jdamae11's reviews
84 reviews

Samantha Irby has done it again! This collection had me ugly laughing in public and turning back just to laugh at the same lines again. But it also made me pause and reflect for a while on some tough stuff. Every time I finish anything by this author I feel just way less alone in this chaotic human experience, and I can only hope that I’ve somehow gotten funnier from being exposed to her brilliant wit too. This book was perfect to end 2023, the year that has humbled me more than any other LOL. *Fitting that I read the “Body Horror” essay after just turning 27 this month, because I too as a teen thought that 27 was “the definitive full stop age I needed to have my shit together by” and now that I’m here I could not laugh any harder at that concept. And this book helped me laugh even harder at it! 

*I had to read this book to assist one of my student advisees through a "sociology of homelessness" class.* I deeply care about this subject and went through my own studies in both undergrad and grad concerned with these issues from a sociological perspective, so have been able to develop a pretty good foundation to grapple with these subjects. I really appreciated all this book had to offer but must admit it was very dense, heavy with (important) statistics that could made it a bit harder to access and digest. I learned a lot from the sheer amount of information presented, but I could tell it was an overwhelming endeavor for both me and my student to get through the charts and stats at times. Very important subject and gives more of a historical overview of homelessness and why it continues to exist today

A thoroughly enjoyable satire that has elicited very strong reactions! Had me laughing out loud at times. This book was so chaotic and absurd, and as someone pretty immersed in online book fandom spaces, the indictment of the publishing industry here was great just given the things we see and hear BIPOC and other marginalized authors go through. Given the recent very public racism-fueled author scandals at the end of this year, I felt like this was another reminder of how this book was so spot on. A truly unlikable and unreliable narrator that made the whole reading experience feel like a trainwreck you can't look away from. I thought this was an incredible portrayal of the way liberal white women be white-womening, the ridiculous lengths they will go to sabotage others who they deem less deserving than them when push comes to shove. 

Wow I loved all of these stories! I’ll be reading anything Deesha Philyaw puts out after finishing this collection. She covers the complexities of mother-daughter bonds, sexism, religion, spirituality, sexuality, and Black life and Black womanhood with so much care, authenticity, and nuance. There were a few times I would go back to reread lines or just pause on a page to appreciate what was conveyed. Adding this to my favorites shelf for sure. The collection opens with an absolute banger with “Eula” and although I really enjoyed all the stories, “How to Make Love to a Physicist” had me screaming crying throwing up it was so amazing. Gunna have to go back and reread that one a few more times. So thankful to the author for putting out this lovely collection!

Loved this book, it’s one I would love to experience reading for the first time again 😭 a complicated and heartfelt romance that was emotionally raw and that handled intense, difficult life experiences—substance use and recovery, invisible disabilities, racism, poverty, toxic relationships—with so much care. This book was also balanced with such good humor and LOL moments for me personally, and I appreciated the Black pop culture references, both the obscure and the obvious. There was a subplot that I really wish would’ve been given more time & room to breathe, and I felt like the way it impacted a central character was a bit rushed. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this & will likely be rereading next year + looking to get into Tia Williams other writing - 10/10 would recommend 

Can’t lie, I don’t usually grab books with celeb or “book club” stickers because I feel so much pressure to enjoy them, but I’m grateful for the reading experience this book gave me. This book definitely made me feel ALL the emotions, especially in the final third. The writing was beautiful & although the pacing was slower than what I usually prefer, it was paced consistently well throughout. Each of the characters felt so solid to me, like I could grab them out of the pages, they were so devastatingly human. I’m a sucker for stories about sisters & their bonds, & at times it felt like I was peaking in on moments too intimate for me to be a part of. I appreciated how much personal reflection this book inspired, & a stand out element for me was the well-crafted portrayal of messy, complicated dynamics of mother-daughter relationships. I found the author’s depiction of depression to be so intensely real / visceral & relatable as someone who lives with it- if you’ve ever had depression &/or anxiety, I feel like you can recognize it in teen/young adult William immediately, & I personally felt dread when reading from his early 20s POV bc wow the thoughts were so close to home. Well done to the author on that for sure.

Here’s some of what didn’t work for me, light spoiler territory ahead so proceed with caution!! I haven’t star rated books in a MINUTE but if I had to frame it that way, this book had lost a star and a half from me b/c of some of this:

Using William as one of the main protagonist POVs didn’t work too well for me as a framing device, I found myself always wanting to be back in the sisters’ heads. At a certain point, I admittedly found him to be quite draining (not as a result of his mental health breakdown, rather as a result of him seemingly using that to absolve himself of responsibility for how his actions affected others). Re: William’s mental health overall - I don’t know if I like how I felt it was used as a device later in the book, almost like it could be leveraged to brush off some of his really harmful, continuous decisions without an acknowledgment of the results of those or any self-accountability for the character. Basically William at one point is like ‘I know I destroyed this family & keep leaving my daughter with awful abandonment issues’..& then just keeps being coddled & refuses to do anything about it. This I guess is what makes him feel so dang real as a character, but sometimes it leaned in a way that made me think I was supposed to be ‘poor William’ boo-hooing as well. There were also a few moments in the book when things seemed to just conveniently fall into place for the characters’ benefit that didn’t feel natural or earned - eg William & Kent both getting lucrative pro sports jobs AND at the same team, like cmon. My big ick with this was that a man—William—could absolutely destroy what is painted as an impenetrable bond between 2 of the sisters, & ultimately all of the women of this family. My not nice version of this is that William ain’t sh*t. Julia is for sure a Capricorn & came with the coldness, but she did not deserve to be played so bad the way she was. She was a lil too relatable for me, as was Sylvie, which if you’ve read the book, is hilarious & makes me basically a walking contradiction (true) 

I started reading passages from this every night before bed to try and find a sense of comfort at the end of busy days. My mom read to me every night before sleep as a kid so I thought hmmm why not bring on the nostalgia and create the habit for myself. Fun fact: I first read The Little Prince in high school because my favorite football player, Ali Krieger, would always talk about it in interviews! This book was a huge mental health boost for me & full of powerful lessons in the form of childlike simplicity. If you’re looking for a story to tap into your inner kid & to remind you to slow down, I recommend this! 

something about all of Elise’s releases just speak to me / my inner tween. I wish I had these books when I was younger but I’m so glad to be able to enjoy them now. In 2021 Happily Ever Afters got me through lockdown as a crisis responder, last year One True Loves helped me endure the roughest period of my grad school journey, and now Reggie and Delilah has gotten me through the hardest period of anxiety I’ve experienced and in the midst of major life transitions. I love what books can do for us. This one was a big warm hug for my soul 💚

Minor spoiler: I was GEEKED when Lenore, my fave character from any of Elise’s books, made a cameo in this. We love a crossover 

It feels fitting to have read this one over the course of what has so far been the most gloomy weather day of the season. This was a very melancholic read, with bouts of joy sprinkled in, much like what it has at times felt like to live with depression. The author's ability to find hope & inspiration after years of suffering & exhaustion, institutionalization, and unrest really hit me in the gut & I found hope & beauty in this small book.