Similarly to Spy by David Wise, I became interested in this book after watching the movie, Molly’s Game staring Jessica Chastain. I adore Chastain and would watch almost anything she is in and this movie is one that I have seen multiple times and still highly recommend.

-Spoiler Alerts Ahead-

Anyways, the book is Molly Bloom’s memoir going from Olympic skier to running one of the most exclusive, high-stakes poker games in the world. I’m not going to lie, I know very little about skiing, the Olympics, or poker, but Molly is straightforward and direct to a fault making this a quick and easy read.

One reason to read this? All of the celebrity drama. Molly name drops quite a few of the major figures who participated in her games and you can easily find out who else was involved with a quick google search. But, this takes celebrity gossip to a new level and it is hard to look away.

Another reason? Molly is one of those people you can’t help but cheer for. Not only do you want her to succeed, but also what she is able to accomplish through hard work, perseverance, and being at the right place at the right time is incredible. She is definitely one of those people who makes you feel like you have not been making good use of your time!

Anyways, I would highly recommend both the film and the book. For those of you (like me) who don’t understand poker, I’d watch the movie first. It is a bit easier to follow the poker games when you can see everyone’s cards and the narrator is giving you play-by-plays. Otherwise, enjoy this fascinating story.

5/5 stars

Book 17/50 for 2022