brief summary
A humorous collection of illustrated suggestions for getting out of uncomfortable situations.

full review
Katie Vaz has created an entertaining volume of evasive maneuvers and escape tactics for introverts who have become trapped in untenable or uncomfortable situations created by friends, relatives, coworkers, acquaintances, and strangers. Under each of the above categories Vaz imagines some all-too-real scenarios in which an introvert might find themselves trapped, and then suggests means of escape. Some of Vaz's suggestions are good sense and entirely workable, while others are outrageously implausible, and yet tempting to people who are in awkward situations that fleeing via jetpack seems preferable to enduring another minute of awkward chatting with people whose only knowledge of you is that you go to the park at the same time of day.

Introverted readers will feel heard by this book, which in no way attempts to tell them to become more extroverted or try harder to muddle through uncomfortable situations. It is refreshing to get all that nonsense out of the way and jump straight to the part where you get to beat a hasty retreat mumbling an excuse about a pet goldfish who grows anxious if it doesn't see you every forty five minutes. Doubtless there are hundreds of other scenarios that an introvert might like to see turned into one of Vaz's comic panels, but this volume is just the right length to keep the suggestions fresh and funny, rather than continually riffing on a single theme or sliding into making lazy assumptions about introverts.

In The Escape Manual for Introverts Vaz has created a very shareable book. I hope that this book makes its way into my local library's collection so that I can have all my friends read it without having to actually purchase it for them, because it's good, just not $14.99 good. This is not to say that it's necessarily a one-time, read-and-toss book. As previously mentioned, many suggestions are actually feasible in addition to being funny, and after a first read for entertainment, it may be worth going back and looking into the viability of introducing some of these escape tactics to one's repertoire.

This was a delightful read that has hilarious as well as practical ideas. I like how it was divided up into sections for the five types of people you may encounter (like friends, relatives, and strangers) and then into category within those. The author really gets what it's like to be an introvert. I like how the humor is completely family-friendly with nothing crude about it so you can share this book with anybody. The illustrations are whimsical and the book is a fast and funny read. Thoroughly recommend.

A short, humorous graphic novel about ways introverts can escape social situations.

Being an introvert myself, I can relate to the appeal of solitude and silence. The book presents various scenarios and different escape routes for the quiet ones. I liked the art, it was simple but clear and beautifully drawn.

Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend it to introverts who enjoy stories in graphic form.  

Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

As an introvert I enjoyed reading this book and agreeing with what makes us tick. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This book is a fast and fun read, full of realistic situation and interesting ideas.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really loved this book. It was quite funny since a lot of the suggestions are over the top however a lot of them are practical ways to avoid uncomfortable situations. I'm an introvert so a lot of these tricks, I have been using for years, but I did find several that I will be saving for next time I'm stuck. I really enjoyed this blend of humor with self-help suggestions and the format was perfect. The illustrations are simple and to the point, but they definitely add to the book.

This is a very quick, cute, silly read that offers "tips" for introverts when in overwhelming social situations. The author wrote in her note at the beginning that it's meant to be cheeky and that's exactly what it was. Some of the tips are far fetched but pretty amusing, and some are more genuine and usable in actual real-life situations. I enjoyed it.

Honestly, as much as this was a cute book and as much as I enjoyed the really wild and out there ideas, the more legit ideas all seemed to be very focused on the idea that introverts "don't like small talk" which, while it can be a pain, is less an issue that sometimes just being around people. Good for a quick read but not something I'd go out of my way to purchase unless you are a fan of the creator!

Copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
5 stars

This was amazing! So cute and the artwork was stunning. The scenarios never failed to entertain me and I chuckled out loud many times.

So excited to get my finished copy of this!

This is so much fun! As an introvert, I thoroughly enjoyed the realistic recommendations and the more unrealistic ones. I've also been in all of these situations described and really enjoyed the humor in dealing with them. The art is great and overall, I really loved this book!

When in doubt, blame your doggo.

So maybe you’re an introvert or maybe you have social anxiety, or maybe you struggle with both, like me (yay! not.). Either way, Katie Vaz has got your back. THE ESCAPE MANUAL FOR INTROVERTS is a tongue-in-cheek-but-not-really compendium of excuses you can use to wiggle out of all manner of social situations. Vaz’s guide runs the gamut, from the mundane (“I have plans/something on the stove/mono!”) to the creative (suggesting unpopular activities) to the truly absurd (arrange your own kidnapping; invest in a jet pack).

As a card-carrying Animal Person, I can attest that I’ve tried all of the pet-related excuses, with increasing levels of success as my furkids age and require more intensive levels of care. It may seem crass to fall back on my dog’s dementia and seizures this way, but hey, I figure that both Finnick and I have earned it.

THE ESCAPE MANUAL FOR INTROVERTS is humorous but also not: if you can’t laugh at yourself [insert punchline here]; and yet sometimes you just want to collapse into the bottom of a dog pile and be smothered to death by fur and slobber. It’s a cute enough gimmick that only goes so far.

I noticed on the about the author page that Vaz (aka Twyla from SCHITT’S CREEK) also writes greeting cards, and I bet some of these comics might work better in that shorter, one-two punch format.

A short but sweet illustrated guide for introverts. There isn't much weight to the book but it is a fun way to pass an hour. Would make a great gift for any introvert who will surely see themselves in many examples and maybe find some comfort in knowing the lengths others also go to avoid human conversation.

The Escape Manual for Introverts is an illustrated guide to help introverts navigate the social landscape. The illustrations are cute and the colouring throughout the book compliments the art style very well. There are helpful tips as well as humour throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who has found themselves in an uncomfortable social situation without having an exit strategy! It was a fun, light and easy read.

This is a lovely book about all the public situations one might be stuck in and really wants to get out of. The solutions are helpful, funny, original and definitely gave me a good laugh or two while also being quite relatable. The art style is pretty nice as well!

A lovely graphic novel adaptation that is engaging with lovely lines and story arc. I would definitely recommend this title to my students and my friends!

The Escape Manual for Introverts, is a fun and quick read which not only features cute illustrations but actual advice. I will admit that when engaging socially with people, I tend to get emotionally exhausted and over the years I have found I do have a time limit on how much social interaction I can take. The Escape Manual for Introverts is a perfect guide for people who want ready made excuses to get out of social engagements.

The book offers scenarios and social activities that you may want to get out of, and then provides you a range of plausible and fun excuses. The author and illustrator Katie Vaz describes the purpose of the book in the below which is taken from her letter ‘to the fellow introverts.’

"I created this book to be a cheeky illustrated guide to strengthen your arsenal of cover stories for when ‘I just want to be home’ isn’t going to cut it. In addition to authentically plausible alibis, you’ll also find a catalog of exit strategies and preparation plans for protection in various future socialisations you may find yourself stuck in."

Taken from page 7 of The Escape Manual for Introverts

The book is broken up into different categories which provide scenarios which deal with friends, relatives, coworkers, acquaintances, and strangers. The section of the book that hit closest to home with me was the coworker one, I found that I had used a few of the excuses before and also made note of some offered.

I would recommend The Escape Manual for Introverts to people wanting to read a quick and funny graphic novel, as well as any introvert wanting to add some material to their ‘getting out of stuff’ arsenal. While a lot of the suggestions are quite funny and over the top, there is a lot of legitimate and useful content for introverts actually wanting to escape social scenarios.

Please note: I received a copy of The Escape Manual for Introverts from NetGalley.

Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I immediately got attracted to the cover and, of course, the title, being the introvert that I am. Needless to say, I really like the art in this graphic novel, it;s one of my favorite graphic novel art forms. For me, this is more of a coffee table book that I can pick up anytime. I don't agree with some of the *excuses* maybe because of cultural differences, but I had a good laugh out of them. It was fun and quirky and something really interesting and relatable for introverts. I had a fun time imagining some of the scenarios happening in real life and actually filling out the blanks for myself. A unique read, indeed.

It was a bit strange, not the kind of books that i like to read
i guess that the scenarios thing is weird for me
not for me at all

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy.

I recommend that any introvert pick this up. Parts of it were unrealistic but I related to a lot of it. It was extremely funny.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the best graphic novels that I've come across. I really liked the content and how I could totally relate to every single one of these situations, and wished I had this manual earlier on in my introverted life.

There are times where I feel like as I got older, that I became a lot more introverted than when I was younger. If you asked me maybe 10 or 15 years ago if I was introverted or extroverted, I would have said I was a full on extrovert. Today, not so much. There are times where I'd rather be at home with my dogs (all four of them) and either binge watch one of my favorite TV shows or curl up with a book and my dogs surrounding me on the couch or bed and that would be my idea of a good time. I think maybe that's even what I think about when I'm trying to get out of a situation that requires me to be social and I just am not in the right mindset or mood to do so.

I think I'm going to start saving these escape tricks for the future. Actually, I know I'm going to save these for the future, and I know I'm going to start using them. Maybe not the jetpack one, since I'm not cool enough to own one, but one day I'll use that one.

I really think that this manual was such a great idea - not just for introverts who would laugh and relate, but also for some extroverts who may not always understand that sometimes, we just don't want to be in the social scene at this time. It doesn't mean we don't like YOU. We just have our limits, and sometimes we need to just go home and be back in our own company for a while. Like a little recharge session or something like that. I think I'd get this for some of my extroverted friends and family members that don't always understand why I just don't want to hang out today.

Not to mention the graphics in this novel where the absolute cutest ever! Vaz did an amazing job. I know she's already an illustrator and graphic designer, but I really like her style of graphics. It feels so whimsical and happy. I just love it.