Member Reviews
40 year old woman fed up with the way her life is heading decides to switch it up, heads to Italy and do exactly was the title says. I personally loath Eat, Pray, Love, but I definitely devoured this! The story is full of humor and adventure and much deeper things as well, but enjoyable!
I liked the premise of this book, the confidence that blasted from the blurb and the sense in which it would turn the cliches of 'Eat, Pray, Love', and the industry around it, upside down. Sadly, this book didn't connect for me and I found myself disenchanted by it relatively quickly. It was a DNF for me, which is why I won't share my thoughts about it on my blog or Goodreads.
I would like to give a huge thank you to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Synopsis: Esme Oliver age 40, says Screw Eat, Pray and Love. After going through too many failed relationships and being freshly dumped she feels like she is going to lose it! She heads to Italy to try and live life to the fullest. Esme vows to herself that she will smoke, drink, fuck and whatever she pleases to so she can be happy. Surprisingly when in Italy, she meets much younger and Italian Fernando. Things get wild but there becomes a problem, the two happen to fall in love during all their wild adventures. Is it true love? Will things work out for Esme? Read this wild memoir of Esme Oliver to find out.
Review: I really enjoyed this title! Esme took me on a quick, wild and hilarious ride. I felt this book was very well written and even though I don’t usually like reading memoirs, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Esme’s journey to Italy made my want to visit Italy turn more into a need! I love the descriptions in this book and felt that I could connect with the main character’s emotions. The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars is because I felt it was a little repetitive when it came to comparing this book to another book. I recommend this book if you like a good memoir and something to give you a good laugh. It is a great hit it and quit it kind of read. I devoured this book within a few hours.
Quick, fun read. Loved the food and scenery descriptions, it reinforced my desire to see Italy.
Esme Oliver decides to write a parody of Eat, Pray, Love, and titles it Smoke, Drink, F*ck. She is on the rebound from a breakup and goes on a trip to Italy, where she intends to make good on all three aspects of the title of her book. The conversational style of writing is superb and makes for good sleazy (gossip!) reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I couldn't get past chapter 3. Not interested in this story
This is the anti Eat Love Pray and I love it for that. If you weren't an Eat Love Pray fan and it's condescending tone, you'll love this. Esme, the main character goes to Italy after a breakup to do exactly what the title says, SDF or smoke drink fuck. It's a hilarious tale of a wonder on the road trying to find herself.
Ehhhhh..... I finished it, so it wasn't absolutely horrible. Did not hold my attention very well, a bit hard to follow. Thank you for the opportunity to read it though!
I didn't mind this book, but in a sea of great memoir writing, this is greatly overshadowed. I appreciate the concept of an 'anti-Eat, Pray, Love', but it didn't deliver. Cat Marnell's HOW TO MURDER YOUR LIFE does a much better job in that it is far more devious and tragi-comic, and filled with more debauchery. This seems like something that might appeal to the set of middle-aged, Midwestern women who found FIFTY SHADES OF GREY entertaining or shocking, but I wouldn't suggest it for anyone in an urban environment as they'll surely have done far more scandalous things themselves. I will praise it for its effort and for supporting a willingness to put oneself "out there", take risks, and say "fuck body standards, I'm going to live life and pursue my own pleasures" (though the character's success in actually following through here is debatable)
Esme Oliver invites us to walk with her as she bounces between heartbreak to ecstasy, figuring out what she wants of herself, her career, and her romantic partners. Her Italian adventures are glorious and hedonistic. Even when we are afraid for her, we find ourselves rooting for her happiness at all costs. In the end, she reminds us to take life a bite at a time, savoring the good, avoiding the harmful, and forgiving ourselves when we overindulge, because we all overindulge at one point or another.
The title drew me in the moment I saw it and it didn't fail to keep me drawn in. Read it in 1 sitting.
Great flow. Kept me wanting to turn the pages and kept me thinking will they won't they?
Will be looking out for this author again and Esme!
This book is everything I needed. It was eat pray love for real people who don't hold back when it comes to having a good time. It taught me to not take everything so seriously and let the universe drive the boat every once in a while. Love love love
Esme Oliver is the anti Elizabeth Gilbert and THANK GOD FOR THAT.
Esme is tired of her life, a high powered job, a robot of a boyfriend. After a breakup, she heads to Italy to...well, to Smoke, Drink and F*ck. And...smoke, drink and f*ck she does. What follows is the story of a woman finding happiness and her true self.
If you liked Eat, Pray, Love...go away. If you HATED it, pick this up.
Thanks to NetGalley, Riverdale Avenue Books and Esme Oliver for the ARC in exchange for this review.
Great book, i had to finish it all in one night, cant wait to read more from the author
I expected to love this book, but unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea. However, there are moments of hilarity and other moments of brilliance that make this a book worth reading.
Esme travels to Italy and vows to Smoke, Drink and F*#k. She is successful but she also finds more than she bargains for in Italy. Unlike Eat Pray Love this is a far more realistic book. I liked Esme she is a real woman with real experiences but also a lot of humor. A perfect book to read on your own vacation or if you just want some armchair travel. Enjoy
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, I adored this book. I truly related to the narrator: a stressed out, exhausted lawyer, turning 40, on the mend from yet another breakup of yet another unsatisfying relationship, who is obsessed with fighting the aging process. She decides to travel to Italy and smoke, drink and f*ck her time away (her own personal version of Eat, Pray Love, which she abhorred for understandable reasons).
This book was realistic, as was the dialogue. The narrator inserts F bombs like she's inserting commas and quotation marks. The bad advice and unhelpful words of consolation from friends, also realistic.
I don't want to spoil this fun read, but I will say that the book is broken into two parts. Part one - going to Italy and meeting a charming Italian man. Part two - after Italy, where the narrator is forced to get more introspective than she'd like, and forced to examine her life choices and how they've led to her current state of unhappiness.
I cried after finishing this book. I felt like I had written it for myself. It's not a great piece of literature; but it was an excellent look into the diary of most "successful" American women today. I'm so glad I was able to read this one.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Smoke Drink F'#K is almost a parody of the memoir Eat, Pray, Love. Instead of finding life's meaning on her travels, our main character wants to revel in the meaningless. However, instead of reveling in pasta and one-night stands, she finds the last thing she wants: a relationship. I loved the beginning of the book! Her descriptions of travel to Italy were so realistic that I wanted to book a flight! I found this memoir to be way more centered in reality than Eat, Pray, Love. Despite the pro active title, this story is not as racy as the title would lead one to believe. The only reason I didn't give this five stars, was because the ending of the story was disappointing and left me feeling flat after the hopeful beginning.
Every woman needs to read this book. It is funny and so entertaining.
I have loved reading about Esme. I have laughed and sometimes cried.
I have even related events in my life to this.
Worth every star given.
I would like to thank Riverdale Avenue Books, Esme Oliver and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
Ok so I totally requested this book due to the amazing name. It’s like Eat Pray Love for everyone else haha.
I have to say Smoke Drink F*#k really surprised me! Esme is an amazing writer and she navigated this story flawlessly that I was drawn into her story and didn’t want to leave. Oliver’s story is so relateable her lessons came slow and there was no movie style aha moment. That is the think I loved most about this book, I read a lot and they exceptions of these grand aha moments that will define ones life doesn’t always happens.
Esme Oliver did an amazing job with this memoir. Smoke Drink F*#k will having you laughing out loud, tug on your heartstrings and leave you feeling hopeful.