I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag: A Memoir of a Life Through Events--the Ones You Plan and the Ones You Don't
&#8220;A savvy, often funny account of the ups and downs of building a business; a penetrating look at how [Gilbert] overcame the psychological scars of the attack; a warm and happy ending. You&#8217;ll laugh with her, you&#8217;ll learn from her, and you&#8217;ll be glad you made her acquaintance.&#8221; (Parade)&#8220;Packed with funny stories about bridezillas and demented captains of industry, this is a fascinating tale of how we regain joy in the aftermath of unspeakable horror.&#8221; (People(3 &#xBD; stars))&#8221; It would be easy to get caught up in the chatty details of all the near-disasters Gilbert encounters in her fast-paced life in the world of event planning but this memoir is about more than cake and flowers.&#8221; (Library Journal)&#8220;Breathtakingly honest, funny, and surprising,I Never Promised You a Goodie Bagis the unforgettable story of how, after a traumatic encounter in her twenties, Jennifer Gilbert found her way back to happiness. I couldn&#8217;t stop reading.&#8221; (Gretchen Rubin, author ofThe Happiness Project)&#8220;This is a beautiful and brave memoir, full of hard-won wisdom. I read it in one sitting. It speaks from the heart and to the heart.&#8221; (Dani Shapiro, author ofDevotion)&#8220;What distinguishes Gilbert&#8217;s memoir from the inspirational survivor pack is her willingness to share the bumps along her road to recovery. . . . [A] likable memoir that shows we can choose to be more than the sum of those events that are beyond our control.&#8221; (Kirkus Reviews)