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rachelkays's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.5
I wanted to like this so bad đ I was so excited to read it.
The most important thing I feel like I need to point out is that this collection of essays is the authorâs homage to her vagina. Iâm kind of tempted to reread it so I can keep a count of how often she mentions it being âgushyâ or âtightâ or âlife changingâ or just generally describing how having sex with her is the best thing anyone on earth could ever experience. Its multiple times an essay. Even when the essay itself had nothing at all to do with sex. I was literally laughing at it by the end. A quote: âMen tell me that when I come, I taste like water.â From an essay that is dedicated entirely to how good tasting, waterfall esqe gushy her scentless pussy is.
I sound like such a prude. But I actually love reading about sex, intimacy, and relationships. But this wasnât that. It was pages upon pages of her describing how good she is at sex without any critical reflection of the act and it also wasnât sexy. It was just a lot of her telling us how good she is at sex.
From the praise on the back and the way this was marketed, I was expecting something much deeper than what this actually was. Most of the essays are âhumorousâ (I didnât laugh at any of them) and donât really dive too deeply into anything complex. When it does, its very surface level reflection and then going back to talking about her sex life. I feel like this book needs different marketing- this is a memoir for someone who like funny books and lighthearted reads. I wouldnât recommend this to anyone looking for something reflective, insightful, or powerful. Thereâs some powerful moments in this, but the subject was always changed too quickly. Every essay was like 5 pages of pop culture infused notable moments of her life and then one paragraph about how this tangentially related to a very traumatic and life altering moment or insight into her personality or life. I think the pop culture/life specific anecdotes were entertaining and would have worked well if she had just expanded so much more on the actual point of it all.
I just feel like this entire thing was such like, a humble brag, if I had to put a phrase to it. So many essays, even when she was not talking about her supreme super soaker 3000, were like âIâm such a bad sister because Iâm protective over my special needs brother when people make fun of himâ or like âI loved sleeping with this married man and love bragging about it to his wife and implying that my pussy is so much better than hers and thats why he cheats haha oops am I a bad person oh well donât careâ. I donât know. Something about it just really annoyed me- like there was so many hypocritical moments in this, like when she criticizes internalized misogyny and then doesnât reflect on how her saying she doesnât like having female friends is also internalized misogyny. Thereâs so many points in this book like that that I lost track.
This gets 2.5 stars because, despite my bitching about everything, this was honestly so entertaining. Her life is really wild, and the last half of the book which is basically just about all her different weird hookups is like a Twitter thread that you read for hours just for the drama. The beginning half tried hard to be deep but I liked the second half for basically abandoning that, outside of one or two essays, and just going into the show aspect of it all. I feel like this had so much potential but the abrupt tone switching in each essay just didnât give me enough time to absorb the point. I feel like I would have enjoyed a lot of these essays more as stand alones rather than this big compilation.
The most important thing I feel like I need to point out is that this collection of essays is the authorâs homage to her vagina. Iâm kind of tempted to reread it so I can keep a count of how often she mentions it being âgushyâ or âtightâ or âlife changingâ or just generally describing how having sex with her is the best thing anyone on earth could ever experience. Its multiple times an essay. Even when the essay itself had nothing at all to do with sex. I was literally laughing at it by the end. A quote: âMen tell me that when I come, I taste like water.â From an essay that is dedicated entirely to how good tasting, waterfall esqe gushy her scentless pussy is.
I sound like such a prude. But I actually love reading about sex, intimacy, and relationships. But this wasnât that. It was pages upon pages of her describing how good she is at sex without any critical reflection of the act and it also wasnât sexy. It was just a lot of her telling us how good she is at sex.
From the praise on the back and the way this was marketed, I was expecting something much deeper than what this actually was. Most of the essays are âhumorousâ (I didnât laugh at any of them) and donât really dive too deeply into anything complex. When it does, its very surface level reflection and then going back to talking about her sex life. I feel like this book needs different marketing- this is a memoir for someone who like funny books and lighthearted reads. I wouldnât recommend this to anyone looking for something reflective, insightful, or powerful. Thereâs some powerful moments in this, but the subject was always changed too quickly. Every essay was like 5 pages of pop culture infused notable moments of her life and then one paragraph about how this tangentially related to a very traumatic and life altering moment or insight into her personality or life. I think the pop culture/life specific anecdotes were entertaining and would have worked well if she had just expanded so much more on the actual point of it all.
I just feel like this entire thing was such like, a humble brag, if I had to put a phrase to it. So many essays, even when she was not talking about her supreme super soaker 3000, were like âIâm such a bad sister because Iâm protective over my special needs brother when people make fun of himâ or like âI loved sleeping with this married man and love bragging about it to his wife and implying that my pussy is so much better than hers and thats why he cheats haha oops am I a bad person oh well donât careâ. I donât know. Something about it just really annoyed me- like there was so many hypocritical moments in this, like when she criticizes internalized misogyny and then doesnât reflect on how her saying she doesnât like having female friends is also internalized misogyny. Thereâs so many points in this book like that that I lost track.
This gets 2.5 stars because, despite my bitching about everything, this was honestly so entertaining. Her life is really wild, and the last half of the book which is basically just about all her different weird hookups is like a Twitter thread that you read for hours just for the drama. The beginning half tried hard to be deep but I liked the second half for basically abandoning that, outside of one or two essays, and just going into the show aspect of it all. I feel like this had so much potential but the abrupt tone switching in each essay just didnât give me enough time to absorb the point. I feel like I would have enjoyed a lot of these essays more as stand alones rather than this big compilation.
tachyondecay's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
3.0
Personal essay collections are often hit-and-miss for me. So many elements must align: the writerâs voice and style, the topics of their essays, and what I take away from the book. Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be is a great example of an essay collection that I enjoyed reading a great deal, yet Iâm not sure I emerged as transformed as I might expect. Which, honestly, is fineânot all reading has to be transformative! Sometimes itâs nice just to have fun.
Nichole Perkins shares her thoughts on childhood and adulthood and the ages in between, on growing up, on sex and dating and other such activities, and on how her existence as a Black woman from the southern United States intersects with all these experiences. Although all of the essays are tinged with humour, they also often tackle serious issues of sexism, racism, misogynoir, domestic abuse, etc.
Going to be honest: I had a hard time seeing myself in Perkinsâs experiencesâand no, itâs not because sheâs Black. Rather, there are so many stories in here about sex! I find sex very fascinating in general, and I donât mind reading about it, but there was something about the way Perkins writes about her sexual experiences that left me bemused. For example, the collection opens with âFast,â in which Perkins describes the ways her body and behaviour were policed so that she wouldnât be perceived as promiscuous, even in middle school. She includes an extremely graphic depiction of kissing boys on the playground at five years old. And I remember just reading this passage and being totally unable to relate to what she was describingâbecause I have never kissed anyone, aside from a quick peck on the check for a relative.
I want to be clear that this is not a criticism of Perkins or her writing but rather an observation Iâm offering up about my reaction as I read. Even though her understanding of her sexuality is so incredibly different from my own, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about her experiences.
Also, in a strange way, I feel like this book brought me closer to my bestie? Sheâs the one who lent it to me, and as I read it, all I could think was, âThis is Rebecca. I am reading about Rebeccaâs life.â Well, Rebecca also doesnât have a lot in common with Perkins, but the way Perkins writes about her sexuality, the confidence and joy that she derives from it, fits Rebecca to a tee. So I am grateful to this book for making me feel almost like Iâm talking to my friend on the phone, a long afternoon chat in which I get to listen to the latest in her love life.
Thatâs really what Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be feels like: extended, one-sided phone conversations. I always hate to use trite adjectives like âvulnerableâ and âhonestâ when I revoir memoirs. They never really capture whatâs going on between the covers. So instead let me describe this book as a careful consideration of love. Whether sheâs talking about her sex life or her family, TV shows or her involvement in message boards ⌠Perkins is really talking about love for oneself and love for oneâs community. Hence the title, which invites us to meditate on the what-ifs of our lives (and the possibility that, just maybe, we could indeed be that happy, if only for a time).
Do I recommend it? Yes. Does that surprise you, given my ambivalence of spirit? This book perhaps isnât for me as its ideal reader. I still liked it. I would read more of Perkinsâs writing. That alone is enough for me to cast a recommendation out into the world, because some of you out there will love this book, and I hope it finds its way to you.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Nichole Perkins shares her thoughts on childhood and adulthood and the ages in between, on growing up, on sex and dating and other such activities, and on how her existence as a Black woman from the southern United States intersects with all these experiences. Although all of the essays are tinged with humour, they also often tackle serious issues of sexism, racism, misogynoir, domestic abuse, etc.
Going to be honest: I had a hard time seeing myself in Perkinsâs experiencesâand no, itâs not because sheâs Black. Rather, there are so many stories in here about sex! I find sex very fascinating in general, and I donât mind reading about it, but there was something about the way Perkins writes about her sexual experiences that left me bemused. For example, the collection opens with âFast,â in which Perkins describes the ways her body and behaviour were policed so that she wouldnât be perceived as promiscuous, even in middle school. She includes an extremely graphic depiction of kissing boys on the playground at five years old. And I remember just reading this passage and being totally unable to relate to what she was describingâbecause I have never kissed anyone, aside from a quick peck on the check for a relative.
I want to be clear that this is not a criticism of Perkins or her writing but rather an observation Iâm offering up about my reaction as I read. Even though her understanding of her sexuality is so incredibly different from my own, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about her experiences.
Also, in a strange way, I feel like this book brought me closer to my bestie? Sheâs the one who lent it to me, and as I read it, all I could think was, âThis is Rebecca. I am reading about Rebeccaâs life.â Well, Rebecca also doesnât have a lot in common with Perkins, but the way Perkins writes about her sexuality, the confidence and joy that she derives from it, fits Rebecca to a tee. So I am grateful to this book for making me feel almost like Iâm talking to my friend on the phone, a long afternoon chat in which I get to listen to the latest in her love life.
Thatâs really what Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be feels like: extended, one-sided phone conversations. I always hate to use trite adjectives like âvulnerableâ and âhonestâ when I revoir memoirs. They never really capture whatâs going on between the covers. So instead let me describe this book as a careful consideration of love. Whether sheâs talking about her sex life or her family, TV shows or her involvement in message boards ⌠Perkins is really talking about love for oneself and love for oneâs community. Hence the title, which invites us to meditate on the what-ifs of our lives (and the possibility that, just maybe, we could indeed be that happy, if only for a time).
Do I recommend it? Yes. Does that surprise you, given my ambivalence of spirit? This book perhaps isnât for me as its ideal reader. I still liked it. I would read more of Perkinsâs writing. That alone is enough for me to cast a recommendation out into the world, because some of you out there will love this book, and I hope it finds its way to you.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
kimplaints_nyc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
taylormoore6's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I appreciated the authorâs vulnerability and perspective in delivering this very personal, well thought-out collection of essays.
lupitabaeyongo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Sexual assault
zoethewriter_sa's review against another edition
4.0
Alright
First, I love Nichole Perkins, I was so obsessed with the First Aid Kit, I've listened to episodes of it on repeat. And the first half of this memoir was so rich and sensual and deep and colourful, just like that Nichole. The whole time I read the second half, I had to remind myself of how much I love Nichole and how much I loved those first chapters. That said this is a three and half read, rounded up - would have been five if the book had stopped at chapter ten âĄ
First, I love Nichole Perkins, I was so obsessed with the First Aid Kit, I've listened to episodes of it on repeat. And the first half of this memoir was so rich and sensual and deep and colourful, just like that Nichole. The whole time I read the second half, I had to remind myself of how much I love Nichole and how much I loved those first chapters. That said this is a three and half read, rounded up - would have been five if the book had stopped at chapter ten âĄ