Sometimes you pick up a book at the exact right moment in your life. I could relate to almost everything in this book. I am in my 40's my child does not need me as much, I have had to deal with some medical issues, that were by no mean fatal, but also caused me constant pain & stress (and dealing with some doctors who did not think there was even an issue). I am looking to be content and a happy in my life as I enter the 2nd half. I appreciate Jen for being honest and making me feel a lot less alone. Women need to be more open with each other instead of pretending like we LOVE handling everything. We don't we are tired. A must read for anyone over 40. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC Copy.

For anyone cruising into mid-life with a handful of panic and several regrets, and several hundred questions. We're all so conditioned to keep our struggles to ourselves — but my god, what would happen if we all just let down the walls we've built, and admitted we're having a hard time? That's the question Mann dares to ask, and yes, you'll feel the resounding answer in your own bones as you read.

I'm pretty sure there is a very big yet specific group of people who are going to hug the crap out of this book once they finish it: Gen Xers who are in the thick of Sandwich Generation (taking care of both growing kids and aging parents) logistics while dealing with the time of their life when they reflect on/worry about who they are and what they've done both personally and professionally while dealing with the many physical changes of perimenopause/menopause while dealing with the exhaustion of just everything every single frigging thing coming to a head all at once life like a big ole Midlife Bomb KABOOM that they need to either catch (ouchouchouch) or clean up after (uuuugh not another messsss).

Jen lost her sh*t online in a blog post about falling apart, and it was exactly the vitamin that thousands of readers--in particular, women ages 40(ish) to 60(ish)--needed. (Including me.) It made us feel SEEN. It made Jen feel HEARD. So she kept going.

This book breaks down how she was feeling and what she did about it. How she got there, and where she wanted to be. It's introspective and funny, moving and connective, filled with engaging stories and quick tips we're going to want to hang on our fridge.

So many Gen Xers have this ingrained mindset to just plow through things, figure it out, go go go and get sh*t done without complaint, so when midlife hits hard from every direction at once in an overwhelming way that not even superhumans can handle? It's disorienting. It can genuinely rock you to the core.

If you, too, are FEELING the Midlife Bomb, this book will make you feel seen, too. But it won't stop there: it'll also give you words to cling to, to hold your hand as you navigate your way because it wants you to understand, above all, that you are not alone in this.

So after reading the blurb about this book and knowing how funny Jen Mann is, I HAD to read this one. I did not, for some reason, download the book before it was archived (I have no idea how that happened) so I bought it to leave a review. Honestly, that was the best money spent. I laughed out loud so many times people must have thought I was crazy. I am 49 and thought I was going insane because of the worrying I was doing about getting older. Jenn certainly made me realize that everything I was experiencing was not only normal, but common among women. This book will help all women young and wiser(older). Her no frills humorous midlife anecdotes need to be on sticky pads. It did not take me long to read this book because it flows perfectly. I love the kickass minivan!



5 out of 5 stars


Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I loved, loved this book. JennMann had me giggling throughout my time with her book. She tackles the absurdity of aging as a woman, but also allows women to feel they are not alone in this journey. I think this should be mandatory reading for all women entering this stage of life!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book basically because I love memoirs/biographies and I love funny stories...add in the fact that I am in midlife and it certainly does bite and you have a hilarious book full of stories you can 100% relate to. Things you thought nobody else was going through because people just don't talk about it. Well, this woman is not afraid to talk about anything...I would recommend this book to any woman basically...if she's not IN midlife, she is on her way or already dealt with this stuff...

Great book loved the book kept me wanting to turn the page. Definitely want to read more books from this author.

This is exactly my kind of humor! I'm not quite at that middle age yet but after reading this I'll at least have an idea on how to handle it and make the most of my time after my kiddo is all grown up.

Thanks #Netgalley for the arc of
Midlife Bites
by Jen Mann
Pub Date: 04 Jan 2022

A healthy dose of humor combined with the reality that we all need as we move into "midlife". I enjoyed Jen's candid chapters on a variety of subjects and maladies that we face as we move into our 40s and beyond. She offered vulnerable and relatable topics with encouraging and empowering advice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of Jen Mann’s Midlife Bites: Anyone Else Falling Apart, of is it Just Me?.

Bestselling humorist Jen Mann tackles the unique challenges that middle-aged women face, including relationship issues, body changes, and personal fulfillment. She considers the differences in which women face middle-age, as compared with men, and if women have their own form of a mid-life crisis.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Mann’s writing. She has a wicked sense of humor and a style of writing that makes me feel like I’m hearing stories over coffee with my best friend. She’s relatable and likable. I would read anything she writes, but I appreciate that she tackled an issue that I am beginning to face: middle-age. I turn forty-five in a few weeks, and although I have not faced some of the challenges that Mann mentions, I didn’t even realize some of the potential issues ( weird body hair???), I read Midlife Bites as a guide for what may come in the future.

In particular, I liked Mann’s thoughts on why middle-aged women should start, and many do, to care less about what other people think. That there is a freedom when you realize that people are too consumed by their own issues to care about yours, and if they do spend time focused on you in a negative way, that has nothing to do with you and is only their loss. Middle-aged women, often “sandwiched” between caring for children and elderly parents, have so much on their plates that letting go of worrying what others think is a huge weight lifted. I appreciated Mann’s candor with regard to parenting and her marriage. There is plenty of humor in Midlife Bites, but overall, this book is far more serious and deep in context than her other works.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the title, a riff on the 90’s film, Reality Bites, and as Mann mentions, purposefully chosen to attract her Gen-X cohorts. Mann also has a Facebook group based on ideas in her book, a place where other middle-aged women can ask questions, share thoughts, and ideas. I love the sisterhood vibe that Mann has created through Midlife Bites.

I think I'm too young to fully appreciate this book. Lol. At 33, a lot of this wasn't relatable just yet. But I appreciated the overall tone anyway. Fun and easy to read.

A pretty good, clear look at women in the 40+ age group.....with ground-level humor, real descriptions, & graphic honesty! This reader is in the 60+ age group, & I found much to relate to, & laughed out loud a couple times....thinking to myself "oh yeah, that's the truth too!" Jen Mann is a friend to women, offering reality based advice & encouragement, to all! It's an interesting read. A more accurate rating is 3.5 stars, but I bumped it to 4 to reward the positive message.
I received this e-book from Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine via NetGalley for review purposes. This is my own independent, fair/honest review.

A great collection of essays about women going through midlife crisis and it starts with the question of if women are allowed to. Women always keep on keeping on, while men buy sports cars or sometimes move onto a younger wife/girlfriend. Jen Mann writes essays to help women get through their own midlife crisis. She writes about how things change in our bodies, whether you had children or not. She writes about how we should try something scary, in her case, stand-up. How making friends as an adult is hard, maybe harder than when we were kids. I don’t have kids, so parts or all of some of these essays don’t pertain to me, but they are still funny and poignant and real. Jen Mann writes what many women are thinking but are afraid to let out. We also have to remember that not everyone’s relationships are the same. May we all get through this together, and let’s try something new and scary this year.

Hysterical!!!! Everyone woman of a certain age needs to read this book. Not only will it make you laugh but it will also make you realize that you are not alone! This midlife stuff is not really talked about, except in this book! It does it with candor and humor and brilliance. Jen Mann wrote another good one!

I was not familiar with Jen Mann prior to reading this book. Which is surprising because she has a smart ass, direct sense of humor that I appreciate. I feel we could be best friends. Excellent book that delves into mid life and menopause and reveals the truths no one else will. Enjoyable, hysterical book for anyone facing this pass of their life.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Ballantine Books for proving me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Not what I expected it to be. A lot of it didn't pertain to my situation and I skimmed through a lot of it.
I'm sorry to the author for not being able to give a higher rating...I just couldn't relate to it and I ended up not finishing it. Now I will review it on Goodreads but so that I don't hurt the authors ratings on a retail site I will not publish my review there.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy
I'm sorry again that I couldn't finish or give it a good rating

Thank you, NetGalley and all, for an arc of this book in return for an honest review.
This book was exactly what I needed right now. Just at the start of "midlife" but was already have the " is it just me?!?" questions. This book assured me it is not just me, in a hilarious and empathetic way. Although the book doesn't give much in way of resolving any issues it's still nice to know one is not alone and to be able to laugh about them.

I had never read any of Jen Mann's other work or her blog, but was attracted to the title and tag-line -- and this book did not disappoint! Mixed in with some really great practical advice "Jen's Gems" are hilarious situations and her inner thoughts that resonated so much with me sometimes I thought she could read my mind! Her trying to incorporate gratitude, yoga and meditation for example, made me say out loud - yes, me too! I feel the same way! And then when I got to the description of her relationship with her husband, tears were streaming down my face I was laughing so much --mainly out of recognition! I have read a lot of earnest, serious books on women in the mid-life, that this book was such a joy to read because it helped me laugh at myself and not take myself too seriously and also know that no it's not just you or me Jen - in a way were are all falling apart but this book has helped me see the humorous side to it all.

I recommend this book!

I was so excited when I logged in to Netgalley and saw I got Midlife Bites.

Having read Jens other books, I think this is my new favorite. I really wish she was my neighbor so we could hang out. She's so relatable and humorous as always.

Nope....cannot even pretend that I even for a moment somewhat like this piece of "literature". This scream, upper mid class white privileged mom who is trying to figure out who she is now that her kids are grown and leaving the nest. What is sex with my husband? I should get a job now that I'm not volunteering for my kids. Why don't I have any friends? Whine whine whine! I just cannot read this absolute nonsense about what you think is such a horrible situation to be in while some people your age have real life struggles! Not white privileged mom problems.
And for the record, I am a white privileged mom.....but this is just nonsense!