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annemariecunningham 's review for:
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide
by Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgariff
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I’ve been listening to My Favorite Murder since sometime in 2016, so was excited to finally sit down and read the book authored by my favorite podcasters.
I will say that listening to the podcast allowed me to read SSDGM in their voices. I think knowing their speaking styles and humor allowed what they wrote to translate to me, but I could definitely see how their writing style may not translate to those unfamiliar with MFM.
SSDGM gives a deeper look into Karen and Georgia, beyond just being successful podcast hosts. It was cool to hear stories from their childhoods and early adulthoods. I love the pictures they included.
However, even knowing their styles, the writing seemed a bit “try-hard” at times. I think very sarcastic comedy is better said out loud and doesn’t translate to writing. Some parts made me cringe from the awkwardness where the sarcasm just didn’t translate.
Karen and Georgia also pride themselves on being non-judgmental, especially toward crime victims and marginalized people. I love that about them. That non-judgmental nature comes through consistently in their podcast, but I felt a lot of judgment in this book, especially toward their parents. Both Karen and Georgia alternately laud their parents and drag them. There were also subtle digs about others throughout the book that did not pass the vibe check. Despite the narrative outwardly stating something to the effect of “no judgment” multiple times, I read many judgmental interpretations of friends, classmates, and family.
Both Georgia and Karen speak openly about therapy and mental, which is something I very much appreciate. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I suppose the judgment could be interpreted as their acknowledgement that they still have some of their own reflection and forgiveness to do.
I really liked the format of this book. It’s broken into bite-size stories and reflection, each chapter with a theme harkening back to things they’ve said on their podcast. The book moved at a great pace.
Overall, I prefer their podcast to the book, but the book isn’t bad. I’d recommend it for MFM listeners.
I will say that listening to the podcast allowed me to read SSDGM in their voices. I think knowing their speaking styles and humor allowed what they wrote to translate to me, but I could definitely see how their writing style may not translate to those unfamiliar with MFM.
SSDGM gives a deeper look into Karen and Georgia, beyond just being successful podcast hosts. It was cool to hear stories from their childhoods and early adulthoods. I love the pictures they included.
However, even knowing their styles, the writing seemed a bit “try-hard” at times. I think very sarcastic comedy is better said out loud and doesn’t translate to writing. Some parts made me cringe from the awkwardness where the sarcasm just didn’t translate.
Karen and Georgia also pride themselves on being non-judgmental, especially toward crime victims and marginalized people. I love that about them. That non-judgmental nature comes through consistently in their podcast, but I felt a lot of judgment in this book, especially toward their parents. Both Karen and Georgia alternately laud their parents and drag them. There were also subtle digs about others throughout the book that did not pass the vibe check. Despite the narrative outwardly stating something to the effect of “no judgment” multiple times, I read many judgmental interpretations of friends, classmates, and family.
Both Georgia and Karen speak openly about therapy and mental, which is something I very much appreciate. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I suppose the judgment could be interpreted as their acknowledgement that they still have some of their own reflection and forgiveness to do.
I really liked the format of this book. It’s broken into bite-size stories and reflection, each chapter with a theme harkening back to things they’ve said on their podcast. The book moved at a great pace.
Overall, I prefer their podcast to the book, but the book isn’t bad. I’d recommend it for MFM listeners.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol