Jenny Lawson has done it again. She has created another masterpiece of truths that few are brave enough to express. She has helped to bring the topic of mental health out of the shadows of the taboo into the light and has connected those who suffer from it. She entertains us by making us burst out laughing at her antics and brings nods and tears with her struggles.

Jenny Lawson is such a treasure. I've never read any book other than her books including this one, that make me laugh and cry and feel seen and understood. It's a rare gift. She has a rare gift. I don't think I could even recommend this book anymore than I do. It's so good. If you're human, I can't imagine you not liking this book. Thank you so much #JennyLawson and #Netgalley for allowing me to read this seriously funny, seriously wonderful book.

It’s very rare for me to laugh out loud while reading, even if I think something is funny. But this book made me laugh out loud SO MANY times. I enjoy Lawson’s writing so much. She hilarious, but also gives up so much of herself and her personal struggles in this book. There were at least 3 passages in this book that I took photos of because they were so funny and I wanted to remember them later. 5 stars.

This isn't my favorite of Jenny's books (that would be Furiously Happy) but it has some parts that are as good as she gets.

What I appreciate most about Jenny's writing is the was she addresses mental illness with blunt language and no apologies. There is also dark humor and moments of joy, which is a realistic representation of a human life.

The essay titled An Open Letter to My Insurance Company is one of the best things she's written and it punched me right in the gut. Having dealt with chronic health issues and battled insurance companies, I have said some of these exact same phrases. But as strong as that essay was, and some of the others, there were a few that felt unfinished and not nearly as cohesive. I understand that's what it's like to be a writer and I know not everything is going to resonate with me.

Overall, Jenny's fans will love this new collection. If you haven't read anything of hers before, this is a fine place to start. You won't be as familiar with her but if you also feel broken sometimes, you will feel like you are listening to a good friend share her stories.

As always I laughed (loudly) outloud while reading Jenny Lawsons new book. Her and willingness to share her mental illness journey is our gain. I laughed and cried and will recommend it readily.

Jenny Lawson is clever and hilarious. I like that she is willing to dive deep into personal issues here.

Thanks to Henry Holt and Company... I have been able to review an advance copy. Thank you thank you thank you. Trust me I will buy the hard copy too only because this book is amazing, true and really great.

So some things to know about this book -
it's scheduled for sale (as of now) April 7th 2021 - available at all the places... but hint hint I suggest buying it from her... if you need to know where... the internet can totally be your friend :).

Things you will enjoy reading about:
* losing a shoe and what it possibly means for all those shoes you see on the side of the road
* how we can all learn lessons in managing the health care system (I read this and was ashamed for the industry that I used to work in... I was blind to how tremendously awful it can be to navigate...)
* keto diets suck (I basically have to live that way now and it kinda sucks)
* laughter will help you survive nearly anything
* marriage is hard but also really hilarious

Each chapter is it's own nugget of knowledge and funny. Jenny Lawson is a humorist but also a truth teller. She doesn't have it easy. But she really does have a great way of looking at life and it's such a message to us all. We are not alone when we struggle. I have also learned that along the way of being a fan of hers. I certainly have found the best message is that if you are kind and share your story it's a winning proposition. This book is about truth in finding humor in your life. It's a great reminder.

It's sometimes an easy read. It's sometimes difficult. But it doesn't disappoint. This is a book that will make you laugh out loud, cry a little and probably think about how you are feeling right now. It's so good y'all. I can't wait to read it again and again. Self help it is not but it does help the self, if that makes any sense... it's so funny and so sad but so awesome. How many books can you say that about?

While some of the stories were a little more serious than I would’ve liked, all in all it was a very funny book. She needs to put out a book that is just of hers and Victor’s conversations, because those are the best. And have color photos please.

Even though I've read both of her other books (multiple times) and her blog regularly, I am never quite prepared for how much I ADORE Jenny Lawson. I'm not convinced that we weren't somehow separated at birth. Her openness about mental illness shatters me every damn time. As someone with depression, anxiety, OCD, and I'm sure a multitude of undiagnosed issues, I am consistently let down by how people talk about mental health, but Lawson writes about it with a rawness that will wound. Yes, she is known for her amazing sense of humor, but the honesty and determination to accurately talk about mental health is what makes me love her more each time I read her.

I spent the evening switching from laughing out loud to crying to wondering how the fuck someone recorded my inner thoughts without me knowing. My bucket list is short and filled with bookish things, and each time she publishes, meeting Jenny Lawson moves further up that list. This is going to sound cheesy and mushy, but hang with me. Jenny talks about our souls as spheres that break into pieces, some useful, some not. I, as a librarian and huge nerd, think of it more like a bookshelf. There are things there simply because they've always been there, books we're too intimidated to open, shiny new things that are there just because we thought they were pretty, useful things, etc. Then there's that one shelf. That shelf we fill with things that hold us together and make us happy. On that shelf in my weird library is a small collection of actual books. All of Lawson's are there.

P.S. That little monster dude on the cover is absolutely going to be one of my tattoos as soon as I get money and this got-dang pandemic settles tf down.

Fans of Jenny Lawson will not be disappointed with this book. She once again describes her life in brutally honest and hilarious ways! Lawson effortlessly switches from poignant, to heart wrenching, to ridiculous, to laugh out loud funny, and back again. Be careful if you plan to read any of this book in public (when you can go out in public), you will definitely get curious stares from people as there is no way to keep yourself from laughing out loud. Fair warning though- along with that hilarity there are also chapters that will make you want to cry or maybe even scream a little (especially the open letter to the insurance company), as Lawson honestly describes her struggles with mental illness. She openly tells of how this life long struggle effects her and her entire family. For anyone who has struggled in similar ways, or has loved someone who has, you will not only relate, but also find comfort. In the end Lawson't message is always one of survival, hope and finding the light in the darkness. And in the very next chapter she will have you rolling on the floor laughing about her encounters with "lawn gerbils".

Every bit of this book is a joy. it is relatable in the best possible way. We are all broken, and it is nice to be reminded that the brokenness is beautiful, and that it brings us together. Thank you, Jenny Lawson!

Jenny Lawson has done it again! In Broken, as she has always done in the past, Lawson perfectly balances the seriousness of depression with the absolute need of a sense of humor when dealing with the trials and tribulations of the everyday frustrations of life. She is the friend that we all need in our lives; the one that completely gets the days that we just can’t get out of bed and out one foot in front of the other and will come over and help us laugh through it when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jenny Lawson's BROKEN is another example of her balancing humor and the seriousness of having mental illness. Her strongest chapters are about her depression and anxiety and the depths of despair she has experienced and things she has tried to do to come out of it. "Things We Do to Quiet the Monsters" explains both the severity of the depression she was experiencing as well as her transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment for it. Working in the mental health field, I have not read a lot of first person narratives on the experience, so this was rather illuminating. Another highlight and gut-punching essay was a letter to her health insurance provider. The scathing and accurate take she gives on how difficult it is to even seek help for chronic conditions and then be met with hoop after hoop to jump through from people who think they know your conditions better than you or your provider does. It is incredibly depressing (and accurate- a major call for healthcare reform!). Lawson balances the more serious stories in this memoir with lighthearted ones, especially stories with the different animals that her family encounters and her relationship with her husband. A essay that had my rolling with laughter was a collection of Twitter responses to embarrassing things people have done. I have not laughed that loud in a long time. Lawson's book offered the perfect balance of what I needed right now. And I will continue to devour anything she writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for the advanced reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson is an entertaining book that is a mix of serious and hilarious.

I loved Broken (in the best possible way). This book is real and unfiltered. Broken is similar to her other books where she says what she thinks. It is very honest and comes out like a stream of conscience. Lawson does a great job bringing the reader inside her head and explaining what she is thinking. Sometimes this results in long tangents. I found Broken to be refreshingly honest. Lawson talks very openly about her depression and anxiety. She even describes how difficult book signings are for her but how worthwhile she finds meeting her fans. Broken is a mix of funny and serious. Lawson will make you laugh with a hilarious story and then talk openly about her loneliness and depression. I think the world needs more people with Lawson’s honesty.

I listened to the audiobook and read part of the book and enjoyed both versions. I prefer listening to Jenny Lawson’s audiobooks. She narrates her own books, so the audiobook really allows the narrator to understand her feelings. I definitely recommend trying the audiobook.

I recommend Broken (in the best possible way) to fans of Jenny Lawson and anyone that thinks the idea of a mix of funny stories and serious discussions of depression would be interesting.

Thank you Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for Broken (in the best possible way).

I’ve read every Jenny Lawson book and this one doesn’t disappoint! With her audacious sense of humor, she takes readers through medical procedures, battles with her insurance companies, and everyday struggles with depression.
I laughed and was heartbroken in equal measure.
Both broken and non broken people need to read this book!

I would say “sparklingly enigmatic” or something else that you could put on a book cover. But the long and short of it is this: this book will make you think, it’ll make you cry, and it’ll also make you cry laughing. Jenny Lawson tackles issues like depression, insurance, and successful relationships with hilarity, gravitas, and insight. Balancing out these topics are stories about losing shoes in the toilet, yard gerbils, and others you’d really just be better off reading yourself as I won’t be able to do them justice.
Jenny Lawson is a must read author, and if you haven’t read anything by her this is a sparkling place to start.

I received a copy of Broken from Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co.

I love Jenny's Lawson writing and thisonesurprised me. It's a lot more introspective Thani was expecting and a lot of people will probably see it as very self-absorbed BUT I love this book for it's unwavering honesty. It's very funny and sad because that's depression!

This is a story about using hilarity to manage pain... and fighting with awful insurance companies to do minor things like stay alive.

I cannot say enough good things about this book... but I’m a long time Jenny Lawson fan girl so I’m not surprised. I laughed so incredibly hard that I fell off my chair at one point, and burned myself at another (straightening my hair while reading was such a bad plan). This story speaks to resilience, humor as a survival skill and the ways that our experiences shape us into the broken, beautiful creatures we are.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you so much to Libro.fm & Macmillan audio for this ALC & to NetGalley & Henry & Holt for the ebook! Most of all thank you Jenny Lawson for writing books that inspire me and make me laugh until everything hurts.

I read two books this week by real people who are dealing with insurmountable issues because of chronic illnesses. Their approaches to life are remarkably different, which shows how people can look at two sides to the same coin in vastly different ways. Jenny Lawson as uses dark, self-deprecating humor to entertain her readers, with quips attributed to her husband, family, and friends.

Broken has extreme highs and lows, with some fall-out-of-the-chair humor and some so-so moments. This book is more "woe is me" than the previous ones, which does show the human side to the author, but is a little too over the top. As she tells readers to feel bad for all that she has experienced, Jenny also loses the charm that propel her books forward. In the search for validation for her depression, the author misses the fact that many people are suffering along with her. Broken was my least favorite of the Jenny Lawson books, but I appreciate the laughs that the author gave me for a time.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Broken (in the best possible way) by NetGalley and the publisher, Henry Holt and Co. The choice to review this book was my own.

Broken did not disappoint! Jenny’s writing is relatable and humorous and makes you want to hang out with her and and adult beverage to hear more of her stories and encouragement.

Jenny Lawson again writes a hilarious memoir that is honest in its approach to living with medical ailments and mental illness. I appreciate her ability to laugh while going through profound highs and lows.