$9 Therapy: Semi-Capitalist Solutions to Your Emotional Problems

Reid, a former editor at Simon & Schuster, and Greene, a former magazine editor, cobble together an unfocused collection of tips for those on a budget in this slight guide to self-care. The stated goal is to make life simpler and more enjoyable, but the authors’ scattered, unfocused approach makes their advice hard to follow. Anyone familiar with self-help basics will recognize much of the advice—be it taking mental health days or doing short workouts—as the authors jump across self-help mainstays such as decluttering and meditation, self-care-adjacent topics including opting out of junk mail, and, randomly, the uses for a glue gun. Also included are recipes, lists of things to pack for a vacation, and book recommendations. Boxed snippets of quirky advice hover at the top of some pages: “Pack a string of fairy lights to turn even the dreariest travel photo into instant spon-con.” Directed toward young urbanites, the authors’ cursory advice contains sparks of inspiration but, as a whole, fails to provide the budget-minded comfort touted. (Feb.)