Ambition Monster - by Jennifer Romolini

About the Book

"A deeply personal memoir about workaholism, the addictive nature of ambition, and the humbling process of picking yourself up when the world lets you down: an anti-girlboss tale for our times"--

Book Synopsis

An "intimate, intensely resonant memoir about workaholism, unresolved trauma, and the 'addictive nature of ambition'" (Harper's Bazaar), this is an anti-girlboss tale for our times for readers of Drinking: A Love Story and Uncanny Valley.

After years of relentlessly racing up the professional ladder, Jennifer Romolini reached the kind of success many crave: a high-profile, C-suite dream job, a book well-received enough that reporters wanted to know the secrets to her success, and a gig traveling around the country giving speeches on "making it." But beneath this polished surface was a powder keg of unresolved trauma and chronic overwork. It was all about to blow.

Ambition Monster is a gutsy and powerful look at workaholism, the lingering effect of childhood trauma, and the failures of our modern rat race. This is a Cinderella story of success and a brutal appraisal of the cost of capitalism--perfect for people pleasers, overachievers, and those whose traumas have driven them to be perfect, no matter the cost. "If you find yourself on the other end of burnout, trying desperately to figure out a new way forward--wow, is this book for you" (Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can't Even).

Review Quotes

"[An] intimate, intensely resonant memoir about workaholism, unresolved trauma, and the "addictive nature of ambition." ­­--Harper's Bazaar, Best Books of 2024

"Fast-moving and dishy... Ambition Monster tells a tale of an overachiever who wore out her wheels pursuing success - and who finally looked up from her Outlook calendar and called it a night." --The Guardian

"Addictive." --Slate

"Laudable...an entertaining and highly relatable account of the struggle to avenge the people we once were." --The New York Times

"Ambition Monster is perfect for people pleasers, overachievers and anyone whose trauma has driven them to push for success no matter the cost." --Pure Wow

"Extremely compelling, packed with insight, humor, and radical candor... A superb reality check for anyone trying to climb the corporate ladder." --Booklist

"Jennifer Romolini is a big-hearted, hilarious genius who has generously ripped her life open to let us pick at her scars, and we are luckier for it." --Samantha Irby, New York Times bestselling author of Quietly Hostile, Wow, No Thank You, and We Are Never Meeting In Real Life

"Ambition Monster grabbed me in its teeth and wouldn't let me go. Jennifer Romolini's memoir is propulsive and funny and human and wise all at once. It's rare to find a book that says such hard truths about work, money, and, yes, ambition. I devoured it, or maybe it devoured me." --Claire Dederer, bestselling author of Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma

"Ambition Monster is as hilarious as it is heart-wrenching. Through bad boyfriends, complicated coworkers, and just enough luck, Jennifer Romolini uses sharp sentences and vulnerability to tell the story of a life spent in hot pursuit of the love, validation, and the significance we all desire. Page after page, chapter after chapter, I found myself riding with Romolini down the rabbit hole of her successes, and often enough, right into the glaring light of her failures. Ambition Monster is a gift of storytelling, and an act of reclamation." --Ashley C. Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody's Daughter

"An exquisitely written reckoning with our own career hunger: where it comes from, but also what it costs us. Ambition Monster is weird and funny and brutally honest in all of the best ways. If you find yourself on the other end of burnout, trying desperately to figure out a new way forward -- wow, is this book for you." --Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation

About the Author

Jennifer Romolini is the author of Weird in a World That's Not, Ambition Monster, and is the host of the podcast Everything Is Fine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Fast Company, Vogue, and many others.