Imagine taking a small group of your oldest, closest friends on a trip to cheer one of them up/on--all that crazy laughter at inside jokes, egging each other into committing questionable behavior, and so on. That's this book. It was a DNF for me but I'll be going back to it soon. We all need these kinds of friendships and those of us lucky enough to have them, treasure them--and will recognize some parts of themselves in this novel.

Hilarious and so well written. I love Helen Ellis and I think she’s one of the best writers working today. A fresh pick for book clubs and literary readers alike.

I fell in love with Helen Ellis's writing when "Southern Lady Code" came out, and "Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light" was every bit as hilarious and relatable!

Although I'm not even near menopause age yet, so many things Helen talked about were totally relatable, and I found myself cackling over and over at her intimate and spot-on descriptions of life. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I will read anything Helen Ellis writes! Laugh out loud funny and oh so relatable. We all need a friend like Helen in our lives, except she'll write about you.

I love Helen Ellis and her style of in your face but with a Southerner's grace of humor. Her essays speak to all ages of women whether you are in that age range, will someday be in that age range or remember how crazy that age was , the end result is always the same- giggle snort laughter. From gaging their dinner guest's sex life, to girl trips, to garage sales these essays speak to women who are not afraid to stare fifty in the face. Every time I read her I want to shout out "Right On Sister"! She is a national treasure, a character and a spokesperson for telling it like you wish you could. Fans of Erma Bombeck, Nora Ephron and Mrs. Mazel rejoice! My thanks to the advance copy.

As a fan of Helen Ellis and her previous work Southern Lady Code and American Housewife, I had high hopes and I was not disappointed! Well, maybe just a bit disappointed because the fun was over way too soon! Her uncensored thoughts and experiences of modern-day mid-life for the middle to upper-class woman are both relatable and laugh-inducing. Her wit and talent of story-telling have put her up there with David Sedaris as far as a must-read I will absolutely enjoy and tell my friends about. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I do wish it was longer. A few more essays to sink into would have made it perfection.

I love a book that finds humor in everyday life experiences and this one certainly does that. Helen can be irreverent at times, but that's what's to love about her and this book. As is true with most essay collections, I enjoyed some more than others, but there's an essay for every reader in this collection. Even the acknowledgements read like another essay. This is a fun, often poignant, quick read about Helen's life that readers can relate to.

Right from the very beginning, this book made me chuckle out loud. The author has a great humor all of her own about life, and I could really appreciate that. She had a very strong beginning with the story about her lifelong girlfriends and about their life struggles, particularly one of her friend's struggle with cancer. In fact, this story as well as the story about her father and his love of haggling stand out to me from all of the rest of the essays about life. I also really enjoyed the fact that this was a short and easy read, one that many people in the middle age range can appreciate because we've all been there or are about to be at that point in our lives. The author stayed real but could inject humor into that realness, and I think people will appreciate that about the book as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advance copy!

I was disappointed in this collection. Not as amusing or funny as her last collection. Was also very short, which was a blessing in this case.

This is my first book by Helen Ellis, but isn't going to be my last. What a fabulous read and so funny - something I really needed at this point in my life. I would highly recommend this one.

I want to hang out with Helen and her grown-ass lady gang! Helen Ellis brings it once again with tales of menopause and much more. She's the friend who says "if you don't have anything nice to say, come sit next to me!" Funny and insightful. A must read for fans of her earlier work. My only complaint was that it ended much too soon.

This seems like a cash-grab, place-by-the-register "gift book for your friend's birthday." I LOVED Southern Lady Code and was super excited for this collection. My first thought was, wow, it's really short. My second thought was, wow, thank goodness it's really short because it's not funny. My third thought was, why is this book so long because it just dragged and dragged and dragged. Would not recommend as a birthday gift, either, unless you want to read complaints about getting old and how horrible everyone looks over 43(!). Such a disappointment.

Helen Ellis never fails to make me laugh, and Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light does not disappoint. It has been a few weeks since I read her latest collection of essays and I find myself already wanting to read it again. She nails the female experience perfectly, bring a level of honesty that only makes the shared experiences all the more funny.

This laugh out loud collection of essays follows Helen and her her friends. A group of bad ass women she’s been friends with forever.
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I feel like I just came off a grown ass ladies trip with my dance moms at our daughters’ dance competition. Such a much needed weekend but more importantly being with friends that don’t judge. That’s the running theme in her book.
Friends don’t judge each other’s baggage.
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So many fun stories including her love for poker with this helpful advice, “If you can’t figure out who the worst player is in the first thirty minutes, it’s you.”
Each essay is comical but there is emotion, a cancer diagnosis, loss of a parent, plastic surgery and menopause when she questions, “Are you there Menopause? It’s me Helen”. Also, please read the short story on how she describes what a character is. She nails it and it’s hilarious.
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This was a delightful, fun and relatable read coming off the weekend laughing my ass off with my best friends. This book is about believing in the magic of life long friends and I can assure I subscribe one hundred percent to that philosophy.
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This would be the perfect gift for a friend and you to read together! It’s released on July 13th.
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Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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These were some funny essays that I enjoyed. It took me some time to read through them, I didn't devour them as some people did but I did like them and they had me laughing.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Kept me giggling from the first page to the last. Ellis has such a unique and carefully crafted voice. The book was a joy to read!

Funny essays, some better than others. I can't say I particularly devoured the book, but many people will really love this fun and entertaining read.

Full of the razor sharp wit Helen Ellis is known for, BAGGAGE was a gem of a read, each essay a different sparkling facet and set in gold. Always relatable, always charming, I devoured this collection!

This collection of candid and humorous essays were just what I needed right now. More thorough review to come. This is going on my "best of 2021" shelf.

I adore Helen Ellis and this title is no exception. I had more than one laugh-out-loud moment and cannot wait to share it with my patrons who are also fans. She has a wonderful way of saying what we all know and/or are thinking. As always, it was a delight!