You write it, I’ll read it. Short stories are hard (for me) to read and even harder to review. If they are good, I get so caught up with the characters I am deeply disappointed when the story quickly ends. But that is also the lure, because I want more, so I keep going. Ten short stories by fabulous author Curtis Sittenfeld. She captures the essence of what is going on in the world that affects our daily choices, big and small. Love, friendship, gender, funny, sad, thoughtful. I absolutely loved her last two novels, love her exquisite writing that feels so true and relevant. Highly recommend this quick fix while I patiently wait for more.

You Think It, I'll Say It is a collection of short stories written by the brilliant Curtis Sittenfeld. I don't read a lot of short stories because I prefer full length novels but I enjoyed this book immensely. It's smart, witty, enjoyable, and very relevant. Different stories touch on different important topics, such as womanhood, motherhood, sexuality, love, marriage, and friendship, just to name a few. I loved all the stories, some more than others, and would love to see some of them expanded because I want to see more of the characters.

Highly readable short story collection

In an eclectic mix of subjects and stories, Sittenfeld takes these female-driven tales and gives us a range of modern life topics to consider.

I loved Eligible and American Wife, their author does take the female perspective and give us juicy stories to digest. Here we have ten, each 20-30 pages, none seemingly related though the first and last dovetail the 2016 American election.

Each is fascinating, though one (Plausible Deniability) not one I found as interesting as the others, personally.

To summarise:
Gender Studies - a lost driver's licence causes a chain of events the owner would never have dreamed of
The World has Many Butterflies - the evolution of a platonic friendship between one wife and another husband who play a game called 'You Think It, I'll Say It'
Vox Clamantis in Deserto - a college friendship and beyond, looking back through the mists of time at the changes gone through
Bad Latch - the early days of motherhood and competitive parenting
Plausible Deniability - emails about music
A Regular Couple - a honeymoon bride meets her high school's queen bee and considers taking her down a peg or two
Off the Record - a journalist with a baby interviews a film star who reveals news-worthy gossip
The Prairie Wife - a working mother who knew a TV personality at summer camp reminisces about their relationship
Volunteers are Shining Stars - competitiveness among volunteers at a women's shelter
Do-Over - years after high school, the girl who controversially lost the class presidential election to a boy goes out to dinner with him... and it's on both their minds

Lots of smart women, all living busy lives and dealing with their world. I don't often read short stories as I don't like brief glimpses into characters, but I didn't feel that way at all about Sittenfield's creations. Each story was a perfectly moulded and structured one, complete in and of itelf that didn't require further elaboration to feel 'finished'.

She also peppers her writing with observations that ring true, as a fellow female, like this one I've often noted myself:
(At school drop-off) "lots of mothers did drop-off in expensive exercise wear... then did pick-up in the same; whether they had exercised in the intervening hours wasn't clear..."

Smart, sexy, intriguing and empowering collection of stories.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I was completely captivated by the book. To be honest, I was only familiar with the author from her modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, which is called "Eligible." I did enjoy that book, but it wasn't a hit out of the park.

This completely was. There was not a bad story in the bunch. I especially enjoyed the title story, but they all were great. Most stories focused on women who are balancing motherhood, marriage, and the mundane parts of life as they grow older and become someone else instead of an identity tied only to themselves.

I liked that many of the women were flawed and completely believable, and the author has a subtle wit that makes her turn of phrase both fresh and instantly familiar. She does say many of the things we think.

A short story collection as good as you would expect from Sittenfeld. Meaning pretty damn good. I would read any of these if they were expanded into a full novel, Yet I didn't feel they lacked anything from being short. The characters were developed enough that I could have followed them for much longer. Each story very different from the last, but all with a connecting theme of self discovery. Of what kind of person you really are.

I'm not generally a big fan of short story collections and admit that I didn't even realize "You Think It, I'll Say It" was a book of short stories when I picked it up. I chose to read it because I loved Curtis Sittenfeld's "Eligible" and "Prep" and I was excited to see she had a new one out. But I'm happy to say I was almost immediately sucked into her collection and found myself flying through it. In fact, I realized that there's only one other short story collection I truly love -- Lorrie Moore's Birds of America -- and that in many ways, this reminded me of it. Sittenfeld's stories are a little bit quirky, but so incredibly real and relevant. Even if you haven't "been there," you'll somehow find yourself able to relate to all of her characters in some way or another.

The reason I don't usually like short stories? I love getting fully invested in characters and spending extended time with them. I often find that with short stories I'm either left wanting more or I'm just "meh" about the stories and happy to see them end. Sittenfeld's stories somehow have this weird combination where they drew me in and got me invested, but also left me feeling totally satisfied when they ended. Did I want to keep reading about some of the characters? Sure, but I also felt fulfilled with their stories and like she gave me enough.

Many of the stories feature main characters/narrators who are incredibly vulnerable and opening themselves up to readers. In many instances, they're faced with people from their past who have wronged them in some way and now they, as adults, have the chance to get redemption or come to terms with their pasts.

My favorites of the collection include, "A Regular Couple" (on her honeymoon, a woman runs into a girl she went to high school with who had been cruel to her), "Bad Latch" (a new mom keeps running into that "perfect mom" who seems to have it all together), and "The Prairie Wife," (a woman is obsessed with a food blogger celebrity who she went to summer camp with as a teenager and had a fling with). While I, of course, loved some more than others, there's really not a bad story in this book!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You Think It, I'll Say It is a compilation of ten stories about misperception and how human flaws connect us all. We all misread others, including ourselves. The real challenge is to put yourself in someone else's situation to understand their choices instead of passing judgement.

I can't put my finger on why I don't like short stories. Perhaps it's because I'm left wanting more and feel unsatisfied, or that I don't want to be vested in characters that never fully develop.

This collection however is the exception. All of the narratives work together as a cohesive unit, but as stand-alone stories they are incredibly powerful. The characters are remarkably well developed and relatable, and the plots are engaging. This is an amazing feat given that it takes most authors hundreds of pages to accomplish what Sittenfeld does in a few.

I'm completely blown away with this anthology. So, back to my original statement: I guess short stories really aren't my thing...unless they are written by Curtis Sittenfeld.

This collection of short stories is very entertaining. I can’t believe how quickly I read this book! Each one is based on very current culture. A very fun read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I've been a fan of the author since Prep and Eligible, and I was so excited to receive this collection of short stories. I found all the characters to be realistic and believable, and I enjoyed the feeling of being a fly on the wall throughout many of their interactions.

I love Curtis Sittenfeld. Two years ago, I read Eligible which is a re-telling of Pride & Prejudice. It was hilarious. So I was very excited to read this new one of hers.
If you also liked Eligible, be aware that these stories are not funny. I was thinking it would be more like American Housewife, which was hilarious. But most of Sittenfeld's stories are day in the life, fairly serious and thought provoking stories. I don't care for the one that came from the book's title but I really liked most of them. The title story is about a married woman with kids who plays a game called You Think It, I'll Say It with a fellow dad at parties or sporting events where she rips on other people and he listens. For some reason she thinks this means they have a connection and she believes she's in love with him. Meh. My favorite one was about this woman who's obsessed with a celebrity and her social media accounts. This celeb is essentially described like The Pioneer Woman. The character is obsessed with her because in their early twenties they had an affair. And yet now, she's married with 3 kids! What a hypocrite. It's a great story.
I love how all of the stories feel well rounded and thought out and you really feel like you know the character and what they're thinking and doing and even what they've been thinking and doing off the page before their story came to you. It's such a great book. Highly recommended.

Curtis Sittenfeld's collection of short stories offers a psychological examination of people whose inner thoughts can feel shockingly familiar or shockingly frightening. Her middle aged characters offer a spectrum of thoughts on aging, self-esteem and self-doubt while younger characters display a need for experience and maturity that will undoubtedly come with age. References to the current president add a cutting and current edge to several of the stories, making them timely and relatable.

A very strong series of short stories with a number of memorable characters and moments - among them a woman who struggled with a behavioral health issue that is impacting her life more than she is aware, a woman who is prepared to throw away her present life for something she has perceived but that isn't reciprocated, and two women who encounter people from their high school years and must address the strong emotions that arise in those meetings.


Sittenfeld has a strong , certain voice that makes for enjoyable and thoughtful reading.

Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: April 24, 2018

I very much enjoyed the author’s previous novels, “Prep” and “American Wife.” The later was a barely hidden portrayal of President George W. Bush’s wife, Laura. I enjoyed “Prep” but felt that “Wife” was a stellar read. These books are why I wanted to read the author, Curtis Sittenfeld, again. In her newest work, Sittenfeld pens ten short stories that consist of characters who are financially comfortable, all with a female protagonist. The characters' ages range from the college years through middle-age, showing how women with distinctive personalities wrestle with the different challenges that arrive at different times in their lives.

The book’s title comes from the author’s story. “The World Has Many Butterflies.” In this tale, a married woman flirts with a man in their social network. She is unaware that he is homosexual. They play the game of You Think It, I’ll Say It. This is a not so nice game played in pairs. Now, we all have made unfair judgments on people we know. One usually keeps these thoughts to themselves. However, she is trying to impress him with her critical comments on what she assumes he's also thinking about their fellow guests. At first, it is oddly liberating reading about someone who is speaking her true thoughts. That doesn’t last long. There is a nice twist at the end.

"Off the Record" is about a celebrity journalist who is a new single mother. She is assigned to travel to Hollywood to interview a major starlet. The journalist is desperate to jump-start her career with this interview. The starlet over shares regarding her own life and proceeds to ask her interviewer to keep these details off the record. Will she or won’t she? This tale had a surprise ending and some major bitchiness is displayed.

"The Prairie Wife" revolves around a woman with her wife and their two young sons. She is obsessed with a famous woman (think Martha Stewart) who she met as a teen at summer camp. She follows her now famous friend on social media, which she hates doing, but is too addicted to stop. The famous one has a cooking television show where she presents as wholesome down to earth country gal. Her old camp cabin buddy knows she is anything but how she presents. The question here is, will she use her knowledge to ruin the other’s career? She is hoping this will end her addiction and jealousy. Does she or doesn’t she?
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The author writes a thoroughly satisfying collection on human nature. She is brutally honest in her assessments of decent women vs. catty women. She writes about our sexuality, aging, identity and gender dynamics. She throws in a bit of political feelings since in the first and last story Donald Trump makes an appearance.

I first read Curtis Sittenfeld way back in 2006 when I discovered Prep. I remember really loving it, but didn’t stay on top of new releases the past few years, so I missed much of her work. When I say a new book from her, I was excited to jump in.

This book may be the first collection of short stories that I truly enjoyed. Each story felt like a complete entity and didn’t feel like just a snippet from a larger story. Most short stories are too jarring for me to enjoy; just as I feel absorbed in their world, they are over. Sittenfeld made me feel like I had spent much longer with the characters than just a few pages, something that both surprised and excited me.

In all of the stories, there are flawed, judgemental, and therefore ultimately human, characters. Even though there were characters with whom I disagreed about their thoughts or actions, they never felt unrealistic. It is easy to judge someone’s choices from your own perspective, but being able to see the reasons behind their decisions helped me to understand why they would act the way they did. This was especially true for the female characters. They had successes and flaws, and each character was completely different than the woman presented in the story before (or with) her.

As with all collections, some stories resonated more with me than others. I especially enjoyed “Vox Clamantis in Deserto,” “Bad Latch,” and “The Prairie Wife.” The first was one of the first in the collection that had that feeling of a much larger story. I felt like I had read a novella about the college experience you the end and had learned small details about the characters that I didn’t know were possible in a short story. “Bad Latch” was incredibly relatable as a mother of young children who is judged (and internally judging) of parenting choices, my own and others. This reminded me that we don’t always know why people are making the choices they do, and that taking away those snap judgements could lead to a fulfilling relationship. “The Prairie Wife” was so well developed, and at the end I had to go back and reread it immediately in surprise at the twists it took.

I am so glad I was able to read more of an author I had enjoyed so much as a young adult. I am looking forward now to catching up on her other stories I have missed over the years.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest review.

I have run hot and cold with Curtis Sittenfeld, who I find a keen observer of modern behavior. Prep was wonderful but since then, I have either really enjoyed or been really annoyed at her output. As a result, I approached this collection of short stories with curiosity. Overall, this is an eminently readable book, and a fast one, too. She focuses all the stories on people interacting with one another, usually honing the focus to just two.people. Sometimes its a study of manners other times two lives intersecting in unexpected ways. A few of the stories feel rushed and most feature unlikeable people, and I hope she doesn't see most of us in a negative light. She does capture current issues in modern society fairly well and mixes her socioeconomic cast so no two stories feel alike. For the most part, I liked it but wanted to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first Curtis Sittenfeld book I have read proves to be a gem. The short stories, which is not typically my forté, were engaging in that the characters seemed to be derived out of a playbook on realism--your neighbor's story, your college roommate's story, your cousin's wife's story. Some of the stories had the tension of something awkward looming, never quite getting there, while others entered into shades of awkwardness. Sittenfeld, at least in this collection, harnessed the mastery of allowing the reader to be a fly on the wall in the midst of the melodrama unfolding--a woman on business debating a one night stand with a sketchy cab driver, a newlywed running into an old classmate she did not particularly care for on her honeymoon, a woman convinced a neighbor is interested in her wish for infidelity, etc. We sit in the booth next to the characters listening in on their dinner conversations, mingling at the neighborhood parties eavesdropping on the chatter, and in the resort bar having a drink overhearing the forced pleasantries. Masterfully subtle. Thoroughly enjoyable.

A beautiful collection of stories, about love, parenting, the modern world, and coming of age. I always enjoy Sittenfield's writing, and this does not disappoint.

Sittenfeld has yet another masterpiece of social commentary and examination of human relationships. Her superb ability to develop characters is on display in this collection of timely short stories! Thank you Netgalley

I liked this book. I think that each short story was well thought out, developed and enjoyable. If you are interested in reading something quick, I recommend this book. Once you read it quick, go back and reread at a leisurely pace, you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to netgalley and Random House for this advanced readers copy.

You Think It, I’ll Say It is one of those short story collections that you enjoy reading and then end up wanting to read more of them. They felt real, but not pretentious, witty and sarcastic, but not trying too hard. Curtis Sittenfeld knows her craft and beautifully creates something we wanted before we even knew we did. It’s one of the few anthologies I’ve read that allowed me to fully immerse myself in the joy of reading without the need to listen to the critical voice within me.

The stories are unique and engaging, witty and provoking, layered and real. You’ll find a college professor missing the opportunity to see someone as they truly are, a lawyer preoccupied with meeting a former high school nemesis, while concealing emerging doubts about her marriage, a suburban woman misreading the signs of her acquaintance, wanting to feel alive again, a bookish college student who dreams having the life of her friend until she discovered it was nothing but what she expected and other stories that will incline you to pause and think. Don’t we all want to universally feel the same things?

The book offers you to have an intimate sneak peek into the characters’ minds, where you can find the familiar and also the surprising. They are woven into rush and long-harbored judgments, strong beliefs in what they think others are and want, missed opportunities, regret and feelings that they won’t let go of, because they won’t be able to run from their true selves anymore. There are no right and wrong in Sittenfeld’s stories, similar to our own interactions with the people we meet, everyone’s right for themselves and yet as a reader you’re given the power to read their minds and interpret for yourself. You think it and they’ll say it.

If you want to finally read short stories that will make you smile rather than throw the book across the room in frustration, give You Think It, I’ll Say It a go! It’s refreshing and unapologetic. You’ll instantly love it.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange of a fair review.

Sittenfeld's short stories are little homages to the varying types of relationships that exist between adults. Some were amusing, some more reflective but all were well written and much appreciated.