I was given access to a copy of 488 Rules for Life: The Thankless Art of Being Correct by Kitty Flanagan in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

This book made me laugh for the majority of it, especially because a lot of the situations are very relatable.

I went into this book with a mindset of “this will be something like Murphy’s Laws” … and I wasn’t wrong in a way.

Granted, I couldn’t relate to all the situation, either because they don’t occur in my life or just because some of them aren’t that common.

Still, this ‘guide’ is hilarious and I really appreciated it. I may end up printing and posting some of these rules around the house, so that some people take the hint!

A light and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with the early review copy.

#488RulesforLife #NetGalley

488 Rules for Life Kitty Flanagan

Some laugh out loud moments, Some eye opening moments!488 rules for life is a light and funny read based on the author's experience for behavior and etiquette we best follow :)
We might not like reading some of these but it's fun and as the author itself has said, skip what you can't agree with !
Rule #19 - Flush. Pause. Check
Rule 126. The train is not your office (no one else on the train wants to listen to you doing business on your phone)
Rule #222 - Gender-reveal parties are not a thing

Recommend this book to all those who need a break from all monotony and have some fun :)

A great read full of fun, imaginative rules for life. I liked this book and would consider it as a gifting option.

As an Australian, I love Kitty Flanagan. However regardless of origin, this book caters for everyone in the western world. I no doubt think that wherever you are in the world, if you love to have a laugh, you will love this book.
I like that the book is split into sections: Around the Home, Fashion, At the Office, Food, Relationships and Dating, and many more that cover every aspect of life and situation. Each contains a set of rules to make you either laugh out loud in agreement or disagree entirely (there are plenty that made me think, “No, really?! I do that!”). It really made me question how we all behave, the things we do on a day to day basis and how it makes us come across to other people.
Having seen Kitty countless times on tv, I read the entire book in her voice. I think that was one of the reasons it was so funny to me. Her use of metaphors had me laughing out loud on countless occasions, “Her criticisms of society sneak in through the rules and I really love this depth to the “joke”, for example: “I don’t really fancy being buried or cremated, but I’d love to be stuffed and placed in an exhibit at the natural history museum; I could be posed sitting cross-legged, mouth slightly open, staring glassy-eyed at a television, a true representation of the twenty-first century human.”
As stated in her introduction, this book started as a joke, and should be taken as one. A light-hearted, funny read, I devoured this in one sitting. The only thing I was disappointed to find out is that there aren’t 488 rules in the book. She gives you space at the end to write a few of your own rules.
I really think that if you love a laugh and are looking for a quick read, (or something you don’t need to read in one sitting) then you will enjoy this. I hope America loves with Kitty as much as Australia does!

I liked the way this book was put together, however found a lot of the witticisms lacking in wit. In some cases it was like the author was trying to fill gaps. Not something i'd pick up again.

*Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Quick and funny read just as I expected when I requested this book.
However, it should be consumed in smaller doses because when read all at once is not that funny.
Some rules I agree with, some not, and some I wish I thought about too.

488 Rules for Life is a hilarious play on Jordan Peterson's book 12 Rules for Life. Australian comedian Kitty Flanagan gives a comprehensive guide to navigating modern life.

The book reads really easily because it's written as a list of short, funny rules about how to properly behave in everyday circumstances. Usually I find comedy a really difficult genre because it needs to be really very funny to work, but this book actually had me laughing out loud at time so definitely a good sign!

A very entertaining book, would recommend it!

Kitty Flanagan's 488 Rules for Life (actually 447 but there's room to add your own at the end) are actually surprisingly sensible for a comedian. Some seem obvious to me and I found myself nodding my head. Others reflected Kitty's personal gripes (food served on slabs of wood, banana in fruit salad and pony tails on men) but if you disagree with some you can always apply Rule 1 (If you don't agree with a Rule, forget it and move on). This makes for a light read which can be dipped into in and out of in short bursts. Perhaps I expected to find the Rules a little more humorous, although there are some little gems and laugh out loud moments, especially in Kitty's own personal reflections on events in her life.

Kitty's list of Rules for Life reads like a modern etiquette for the 21st century as she covers a wide range of topics including: Dining Out (Rule. 147: 'All you can eat" is not an order at a buffet), First Dates (Rule 178: Don't mention your ex and Rule 179: Don't show pictures of your kids), Parenting (Rule. 207: Don't name your child after an inanimate object eg. Blanket, Banjo), Relationships (Rule 188: Never propose to someone in public and Rule 189: If someone proposes to you in public say Yes and then explain kindly in private if the answer is No), Health and Lifestyle (Rule 26: Cushions are not spiritual advisors (no trite advice on soft furnishings), Sport (Rule 255: Never tell a fan 'It's just a game, nobody died") and Fashion (Rule 250: (my personal favourite) Once you hit 60 all bets are off - see off your senior years in a riot of colour and craft!)

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance digitally. This book was just alright for me. It would serve as a nice coffee table piece to stir the conversation or for guests to pass time. A lot of the rules are obvious at least for me but I hope others may find this book helpful. The book does have its funny moments but no large takeaways.

After reading some super-heavy non-fiction books, this was a fun palate-cleanser and an enjoyable way to spend yet another morning in pandemic lockdown. Kitty provides rules and ideas for survival in the modern world, as well as the best methods for not being a dick. It's all about common sense, right!? Kitty's style is fun and breezy, and this is a GREAT gift book that you can dip in and out of and read at parties (whenever we get to have those again) while navigating the least offensive way to share the snacks. This version was chock-full of Americanisms for the US release and those were fun to explore, too. A good time.

This was so hilarious! I love that what first started out as a joke became so popular that the author actually got a chance to write this book. She has a good balance between humorously stated reactions to real-life scenarios ("Not all of your thoughts need to be articulated" about tourists who ruin the vacation experience) and opinions-we're-all-thinking-but-are-too-polite-to-say ("No using speakerphone in public. Ever."). She covers every conceivable social and person situation, and I read the whole thing straight through, laughing the whole time.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley.

For a book coming from an Australian comedian, this book had absolutely nothing lost in translation. It's a quick and simple book to read, conveniently separated into sections so you can read what applies to you and skim the rest. I also appreciate the pages at the end dedicated to letting you write in your own sets of rules.

Overall this is a cute gift for the touchy friend in your life--the one you like. The one you don't like can get your customized list of rules from the back of the book.

A light, funny, must read! I learnt a lot 😂 For example I will never wear anything but black leggings from now on.

This was pretty funny and interesting to read. Basically, it's just one man's opinions on multiple aspects of life and how people should behave in various situations. I agreed with a lot of his "rules" but some were just kind of silly or I found fault with. But from a humor standpoint, it did make me chuckle here and there.

This list, a lot of times, thought it was more clever and cutesy than it actually was. Most of the rules have no bearing on your functioning or life.

The author’s blurb description gets in a needless dig at Jordan Peterson, which really doesn’t fit in with anything and is completely unsolicited. Trashing your superiors/competition is, just, well ... trashy! The author would do well to learn a thing or two from Peterson in how to help people with their daily lives if the author is unable to pull off comedy.

This is sort of a fluff book. I expected 400-some quirky, ridiculous-yet-entertaining out-there rules proposed by a comedian. Instead, 99% of these rules are simply expected baselines of human behavior; sometimes with a funny anecdote, but none particularly novel concepts. That said, the book was designed expertly and I really liked the author's inclusion of "Special Sealed Sections" to break up the larger segments.

"488 Rules for Life" would be an excellent resource if you find yourself in a Tarzan situation, or perhaps, might be useful to someone new to the ins and outs of Western civilization. Overall, it likely would have worked better as ~100 rules paired with more illustrations to punch up the humor.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Kitty Flanagan for the ARC.

Legitimately funny from start to finish. If all my friends, colleagues and connections shared her worldview, life would be easier to manage.

Oh dear I decided to start reading this when I was waiting to see my doctor, this was a big mistake! I was snort laughing within the first few minutes and had to try to cover my laughing as everyone in the surgery was looking at me strangely. The author's brand of humour shines through in her book and most of the "rules'" are so relatable in everyday life..
This book is definitely one to bring out when you are feeling a bit low or want something quick to read that will bring a smile to your face. I am going to grab a few copies and give them to friends and family so they can get a laugh out of it too!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4****

Some of the rules are really funny, and most are actually quite helpful. A few are a bit questionable, but maybe that's just me. I liked the idea of rules with a bit of humor and this book served just what I expect from it.

As the synopsis says, 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan isn’t a self-help book - but it is definitely a must read if you’re looking for something to ‘literally’ make you laugh out loud!

I read this in one sitting and didn’t stop laughing the whole way through - from rule 29 which is something I’m definitely guilty of to rule 138 which is my biggest pet peeve, all the way through to the last rule which was just the perfect ending, this entire book is hilariously relatable and just an overall good time.

A few of my friends and family will definitely be receiving a copy of this for Christmas this year - some because they will love it as much as I did, and others because they could really use a reminder of some of these ‘Rules for Life’ 😜

Highly recommend!