Member Reviews
"Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago, and moved into a house with a garden that requires repairs and know-how with her wife in a Blue town in the middle of a Red state where she now hosts book clubs and makes mason jar salads. This is the bourgeois life of a Hallmark Channel dream. She goes on bad dates with new friends, spends weeks in Los Angeles taking meetings with "tv executives slash amateur astrologers" while being a "cheese fry-eating slightly damp Midwest person," "with neck pain and no cartilage in [her] knees," who still hides past due bills under her pillow."
So uncomfortably funny - really enjoyed.
Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.
This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.
After having read several Samantha Irby books I can safely say I am lukewarm to her as a writer. I don't necessarily think her books are life changing for me but I have enjoyed parts of her books. I don't think I will be first in line to pick up her next one but it if was on offer on Kindle I might purchase it.
Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby is available now.
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Gobby, sassy, sweary, vulgar and pretty hilarious at times. Self-deprecating humour at its finest. I haven't read anything by this author before but will definitely have a look at her other books. I wouldn't normally read a book of essays but I'm glad I did!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I am new to reading essays. But everyone around me was reading essays, and completely in line with the essays in this book, I felt like I should try it. You can’t have the opinion before you gave it a try. And this one had a cute rabbit on the cover.
It being my first try, I still can’t say too much after reading Wow, No Thank You. Am I saying No Thank You specifically towards this book, or are essays just not my thing? It’s too early too tell.
I didn’t like it. Maybe it’s because I am not forty yet and am not married with kids. I thought the essays were at their best when describing maybe the minor things, where she is not just making fun of herself. I was enjoying the later essay more, so maybe I just needed to get used to them. Either way, I think this was not really for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book is just hysterical. I absolutely love it and will be giving it to everyone I know as a gift. It takes a real-world, hilarious view of the female experience and I found the writing style to be relatable, candid and intelligent.
I adore Samantha Irby. Her humour and the way she structures her essays in a way that seems effortless but surely isn't make her books a joy to read. Her third collection of essays is as good as the ones that came before and it came to me at just the right moment. It got me reading in the middle of a pandemic induced reading slump and made me happy. Irby writes about growing older, body positivity, the internet, imposter syndrome, and many things more in a way that makes these topics approachable and so funny. I hope she keeps on writing these books because I love them.
This collection of essays was that good that immediately after finishing this I went back and read all of the author's backlist titles - all of them.
I read 3 of Samatha Irby's books in 2 days and each and everyone was a 5 STAR read.
The author is funny, sassy, self depreciating and yet she is confident and knows her own worth. She is real and honest and a lot of the time gross.
I laughed so much while reading this book, full-body shaking audible snorting laughter.
She covers every topic imaginable and yet manages to do it in such a humorous yet very real way.
I cannot get enough of her and will remain forever hopeful that we will one day become best friends.
Side note: the audiobooks are also brilliant
I did get this book from Netgalley for review but did go out and purchase a copy for myself (and all of her other books)
Sharp and funny, scatological and sweary, these slices of life from Samantha Irby made me alternately laugh out loud and wince...
This quote, about "self care" absolutely cracked me up - to the extent I've forced other people to read it, so why should you escape...
"I got a manicure a few days ago, which is a thing I rarely do because - we're all friends here - I don't give a fuck. But I was going to a party that night and you know how parties are, just a bunch of people standing around in sequined clothes scouring the room to make sure one another's cuticles are pushed the fuck back."
Witty as hell and also the Queen of TMI, it feels like she hold nothing - and I mean nothing - back.
Whip smart and hilarious and real - a tremendously entertaining and all-too-human book.
I had high expectations for this and I was a little disappointed.
The essays made me laugh a few times but they all felt the same in tone and there were a lot of repetitive phrases that didn't seem natural, like not part of how she would speak, but deliberately trying to be funny and falling short, or just random words strung together like ramen eating skateboarding granny (I made that one up, it's not in the book...
I think occasionally she could go deeper and try to say something real rather than make us laugh.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the title. The cute wabbit on the front seduced me as well. I’m so glad I got to read this delightful book as it cheered me up. Things have been a bit intense for the world recently, and this treat really lifted my mood. I laughed more than I have in ages. I’d never heard of Irby before. This is clearly my loss. This is a fresh, funny book and completely relevant to our modern world. This is a collection of essays containing wise nuggets. There is sarcasm here and a slight malicious tone which delighted me. I loved this.
Why yes please Samantha Irby. I haven't laughed this hard reading a book in a long time. I think Irby just might be my spirit animal. Hilarious and topical, I'm pushing this hard onto my fellow 30-something girlfriends because damn I want to talk about this book with my ladies ('Girls Gone Mild"! 'Body Negativity'! 'A Guide to Simple Home Repairs'! All gems!!). Highly recommended.
Thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'll be honest, I didn't take to this book straight away. I read about 15%, thought "meh" and decided I would come back to it when I was feeling a bit more in the zone to read these kind of introspective essays.
Well am I ever glad I did. I hadn't heard of Samantha Irby before reading this book which is clearly my loss. This book is really funny, not in a haw haw haw laugh out loud way, but in the kind of way in which you cringe inwardly and are glad it wasn't you while your toes curl in delight. I suppose it's a bit like a non malicious kind of Schadenfreude? If that sounds appealing to you then read this.
Samantha writes on various subjects ranging from food, illness, family, friends, and relationships and relates he course her life which has lead her from Chicago to living as one half of a lesbian couple on a farm in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has been through some truly awful experiences and hardships yet often manages to turn them into something hilarious. We get an insight into her relationships and views on the world and as a bonus there's lots of chat about food too. It's not all fun and games and she does discuss serious issues too but with her own unique perspective.
This isn't going to be for everyone but if you like this kind of humour you wont go far wrong with this book. I've already put her previous book Meaty to the top of my To Read list.
Just a joy of a book, it feels like every page there's humour spilling out. The prose takes you into places so well described you can almost smell the coffee and vividly see the environment. In a time of COVID, this is a treat at a horrible time.
A collection of laugh out loud funy, touching, entertaining, and emotional essays. Bonus, the audio version is narrated by the author herself! Thank you to NetGalley and Faber for the opportunity to review an advanced copy
Went in expecting laughs but instead found someone who was rather vulgar and utterly patronizing and condescending and who seemed to completely lack kindness towards her fellow human. Sadly, could not connect and it was a DNF as I just couldn't keep being exposed to her condescension and holier-than-thou attitude
Samantha Irby is back again with new essays featuring sex, bodily fluids, marriage, and more.
I just adore Samantha Irby and her voice so I was excited to see a brand-new book by her featuring another cute animal, this time an adorable bunny that just had me reach out and want to hug it. Of course I had to pre-order it so I could read it whenever Amazon decided to send it to me.
In this one we have a whole lot of new essays to read. Featuring marriage (and hilarious questions and Irby's answers but also talk about her wife and children), bodily fluids (but we all know that she writes about that a lot), how to publish a book/get a show (which was very much fun to read and I laughed), about your body (and how much effort you really have to do to get it perfect), cats and dogs, going partying, about her past. And there is more. There were a few parts that had me cringing (some of the sex parts especially those about anal and then there was the period chapter). But there were also parts that were relatable and tons of parts that had me giggling and laughing.
I am glad that we saw some more of her life with her wife and the kids. We read so much about herself and her past and what she does and it makes me happy we see another important part in her life. Hope this makes sense, sorry, really tired but still want to write reviews.
I skipped one chapter after 3 pages and that was the Sure, Sex is great chapter. Which just got annoying and boring after 3 pages. Not to mention that I just forgot what the previous sentence was.
There was just one thing that was a bit of a shame, and that was that the book felt really slow and at times I just got a bit bored, normally I get through a book this size in a few hours, but now it took several sessions and also some motivational Netflix to get through it. I still very much enjoyed reading the book but I am just sad that I had a hard time getting through it.
But all in all, I would recommend this book to all and I cannot wait what Samantha Irby will write about next.
A great collection of essays. Really interesting.
Thank you to both NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review
Wow, Samantha Irby, you are one hilarious writer! It was brilliant to get lost in the pages of, Wow No Thank You over this period of isolation, I emerged feeling a lot less lonely. Goodness, what a voice! Thank you!
I loved We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Irby so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Wow, No Thank You and it was just as good as I’d hoped! Samantha Irby is an American comedian who writes about her life, pop culture and pretty much anything else in such a direct and often hilarious manner. She doesn’t hold anything back and says the things we often think but don’t put into words due to self consciousness or other concerns. She talks about her life, her relationships and her body with an acerbic and humorous wit that makes you basically just want to be her friend.
I especially appreciate reading about Irby’s chronic health issues because it’s something similar to what I have to deal and often struggle with. It is rare to hear certain topics like some health conditions discussed in such a funny and honest way which brings a sense of commonality and comfort. However, even when the essay subject is something I can’t directly relate to like marriage or getting closer to being 40, it doesn’t make that essay any less relatable and enjoyable to read. I laughed out loud so many times which is really needed in these very difficult times for everyone. If you are looking for a book to take you out of the depressing news at the moment and just make you snort with laughter then I hugely recommend Wow, No Thank You! Plus – that rabbit on the cover may be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!