I enjoyed this set of essays from Nora, focusing on a wide variety of topics. I appreciated and resonated with some more than others (as always happens) but I found myself laughing more often than not and especially for my friends who are grieving and/or parents, I would recommend this!

As with all essay collections, there were some I enjoyed more than others, but for the most part, I really loved this entire collection. The beginning sort of starts out with McInerny laying out the project and talking about how positive vibes only can really be quite toxic and so she's taking the opposite approach in this collection. Then, with deft humor, McInerny proceeds to be honestly quite vulnerable as she walks us through various portions of her life. At one point, she talks about the time she accidentally left her own child in the car for an hour and the immense guilt that she carries over that. She's very conscious of what could have happened. Throughout the book McInerny trades back and forth over telling genuinely hilarious stories and telling stories of heartache and loss. If I were to compare it to an album, I would say it's similar to Red by Taylor Swift in that I personally think the pieces came together solidly, but I could see other people saying it lacks the book equivalent of sonic cohesion. And now that I've given you a Taylor Swift reference, I'll simply leave you with this: I highly recommend this collection if you're willing to go on a ride with a woman who has lost a lot in her life and also found joy. McInerny is a home body and yet has the ability to write about her experiences in a way that feels very relatable. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it like I did.

I really enjoy Nora McInerny. She is not afraid to be honest and I find her writing to be very refreshing. It’s funny and sad, often at the same time, which you might think would not be a good combination, but it is! She’s not afraid to be vulnerable and laugh at herself, which I very much appreciate. I honestly enjoyed all of the essays in this book, which although there are a few that stand out above the rest for me. I hope she continues writing books, because I’ve enjoyed them all, and I look forward to hearing more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/One Signal Publishers for the review copy.

This was an entertaining and sometimes relatable memoir told through a collection of essays. I had not heard of Nora McInerny before so I was happy to learn more about her through these essays.

I enjoyed the essays so much, I am off to look up Nora’s podcast: Terrible, Thanks for Asking.

Nora McInerny’s Bad Vibes Only sheds light on the dark side of our current aggressively optimistic culture. Her various essays that reflect on her own experiences, mixed with that of larger society to provide insight that truly makes you think.

From addictions to competitive nature of parenting and many other topics that could be considered taboo, McInerny isn’t afraid to dive deep in her writing and express what might be unpopular opinions. I truly enjoyed her comedic tone of writing and appreciate the different point of views she opened my eyes too. Given that McInerny is a parent and she writes heavily about her experiences with her children, I think this would be a great book for all parents to read, but obviously you don’t have to have kids to enjoy it either.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books and One Signal Publishers for access to an advance copy to review.

Nora McInerny’s Bad Vibes Only is a candid, humorous memoir. It is a collection of essays, making it easy to read over lunch breaks or other small pockets of time. I smiled knowingly and laughed throughout the book. I fought the urge to highlight whole paragraphs because many of the essays spoke to me. I particularly enjoyed the essays titled Privacy Settings (about folks oversharing their so-called lives as social media influencers), Something Substantial (about screen time “how you spend your day is how you spend your life”), and Good, Better, Best (about our aching pursuit of grown-up gold stars).

I had not previously heard of this author or her acclaimed podcast, but I am definitely a fan now.

Nora McInerny's latest collection of essays is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. She tells her story with honest intensity. Although she's a good bit younger than me, I can really relate to her experiences, growing up in Minneapolis, binge-drinking through college and her 20s, then settling down and experiencing a series of heartbreaks.

I was not familiar with her podcast or earlier books. The essay on competitive parenting is so spot-on it should be required reading. I wish I'd read it 17 years ago and saved myself a lot of trouble and obsession. McInerney is wise and witty. #NetGalley

As a long time listener (Terrible, Thanks for Asking), first times reader (Bad Vibes Only) I immediately related to the "real life" situations of these essays. Humorous and relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books/One Signal Publishers, and author Nora McInerny for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This year, I have gotten really into essay and short story collections, so I have been looking forward to reading this. Bad Vibes Only was an enjoyable and relatable read that covered many topics that I can relate to, even though I am in my mid-20s and McInerny is "middle aged", as she refers to herself throughout. This is definitely a book for women, and at times, reads as a book by a white woman for white women, and nothing is extremely groundbreaking. However, McInerny is extremely honest and candid throughout, does not shy away from directly talking about hard subject matters/employing self-depreciation, and does it all with a sheen of relatable humor coating these topics in a way that feels authentic. I especially loved the essay over women aging and coming to the realization that you might never be elegant, as well as the essay over screen time. As someone who had not read or listened to McInerny's other works/podcast, I did find myself at times a bit confused about who she was or her life. I think I would have enjoyed this a bit more if I was familiar with who she was and her story overall, but I did enjoy how reading it felt like talking to an older sister or friend for me. I am definitely interested in checking out her other works now, and I can genuinely say that this essay collection was probably the most fun collection of essays that also made me think I've read.

I love Nora and will gladly read anything she writes. Several of the essays are stand-outs, including Nora being excessively high at her high school reunion and Babe "being forgotted.' Beautiful, powerful stuff.

“I don’t want to live in a world where the only vibes are bad, but I cannot stay for long in a room where the only vibes allowed are the pleasant ones, either.” - Nora McInerny

Essays in BAD VIBES ONLY cover a range of topics, from beauty treatments to parenting, social media to maintaining friendships. The ones that particularly resonated with me were about productivity culture and tying self-worth to what one does (or should I say, accomplishes). It's rare for a book to make me feel better about myself, but I daresay this one did, at a time when I could really use that.

The essays are fairly short -- making this the perfect book to reach for oh, literally anytime.

I switched between the text and audiobook and do think I preferred the audio (by the author) slightly more. I read a lot but narration by a professional podcast host still wins out over the voice in my head!

I really enjoy memoirs/essays, something about the quick ramblings of someone elses thoughts and experiences is comforting. there isn't too much back story or deep dives into the resolution which i appreciate
this one has its lulls but lots of moments of "yeah, been there" the chapters about motherhood, marriage, social media, books and reading especially

Having not heard of the author before, I did not know what to expect in her writing. I heard about this book on a podcast, and was intrigued to hear more about her take on our overly optimistic culture and "what it really means to live our lives online". There were times I unexpectedly laughed out loud, but I wouldn't classify this as humorous. I would, however, classify many of these essays as incredibly insightful. It took a while for me to adjust to the author's way of writing, and so my favorite essays were more toward the end of the book, but it was worth sticking around and continuing to read, because that is what often happens in an essay collection: some essays resonate with you more than others. Even in the ones toward the beginning, I was happy to hear a different point of view than I might get from my friends, and it felt like a friend was talking to me at a party. It is a true achievement for the author to have been this unflinchingly honest about her shortcomings, yet I still love her and want to hear more from her. She's extremely honest, and it is so refreshing. She has very insightful things to say about social media, workplace culture, and adult friendships. My favorite essays were "Is This Good?" and "Asking for a Friend"

Did Not Finish.

I had a hard time connecting to the author and I couldn't relate to the essays. I just ended up feeling a bit bored and chose to quit rather than force anything.

Thank you to Atria Books for the review copy.

DNF at 23%. The first few essays in this collection were fine for me - nothing standing out that I wanted to highlight or share with friends and frankly not anything that would stay with me after closing the book. When I got to one about her feelings of growing up skinny and hearing the way fat people were discussed in her family - I decided to tap out. Not for me. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

A fresh and honest perspective with all of the sarcasm and humor. A quick read that makes light of some difficult truths one may experience in life. Special thanks to Net Galley. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

A treasure trove of essays.Emotional. moving at times laugh out loud funny.I am so happy to have discovered this talented author podcaster looking forward to reading more by her and following her podcast.#netgalley #atriabooks.

A book that is so relatable in some sections I felt it was written for me at times. I'm a sucker for collections of essays, so this book is right up my alley, to begin with.
Her writing was so authentic. I felt like I was diving into her life and genuinely getting to know who she is instead of reading a book about something someone thinks they are. You best believe I now have her podcast on my "to be listened to" list. #NetGalley #GoodreadsFirstReads

I've never heard of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking until I stumbled upon this book. So apparently I have been living under a rock. Needless to say, we are all human and just doing our best in our journey throughout adulthood. This novel gives a glimpse into one women's life with relatable antidotes. I did feel a bit aged out of a few chapters as I am not a Taylor Swift fan.

Thank you Atria Books, Atria/One Signal Publishers for the e-book of Bad Vibes Only.

📚Bad Vibes Only: by Nora McInerny

💬Reader’s digest version: Nora, a brilliant podcast host and author, has crafted a series of essays that unflinchingly describe what it is to be a millennial mom in the throws of her late thirties and the hilarious, disheartening, and sometimes cringey ways we are adapting to the digital age of the present.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: I feel like this could have been my autobiography in many ways. As a thirty-six year old mother of three, I related so fucking hard to Nora’s experience living in this ridiculous “instagrammable” day and age.

I have been struggling with constant guilt and sometimes even shame that I don’t measure up. I scoff at people who need to project their lives in a picture perfect light on social media platforms while secretly craving that same validation myself.

Thank you @noraborealis for describing this paradox in a way that made me laugh and feel less alone. Much of my depression and anxiety in this digital age comes from feeling like I’m the only one who feels this way. Knowing I’m not the alone and that there is also space to laugh at the absurdity of it all made me feel safe and seen.

If you are a millennial, a mom, someone experiencing grief and loss, or a woman fighting to find her place in the world..you need to read this book. It came to me at a time when I truly needed it. Bad vibes Only hit shelves on October 11. Get your copy now!!

🙏🏻thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the arc.