You Couldn't Make It Up...! provides us with numerous unpublished letters from Telegraph readers.
There were many funny and weird letters that gave me a laugh, but many missed the mark, be it because I'm not from the UK and don't know many of the referenced people, or because there were also many letters from what seem to be the most bitter of the elderly population.
I definitely think that the book is much better is you're aware of UK politics and know all the involved parties, as most notes involved them in some way.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

A great collection of letters sent to the Daily Telegraph throughout the course of this tumultuous year. Realistic and fun to read!

It's amazing how universal some things are.
Reading the comments and asides of the British while under lockdown from COVID and just living through this year is an episode in understanding that we're not all that different. We worry about ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our countries. We make fun and worry about the ignorance and plain-old stupidity of our government. And have very fixed opinions on everything from the virus to the weather.
I would have rated this higher, but even with the commonalities, it does go rather heavily into British politics (no surprise there) and I only had a glancing knowledge of who less than half the people were. That made about two-thirds of the book mostly a miss for me. I tried to enjoy all of it, but would I be horrible in saying that it got too British?
There are definitely many things to entertain and, maybe if you're more familiar with British political characters, you'd get a kick out of the entire book. I did laugh out loud and I loved seeing how similar most problems are.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aurum Press for the read.

I loved this book, need a paper copy to leave on the coffee table for those moments you just need a laugh. Brits have a great sense of humour. Have and will recommend this.

This was pretty much a miss for me. I expected much more humor, shock, interest.... These were mostly just observations people wrote in that were not really very funny or interesting. This is the first of these books that I've read and perhaps the quality has gone down or it's one of those "you have to live here" things (I'm in the states) but I didn't really see the appeal.

Such an insight into the minds of the British Public on a number of relevant topics. From the hilariously funny to the downright strange you can see why these letters just had to be published.
Another huge success in this series and a quick, funny read for these current times

This is an uncanny insight to the psyche of the everyday British humour. Our dry wit and cynicism showing through often, I found this book to be a laugh-out-loud occasion and shared many an excerpt with my friends who would find it equally humorous.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a bookseller, I have seen books from this series of Unpublished Letters to the Daily Telegraph fly off the shelves every December. I am sure this edition will be no exception.
With 2020 being a year like no other, we are treated to humorous musings on such topics as Politics, the Royals and the trials and tribulations of handwashing and lockdown.
You Couldn't Make It Up...! Will be a dose of much needed witticism to find under this years Christmas Tree.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A laugh out loud commentary about the year 2020. This could not be more spot on.

Generally Amusing.....
Generally amusing collection of unpublished letters to The Daily Telegraph. A real mixed bag of opinions on anything and everything. Lighthearted readings, meanderings and musings.

This was genuinely hilarious. I expected it to be entertaining but there were some pages that made me call my friends because I had to read it out to them over the sound of my own laughter.

An absolute delight and a shining light on a year that seems to lack things to laugh at.

You Couldn't Make It Up...! is a collection of some of the unpublished letters written to The Daily Telegraph in a year of unprecedented upheaval. There's the funny, the irreverent and the intriguing, all of which did not make the cut and appear in the paper, but I'm so glad they have been put together here as it's a fascinating insight into human nature, British humour, first world problems and our stoicism despite adversity. Providing witty and interesting perspectives of the prominent events of 2020, this is a great read and a book you can easily dip in and out of.

I found myself laughing out loud many times. From COVID-19 to the Royal Family, the entertainment industry to politics, these short, snappy opinions and sharp observations are enjoyable and highly entertaining. The letter writers are from all over England and broach both serious and flippant topics throughout the anthology. This is a captivating book of amuse-bouches for the mind and a welcome escape from our current problems. Many thanks to Aurum for an ARC.

Brits have such a great sense of humor. I absolutely loved it and it was everything I needed. I laughed out loud so many times. I need this book in physical copy. I need more of books like this.

The editor of this collection notes that we have been living through unusual times. However no matter how hard things are or perhaps because they are difficult, people keep writing in to their newspapers. In this book, many of the letters received by the Daily Telegraph are published.

Following the introduction, topics include Family trials and tribulations, A year in politics, That’s entertainment, Trials, tries and celebrations, Home thoughts on abroad, Boldly going nowhere, Long to reign over us, Use and abuse of language and Dear Daily Telegraph.

The letters in this book can be read in any order and dipped into whenever the mood strikes. Some are very witty while others reflect current realities with a more subtle humor. All can be enjoyed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this engaging collection. All opinions are my own.

The birth of the neologism 'woke' and how it might actually have a meaning, bloody slow shop lifts, and ill-thought purchases of tinned ratatouille. Yes, it's remarkable how 'first world problems' as a phrase seems to have taken a back seat since the previous edition in this on-going series. I normally love these books, but at no time did I think this was one of the better ones. It may be because too much of it is coronasniffles-related, and treading so specific and unedifying a path. It may be because it's very much all over the place, jumping from one subject to another, losing coherence in topics and timelines. It may be because so many entries seem forced – people of a certain age and mien who should know better rushing to send off a message in the vain hope that a thirty-year-old joke about Groundhog Day will get to print. I may be falsely comparing it to the first of the franchise – which I remember laughing at very regularly, when I read it earlier in the year – but that had much more time to mature and a greater chance at being selective. There was no instance where I really felt like firing off my own letter to the editor about this, but it was much less of a success. Three and a bit stars.

If you want to understand the British psyche and what makes our people tick then simply read the letter pages of The Daily Telegraph.
There have been many volumes of letters on all sorts of subjects that have previously been published - and here is another wonderful anthology of those that were not actually published in the newspaper.

Every subject you can think of is covered - serious and frivolous, and what shines through is the wit, intellect and sense of humour of most of the writers.

This is a wonderful book to dip into if you want to take your mind off the problems of the world today.

Great entertainment and highly recommended.

I would (and have) wholeheartedly recommend this book! Whilst not written to be humorous as it is just a selection of people's letters into the telegraph, the observations people have made had me chuckling to myself throughout the duration of the book. It covers subjects from Covid to politicians to entertainment and so on and the writers are from a variety of ages and localities. There are some genuinely funny lines in here which I hope I'll one day find myself in a situation to use. Although it's written so you can pick it up and put it down, I read it all in one sitting, chuckling to myself at one end of the sofa whilst my husband was asking what I was laughing at. I will be looking out for more in the series