I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating and harrowing read.

Molly Shannon opens up about her life, starting with the very traumatic experience of surviving a car crash that kills her mother, younger sister, and cousin. She shares other traumatic experiences including her fathers continued erratic behavior and how it lead to her acting experiences.

She talks about her transition to adulthood and her time at SNL. I was hoping for a more in-depth look behind the scenes of SNL and reflections on the experience. There's a bit of jumping around and she talks about some harrowing situations and some stories as a parent.

Overall an interesting read.

Molly Shannon has written a warm open intimate book.She shares her story at time laugh out loud hilarious at times so sad.She has lived through trauma family death and had the strength to go on.I enjoyed learning more about her in this truly entertaining memoir.#netgalley #eccobooks

This is a hilarious and beautiful book. Molly shares extremely personal stories about her life and does a great job at mixing them with jokes and happiness. You can hear her reading the book and telling the stories. If you are a fan of her or other comedians book’s you should read this!

Molly Shannon is obviously hilarious. I was surprised by how serious some of her book is, I figured it would be catchy and all happy stories. I wondered if it would have depth. It definitely does. Molly went through a lot in her childhood and this story is of a triumphant victory and her overcoming a cycle of alcohol abuse. She is raising her kids the way she would have loved to be raised, but she is grateful for the freedoms she was given as a child that made her who she is today. This adds a depth to her that I would have never known was there.

I've read every book about SNL, and that includes many (mostly subpar) memoirs. I was unprepared for Molly's family story. It's truly harrowing. I wasn't a big fan of her during her SNL stint, but reading about what she overcame and how hard she hustled to get that gig, I've come around. Also, she is GREAT on The Other Two. I came for the SNL stories, but left having gotten a better understanding of Molly as a person. That's really all you can ask for from a celebrity memoir.

A fairly quick read, Molly recounts many memories of her childhood and some of her adulthood leading into and through her time on SNL. Hearing about her relationship with her dad and her stage show were interesting, but I was surprised I didn't sense nearly as much comedy as I expected in her writing style in the less serious parts of her book.

When I was gifted this book, I really expected to read something light, fluffy, and funny. The first chapter was instead raw, real, tragic, and shocking. Not in a bad way at all--it just goes to show you that even behind the laughter, is a much larger story or how people came to be. I really enjoyed Molly's memoir and I felt she tackled sometimes difficult subject matter with a lot of grace. Of course her signature humor is sprinkled throughout, but the depth of her life goes far beyond her SNL persona.

Molly Shannon has an easy flowing style of writing who envelops you into her life and keeps you in her embrace.
Very tender and interesting memoir

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Hello, Molly! Fans of Molly Shannon may be surprised to learn that her life began with tragedy; at the age of four, she lost her mother, baby sister and cousin in an awful car accident. Her father, who had been drinking, was at the wheel and survived but had multiple injuries. Molly and her older sister escaped relatively unscathed physically but were forever changed by this devastating tragedy.

This book follows Molly through the ups and downs of trying to make it in show business as a female comic and struggling actress. She approached auditions - and rejections - with grace, strength and determination. Her over the top physical comedy performances ultimately earned her a spot on SNL and the rest, as they say, is history. Her father was always her biggest fan.

I adore Molly Shannon and have the utmost respect for her resilience and positive outlook despite the many obstacles that she faced. I wanted to love this book as much as I love Molly but unfortunately the writing fell a bit flat. It is still a worthwhile read about an amazing performer.

There is a lot of truth to the idea that comedy springs from tragedy, and certainly SNL cast member Molly Shannon's life is proof of that. When Molly was a toddler, her mother, baby sister, and cousin were killed in the car that she was also in, along with her other sister. Her father, after a night of drinking, was at the wheel. I had to wonder what would have happened to Molly's father, Jim, nowadays - very possibly he would have been brought up on charges and spent time in prison. In fact, there does not appear to even have been any kind of legal repercussions at all - but there were plenty of emotional ones. Jim Shannon, who was severely injured in the crash as well, spends the rest of his life wracked with guilt, struggling with alcohol addiction, making Molly his "surrogate wife" (emotionally not physically!), and denying his sexuality (towards the end of his life, he comes out as gay or bisexual). He's an extremely complex character - alternatively infuriating, boundary-busting, charming, encouraging, and raging. In fact, I got the feeling Molly really wanted to write about him and not her own significant acting and comedic accomplishments.

If you want to hear about Molly and not her dad, you've got to look a bit harder. Her SNL years are covered in a couple of chapters in the middle, and though personally I would have loved to hear much more about them, they are still interesting. What impressed me most was how incredibly grateful she was for her time on the show. I've read other SNL memoirs and no doubt it is one of the toughest, most frustrating gigs in show biz, but it can also launch you to the stratosphere. Molly never forgot that and remains gracious and humble to Lorne Greene.

We hear a lot about her favorite and most famous character, rambunctious, angry, and Uber-enthusiastic Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher. I went back and watched a few of these skits and they appealed to me more now than when they first aired - perhaps I was too young to appreciate them at the time as they don't come with easy chuckles. My favorite impression of hers is still Courtney Love.

There are also a few anecdotes from her youth that will have today's coddled kids gaping in shock - such as when she and her friend snuck onto a plane at 11 years old, and actually ended up wandering around NYC by themselves. Molly didn't even get into trouble, her dad thought it was hilarious (in fact, the whole thing was his idea). Then there's that incident with the sheik!

All in all, a really entertaining and often tear-jerking memoir. Thank you to NetGalley, Molly Shannon, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hello, Molly! is a delicate, comedic, and vulnerable memoir by Molly Shannon. I have been a fan of her work for years and this will blow readers away with her raw and emotional writing and lift you up with her signature comedy.

Even though I am a fan of Molly's, I didn't know too much about her upbringing and road to becoming the 'Molly Shannon'. I felt so heartbroken within the first few chapters as readers learn about the tragedy that she faced at a young age. But to know that she continued going and thriving despite the darkness continued to bring a smile to my face.

Molly does talk about her complicated relationship with her father. Despite everything they went through both good and bad she always had his back. The last chapters brought me to tears.

But Molly did balance the book really well. I think many fans of SNL will love her parts about the show. So many stand-out moments that will leave you on the floor because you're laughing so hard.

Above all, I think readers will see the tenacity Molly has and the passion she has for not only her career but her family.

I give Hello, Molly! 4 stars. I think fans of Molly and SNL will enjoy this read. It is a great read and I applaud Molly's openness. I think it will help people get to know her, see her heart, and remind everyone to go after what they want!

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this but it was definitely one of the more well written memoirs I've read. Her stories had a great flow without being bogged down with too many unnecessary details. I could relate to her losing her mom when she was a young child, as I did as well. I think it's a club nobody ever wants to be in. Entertain and enjoyable.

Hello, Molly! By Molly Shannon; Sean Wilsey is an excellent memoir by one of my favorite actresses and comedians ever. I loved this!

This was such a wonderful glimpse into the fascinating life of the complex, intriguing, and truly enjoyable woman of the hour: Molly Shannon.

Through this book I was able to learn more about her childhood, some of the tragic, monumental, and pivotal events that shaped the woman that she later became. I also loved the moments where she delved into her Saturday Night Live days (those pages really brought me back to my own adolescence).

This book really helped give me insight into such a wonderfully talented, and just a wonderful person overall, woman.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ecco for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/12/22.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

When I saw on instagram that Molly Shannon had a memoir coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see an early copy in my Netgalley account, and I devoured this read in less than 24hrs! I had no idea what an interesting life Molly has lived thus far! Beginning with her early days, she recalls the day that changed her life, the day her family got into a car accident, killing her younger sister, mother and cousin, and her other sister and father survived. This shaped her life moving forward, the three surviving family members bonded together, though at times dysfunctional, they made it work, even with their sometimes drunken father. Molly took many things upon herself to help bond the family and make her father proud. He was her first acting coach, without even knowing it. He had her share every aspect of her life, he wanted to hear her stories, have her make up stories and mimicking those around her. All the things that helped shape her acting career stemmed from her life experiences. I appreciated that she shared the honest truth, including why she left Saturday night life and how it ultimately led to her having more time with her father before his unexpected passing. Highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys Molly Shannon and her comedic work.

As emotional and expressive a performer as Molly Shannon is, I was hoping to like her memoir more and feel more of her personality come through. I was disappointed in the lack of depth or introspection in the telling of her story. She obviously channels that through her work onstage, but for me this did not come through in the book.

The pivotal moment of her childhood came when she was nearly 5 years old, and her alcoholic father crashed the family car, critically injuring himself and instantly killing her mother, younger sister, and cousin. The father was hospitalized for months, and throughout his life struggled with alcoholism. Growing up, Molly had many friends and an active social life, and "acted out' by pulling pranks and getting into trouble with friends. Her father was alternately abusive and very permissive; thusly she had little structure at home. She doesn't seem to deal with the trauma of the accident until the last third of the book, well into her 30s.

There are many specific anecdotes but most of the years seem to fly by in the space of a chapter. Flying between New York and LA, dating various people, doing sketches with different groups.

The middle of the book focuses on her years at Saturday Night Live, and the many friends and connections she built during that time. At the end of his life, Molly and her father seem to reconcile and become close..

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I sat down with this book at 5 pm and finished it by 9 pm. I didn't know anything about Molly Shannon, aside from seeing her on SNL, so to learn her story via print was fascinating. The focus is primarily on her relationship with her dad after the crash, but there are interesting tidbits thrown in along the way. Normally not into celeb memoirs but this is the exception to the rule. Now excuse me while I go watch clips of this amazing woman