I thought this was a very relatable book of essays that flowed together seamlessly. The writing is fantastic and the author lets her sense of humor shine through even in the face of difficulty. I really enjoyed this book, particularly as someone who worries too much myself. I think many readers will find something to relate to here as wellI did end up reading this over a period of time after I lost my beloved black Lab, Benny, and it brought me a sense of peace and comfort.

Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott is a memoir in essays. This memoir examines childhood illness, impending empty nest, aging parents and the Coronavirus pandemic. I enjoyed some of the essays. I didn’t enjoy some of the essays. There is gloom and despair throughout that I thought, at times, overwhelmed any hopefulness that Ms. Philpott tried to convey.

Also, for me, this book was a little long. But I will be transparent and say that books in essay format is not my favorite genre. If you like a story told in a series of essays, you may really like this book.

I will also say that as a newish empty nester, the emotions around children leaving home are still raw and so that probably also kept me from enjoying this story fully.

Thank you to #netgalley and #atriabooks for the advanced e-copy of #bombshelter .

Just adored this book. I loved I Miss You When I Blink, so this was a must read and it did not disappoint. It was, if possible, even better than anticipated. Mary Laura manages to convey both vulnerability, humanity, and humor in a way that feels effortless, but must have been quite a feat to write. She tells very specific stories from her life, and yet every time I read them I feel I can relate to the heart of what she shares. This book follows the impact of a health scare for one of her children and the ripple effect of reflection this creates. Being inside of her brain is both raw and yet covered with sparkle. I can't wait until she writes another book, although I do hope it doesn't require the sort of scare that kicked this one off. She's an excellent writer and I know any story she shares will be worth the read. Sign me up in advance!

I was first introduced to author #MaryLauraPhilpott when I devoured her 2019 release #IMissYouWhenIBlink. ⁣
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I found Philpott's writing witty and approachable and she had so many accurate descriptions of life as a middle-aged white woman who is balancing career, family and the forever pull of wondering if what we have done with our time has been worthwhile. ⁣
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There is a great balance of humor and I appreciated that she was able to acknowledge her privilege while also talking about some of her own struggles in life. I found reading this book to be a similar experience to an catching up with an old friend. ⁣
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And when I heard she had another book coming out this spring, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy!⁣
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Like with any collection of short stories or essays, I connected with some chapters more than others but overall I just find Philpott so relatable while simultaneously tackling harder topics with just the amount of wit and humor. ⁣

I especially love her perspective on parenthood, and so appreciate how she shares both her strengths and weaknesses.

Thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy to read and review.

I enjoyed this memoir of Mary Laura's life introspection as she copes with an emergency involving her son and then her daughter leaving the house for college. This was a bit too much teenager introspection and had the tone of her kids being so wonderful which is not a lot of parents experience raising teens. I would've preferred to hear more about herself as a middle age woman and less about her kids. Overall, just an average read for me

Mary Laura Philpott has a fabulous way with words. She writes about life and parenting and fears and all the daily nuances that we like to share with our best friends. But she writes like a master. She observes like a professional.
Bomb Shelter is a series of essays about aspects of her life, some of which we can relate to wholeheartedly. I did find a few of them to be less appealing and I occasionally struggled to keep my focus.
Overall though, this is a fine book and one that I will recommend to friends and book groups.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC of Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott.

Not my typical read but was willing to give it a try.

I just don’t love the format of essays but the stories themselves were interesting.

My rating reflects that I don’t typically enjoy this genre but tried and just couldn’t find that groove I do when reading other genres.

However some stories were written beautifully.

Essays on life stories, motherhood, and anxiety. Philpott has a delightful writing style and perspective on life. She is very relatable and honest. The essays help us realize that as we meander through life we are not alone - we are human - mistakes are made - we learn - we surround ourselves with love and "shelter each other in love. It's the only bomb shelter we have." An inspiring and enjoyable read!

This book and description was somewhat deceptive with it's content. While it billed itself as a memoir discussing health issues of her son that this woman went through, it actually had very little of this included. While there were some aspects of this, overall, it became more of a whiney tirade of vignettes, discussing her own anxiety and (in my opinion) completely unrelated content. It just wasn't what I thought it would be, and honestly, I have enough anxiety in my life... I don't need to read about someone else's too. I also thought she was trying much to hard to be funny when she really wasn't naturally funny.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book covered anxiety and parenthood in a down to earth, relatable way. I really loved it. With everything from turtles to Covid it's sure to be a hit with moms everywhere. 4 stars!

At this point, Mary Laura can do no wrong for me. I love her essays, and I loved this more memoir style collection. Over and over again, I'd find myself laughing out loud and then crying actual tears within a single essay. I read this slowly but steadily (one essay per day) with a buddy and loved it in that format.

MLP is an absolute master storyteller. I loved her first book, and was a little worried this one wouldn’t live up - but she truly did it again. Her stories make me feel seen - as a woman, as a mother, as a human being. For sure I’ll read whatever she writes next!

BOMB SHELTER
By Mary Laura Philpott

What good does worrying do? Mary Laura Philpott in this collection of essays answers just that. I am also a mother of teens and her stories resonated to me - my central core, my children, my family. The writing was insightful and found myself nodding, laughing, agreeing, and relating to her stories that illuminated the challenges of being a mother - with children to protect.

This collection is inspiring and I felt seen - this is the perfect read for all the mothers out there.

I loved it!

This was not an unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat, “can’t go to sleep till finished” type of book, but it was enjoyable and it was worth definitely worth the read. All in all, a solid read if not life altering. But do we always need those? Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity !

I loved Mary Laura Phipott's previous collection of essays so I was very excited about this one. Unfortunately I didnt love it as much because I think its more for parents. A lot of the essays are very much about parenting, if you are a parent you may enjoyed this one more.

3.5 stars

I read this for book club and overall, I enjoyed this well-written and witty memoir-in-essays. Mary Laura Philpott begins the book with the incident that changes her life (and that of her family) forever: the medical emergency that wakens her in the middle of the night, where she finds her teenage son unconscious on the bathroom floor. In the aftermath, Philpott wonders whether she she should’ve seen warning signs of her son’s condition, but more broadly, she ponders the limitations of the human ability to protect and keep those we love safe. A self-admitted lifelong worrier, yet also possessing a sunny disposition that helps her balance her anxious thoughts by focusing on the bright side of things, Philpott looks back at various aspects of her life and explores essential questions related to love, family, relationships, anxiety, death, fear, etc. — basically all the realities of human existence.

While reading this, I definitely appreciated the many insights that Philpott conveyed as well as the way she approached so many tough issues with a sense of humor. In exploring various situations that occurred in her life, Philpott is candid and doesn’t shy away from showing her vulnerability and insecurities in her roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend, or just as an ordinary person trying to live her life as best she can, in a challenging world. There were a few essays that I related to more than others, and some I ended up skimming because I found it difficult to maintain my focus (most likely because that particular essay’s subject matter didn’t appeal to me). I especially loved the essays about the turtles and also the peculiar behavior of the family dog, which I found hilarious. The meditation chapter made me chuckle and, not surprisingly, it quickly became one of my favorite essays in the book.

Even though not all of the essays spoke to me, I still recommend reading this one, as I really enjoy Philpott’s style of writing and the way she is able to infuse humor when relaying difficult topics, but in a way that is respectful and doesn’t make light of the seriousness of some situations. I would definitely be interested in reading more of Philpott’s works at some point.

Received ARC from Atria via NetGalley.

Mary Laura Philpott does it again! She is a master of the memoir, and Bomb Shelter cements her place among the best. Bomb Shelter explores the frailty and beauty of life. I look forward to more books from this author, and would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Sorry, I was late reading this, but this is another home run for Philpott. I am not a huge fan of essays, but I will read anything she writes, she is just totally real. From topics of health of her kids and husband, to Covid, to the mundane, she is totally relatable. I don't have any kids, but it does not matter. She does not hide anything, it is just perfection.

Bomb Shelter I'm trying so hard to describe my feelings about the book because I'm still hanging on the last pages, but ill try as you all know when you like a book is hard to translate the feelings you experience while it Mary Laura Philpott was taking us into so many memories and stories that made this book come to life.

I cry with Bomb Shelter, it made me feel and think a lot and that's the type of book I really enjoy when they leave you with something good to think about for weeks when the story is so good that you actually can't move on from.

I felt like Mary many times with this constant worry making us think if we don't worry we don't care when is the opposite. Mary talks about many situations that were happening in her life such as parenting, aging, and grief. but mostly making us think about our own paths during this similar situations.

Bomb Shelter is a book that will give you hope and faith that you're not alone, that many of the situations Mary went through we are experiencing at the moment or some will eventually be experienced when your kids grow. is not a handbook of how to raise your children or how to be a parent is more like a refreshing way to let us know we're all growing and evolving and evolution that involves time and lots of mistakes it is in us to embrace ourselves and move on just the way we are.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives in exchange for my honest review.

Philpott's storytelling is refreshing and relatable, and when I read her essays I feel less alone. I look forward to reading her next project.