Midlife bites, indeed.

Real talk. The fact that the author had a blog titled “People I Want To Punch In The Throat” is why I am reading this book. And that says all you need to know about me, really. 🤷🏼‍♀️😁

Ladies. I damn near spit out my drink on multiple occasions reading this. Is there a way to give more than five stars? Because if so, I give this one that many. Hear hear to Jen Mann and her unapologetic and refreshingly raw and real take on what it is to age as a woman. This should be required reading for those of us in “middle age.”

Women, when they stick together, are a powerful force indeed. I leave you with some gems from the book…
“JEN’S GEMS-Fuck everyone’s opinion. Age whatever way you want.” 👏🏻👏🏻
“My brain just about exploded. What the fuck? A frozen dildo for hot flashes? I couldn’t decide if it was brilliant or blasphemy.” 🥵
“I don’t know about you, but for me, midlife came out of nowhere and kicked me square in my lady garden.” 💀

And there you have it! Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A brutally honest - and often hilarious - collection of essays about the physical and emotional sh*tshow that is becoming a middle aged lady. This was super enjoyable to read and SO relatable on many levels.

An honest and humorous book of essays dealing with the complications and reality of midlife for women. I enjoyed this book but did find that at times it could get a little repetitive.

I guess this s cute though I sort of couldnt relate to some pf the musings. I dont necessarily have the same issues as this woman and it became a lot of whiny musings which she admits. Not for me.

I'm glad I was able to snag this one as an audiobook on pub day; the audio really enhances this book as Jen narrates. Even though I'm 30, I found this book to be very relatable. A great, mostly light-hearted read amidst many books with heavier topics that I've read thus far this year.

Thank you for this advance copy for a fair review. I found this book to be a hilarious commentary about a lot of things women are thinking as they enter midlife (is this all there is in life?) and maybe afraid to talk about because they think they are the only one. But Jen Mann is here to show you that you are not alone. She gives many examples on how to reach out and make more connections if that is something you’re looking for. As someone who would love to live the “author life” (basically be an introverted hermit), I found a lot of her stories relatable one of my favorite lines: “I’ve never understood people who want to hang together after work, I barely want to work with you.” Is she living inside my head?!
Check out Midlife Bites. It will make you laugh, make you feel less alone, and give you the inspiration to step out of your norm.

I don’t know who all follows #jenmann but if you aren’t. You need too. She makes me giggle. She’s relatable. She has a few books. #peopleidliketopunch which uh if you’re that person you’re my person 😂🙈 her new book #midlifebites which thanks #netgalley is superbly written for us woman. Why don’t we have the books or the talks about our lives and what we are going through? It’s “normal” for men to have a mode life crisis but why aren’t we mentioning ours? Jen is here to normalize this shizz and she’s gonna put it on blast. You will laugh and cry because it is all of us. We have been there. Will be there. Treat yo self and get this. I promise you’ll love it. #ballantine #randomhousepublishing #netgalleyreview #bookstagram #midlife #humor #readwithme #readersofinstagram

in the book, MIDLIFE BITES, we see Jen Mann exploring themes that are oftentimes considered taboo for women: from being lonely and depressed to not having a sense of direction while dealing with lack of sex with a spouse in a relationship that has fallen into comfort over the years.

This book was candid, funny, and insightful and I think it opens the conversation up for (this book is catered to women) to talk about those issues. As a man, I know it's more common to address things as we age but there's always been a stigma towards women that frankly-I've never understood either.
This book celebrates the fact that women can control their own narrative and not abide by what society or anyone else thinks for that matter.
light, fun, and refreshing read. If you anything by Glendon Doyle then you'll definitely enjoy this book.

I recently discovered Jen Mann and immediately fell in love with the style of books that she writes. I was thrilled to read this brand new book about day to day life after 40 from her perspective. Each chapter was a different topic based on her observations, feelings and experiences peppered in with humor and some choice words. In today's crazy times that we are all going through its great to be able to relax and enjoy something as true as it is. I can't wait to read her next adventure, as now I'm hooked on this hysterical author.

"𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯."

Jen Mann could be my sister from another mister. (Sidenote: I know we're not supposed to use the term "spirit animal" because of cultural appropriation and all but if anyone has a better substitute than the one I just used, please share because that? Was lame.) We're both 47 (or she was when she wrote the book), are better at making friends online than in real life, and snark like our lives depend on it, and from page one of 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦, she made me feel seen.

This book might not be for everyone (if you don't get the movie reference in the title, you're probably too young to need it) but it's everything I never knew I needed to read. Mann is the brilliance behind the "People I Want to Punch in the Throat" blog and books, and her humorous way of addressing the issues women deal with as they age is the spoonful of sugar to make the awkward and uncomfortable medicine go down.

I'm so relieved I'm not the only one who has a set of tweezers in her car because that's where I always notice a new wiry chin hair or who questions what her marriage will be like when her kids leave the nest. Mann tackles the emotional load women shoulder, the challenges making friends in our 40s and the often mortifying physical changes we endure honestly and with heart. (I can confirm that the only thing worse than finding a gray hair on your head is finding one below your neck...)

I laughed out loud reading this book but it also made me think and reassess my approach to life and aging in a positive way. This Gen Xer, who survived watching The Challenger explode, bad home perms and the inexplicable popularity of Pauly Shore, can surely survive midlife too, especially with women like Mann sharing their experiences in such a funny, frank and fabulous way.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for a copy to review.

So. Admittedly, I am not the core demographic audience for this book, but I was interested in reading it because I think it promised to touch on a lot of relevant and little-talked-about truths for women. And it did.

But while it did provide a lot of rage-filled “YEP!” moments regarding the many disadvantages and frustrations women face, it also didn’t contain anything I hadn’t heard or read before, inducing many “DUH?” moments. At its best, this book was surface-level and irreverent, and at its worst, insensitive and lacking.

I felt like the author was trying waaaay too hard to be funny, and while there were some funny bits, it got to be too much. And I wanted much more profundity. Find your purpose, the author said. Find friends, she said. Step outside your comfort zone, she said. Okay, great in theory, but HOW? If you’re going to give us things we’ve already heard before, give us a new way to look at it. Provide more thought-provoking insights and under-the-surface steps. I wanted much, much more richness and depth.

Not my favorite read, but I hope it will find its audience.

A big thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the early copy in exchange for honest, unbiased review.

Confession: I don’t really read non-fiction. But I’ve heard Jen talk on a podcast and I follow her on FB and I like her wry humor and healthy doses of sarcasm, so I figured I would try this book. This book made me laugh out loud, while also making me feel seen and less alone on this journey as a woman over 40. Jen’s “nothing is off-limits” book examines many facets of navigating this uncomfortable phase of womanhood. Her insights are witty and relatable and sprinkled with thoughtful suggestions for anyone struggling with this middle of life season, and let’s face it-we all struggle at some point!

This book was funny and I’m glad the author is filling a gap in the needed information regarding female midlife crisis, but I didn’t find the hints particularly mind blowing or life changing.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

When someone asks you "How are you doing?" Do you answer "Fine?" when you really want to answer "I am losing my ever-loving mind!!!" Then this is the book for you. Jen let's you know that you are not alone and all of these pent up feelings women are "not allowed to release" are valid and you need to release them.

I am so happy to have found her group on FB and know that if I have a question about almost literally anything - I can find the answer there.

Can I give this book 6 stars????

Mann talks about her process of discovering herself and her passions for connecting with middle aged women as she looked around and found herself a middle aged woman struggling with her own identity. I love her honesty, and her insistence that women find places to be open and vulnerable and in so doing to become stronger together. She is funny, and caps each chapter with a short paragraph suggesting ways women can practice vulnerability to make themselves stronger.

A lot of this book is about Mann herself and her struggles. She presents an open and honest picture of her thoughts during different conversations, her judgments towards others, and her relief when someone gave her positive feedback she was not expecting and she realized that she could, in fact, be stable. I love the process of her allowing herself to be who she is and encouraging other women to do that as well.

4.5 stars. Jen Mann is a force of nature. She is genuine, hilarious and writes a compelling book that helps other middle aged women realize that they aren't alone in feeling the unique stresses of midlife. She offers sound advice too. I could not put this book down.

Here are just a couple of quotes to illustrate my point:
"No matter how ideal someone's life might look like from the outside, I promise you, no one really has their shit together. We are all muddling through this appalling clusterfuck called midlife as best we can."
"I realized that the happiest people I knew had purpose in their life. Without a purpose we tend to drift through life rather than living it.
"I'd like to go ahead and offer my apologies to the makers of Fla-Vor-Ice Freezer Pops for the unspeakable things we contemplated doing with your fine product. In our defense, 2019 was a very hot summer..."

I really enjoy her blog too which I only learned about in the book. It's a supportive group that she created on facebook; the posts both brings a smile to my face and makes me realize I can post about anything on this site if I so choose to.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in their 40s-50s whether struggling with the sandwich issues of raising kids and taking care of parents, or dealing with other midlife issues. Mann is straightforward, humorous, and doesn't hold back which may be just what you need to get through the hard times. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for a review. #MidlifeBites #JenMann #NetGalley

Midlife Bites: Anyone Else Falling Apart or Is It Just Me? by Jen Mann

#ninetyfifthbookof2021 #arc

CW: discussion of divorce, financial abuse, sex, and health and body changes.

This is a collection of personal essays from Jen Mann, who was responsible for a viral post several years ago about the Elf on a Shelf. I have no memory of seeing it but I don’t have kids, so it wouldn’t have been on my radar. This helped Mann get her start and now she’s written several books. This latest is about her self diagnosed midlife crisis and includes essays titled “Who Are You Calling Crazy?” and “You Will Pee Your Pants.” While I am the target audience for this book (I’m the right age with a predisposition for foul language), I wasn’t super impressed by it either. I didn’t take much away from it, I’ve read funnier collections, and it isn’t something I’ll remember in a day or so. I mean, it’s fine. In my opinion, her best essay is the last one called “I’m Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea” and her attitude about not caring what others think of her is one thing I wish I could emulate. But the rest of the book was just meh for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse #BallantineBooks for the advance copy. (Pub date 1/4/22)
#humor #selfhelp

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think I may be too old for this book. I lost interest in the stories, and couldn't finish..Sorry!

It's a little hard to not draw similarities between this book and Jenny Lawson's other books, but I'll try be fair to Jen Mann, since this is the first I've read from her (no, I wasn't even aware of her blog).

I liked it! Of course, it spoke to me, even though she's more than 10 years younger than I am. Every thing (almost) she describes almost every woman has or will experience, or has a close girlfriend who did/will. In that sense, the book accomplishes her goal of making us not feel alone, in spades.

Of course, our own experiences are all different - her Hubs is different than mine, her kids aren't the same, etc., and yet... she manages to stress the universal aspects of all the weirdness of passing through middle age.

It's a fast read, and made me feel just a little more "whole" after it was over. She's not like me (I almost never don't wear pants), but I think we could be friends. She gets it: either your priorities lean in the same direction as hers, or they absolutely don't. She knows who she is talking to.

Men would likely be bored or lost or not get the point here, which isn't to say they shouldn't give this book a try, but know that it's not making excuses and she's not whining: this really is what it feels like to be us at this point in our lives, and it's a mess.

If you are anywhere near middle-aged, you are going to want to read Midlife Bites by Jen Mann. It’s humorous and relatable and you’ll want to hang out with Jen after you are done reading. No matter what, you aren’t alone in the midlife grind!

Synopsis:

Jen Mann had what appeared to be the perfect life: a successful career as a bestselling author and award-winning blogger, a devoted husband, teenage kids who weren’t total jerks, and a badass minivan. So imagine her surprise when, at forty-seven years old, a midlife crisis kicked her straight in the ladybits.

Midlife Bites offers Jen’s trademark wit and honesty when it comes to important conversations and observations about women in midlife. Here, readers will be able to come together and find anecdotes and practical ideas to help navigate through this major point in their lives. For women who may feel isolated or overlooked, this collection of original essays offers valuable insights, takeaways, and, most important, a productive way forward. Jen shares her own story as well as advice and wisdom from the online community she built, tackling everything that bites about midlife, where nothing is off-limits: raging hormones; sex (after forty); finding your purpose; learning to make new friends (yes, even as a grown-up); moving out of your comfort zone; having conversations that count, no more small talk; and how to deal with rogue chin hairs (and other nuisances).

Jen Mann is leading the movement to create a new space where middle-aged women can share openly and honestly with one another. This no-BS collection of essays will help start the conversation and keep it going, because as women, we all have a right to be happy, fulfilled, and whole, no matter what stage of life.