The topic of this study is neoliberal ideology in women's self-help books, using two popular books from the genre. I demonstrate the ways in which the advice contained within these books combines a genuine wish for female emancipation with the reproduction of neoliberal values.This critical analysis is based on a Marxist feminist perspective which addresses the interconnection between class based and gender based oppression. Based on a thorough critical reading of the texts, through a categorization of themes, the analysis focuses on three dominant sub-themes: productivity in the context of success on the labour market; personal responsibility in which women themselves are responsible for their own fate without regard to the nature of patriarchal structures; and emotional labour in terms of the development of appropriate emotions, through which readers can convince themselves that they have capabilities which are the key to success. The main conclusion, based on close reading, is that structures of neoliberalism, exploitation, competition and gender inequality are seen as irrelevant or the result of individual choice and responsibility. In this way, collective solutions to gender inequality become unthinkable. One limitation of the study is the small sample size, and potential research in the future could describe and analyse the different meanings which different readers assign to the texts.