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tensy's review against another edition
3.0
Amusing, though not exactly laugh-out-loud, stories based on the author's experiences while living and working in NYC and traveling to various destinations abroad. There is some writing talent here, but the flow often gets lost in passages that are trying too hard to be piquant.
thetamari's review against another edition
3.0
Most of these essays got me to actually laugh out loud, the stand out being 'If You Sprinkle.' I got a little tired of Crosley's New York-centric view of everything, but whenever that would start to happen, she'd suddenly work in some sick burn like, "the worst Alaskan PR tragedy since Jewel started publishing poetry." I can respect that.
baileyjane1's review against another edition
1.0
I think I've finally made the decision at age 37 that I do not enjoy books in which every chapter is a different short story. I've given them a fair shot and they just aren't my thing. It's not them, it's me. That is not why I have given this book a lonely one star. I listened to this in audiobook format, and immediately I disliked the general tone of the narrator/author. Maybe she is supposed to be naturally cynical and a bit negative, but to me it was just annoying. I will say as the book went on, the tone improved somehow. But it sure didn't start off in a way that had me really wanting to listen to more. But I did, because I can't quit a book.
dozylocal's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. A great writer: I think I'm just not that fond of short stories.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
A book I had hanging around the house and found in Libby so I could get it read. This is fine. Some funny bits, some awkward bits. The essays tend to ramble a lot in the middle. Crosley also does the narration which is so slow it doesn’t sound like normal speech until about 1.5x speed.
danitajreese's review against another edition
3.0
See also Pete's review from August & Alana's review from June given that they echo so much of what I thought while reading this book.
I covet essay collections, and Ms. Crosley delivers one that snaps, crackles and pops with the hilarious and strange, the I shitchu not and the heartachin' pieces of life.
I'm unabashedly and ridiculously partial to those who bring the wry and witty repartee to everyday observations (i.e. stank taxis, the often incestuous nature of makin' friends & maybe mores in workplaces), but someone who experienced and exposed the agonizing anxiety of Girl Talk?! She essentially planted herself in a pot o' gold at the end of my Reading Rainbow with that mention alone.
"Off the Back of a Truck", "If You Sprinkle" and "An Abbreviated Gift of Tongues" compelled me to share this book with a friend with instructions to keep it swappin'. Her powers of observation are both subtle and supreme. The girl is funny and keen and sharp with the wordplay and this book is well worth the read.
I covet essay collections, and Ms. Crosley delivers one that snaps, crackles and pops with the hilarious and strange, the I shitchu not and the heartachin' pieces of life.
I'm unabashedly and ridiculously partial to those who bring the wry and witty repartee to everyday observations (i.e. stank taxis, the often incestuous nature of makin' friends & maybe mores in workplaces), but someone who experienced and exposed the agonizing anxiety of Girl Talk?! She essentially planted herself in a pot o' gold at the end of my Reading Rainbow with that mention alone.
"Off the Back of a Truck", "If You Sprinkle" and "An Abbreviated Gift of Tongues" compelled me to share this book with a friend with instructions to keep it swappin'. Her powers of observation are both subtle and supreme. The girl is funny and keen and sharp with the wordplay and this book is well worth the read.
jliby0's review against another edition
4.0
Sloane Crosley definitely sees the world, and her experiences in it, in a humorously unique way. The stories had a great blend of New York City "slice of life" and "country" experiences through the recounting of Crosley's adventures attending a wedding in rural, bear-infested Alaska.
This was a very enjoyable read and I felt like it was bookended by really strong stories. I found myself losing a little interest throughout some of the stories in the middle of the book, but "Show Me on the Doll" and "Lost in Space" had me laughing nearly every other page, and "Off the Back of a Truck" was an excellent blend of poignant heartbreak and humorous self-introspection in regards to young love and the growth that heartbreak and time can bring someone. Having grown up in rural America and only recently moved to the northeast, Sloane's stories paint NYC in a different light for me, and gives me the itch to make a trip back into the city just for the sake of experiencing it again.
I immediately ordered "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" after I finished this book, and I'm looking forward to enjoying more of Sloane's writing!
This was a very enjoyable read and I felt like it was bookended by really strong stories. I found myself losing a little interest throughout some of the stories in the middle of the book, but "Show Me on the Doll" and "Lost in Space" had me laughing nearly every other page, and "Off the Back of a Truck" was an excellent blend of poignant heartbreak and humorous self-introspection in regards to young love and the growth that heartbreak and time can bring someone. Having grown up in rural America and only recently moved to the northeast, Sloane's stories paint NYC in a different light for me, and gives me the itch to make a trip back into the city just for the sake of experiencing it again.
I immediately ordered "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" after I finished this book, and I'm looking forward to enjoying more of Sloane's writing!
merkyr's review against another edition
3.0
Funny but not as funny as her first collection. Also I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has never lived in New York, as it much of the humor is very geographically specific.
sofiamarielg's review against another edition
5.0
I liked Crosley's first book, but I enjoyed How Did You Get This Number so much more. In this collection of essays, her writing is more nuanced, and reading it feels like being told a great story by someone who is confident in its pace and content. Crosley shows less frazzle and more maturity, serving her readers well.