This book wasn’t for me at all and sadly I DNFed this
I am sure that some people would like it but it’s not for me

A quick book of short stories. As with many short stories, some were stronger than others. I felt as if there were a few that were slightly connected but they were not fully developed to be connected. Honestly I felt quite confused by some of these stories - they felt as if they ended quite abruptly and I had a hard time seeing the main message or point of all of the stories.

Beautiful writing. I was hooked!
A perfect read for the summer holidays.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

A selection of short stories that are all loosely interwoven - more specifically this book is a series of snapshots of life, particularly focusing on the main female in various relationships; the role they play and how they are treated/ whether they are happy or respected within their home life and how that lives out in real terms.
The writing is brilliant, and the author is very good at characterisation. I actually felt like some of these stories could have been stretched out further, or given a deeper connection with each other to make stand alone stories of their ow - I have certainly been left wondering about a couple of the women/ families.
Brilliant short book, great if you're looking to get out of a reading slump.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and She Writes press for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short and fast paced book, which you could read very quickly.

However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Often, I found myself thinking what the point of certain chapters was. I felt like some chapters didn’t really go anywhere, and had no real meaning in them (at least to me). I couldn’t really link the stories together or make it a coherent piece.

The characters also weren’t really likable. I couldn’t really connect with any of them in any way.

I give this book 2,5 stars.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
Sadly this wasn't a book for me. Maybe it wasn't the right time or maybe it's just me but I couldn't catch the point of this book.
The writing is fine, the structure is great (it's what I liked the most, the intertwining stories) but I couldn't see the point of it all. Maybe I don't like seeing glimpes of sad lifes (or maybe they were just sad for me). Some stories were interesting but I really didn't like the characters.
Also, as a Spaniard, I didn't like the cliche about my country and bullfights (a lot of us hate bullfitghting and I can assure you cannot find that kind of spectacle 24/7).
However, it's easy to read. I encorage you to read it and hope you can enjoy it.
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//REVIEW IN SPANISH//
No he entendido para nada este libro. Le doy más puntuación porque es original pero de verdad que nole he visto la gracia, no sé qué nos quiere contar. Son unos relatos breves que se relacionan unos con otros a través de algún personaje conocido en otro relato previo. Esos relatos nos abren una pequeña ventana a la realidad de dichos personajes, incluso al pasado de algunos de ellos, y nos dejan espiar vidas normales, poco idílicas. Ya os digo que eso me ha parecido muy original. El problema (para mí, claro) es que no entiendo qué nos quiere decir la autora con todo eso. Que la vida es una mierda? Que tus sueños eran fantásticos pero la realidad es lo peor y con eso te vas a tener que conformar? No es que esperara mucho pero lo que sí que no esperaba era acabar triste porque ningún personaje me parece feliz con la vida que tiene.
Me alegro mucho por los que han disfrutado de este libro pero desde luego no ha sido para mí.
(Y, por favor, unos turistas que llegan a Madrid y lo primero que les ofrecen en el hotel son entradas para una corrida de toros porque es la tradición, mátame ya con una motosierra!)

I adored this. I loved the variety of the stories and kept wanting more particularly of Iris and Callie. That's the only flaw of the book. I wish it was longer, but that is the purpose I suppose.

A fun series of linked short stories. These were fun, quick reads.. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received a free electronic copy of this ARC collection of short stories from Netgalley, Corie Adjmi, and She Writes Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. This review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Corie Adjmi writes tales that reflect modern lives and many of its pros and cons. Several of these stories I considered a five star. Some were too close to the truth of being OLD in America today and thus broke my heart. A much younger soul might have seen them as humorous or a mini-lesson on aging gracefully...

The ARC captures the subtlety of the theme of the book.the book characters are interconnected and thus makes the story more interpersonal and worth reading. I love the attention to detail in the description of situations no matter how triggering they are. But to tell the female story across generations shows us a mirror to the existing society and doesn't stop at writing about the intimate details. Read about your common woman. The woman who crosses you and you miss her just before learning about her life.

I enjoy reading short stories a lot. In my opinion there could be more of them published, as there is not enough.
I was delighted to receive an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in return for an honest review.
This collection of short stories have a tenuous link around a central character, Callie. It was not always easy to find the connection between them.
Although a short story is, just that- short. In the case of Callie though, I felt that it was slightly too long, and it definitely could have developed into a Novel or Novella.
This was well written, and had good characterisation, but I didn't enjoy all of the stories. Some were much better than the others.
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for my ARC.

3.5 stars. I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book is a collection of short stories about women and characters who are related to Callie in different periods of time. I loved how the characters were connected yet they had different story.

The writing surely grips you and you can't stop until you have finished that story. I went through this book swiftly as it was quite entertaining.

It portrays women in different situations very interestingly; it shows their strength and the ability to survive even in harder situations. It also displays the changes in society with time which I appreciated.

If you are in need of a quick read you should definitely pick it up.

Life and Other Shortcomings by Corie Adjmi is a book of short stories. One important thing to note is that the stories are linked. The character in one story appears in another story. Initially, I thought it is a novel about the main character Callie. After that, I thought they were short stories but did not understand why they have common characters. After reading 80% of the book I realized that these were linked stories with common characters but that does not necessarily move the story forward. I am not sure how the linking can be made more efficient so that it does not stress the reader.

The individual stories themselves were well-written and touched issues about family life, teenage life, how society perceives women, and the burden of motherhood. This will be a great read if the stories were not linked and the character names in each story are different.

3.5

"A public face, a masquerade hiding private disappointment."

Thanks to the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange of a honest review via Netgalley.

TW:
Domestic violence, harassment, abortion, depression, gordophobia/fatphobia.


First of all I want to say that this review os being written by a cisgender man, so it's possible that the reason that I didn't connected so much with the book is the fact that I don't live this reality.


The book talk about a lot of important things in a easy and dynamic way, without looking artificial. I felt uncomfortable in almost all of the stories, so take care while reading.

But, even being well written, I couldn't like the characters. I didn't felt like a friend to them and my relationship with each one was like the author forced me to like them.
All the stories were interesting and marked me. I was always curious about what would happen and every moment I got more anxious.
But, even with that I felt tired while reading. The dialogs weren't interesting and useful.

One thing that I realized while reading other reviewz was that almost no one that read talked about the triggers!! And some people said that was " laugh-out-loud funny". I don't know if it was just with me, but the writing looked more sad than happy.

A fun and poignant collection of short stories from Corie Adjimi. Pieces of every woman are represented in these stories. Womanhood, friendship, our relationship with society....it's all covered.

Just an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a fascinating collection of interconnected short stories. Though sometimes the links were distant, it did not take away from the realistic situations and feelings presented by Adjmi as we encountered women across cities and decades, working through the struggle and mundane events that come together to shape the life of women everywhere.

I laughed, felt heartbroken and cringed at the events experienced by the characters in this collection. Even though you spend such a short amount of time with the characters, I found myself drawn in and wanting to know more about them, their pasts and where they would end up. I particularly felt this about Callie and could see myself devouring a novel about her marriage.

This was an enjoyable read, with many interactions and scenarios that readers will be able to empathise with, and recognise, regardless of age, relationship status or background. It is a a great example of a fiction that feels realistic.

Not a bad collection, but one that would benefit from a really brutal edit. The stories definitely link, but not enough to keep a solid thread going throughout. At times I didn’t understand the point of certain stories - slice of life is fine, but the overall collection lacked depth so I was left feeling a bit ‘meh’. I liked the author’s writing though so will keep an eye out for future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for giving me the opportunity to read and honestly review this title.

This collection of short stories failed to capture my attention. Shortly after finishing each story, I forgot what it was about. There were sentences here and there that grabbed my attention, but as a whole the stories did very little for me.

Not my usual sort of book but I decided to try something different. It was exceptionally well written and thought provoking but just not for me unfortunately.

This collection of short stories is focused on a woman named Callie, who we meet in the first few stories of the book. We are introduced to her life, her circle of friends and her experiences as a woman. She details different aspects of a woman’s life, representing different classes, backgrounds, parents and lifestyle choices.

Throughout each chapter, we lean into how each woman doesn’t live the same type of life. We learn about a mother with many children, a couple who has divorced, a single woman, etc. It showcases the underlying tones of being a woman, the “read between the lines” scenarios that might not be obvious to see.

The main takeaway I had from this story is how human interaction molds us from a young age into an adult.

Because of the short stories, there really isn’t a plot development, more so little episodes to complete this series. While some stories string together well, others don’t. I knew this coming into the story, but it could confuse other readers if they aren’t privy to this beforehand.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy in return for an honest review!