Eric has been making me laugh since I first read Here for It two summers ago and then immediately subscribed to his newsletter. This book is funny because Eric is funny, but there’s also a cracked-open feeling to it, a vulnerability that’s unique to this collection. Many essays reflect on the struggles of seeking connection and community as an adult, navigating a new marriage and moving back to a hometown you intended to keep at an arms length. There are passages on depression that had me googling “how do I get my insurance to pay for therapy?”

I was delighted to find that Eric and I have identical stances on where we’d like to be in the end times (not present!), but by the end of that essay he had me convinced that maybe, MAYBE, I might want to survive too.

Where this collection really shines is when Eric writes about his husband, David. From an engagement story that I think the Schitt’s Creek writers borrowed from, to the hardships of navigating a major death together, there’s so much tenderness as he describes “the work of love” in every day life, and at the end.

I loved this book, and if you’ve read this review and think any of it sounds even a little interesting, I think you’ll love it too.

Thanks to Netgalley and RH Ballantine for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

All The Young Dudes - Volume 2: Years 5 - 7 by MsKingBean89

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

Slow paced, not a fantasy... this book was wildly mismarketed.

Off the Map by Trish Doller

Go to review page