A review by crystaltran
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this was less of a book and more of a really long stream of consciousness from someone i would hate to be friends with. i thought there would be more of a plot of the main character recovering emotionally and finding herself after her divorce, buts really just 300 pages of self-deprecation and millennial humor. 

there are certainly parts that work. there’s little sections such as “devastating things my therapist said to me” and “google search history” that i found really funny and relatable. honestly, the entire thing was pretty relatable and i definitely know people like Maggie. i related to her in a lot of ways as well, which makes me wonder about my own future. and as annoying as Maggie was, that was definitely the point, and she did grow a lot by the end of the book. the overall message was pretty strong, and i appreciated the theme that it’s okay to not be okay, and that you will be eventually (and also communicate openly and accept help when you need it), but the journey there was treacherous. 

the book definitely was not dynamic enough to carry the plot. not much happened, it was mainly just Maggie moping and engaging in the same destructive behaviors chapter after chapter. a shorter page count or even essay version of this plot probably would’ve been more effective. overall it was really okay, actually, but the end was heartwarming and somewhat worth the mess.