amymo73's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book for the title. Seriously. I enjoyed the stories but wasn't blown away. Really liked the bridesmaid story.
lattes_lipstick_literature's review against another edition
2.0
Surprisingly I knew who Sloane Crosley was before I read this. Weird right? Anyway I usually enjoy essays and memoirs I just couldn't completely get behind Crosley's humor. Everything that happened seemed over emphasized and funnier than it really should have been. I know authors tend to over-embellish when they write non-fiction humor but I felt like Crosley went one step over.
I did find her essay on her first horrible boss humorous as, it was something we can all relate to, but after that we seem to loose touch with each other on things to connect on. Maybe because I never lived in New York so I did not understand the hustle and bustle. Either way, this was not a bad book at all, it just honestly seemed like I read it all before.
I did find her essay on her first horrible boss humorous as, it was something we can all relate to, but after that we seem to loose touch with each other on things to connect on. Maybe because I never lived in New York so I did not understand the hustle and bustle. Either way, this was not a bad book at all, it just honestly seemed like I read it all before.
garfieldphone's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, I really wanted to like this book. The first essays premise about hiding toy ponies in a drawer and being worried about people finding them after you die really sounds like something I would write myself. Only, the essay doesn't seem to know where it's going and never really gets anywhere. I only read 5 of the essays. I stopped after that because I was just too bored. I'm sure in real life, or in blog form where you only read little bits at a time, Sloane Crosley is funny and entertaining. But none of these stories were bookworthy and I slogged through. I wouldn't say this book was bad. It was just too boring to justify continuing with.
nglofile's review against another edition
4.0
Funny beyond my expectations. I can't help but wish my writing were this entertaining.
audiobook note: Crosley sounds exactly as I'd imagined, and it's a treat to hear her wit in her own voice. Frankly, I embarrassed myself by laughing audibly on the train more than once.
first read: 4/08
re-read (audio): 2/09
audiobook note: Crosley sounds exactly as I'd imagined, and it's a treat to hear her wit in her own voice. Frankly, I embarrassed myself by laughing audibly on the train more than once.
first read: 4/08
re-read (audio): 2/09
mari1532's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I actually own a copy of this book in paperback and I am not even sure where I got it from. So, in my quest to try and read some of my backlogs, I checked the audiobook out of the library because could listen while I was at work.
This book of essays details Crosley's life as a 20-something in New York. A short and sometimes entertaining read there were a few essays where I really identified with Crosely, but by and large I didn't really connect with a majority of the book. That is not at all because the book was poorly written or the stories were bad. This was a solidly written compilation of essays, it simply wasn't for me.
My three favorite stories were: her volunteer experience, her stint as a maid-of-honor, and the one detailing her health scare. A wide variety of stories but ones that I felt the most connected to because Crosley seemed the most open and vulnerable in them.
On some level, I could relate to the volunteer story because I was in the Honor Society in high school and I can say now that not a single part of that volunteering was motivated by selflessness or a desire to help where I was volunteering. However, I felt an air of self-importance because I had volunteered. This essay was just the absolutely perfect description of that mindset and it truly made me cringe remembering my 16-year-old self.
Her absolute honesty about being a bridesmaid made me laugh so hard and toward the end of the story when her friend was clinging to the idea of their friendship I both cringed and laughed because at a distance the story sounds absurd, but I can only imagine the mental gymnastics Crosley was going through in that moment.
Also, when she detailed how she had to call her entire phone tree to update them on her health was so well articulated. There are some instances where you simply do not want to deal with the emotional labour required of informing other people, but you know if you don't you are only going to make the problem worse. It was an absolutely relatable and true statement on human interaction.
If you want to have a nice, reflective read through the perspective of someone else's life this is a good choice.
This book of essays details Crosley's life as a 20-something in New York. A short and sometimes entertaining read there were a few essays where I really identified with Crosely, but by and large I didn't really connect with a majority of the book. That is not at all because the book was poorly written or the stories were bad. This was a solidly written compilation of essays, it simply wasn't for me.
My three favorite stories were: her volunteer experience, her stint as a maid-of-honor, and the one detailing her health scare. A wide variety of stories but ones that I felt the most connected to because Crosley seemed the most open and vulnerable in them.
On some level, I could relate to the volunteer story because I was in the Honor Society in high school and I can say now that not a single part of that volunteering was motivated by selflessness or a desire to help where I was volunteering. However, I felt an air of self-importance because I had volunteered. This essay was just the absolutely perfect description of that mindset and it truly made me cringe remembering my 16-year-old self.
Her absolute honesty about being a bridesmaid made me laugh so hard and toward the end of the story when her friend was clinging to the idea of their friendship I both cringed and laughed because at a distance the story sounds absurd, but I can only imagine the mental gymnastics Crosley was going through in that moment.
Also, when she detailed how she had to call her entire phone tree to update them on her health was so well articulated. There are some instances where you simply do not want to deal with the emotional labour required of informing other people, but you know if you don't you are only going to make the problem worse. It was an absolutely relatable and true statement on human interaction.
If you want to have a nice, reflective read through the perspective of someone else's life this is a good choice.
cluckingbell's review against another edition
3.0
A little hit and miss. Some are reasonably funny, some are relatable, some are both, but then some are just difficult to follow and lacking in laughs or point.
mskanyegenya's review against another edition
2.0
I only read this book because I bought her other book, How Did You Get This Number, and I decided to read her first book first. From the reviews it sounded really hilarious. I was disappointed. Some of the essays go on forever with no point whatsoever. Then there is the tendency to paint the picture of a terrible youth while in essence she seems like a pretty balanced individual.