Juliet’s School of Possibilities

Laura Vanderkam's fable follows Riley Jenkins, an ambitious consultant in her late twenties who has always earned near-perfect evaluations until her boss gives her a terrible review. She answers client emails around the clock and does everything faster than expected, yet she is spread too thin to produce thoughtful work. Given thirty days to land a big deal or be let go, she also finds her boyfriend and close friends running out of patience. Reluctantly, she must spend a weekend at a women's leadership retreat in New Jersey, where she meets the host, Juliet, a lifestyle maven and single mother of two who runs a successful business. The story turns on the gap between finite time and infinite expectations.

Gretchen Rubin praised Vanderkam for using storytelling to make advice on priorities and focus vivid, and Chris Guillebeau, who calls her his go-to time management expert, endorsed it as a delightful book that can be read in a couple of short sittings.