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katrinb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
aericsson's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
ecesue's review against another edition
2.0
I came across Alyssa Mastromonaco through a podcast (Detail Therapy) I think and she sounded really cool and so I got interested in her books. Not sure what I expected from this book but it wasn’t it. It felt like a bunch of blogposts thrown in together.
Agreeing with the other reviewers that there’s a lot of trailing off, excessively going in depth about some things (like babies, cars etc.) and a lack of overall point... Maybe the audiobook would’ve been more entertaining.
There are stil nice bits and quotes around though so I did finish it. And various reviews mentioned that her first book was better so I’l probably pick that up at some point.
Agreeing with the other reviewers that there’s a lot of trailing off, excessively going in depth about some things (like babies, cars etc.) and a lack of overall point... Maybe the audiobook would’ve been more entertaining.
There are stil nice bits and quotes around though so I did finish it. And various reviews mentioned that her first book was better so I’l probably pick that up at some point.
ajizhang's review against another edition
2.0
I was super disappointed with this, especially after loving her first book (Who Thought This Was A Good Idea?). Some anecdotes were recycled from the first book, many I didn't care about (like the most-played songs on her iPod or what's on her nightstand), and some felt like they will soon be outdated (like mentions of Trump).
sgt_ducky91's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
marjen's review against another edition
3.0
I can't really tell who the audience for this book is. Some of the life advice Alyssa offers (always carry tampons with you, only gossip with people you trust) seems fundamental enough to be aimed at girls in their teenage years, but then the references to 80s/90s pop culture and jam bands and hard rock make me feel like it's for an older crowd. I don't know if the book really works for either audience.
A lot of things felt like filler, like lists of Alyssa's favorite songs and what she keeps in her medicine cabinet. The inclusion of a list written by someone who used to work for her about the passive-aggressive things Alyssa used to say ("it's fine", "whatever") and their translations ("It's not fine", "I'll do it myself") seemed completely out of place and didn't seem to serve a larger narrative purpose or theme. A lot of the pieces didn't have a real structure, and kind of meandered to a conclusion. The book also ends really abruptly.
There were a couple essays I liked, and I especially appreciated her frank discussion on living with IBS, because we still have such a taboo around talking about these kinds of bodily functions. And as a fellow cat person, I enjoyed hearing about all her cats and how they had entered and changed her life. Her reflections on why she doesn't plan on having kids, and the bittersweetness of seeing her friends have children, felt real and insightful and like a perspective we don't hear from all that often.
Overall, this was fine, with some special standout moments. But there's no central message or theme running throughout the essays, and a lot of content fell flat for me. I do appreciate her humor and voice, but I think I prefer it in the context of podcasts and interviews.
A lot of things felt like filler, like lists of Alyssa's favorite songs and what she keeps in her medicine cabinet. The inclusion of a list written by someone who used to work for her about the passive-aggressive things Alyssa used to say ("it's fine", "whatever") and their translations ("It's not fine", "I'll do it myself") seemed completely out of place and didn't seem to serve a larger narrative purpose or theme. A lot of the pieces didn't have a real structure, and kind of meandered to a conclusion. The book also ends really abruptly.
There were a couple essays I liked, and I especially appreciated her frank discussion on living with IBS, because we still have such a taboo around talking about these kinds of bodily functions. And as a fellow cat person, I enjoyed hearing about all her cats and how they had entered and changed her life. Her reflections on why she doesn't plan on having kids, and the bittersweetness of seeing her friends have children, felt real and insightful and like a perspective we don't hear from all that often.
Overall, this was fine, with some special standout moments. But there's no central message or theme running throughout the essays, and a lot of content fell flat for me. I do appreciate her humor and voice, but I think I prefer it in the context of podcasts and interviews.
kateritchie's review against another edition
4.0
I think a 3.5 for this book which was short and fun...kind of like Alyssa?