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shawnnaw's review against another edition
2.0
Started out well but I got tired of her talking about doing pot.
jeansbookbag's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Mastromonaco’s sophomore effort. Listening to the audiobook felt like talking to an older sister or a good friend, and personally I enjoy that style of memoir. I’m also definitely in the target audience for this book, so it might have resonated with me more than some others. I especially enjoyed the chapter on having kids, because I don’t think I want kids, but also still often feel the societal pressure that I should want kids and to hear her explain her own struggles with that really stuck with me.
siobhanward's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
This might be closer to 2.5* for me...
I really wanted to like this book. I thought that Mastromonaco's first book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? was an interesting enough read, and I was curious about what else she had to say. This one was more of a miss for me. Just like her first book, I loved the insight into working in politics, with Barack Obama and even on John Kerry's team. However, like the other book, I found I wasn't so enthralled with the other parts of the book.I think that part of the problem was that there was not a clear path or theme to this book - it was part memoir, part advice and a little bit of humour, but it didn't come together into a super cohesive book.
I also really struggled with Mastromonaco's use of self-deprecation about her body. I fully get using self-deprecation as humour - I do it all the time. However, when every chapter is talking about how fat she thinks she is, it doesn't just get repetitive, it can also start to feel degrading to everyone else. We all have these thoughts about ourselves and while I understand using humour to hide insecurities, at some point, it just moves into self-pity and may start to hurt people who are struggling with body image. Anyway, that was mostly an aside, but was something I really noticed throughout the book and it definitely just wore me down by the end.
I really wanted to like this book. I thought that Mastromonaco's first book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? was an interesting enough read, and I was curious about what else she had to say. This one was more of a miss for me. Just like her first book, I loved the insight into working in politics, with Barack Obama and even on John Kerry's team. However, like the other book, I found I wasn't so enthralled with the other parts of the book.I think that part of the problem was that there was not a clear path or theme to this book - it was part memoir, part advice and a little bit of humour, but it didn't come together into a super cohesive book.
I also really struggled with Mastromonaco's use of self-deprecation about her body. I fully get using self-deprecation as humour - I do it all the time. However, when every chapter is talking about how fat she thinks she is, it doesn't just get repetitive, it can also start to feel degrading to everyone else. We all have these thoughts about ourselves and while I understand using humour to hide insecurities, at some point, it just moves into self-pity and may start to hurt people who are struggling with body image. Anyway, that was mostly an aside, but was something I really noticed throughout the book and it definitely just wore me down by the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming
empenn's review against another edition
4.0
What makes Alyssa Mastromonaco fabulous is that she is at once highly intelligent, interesting and accomplished, but she is still funny, relatable, and a dancing queen with IBS. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp.
meghananna_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE a great memoir. I try to read at least two a year. So Here’s the Thing... was actually my third of 2019, so far.⠀
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I read Obama’s Dreams From My Father earlier this year when I was really missing him and Alyssa Mastromonaco’s Who Thought This Was a Good Idea the summer before when I was lying on a beach. It also made me miss Obama, but it made me LOVE her.⠀
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Alyssa Mastromonaco is one of the funniest, most inspiring writers I’ve ever read. I can’t help but read some of her best lines out loud to whoever will listen to me. Her second book had the exact same effect on me. Ugh, I loved it (and her) so much.⠀
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I read Obama’s Dreams From My Father earlier this year when I was really missing him and Alyssa Mastromonaco’s Who Thought This Was a Good Idea the summer before when I was lying on a beach. It also made me miss Obama, but it made me LOVE her.⠀
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Alyssa Mastromonaco is one of the funniest, most inspiring writers I’ve ever read. I can’t help but read some of her best lines out loud to whoever will listen to me. Her second book had the exact same effect on me. Ugh, I loved it (and her) so much.⠀
trauva's review
3.0
I liked it a lot, but the first one by Alyssa Mastromonaco was better to me, hence the 3-rating.
beckyreadsitall's review
3.0
This was a quick, fun read. No really, I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book, so be warned if you are in public while reading. I read Mastromonaco's first book, and while that was more focused on her time working in the White House, this was a lot more personal, and had advice and tips without seeming too preachy.
I love hearing her on podcasts - she's so sharp - and that definitely carries over into her writing as well. Would recommend!
I love hearing her on podcasts - she's so sharp - and that definitely carries over into her writing as well. Would recommend!