If you’ve ever had to trade reviews while selling a book, chances are, you’ve had to do some mandatory five-star reviews. For all of those who have, this is for you.

My One-Year Journey by Joseph DeBoard

Joseph DeBoard takes the reader on a spiritual journey as he recounts his one-year journey around the world hiking the Andes, traversing the Serengeti on Safari, kayaking across North American rapids, and backpacking through Southeast Asia, eating the finest foods and imbibing the best spirits along the way. You will be captivated by both romantic relationships he develops with supermodels along the way. Joe develops true philosophical insights he’s happy to share with you, as he wrote this book as way to share his “hard-earned wisdom.”

You might wonder how Joe is able to do this, as it sounds awfully expensive. Joe begins his journey as a stockbroker in one of Wall Street’s most prestigious firms, but on a whim decides to quit his six-figure job and go on a one-year hiatus, leaving behind yet another supermodel he was engaged to. While having significant personal savings, Joe relies mostly on his billionaire father, the founder of a Dutch manufacturing firm. Joe’s father is actually on his death bed, but Joe doesn’t visit him during the book, choosing instead to visit Munich beer halls as his father goes into critical condition. The five minutes in the bathroom that Joe spends thinking of his father is very touching though.

Joe does have some original thoughts. He makes a few incisive critiques of the capitalist system while speaking with the waiters, tour guides, and bellhops who wait on him hand and foot on his year-long journey across the globe. Joe discovers that traditional organized religion is merely hypocrisy and convention after a nun tells Joe to stop making out in front of the Sistine Chapel with his second fling. Joe summarizes his deep philosophy as “whatever you do, you do.” Very profound.

The book ends with Joe coming back to the Netherlands to manage his father’s company, which he inherits after his father dies. Joe also marries his former fiancée, who doesn’t mind Joe’s previous dalliances with other supermodels. Indeed, she appears to be very forgiving. She doesn’t protest at all when Joe hires one of the girls he fooled around with on this trip as his secretary. An afterward informs us that Joe is currently being considered for an economic advisor position with the Trump administration.

Altogether, it’s a wonderful journey around the world that you wish you could have taken. I mean, you might want to be a better person than Joe, but you certainly do envy the life he leads. Oh well, it was a good fantasy for a weekend. Five Stars!