Member Reviews

I really liked this book. The book explores the love story from the beginning when they meet in college and what happens after. The book is written in small micro stories and poems. I really liked the unique format. It was very well written and emotional. The book can be read in one sitting. Enjoy

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a poetic, push and pull story of a young girl in search of her true love. I was actually captivated by how the story was told and found her "almost loves" heartbreaking. I am a low-key romantic at heart and unrequited love just get me every time. The MC can be frustrating at times and the storylines get a tad confusing but you just have to go with the flow of the prose, if that makes sense.

I would recommend this book to fans of poetry and not typical storytelling structures.

Was this review helpful?

Dating as a millennial can be a nightmare and a road very, very hard to navigate. Jenny Langbaum captures a myriad emotions in a way which was as scattered as dating today is. I approached this book as a short, lyrical read which would help me feel a sense of belongingness after going through a break-up. Although, some stories hit home hard, I couldn't connect well to most of them. Yes, I could find bits and pieces of myself and the relationships I know about in the stories but overall, I felt kinda detached to the book. I just feel that though the author's writing style was beautiful, it didn't have a universal appeal. Which is not bad! Except I feel bad that I couldn't quite get what the author was trying to convey in many of the stories despite knowing that the thoughts they had were deep, intimate and beautiful.

Was this review helpful?

Me in search of you is a pleasurable read in form of short poet tic essays. You can see the thought and the pain of the woman which gives it so much depth.

I thought it was a really good read that made one think about self discovery through experience.

Definitely would recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Beautiful collection of microfiction stories.

Reminded this reviewer of what it was like to be in love and deal with all the confusion, uncertainty, and heartbreak. Very relatable collection.

All of us have experienced something or the other that is mentioned here. I guarantee you will find quite a few tales very relatable.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc.

Was this review helpful?

Short, short stories about dating, breakups, tinder dates, hinge dates and whatnot. These are the kind of little notes we write to ourselves and store it in between the pages of a book we bought on a date, in the notes section of our phone. A light breezy collection of micro fiction. I loved going through this.

Thank you to the publisher, the author Jenna Langbaum and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
Very relatable and laughable. This book will have you laughing and grimacing at the time time. Most were relatable or understandable at a certain point in your life.

Was this review helpful?

This felt like so much what I would have loved back when i was an angsty teenager... Young love with all its nuances are explored in this collection and while it was passably good, i think that I could not relate much with it in my 20s... it was good, but a younger me would have loved it more.

but the writing is quite good and brought back certain memoris! hahah it was fun!

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely LOVED this. Such an interesting format, almost like poetry, but easier to read. I related to all of it as a single 38-year-old woman seeking love and finding nothing but misadventure. I flew through it, crying a lot of the time. Absolutely beautiful!

Was this review helpful?

At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the format of the book. It was as if reading poems, but rather like short, a few sentence long stories on each page. Eventually, I felt like I was in sync with the book, flying through the pages. It was so genuine, real stories from life and dating, and relationship.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In this collection of micro fiction stories, the author talks about dating seeking connection and all of the ups and downs that go along with that. Part 1 focuses on a long distance relationship, while Part 2 talks about random and seemingly disconnected dates - blips, successes, and disasters.

Though I liked this book overall, I did struggle a bit with Part 2. It felt chaotic in that I didn't understand what was and wasn't connected, which I found frustrating. One line that did resonate with me was "the hardest person to avoid is yourself." That is extremely relatable, and I'm sure we've all felt that way before.

Was this review helpful?

I love the format of the book. Each story is a page or so long, almost never longer than that, about a dating scenario. As a millennial, it is easy to empathize with the unnamed narrator with all of her dating struggles or small triumphs.

The book is easily digestible, fascinating, and entertaining. It reminds me a lot of Modern Love, the NYT's section of short romance stories, or The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan.

At times, you may be confused on whether the stories are about one person, the same person appearing in several stories, or multiple people throughout, but I think that is part of the book's charm and what makes it interesting.

I would definitely read anything else by this author in the future!

Was this review helpful?

This book is a short and sweet book of very short essays, with a sort-of narrative of the end of a first relationship and the following trials and tribulations of dating in NYC. At first I struggled a bit with the style of the book. Each essay is less than a page, and it’s almost like reading a poetry book with a continuous narrative, which I found a bit jarring at first as I wasn’t expecting it. However, once I settled into this layout I ended up reading it in one sitting.

I occasionally found it a bit hard to follow, since the book is written in the first person and most of the time the narrator is speaking directly to us as the men she is speaking about (e.g. “you said it so sincerely, your brown eyes broke out in a panic”). This was fine in the first part, where only one relationship is being referred to, but there were points in the second part where it was increasingly hard to follow which man she was speaking about. I assume this was done on purpose, to emphasise the transient nature of modern dating, but I just found it to be frustrating.

I did enjoy the writing, and thought some of Langbaum’s descriptions of emotions were beautiful.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Me in Search of You by Jenna Langbaum is a series of poems displaying the process of getting over young love and the struggles of being alone and discovering new people through dating. I laughed at some and had tears in my eyes at others. I feel like this book is relatable to most people in the dating world and struggling to find someone that you can connect with.

I have not read many poetry collections but this one flowed so nicely and felt so relatable. I loved how the titles, essays and small comments at the end of each section told the story of this person’s life and you could just feel their struggle in finding what they truly want as you see people surrounding you with the life you have always dreamed of. This collection also narrows in on the idea of getting your hopes up when you meet someone and then eventually you become numb to the first dates, getting to know each other phase and first questions that it can affect your outlook on everything.

I am looking forward to more from this author and I am so glad I got to experience this book!

Was this review helpful?

I did not expect the format of this book, but I really enjoyed it. Each story is wholly relatable and captures the ups and downs of being in love.

A quick and sweet read I think many will enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

Was this review helpful?

This is a beautifully written work that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a quick read that was intense and a pleasure to read. I would recommend it to those who like poetry.

Was this review helpful?

Me in Search of You is a book of poem-like essays. You can feel the heartache of the woman speaking of the loves of her life. The best part is that it is relatable to anyone who has experienced the ups and downs of love.

I knew this poor girl was in danger of falling for her first love because she commented on how she loved his Crocs and I thought oh child...run. Her love isn't dramatic, it discusses nights in with chicken wings and cuddling.

She goes through loves who try to change her, be the outdoorsy girl when she isn't, loves that make her feel inferior, revisiting old loves.

Overall, it was cute but I do believe anyone could write this tale if they so choose. It is easy to read and can be finished in a sitting! Perhaps avoid if you're in the midst of a breakup....unless you're a masochist.

I'd recommend if you liked The Light We Lost, any Rupi Kaur book.

I curated a playlist for this book, full of Bon Iver and Taylor Swift which you can access on my Bookstagram highlights @NuclearFiction

Was this review helpful?

Ah, young love. It's glitter, it's bitter. It's overwhelming. It's consuming. It's adventurous. It's torturous. And all these are well captured in this collection.

Love the descriptions. I like the writing.

It's heartfelt and brings back a lot of memories. Because we all have similar stories.

Thank you, author and the Publisher for the advance reading copy.

Was this review helpful?