not as funky fresh as their first but but still fun and quick and full of heart i will continue to read things by this duo

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The friendship between Ava and Gen reminded me of my best friend in college. The format of the book was interesting and fun as well. It is written all in email and text. At times I thought the were a little too obvious with the diversity in the book, almost making it a point to create diversity that it became distracting. Overall, this was a fun and quick read!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told using texts and emails. I really wanted to like this book but it was extremely hard to follow. The concept of using texts to tell the story had so much potential but it wasn't done right and it seemed like an old person texting and using way too many exclamation marks. The formatting of the book just didn't work and took me forever to get through this book.

The characters were so vapid and awful and not even in a satirical way. I hated reading their texts and I'm very sure I've lost brain cells reading this. The development of these characters completely missed the mark. All of the characters were not likable at all and I really did not care what happened to them at all.

The style of writing really did not work for this book and the characters really couldn't make me care any more about the book. The book just isn't for me but perhaps it could for someone else.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know there was another book prior to this one with the same characters. However, this book could be understood without necessarily reading the first one. I loved the friendship between the two protagonists. It was very realistic and heartfelt.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Two friends find themselves thousands of miles apart after college. They have been each other’s main supports and struggle without one another.
This story is told through emails and text messages.
Ava comes from a wealthy family and has an internship in New York City on a famous late night talk show. She is anxious and makes poor choices with members of the opposite sex.
Gen is working on a newspaper is rural Florida. I’m a bit confused about how she identifies. I believe there is mention she is a lesbian but she mentions having boyfriends in the past as well.
It is a quick read but there were a lot of things that I missed. When a story is only told through texts and emails, there is often something missing. I don’t feel that I got to know either character much. I know a lot about them but I didn’t get to know them.
It’s not terrible but it was just an okay read for me.

I love Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin, I love Just Between Us, the YouTube channel and the podcast, I really enjoyed I Hate Everyone But You, their first book, I listened to Gossip and Bad With Money, their podcasts separate from each other, and I do plan on reading Bad With Money, Gaby's book.
I liked this book fine! I wish I had connected with it more, but I just didn't care very much through the first half of the book.
This book was funnier than I Hate Everyone But You, which was also funny, which I did enjoy. But I think the time jump paired with trying to figure out what information from that book was important made the first 20% ish feel like I was playing catch up.
I also have a theory that if you don't know Gaby and Alison is probably hard to keep them straight in your head. Especially the text messaging sections. I always think it is an unfair criticism to say characters are too like their creator because you only know that when the creator is a public figure. But I think playing so close to their lived experience made me less interested because I could pretty accurately guess where the book was going. So if you know them, it might be predictable, and if you don't, it might be confusing. It's just a theory, feel free to disagree with me!
I also felt SUPER icky about the catfishing subplot. I was very disappointed that that didn't really break bad, yes a character got fired, but the catfishing was more of a 'straw that broke the camel's back' in that situation than the catalyst. I think that kind of emotional manipulation is despicable and I really wanted the book to take a stance that this is super not okay. And instead, it was just 'it's somewhat rude, but in the end, maybe everyone can be friends.' I didn't like that at all.
I did like that this book shows you how an abusive relationship works. Hot and cold, gas lighting, not giving you the necessary information. That plot was interesting and handled well. I also enjoyed the journalism and career climbing parts of this book. It was delightful.
I am not super sure precisely who the audience for this book is, maybe college kids and young professionals? It falls into that category that makes you think YA needs to expand what it means or NA needs to encompass more than older YA + sex. WHich isn't a fault of this book just a flaw with marketing and book categorization in general.
This book was enjoyable, and if you liked I Hate Everyone But You you will probably be interested in what happens in the sequel.
ARC provided by NetGalley- all opinions are mine!

"Please Send Help" by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin is a delightful fun read. The main focus is the deep friendship between Ava and Gen, the two main characters, and centers on their time after college when they get their first jobs/internships. As they move to New York and Florida for their new opportunities, absolute ridiculousness and bad choices ensue on both ends and they are constantly communicating to get the other friend's advice, input, or commentary.

The story is mainly formatted in a series of emails and texts, the way millenials communicate, which for some, may be annoying. The formatting was nostalgic for me, as it reminded me of books I read while in middle school that had a free-thought journal format, which is what I think they were attempting to get at. I've watched some of Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin's YouTube videos and the dynamic of the friends in this book is modeled off of their own friendship, with a few dramatic and fictional details added in.

This book is perfect for a light funny beach read and I recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Ok, so I didn't realize it was a follow up book, but the good news is, it was obvious that the story could be picked up quickly. I actually do have the first book, I just haven't had a chance to read it.

I'm a big fan of stories about friendship because of how important I think they are., but I couldn't get on board with Gen and Ava's friendship. Again, this could be the disconnect between the age of me with the girls. The realationship at time seemed toxic.

I

I didn't realize this book was a sequel before requesting it, but after reading other reviews, I learned that I didn't need to read the original I decided to give this story a try anyway. However, I quickly learned that I am not the intended target audience, and overall, the story just wasn't working for me.

A majority of the book is told in the format of texts and emails exchanges to chronicle a slice of life between two best friends just out in their first post-college jobs which I personally didn't enjoy. The dialogue and text-heavy format made it difficult to pinpoint the exact plotline of the story, and it eventually grew stale. Some issues and topics were handled insensitively which I found rather problematic.

I've been a fan of Gaby and Allison since their Buzzfeed days and was ecstatic at the opportunity to support their literary career. However, this book fell flat and just wasn't my cup of tea.

Wow!! 5 stars!!
I don't know where to begin with this! This book is the most funniest, empowering, encouraging, amazing book I have ever read! For any young teenager (any age group really) who doesn't know what they are doing with their lives or need a pick me up, this is your book.
Ava and Gen have been best friends forever. One is living in new York and the other Florida. Ava has financial stability as Gen does not. Ava loves love while Gen is happy out exploring her sexuality (and adopting random pregnant cats and homeless people). They support each other through email and text. I genuinely have never laughed so hard at a book in ages!!

This was a fun, quick read and it really didn't matter that I hadn't read the first book in the series. In fact, I didn't even realize there was a previous book until I opened up the Goodreads page!

Told through emails and texts between very different friends, we get a fully realized picture of what both young women and their lives are like. Ava, who is interning on a late-night TV show in New York has an anxiety disorder, a stable family and is straight. Her best friend Gen, is bi-sexual and far less stable as she starts her first job as a reporter at a small-town newspaper in some out-of-the-way town in Florida.

While both young women are struggling to figure out how to fulfil their roles at work, at home and in society, their almost-daily communication keeps them going, even if it doesn't keep them on the right track.

Their voices and experiences are spot on, and vividly evocative of that terrible/wonderful period in life when you're out of school and in the real world for the first time and expected to suddenly know how to be an adult despite having no experience, and in many cases, no good role models.

I enjoyed it very much, so thanks Netgalley for letting me read it ahead of release!

*thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review*
My full review can be found at https://curlybookowl.com/2019/04/08/please-send-help-earc-spoilers/ on or after April 8th.


This book was cute and quirky and fun! I’ve never read a book that was told completely in text messages and email exchanges. It was an interesting change from a traditionally written book.

Ava and Gen are all of us and none of us. I’m 24 in my 6th year of undergrad. I have been in Gen’s situation where I didn’t have the money for school, and I HAVE to get this job because it’s the difference between food and none. I’ve also been on Ava’s side: my parents are very supportive and help me in anyway they can...but I also have a strong desire to succeed coupled with anxiety.

I loved this book. I was so pissed at Ben and I was totally on Gen’s side when she offered to fly up and string Ben up. We all need a Gen in our lives. We also need an Ava to help us make sane decisions and recognize our faults.

I did not realize this was a sequel. I was able to follow the book and get the chemistry between the friends without having read it.

I am not the right audience for this book. I did enjoy the format of texts and emails exchanges to chronicle a slice of life between two best friends just out in their first post-college jobs. I also liked that the book focused on female friendships. However, I only ever connected with Ava's character. Gen's voice was abrasive and self destructive in an in-your-face way. She unapologetically catfished someone and never felt an ounce of remorse for it, which just turned me off of her character early on. Her POV was fairly glorifying in regards to her self destructive quality as well. It's one thing to embrace yourself and your truths and own who you are. It's another to embrace your self-destructiveness and excuse all of your pettiness.

I was also turned off by the portrayal of southerners using bad stereotypes as well as Christians. I am both a Southerner and a Christian and I belong to a Methodist church (yes Methodist, which is villainified here in a bad stereotype) and in all of my churches that I have belonged LGBTQ people are welcomed and embraced. Perhaps the author came across a Methodist church like the one mentioned but I sure doubt it Instead, I suspect it was just a lack of research because I live in the south and have NEVER come across one like it (that doesn't allow LGBT people into their homeless shelter and other such un-christian issues). I also don't think the author bothered to research because there was a nun who worked it (that's Catholicism) and a few other such quibbles. Those are not things/terms the methodist church uses. I could ignore this but I think it harms part of the community this novel is trying to reach. Telling gay youth that the entire church doesn't like them (when this is not categorically true) is as problematic as those churches that do shun the LGBTQ community. They both do damage.

All in all, the book excelled in showing a slice of life between two very different friends trying to get started in their own adult lives while simultaneously supporting and leaning on each other. However, it fell down in it's problematic portrayals that took the lazy way out by using shallow stereotypes for cheap laughs or villaney. It also rides the line of glorifying self destructive tendencies.

I hadn't read the first book featuring these characters, but had no trouble jumping in and getting a good feel for them. I love books told through letters, so this modern take told through emails and texts was a fun extension of that genre. I would've liked to get to know some of the other characters better, but that's generally something that doesn't happen with this kind of book--I'd definitely read additional works that focus on some of the others, especially Dana. Overall, this was a fun book that provided a glimpse into young adult life, touching on serious issues with a light touch and creating relatable, flawed protagonists that I wanted to root for, even as they did some cringe-inducing things.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to this title!

There's just something so addictive and entertaining about these books that I can't help by love them! Once again, I really enjoyed the epistolary style that made the book flow super quickly. The characters were just as charming and unique as they were last time and their friendship was so incredibly wholesome. I assumed their friendship would follow a similar pattern it had in the first book, but was surprisingly happy to find that was not the case. While this book did feel constructed better than the first one, I still wish we got to know a little more about the characters lives between the last book and this one. Though, all in all, I had so much fun reading this book and I couldn't recommend this sequel enough. Yay for books about female friendship!!

I obviously chose to read this book because it was the sequel of I Hate Everyone But You, which I adored reading. Just like the first book, Please Send Help was full of life's joys and pains but this time Gen and Ava were in the big real world. And like expected they made mistakes. However, I feel like some of their actions were swept under the rug and didn't have the same consequences as they would've experienced in real life. This kind of infuriated me and made it really hard to get into some of the plot lines. Also, I wanted more about one of the minor characters who was pretty much one dimensional in terms of personality.
Anyway, overall it was a fun light read with the perfect amount of pain and happiness but I definitely still prefer the first book.

A Goldman never pays her debts but she does ruin her enemies with slander!

Please Send Help is the sequel of I Hate Everyone But You, which I did not know when I requested it on netgalley. (I thought it is a thriller! *face-palm*)I am yet to read the first book. But it did not hamper the reading experience, it could be read as stand alone as well. 

The book was hilarious. A very easy read about two best friends who despite of living far way from one another tried to be there for one another. It deals with several issues like depression, mental health, Bisexuality, Work place relationships etc. It was a fun read and very fast pacing but it could not make me love it. 

I did not like any of the friends. Next part of this review contains slight spoiler, so proceed at your own risk!! Or you can just skip the spoiler part!!

<spoiler>
Gen manipulated Baeu in the worst way possible. And her excuse was laughable! Also I agree Ben was manipulative and I hate him for that, but Ava was the first who made a move! Why girl?!! He is your boss!! Learn some workplace ethics -_- Also I wanted to see Dana still there when Gen moved in.. Why after she moved in all I get to know is DANA SHIFTED?!! WTF!! He was there for Ava on her worst time!!! Is it too much to ask for a proper goodbye?!!! :(

For above reasons my rating for this book came down to 3.5 stars insteed of 4 stars!

*Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the review copy.*

Thank to netgalley and the author/publisher for the Arc for my honest review.

This can be read as a stand-alone, but it may be easier to jump into after you read the first in the series.
Interesting and unique format as it’s written in text/email format. That makes it easy and enjoyable to follow along of course.

This was an enjoyable book. Gen and Ava are on their own after college and learning how to survive the working world. If you haven't read the first book in this series, I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU, I highly recommend that you read it before this book. It can be read as a stand alone but you will be ready to jump right into the story if you already know what's going on with Ava and Gen. I enjoy the format of this book. The emails and texts between the two girls have a great flow and tell the story from both of their points of view without big narratives.
I am grateful I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I suggest you grab this book when it goes on the shelves in July 2019!

I was really surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I was expecting it to be more like a teen book then what it was and it was so much fun! I didnt read the first book in the series 'I Hate Everyone But You' so I wasnt sure it would make sense. But you really dont need to read it. I totally understood the characters and it made sense!
I enjoyed this so much because I could really relate to the story with the way it is written. Gen and Ava are so honest, sarcastic, dramatic, hilarious, and exactly like me! The emails and messages they send to each other is exactly how I email and message my besties! This book had me laughing out loud more often than not and it was such an enjoyable book!
The decisions Ava and Gen made at times were so cringe-worthy and I honestly couldnt help myself but be like 'nooo why did you do that for??'. I was shaking my head and giving my own opinion like I was one of their best friends!
All up this book was great! Really lovable and relatable characters and hilarious! I will definitely be seeking out the first book in the series and giving it a go!