In this wickedly sharp and hilarious collection, Miles Hartwell skewers our modern obsession with self-improvement through eight unforgettable stories that will make you laugh, wince, and question every wellness trend you've ever considered. Meet Marcus, who joins "The 4:59 AM Club" to transform his life, only to discover that waking before dawn doesn't guarantee enlightenment—just exhaustion and the slow unraveling of everything he thought he wanted. Journey alongside characters who chase peak performance through increasingly absurd means: optimizing their morning routines, biohacking their bodies, tracking their habits with religious fervor, and measuring their worth in productivity metrics that promise fulfillment but deliver only anxiety. With razor-sharp wit and uncomfortably accurate observations, Hartwell exposes the comic desperation lurking behind our cultural fixation on becoming "better versions" of ourselves. These are stories about ordinary people—marketing managers, office workers, partners in long-term relationships—who find themselves seduced by the siren song of self-optimization, only to discover that the pursuit of perfection is often just a dressed-up form of self-punishment. Part social satire, part character study, *Peak Performance* captures the peculiar madness of contemporary life, where we're constantly told we're not doing enough, being enough, or achieving enough. Hartwell's prose is both elegant and accessible, his humor devastating yet compassionate. He understands that behind every green smoothie and 5 AM alarm is a genuine human desire for meaning, purpose, and control in an increasingly chaotic world. Perfect for readers who loved *Then We Came to the End* by Joshua Ferris or the sardonic observations of George Saunders, this collection is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt inadequate while scrolling through someone else's carefully curated life—which is to say, all of us.
