Reviews with content warning for Death - Solutions and Other Problems

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Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

100 reviews

logsbooklog's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective

4.5

7 years after the hilarious and poignant Hyperbole And A Half, Allie Brosh returns with a fresh sequel that proves her humor holds up to this day. The book is at times deeply personal and at other times incredibly general, but it never stops the perfect tone of uncaring optimism. Even in the face of some truly depressing life events, the message always remains ‘Nothing matters, so do what makes you happy’. It’s a message that lands even better now than it did 7 years ago, and this story collection handles it in an even more nuanced way than the already nuanced predecessor.

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serminerva's review

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dark emotional funny fast-paced

5.0

GUESS WHAT, MY GUY? you dont get to pick bananas anymore

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sugarbowl's review

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dark funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

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kodi_rae's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

I didn’t find this quite as funny and charming as the first but I think that’s ok. To me, it seemed to have many more sad, tender moments. I appreciated Brosh’s vulnerability even while still reframed in some ways through her signature humor.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

3.25

I was really looking forward to Solutions and Other Problems when I first heard about its publication. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it ended up not quite being Hyperbole and a Half. I didn’t think it was bad, but I didn’t find it all that great either, especially anticipating something similar to Brosh’s first graphic novel.

It might be that my sense of humor changed (I’m not sure if it really did?), but I didn’t find a lot of the stories as funny and engaging. There was something missing from her tales; I just don’t know what. But maybe that was the problem. There were missing elements from each section that left a lot to be desired; mostly little details that would have made the humor more impactful.

That said, it’s not like Brosh strayed away from the humor she presented in Hyperbole and a Half. There is still that absurdist and existentialist quality to this graphic novel that plenty of people will find enjoyable. However, I think it would have helped to take a little more time to develop them.

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emilyinherhead's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.5

If you know Allie Brosh, you know. Her art style is quirky and recognizable and perfectly suited to the stories she tells. This collection is very personal, and it swings back and forth between funny and incredibly sad—there were many parts that made me chuckle, but I flat-out sobbed through chapter 10.

Comparing this book to her previous one, Hyperbole and a Half, I'd say that this one has a darker undercurrent. Brosh has lived through some really tough years since Hyperbole was published, and it shows. I'm grateful to her for sharing these experiences—folks with depression and mental health struggles will definitely identify with some of the feelings she describes. (But again I will say: chapter 10 is a hard one, so if you're not in a solid place mentally, maybe wait and revisit that one when you're feeling more stable.)

The one small thing I didn't totally love was the way some of the chapters just seemed to... end. There was no feeling of conclusion, like Brosh wasn't quite sure what the point of the story was or what she wanted to say by sharing it.

But overall, I recommend this graphic memoir, especially if you're already a fan of Allie Brosh and her work. It's one I plan to treasure and revisit.

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