐 This leads me to my next point…

🍹Chapter 8 is focused on hating men. I felt the strong feminist approach, yet alone this chapter, was unnecessary. There was no indication that the authors took this stance based on their previous books and it was off putting, to me anyways.

Overall, the book gives basic but useful and good advice. I took very little from this book…

I flopped back and forth from a ⭐️⭐️ and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on this one. Considering this was a self help guide to securing desired employment, it was quite enjoyable to read. For that reason, I am giving this book a ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 star. It’s perfect for a targeted age group of early adulthood.

#25bookchallenge #2024

[Vanessa Valenzuela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a self-help book that’s written more for people in their early 20’s that are trying to decide what career they may want to pursue and how to advance within any career of choice.

It’s quirky — sometimes pretty corny — but I could see how it could be helpful to those that want guidance with various issues that come up when entering the corporate/office world, I.e., do’s and don’ts, how social media fits it, appropriate clothing, how to ask for pay increases, etc.

I’m 37 and self-employed, so for me there were many chapters that were no longer relevant nor helpful. However, there were some toward the end written for bosses with some helpful tips on employee recruiting and employee pay.

I think this would be a cute book to gift to a student going into college or to someone starting their first job.

[Rose Walls · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a 25 year old female who has just entered the workforce this book is extremely relatable. It had me laughing and cringing throughout its entirety and I loved how specific they would get not only with personal experience examples and stories (which had me saying I cannot believe this has happened to them too!!) but also with pop culture references that everyone understands. The only reason why I didnt give this hilarious and super helpful guide 4 stars is some references were way too far out there, such as using tinder for networking with work and also they made it sound super easy to get a job and to switch jobs if there is something you don't like/agree with which is not the case at all for most university level educated peeps nowadays.

[Cate Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Traditional corporate “pick me” advice which was so bizarre coming from the founders of an atypical workplace environment (media startup). Would have loved a sort of founders story, even an embellished one, but this was not it.

Instead it was generic, corporate-culture advice about most topics. True in my experience for the big companies I’ve worked at, not true for the startups. Best part for me: how to be a manager (I am not but reminded me how not to be annoying).

Worst parts: the chapter describing how slobby and bad it was to work from home, multiple shade references to employees leaving early, and generally getting history wrong when describing the beginning of patriarchy. Ha. Byyyyyye, betch.

[Cyber · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was...okay. Not their best work.

I personally found the humor in their previous books much better. This book lacks in humor. Which I understand, this is a book about jobs. Which is a serious topic. But it's also a book written my The Betches, there are definitely ways they could have inserted more humor into the book.

I would also say that the advice in this book is more focused towards the college girl audience, not the already working females. Most of the advice is fairly useless if you've already been job hunting/had a job/have experience.

Overall, meh. I don't think jobs is the best topic for them to write about. They should stick with dating and love, probably.

[Courtney Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book perfectly fits the tone of any millennial or Gen Z person going into the workforce. I loved all the little pop culture references and I thought some of the advice was really helpful. That being said some info was repetitive and the book probably could have been a little shorter. I did like how the sections were broken up and I liked the it's okay, not okay debate as well as the dear betches at the end of each chapter. Some part of me thought it was going to be funnier and more anecdotal rather than informational. But overall, it was a quick non-fiction read that could be helpful to a certain audience.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't make it past the first quarter of this book. This is a perfect example of very young, wealthy, entitled people getting popular on social media and then immediately are "experts" on how to live life and be successful.
These women had no insights into anything. These fluffy self help books, are the new get rich quick schemes, full of broad generalities and no depth or substance. These books are what are feeding the upcoming generations that playing hard is most important, but the work hard can be skipped.

[Ashley Lhérisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found it entertaining with some solid career advice and guidance sprinkled in. I appreciated the millennial cultural references and upbeat/light-hearted tone. I would recommend to young women just starting their full-time careers after college. The authors seem self-aware and relatable and they did a successful job making the book informational and fun. I particularly appreciated the advice of finding ways to love what you do as opposed to always doing what you love - which can be rare.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF’d this book so hard. I tried to force myself through it but simply could not.

The authors don’t have a clue on how to give career advice to an average person. However, they don’t claim to be average, so I’ll give them that.

It felt like reading a horrible manual on how to get a job. It wasn’t what I expected. I guess I was expecting more advice on career building, working through struggles, and gaining confidence in your career. maybe it is after the beginning. Not sure, since I couldn’t get past the page 50.

[crinklepizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book during the Big Bad Wolf Sale because of the color (yah, it's really bad of me) and I find the content as pretty as its cover. If you think you are stuck at work and has been sending SOS signals for a while, this book will help you go back and reassess yourself where and what went wrong and then equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to survive and slay the workplace. The best thing about it is #womenempowerment

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I’m clearly not the target audience for this book (more for new grads) and the content is nothing ground-breaking, I highly enjoyed the very relevant pop culture references littered throughout the book and laughed out loud more than once. They write in a way that’s highly relatable. Enjoyed this quick read!