I received an Advanced Review Copy of 30 Before 30: How I Made a Mess of My 20s and You Can Too by Marina Shifrin from the publisher St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Marina Shifrin made a bucket list of 30 things she wanted to accomplish before she turned 30 and guess what?! She accomplished all of them. This book recounts these experiences and the other things that were going on in her life surrounding each of these events.

What I Loved: Marina Shifrin can write a really moving essay and hilarious essay at the same time. One of the essays that really struck me was watching the Godfather movies to feel close to her father since their political disagreements had really strained her relationship. My father died after we had a serious debate about politics and since then I feel like I have to connect with my father through watching TV and this essay made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Most of the essays like this balancing heart and humor.

What I didn’t like so much: As in any essay collections there are some that lag. But such is life.

Who Should Read It: Twenty-somethings who love essay collections. People who want to read essays about growing up, making mistakes, and learning. People who like essay collections with heart and humor.

General Summary: An essay collection that recounts growing up, making mistakes, and learning.

It took me way too long to read this book. The problem was I just couldn't get into it. A young girl, unhappy with her life decides to write a bucket list of things she wants to accomplish before she turns the big 3-0. Sounds promising enough. As I started reading, I felt like I have read this book before, so many times. I basically lived this book, though my bucket list of things to do before 30 included just one item: visit 30 countries before 30 (check). I was bored, there were other books to read, so I read them. I read a page or two at a time of 30 before 30, but it couldn't hold my attention.

Then I gave it a chance. Marina has lived in interesting life. She tells some funny stories. I am closer to 40 now, so I can't relate as well as I once could, but I do see this book being relevant for many.

30 Before 30 How I Made a Mess of My 20s, and You Can Too: Essays by Marina Shifrin. I would like to thank Netgalley and all parties involved for giving me an arc of this book. It was a diamond in the rough for sure! I will be the first to admit that this is usually not my cup of tea. This is not your bucket list kind of book the author does not list 30 things that you have to do before you turn 30. But more a combination of 30 adventures the author has had in her life before she turned 30. I don’t want you to be scared of the idea of the fact that this is essays but It really does read like a charming memoir that makes you want to have your own adventure at any age.

A cute concept for a book, but a concept that has been covered on several lifestyle blogs: a list of things a woman should do before she turns 30. Except in this case, it's personal because author Marina Shifrin personalizes the idea and tailors it to her life. Influenced during a night of drinking Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck, Shifrin and her friend devise a list of things that they want to do before they turn 30. Each chapter is a goal that is on her list of things to do, ranging from doable tasks like donating your hair to more extreme goals like moving to another country. It's a concept that could be the basis of a romantic comedy with Hailee Steinfeld's "Love Myself" playing in the background. Shrifin is a funny, personable writer, it will motivate you take risks and live a little and not be afraid of aging.

I have mixed feeling about this title as it isn't what I expected. Marina's list (30 things to do before 30) is a list of things she's already accomplished and mainly consists of her floundering around finding herself, drinking and parental advice. I had a hard time relating because I'm already past those stages in my life. The highlight of the book was her comedy - she's genuinely funny and it shines through in her writing.

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
DNF @ 20%

So I'm not going to be giving this book a review. Mostly, because I think I totally misunderstood what this book was going to be about and since I don't know who the author is, I'm not interested in her life story.

I thought this would be a book about lessons she learned from her list or how she went about doing the things on her list-- which, granted half the chapters I've read have be purposeful, but some have been lucky. The chapters those are packed full of her past, which doesn't really deal with the list, so I don't care about it too much. I also had a harder time figuring out when she was talking about way back in the past or when she was in her twenties, so I couldn't always follow her writing.
People who like reading biographies and memoirs or are interested in the author may really like this look at her early life.

Another reason I'm not continuing this is because pretty much in every chapter she mentions drinking or being drunk. This is totally a personal thing, so it won't bother most people. I don't like drinking-- I don't mind people drinking though-- it just feels like a given that we should be drinking and getting drunk all the time and it irks me to see that in books as well. I've honestly given up on friends who only seemed interested in hanging out if it involved drinking. So, when it seems like people are saying that those in their 20s can't improve their life or do crazy outrageous things without drinking... I get frustrated.
<b>I understand this book isn't saying it, may even say the opposite later in the book since in the intro she even mentions having a minor drinking problem, but it is still frustrating to read.</b>

Her life seems outrageous, her stories are told in a down to Earth, easy to read style, and her circumstances are relateable at times, so I definitely see how people will enjoy reading this book, it just wasn't for me.

I agree with the other reviewers who said this isn't quite what they expected. The author's list turns out to be more whining about her life and less the list - which seems more an afterthought the further I read into the book. She's young, she's floundering around jobwise, relationship wise and life experience wise. Maybe it's just that I'm already past this stage but the more I read, the more she annoyed me rather than entertained me with her efforts.

Even though I am in my early thirties, I was very entertained and appreciated this book! I like how the book was mapped out into different stories that tied together throughout the book. I think the concept of choosing 30 things to do before you turn 30 is a great topic. These were not necessarily bucket list items, but could be as easy at hosting guests all the way to getting published. I enjoyed Shifrin's conversational writing style, it made for a quick read! I would definitely read more of her work!

I'm not even going to lie...I maybe read too many of these "you're a lost twenty-something and I'm going to teach you the way to successfully live like a real adult by giving you a giant list" books. I've read Things to Do Before You're 30: The Try-It-Out, Get-It-Done, Live-It-Up List! by Jessica Misener, Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown, Don't Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething's (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood by Alida Nugent...and probably a few more I don't even remember. I always eagerly pick these books up and am always slightly disappointed. Do I just not respond well to well-intentioned women telling me what to do? Have I already mastered adulting? (Jokes!) Or do I just fundamentally understand that these books can't actually help me without putting in work of my own?

Shifrin's 30 Before 30: How I Made a Mess of My 20s, and You Can Too, which will be released on July 24, has also left me a bit disappointed. Maybe the title is a bit deceptive? You definitely get short essays on how Shifrin "made a mess of [her] 20s," entertaining stories about her Russian parents and her time spent abroad, and a few drunken escapes that certainly almost all twenty-somethings experience. However, this book was also slightly different than other books in this genre--if you can call it a genre--as it wasn't a list of goals or experiences meant to be accomplished, but things the author had already experienced. You'll read about how she quit her abroad job (and how it went viral!), how she meant one of her icons (who I still have no idea who he is?!), and how she bought her first adult furniture. So maybe the "and You can Too" in the title is deceiving--because this reads more like a memoir made of essays, than a self-help or inspirational book. 

Shifrin, however, has always wanted to be a comedian, and that reflects in her writing. She has a knack for storytelling, and what results is a nice, light, summer read with several laughable moments In and of itself, I enjoyed 30 Before 30--it just certainly wasn't what I expected after reading so many similar books, and maybe that's the charm that some readers will enjoy! Overall, I wish Marina Shifrin the best of luck on her book debut, even if it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. And, because I did enjoy her personal writing style and her sense of humor, I'm excited to start following Shifrin on social media (where she says she tweets a few jokes a day!).

I did not enjoy this book. I love the cover, and it caught my eye. But, I was disappointed with the content. I was expecting an inspirational bucket list for those in their twenties. And, since I am fast approaching 30, I thought I might get some ideas for a bucket list of my own. Instead, I found Shifrin's list and subsequent stories to be uninteresting and highly specific to her particular place in life. This book was just not for me.

I was not at all impressed with this book. It wasn't funny or particularly poignant. I wanted something from this, but got nothing.

30 before 30 is a book of essays (31?) by a 20-something that want to change her life. This might as well be the scenario of a movie. A millenial does 30 things for the first time and thus learns to appreciate more what she has and (maybe) becomes a more adult human being. I especially loved the pages devoted to her Russian parents. My own parents lived through communism and had similar stories. I liked her wittty style of writing.

This book of essays explores the author’s escapades completing her list of 30 things to do before turning 30. I’ve always loved making to-do type lists (101 in 1001, bucket lists, etc etc) but I really suck at actually completing them. This was a fun read – fairly quick and packed with humor. It’s one of those books that was enjoyable but that I don’t have much commentary on. Would make a great airplane book.

This book had a neat enough concept, and had the potential to be a great collection of stories were it not for the author trying to remind us she's a comedian. While a decent read in general, some of the quips felt forced and were distracting.

Whether a celebrity is actually well known or not, I find this sort of thing annoying in any book trying to appeal to an established fan base, so that might just be my pet peeve.

This was an entertaining read. I read it quickly and in sections. You can read this book cover to cover or in segments. I liked that she chose 30 things to do before turning 30. This book was inspiring and funny too. I liked reading how the author went about accomplishing everything on her list.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I see a lot of myself in Shifrin's "30 before 30" goals. Her Taiwan was my Japan, her India was my Australia and well, I'm still working on that real furniture thing and will probably never cook a five course meal, but I did find a job I still love at 38. Although I'm more Mediterranean than Eastern European, I too wish I had a leather jacket to hide early teenage arm hair. She's a bit younger than me, so some of the viral elements didn't apply to my 20s, but there's something about a life goal wishlist that just works across generations.

This collection of stories can either be read cover to cover as I did, or as standlones as there's enough info in each to catch the reader up on the stories that cross chapters. My only issue was I struggled somewhat with the sequence. She was riding a bike on the Brooklyn Bridge when she was visiting New York, but as I'm not otherwise familiar with her I found myself wondering whether that was between Taiwan and LA, or at another time in her life.

Overall, a really fun, light collection of reads. I wonder whether it will apply to men as much as it does to women, but this is definitely one for women of all ages.