monikaben's review against another edition
5.0
A hilarious series of real-life experiments conducted by an introvert cosplaying an extrovert in order to make friends in a new country.
I was not ready to love this as much as I did. I read other people comparing it to Yes Man and I disagree. Pan had to go out of her way to create situations where she could be social, not just saying yes to invitations, because having moved countries, there was nobody to invite her to do stuff.
I read this at the perfect point in life when I moved to a new city and struggled to make friends. All the jokes in this book landed, the situations were relatable, and the advice was solid.
I also loved how she talks about "shintroverts" = shy introverts. I've been saying "I don't get shy, I just get tired." to people my whole life when they don't believe I'm an introvert.
I was not ready to love this as much as I did. I read other people comparing it to Yes Man and I disagree. Pan had to go out of her way to create situations where she could be social, not just saying yes to invitations, because having moved countries, there was nobody to invite her to do stuff.
I read this at the perfect point in life when I moved to a new city and struggled to make friends. All the jokes in this book landed, the situations were relatable, and the advice was solid.
I also loved how she talks about "shintroverts" = shy introverts. I've been saying "I don't get shy, I just get tired." to people my whole life when they don't believe I'm an introvert.
durun99's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
charity1313's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
This isn't what I was expecting but I suppose she had to put herself in contrived situations in order to make sure she had something to write about. I was expecting more humorist essays about trying to extrovert in regular life situations but instead it's more like a series of social experiments contrived by the author so she could explore her mental health crisis and have something to write about. I'm an introvert but I don't see how forcing oneself to do stand up comedy is necessary. I get that it was her personal "bucket list of extrovertedness" but it was really awkward and strange.
karagee's review against another edition
4.0
Jessica Pan has a funny and relatable voice. As a fellow introvert, I felt for her a lot in this. I consider myself a bit more adept at socializing (thanks to 10 years of customer service jobs) but I could never do half of the things she forced herself to do for this book (especially the comedy bit and traveling alone). This book feels more like inspirational/self help than anecdotal, but perhaps that is only because it forced me to question my own relationship with extroversion.
I do wish there had been more consideration for teaching extroverts how to be more introverted because that gets brushed over so often in our society where extroversion/the ability to network is the only trait that is valued. Everyone could find value in learning how to be emotionally and mentally self-sufficient, and teaching oneself how to make use of quiet time and self-reflection.
Perhaps that could be a good follow-up...
I do wish there had been more consideration for teaching extroverts how to be more introverted because that gets brushed over so often in our society where extroversion/the ability to network is the only trait that is valued. Everyone could find value in learning how to be emotionally and mentally self-sufficient, and teaching oneself how to make use of quiet time and self-reflection.
Perhaps that could be a good follow-up...