cover image Hot (Broke) Messes: How to Have Your Latte and Drink It Too

Hot (Broke) Messes: How to Have Your Latte and Drink It Too

Nancy Trejos, . . Grand Central/Business Plus, $13.99 (297pp) ISBN 978-0-446-55542-5

A new twist on the pink-covered “girl's guide to finance” trend is constructed by Trejos, a personal finance writer for the Washington Post , who herself hit financial bottom. Broke and deep in debt, she found herself having to call her hard-working, blue-collar, immigrant parents for money—all the while publicly advising others on their monetary well-being. She sheepishly admits having made every personal finance mistake under the sun, and through a myriad of stories from her own epic money screwups, she offers advice and resources for the similarly beleaguered. Trejos covers all the usual suspects of get-control-of-your-finances guides aimed at young women: credit scores, car payments, student loan payments, debt, health insurance, and accountability. What makes this one stand out is how relatable the author is and how poignant her situation: that someone ostensibly well schooled in the ins and outs of money wrangling can make the same mistakes as the rest of us. Peppy packaging and an encouraging tone should help this one get some traction. (May)