I thought that this collection of essays felt like girls catching up over a boozy brunch and I loved that. There is just nothing I love more than raunchy girl talk and this was the perfect book for that.

The synopsis of a frisky feminine and funny essay collection grabbed my attention to pick this latest read up. I listened to the audiobook format, narrated by the author, Alyssa Shelasky.

I’m not usually a reader of essays, but wanted to give this collection a try. Unfortunately it was just somewhere in the middle for me, and I definitely enjoyed some better than others.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was like a car wreck that I couldn’t stop watching. The author shares deeply personal and shocking stories. Some of them made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t put this down. If you aren’t a shy person, this is for you!

These essays are hit and miss. It’s been a while since I finished reading them, but there were some true moments of being completely on the writer’s side but than other times that were straight up, unintentional cringe. I think some of the essays are very strong and the weaker ones lean on them for support.

Also, as a Jewish woman myself, I can say that there were far too many “cultural Jewish moments” packed into these pages. We get it, Alyssa. You’re Jewish. It was a bit overkill.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook for This Might Be Too Personal and had no background knowledge of the author or any of her accomplishments, so all opinions are based solely on this experience.

I will start with what I enjoyed about this book: Alyssa is an excellent storyteller, not shocking since she is a writer, but many times when authors narrate their books it ends up being a monotone bore. This was not the case for this book. The author was funny, had a great voice for a narration, and added just enough of that *drama* to her stories to make them a little funnier. She did not hold back on the “Insider information” at all, if she knew something about someone, it is in this book. I found this to be refreshing, so many times you read a tell-all and it turns out the author is not actually going to tell you anything you didn’t know. Many of the stories/situations that the author wrote about were awkward or uncomfortable, and listening to them made me cringe even though I wasn’t there! But she somehow doesn’t back down from these impossibly awkward situations and that made it very entertaining to listen to. The book as a whole had a great flow, the author sometimes uses a very lyrical way of writing that is beautiful. I found the parts about motherhood refreshing and real, you can feel how much she loves her kids just from reading a few pages. And lastly, the author is funny. She laughs at herself, at people around her, at situations she is in and basically everything else. She has a great sense of humor and is probably fun to hangout with.

A few notes of things I did not like: I felt that the amount of name-dropping and bragging the author did was very unbalanced with what her career has been. I kept waiting for her to tell us what she had done or accomplished that had launched her into this amazing career where people thought of her as, to quote her, “The real life Carrie Bradshaw” and I just never felt like I got that. At some points the author came off as very snobby and it was unfortunate because I feel like if she could somehow be relatable, it would have changed the whole book. Many times when talking about something that would be considered traditional she became very judgmental and almost mean, making it seem weird if you were to think or agree with any of those things. I usually can overlook something like that but it was mentioned in almost every chapter in some way, and I found it frustrating that someone who lives such an unconventional life would be so terribly judgemental to anyone else just doing their best in the world.

In closing, it was an enjoyable listen. I loved all the big stories and hearing about how someone so different from myself lives. ⅗ stars.

WOW. This book was so good. I was immediately intrigued by Alyssa Shelasky's stories and life as a whole. On its face, her life was slightly chaotic and even appalling to some. I admired her no-holds-barred attitude toward basically everything, and walked away from this book with a new outlook on my approach to life.

The go for it vibe, always staying true to herself, being wild and owning it, figuring out what you want and then owning the heck out of the journey you take to get there... Everything about her story was inspiring.

I loved her journey to and through motherhood. It was unconventional in the ordinary sense of the word, yet she didn't care what you or me or anyone had to say about it really, because at the end of the day, that was her choice and her desire and her absolute honor to take on motherhood in the way that she did.

Her stories managed to be funny while enlightening, sad while joyous, and interesting while not preachy. A fascinating book with fascinating stories that is absolutely worth a read!

Thank you for this arc!

From the description I thought it would be my kind of book…. But I couldn’t get into it at all. I grew up in New York City and yet there was nothing that felt like a connection between this book and The people I know or the life I led when I lived there. I didn’t even find it funny in an onlooker sort of way. Disappointed….. but that’s just my take and I’m sure this book will appeal to people who have loved other books by the author.

Thank you to Net Galley for this arc

As an occasional reader of New York Magazine's "The Sex Diaries," I was instantly captivated by the cover and description of This Might Be Too Personal, and I knew I had to read it. I'm pleased I did since I had a blast!
The book's description makes it seem scandalous, dramatic, gossipy, and confessional, but in truth, it's simply another collection of essays. I was anticipating it to *go there* more, but it was actually rather moderate and unremarkable. While I loved the writing and the articles finally led to a satisfactory ending, I wasn't very captivated. Overall, I believe there are some excellent gems here, particularly on parenthood as a single mother. I would recommend this book, but in a different way than the blurb suggests. Though I found the early chapters about casual dating more appealing and interesting to read about as a spectator, it was amazing to see Alyssa's progress and follow along as her major interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for advanced access to the audiobook of This Might Be Too Personal by Alyssa Shelasky.

CW: sexual assault, unhealthy relationships, pregnancy, postpartum depression

I DNF'd this audiobook at 51%. Much like the author herself, this book does not know what it wants to be. Is it a treatise on the tragedies of dating? Is it a carefree travel blog about meeting new and interesting people? Is it a motherhood memoir? I just know that this was not for me. I can see how many people can relate to the chaos and lostness of Shelasky's life story, but I just could not.

This Might Be Too Personal wasn't really the book it's advertised as. I didn't vibe with it or any of the so-called hilarious stories.

This sounded like a fun collection of essays and reflections on a life of being in the world of celebrity, sex journalism, and more from a woman who's been called the "real life Carrie Bradshaw." But I didn't really vibe with it. Her humor wasn't my style (basically - I didn't find these essays very funny?), and I feel like some of the humor comes from these one-off, punchy lines like "I had an hour after interviewing Sarah Jessica Parker to make it to my abortion" or "My mom asked if I brought a vibrator to my IUI appointment." That's probably a product of her journalism background, where she has to hook the reader in with an attention-grabber, but I don't think it works as well in this format.

I also felt like I was missing some key background on who she is. She either comes into the collection presuming that you know her, or you don't really need to know much more than the fact that she's a journalist who writes about lifestyle and sex topics. But I lacked a connection to her from the very beginning, feeling like I needed to get to know her first before diving into these antics.

Finally, I think this essay collection would have been better described as a woman's journey into being a single mother by choice, tackling dating while being pregnant and raising a daughter on her own. That's really what the majority of these essays are about, at least the ones that are the most interesting to read.

One more thing that's a bit of a nit, but she mentions that she got the job writing the Sex Diaries column because the higher-ups at The Cut heard that she was becoming a single mother by choice and that she was desperate for a job, so they offered it to her. The privilege inherent in this really bothers me - I know that it's not her fault, per se, but it's emblematic of what's wrong with industries like this. Shelasky acknowledges that she wasn't at the forefront of sex culture, as a primarily heterosexual, single-partnered-at-a-time, not-into-kinks kind of person. I know Shelasky did a good job as the writer of this column, but I would have also loved to see a woman of color, non-cishet person who is typically underrepresented when talking about sex manage a column like this.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC via Netgalley.

This Might Be Too Personal is told through short chapter essays offering glimpses into some personal moments of Alyssa Shelasky's life. I haven't read Alyssa's previous book, nor have I ever read column Sex Diaries, but I thought I'd get more fun/funny escapade stories about her career (after all people have called her the real Carrie Bradshaw). Ultimately this memoir is about Alyssa's personal growth and missteps along the way. From her multiple engagements to choosing to have a baby on her own with the help of a sperm bank, Shelasky reminds us that there's no right way to do this thing called life, just try to be authentic to yourself.

I listened to this as an audiobook and always appreciate when the nonfiction author narrates his/her own story as Shelasky did here. Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listener's copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

This Might Be Too Personal is a hilarious and vulnerable memoir (collection of essays?) that I really enjoyed. When you’re reading it, it’s like you’re having a conversation with a girlfriend who always has the best stories and doesn’t hold back. Shelasky has worked as a writer for the past twenty odd years in magazines, newspapers, and TV, and I loved her references of cultural touchstones. At first I was a little put off by the tone of the book. It seemed a little immature and braggy, but I was immediately entertained and persisted. Shelasky starts off in her twenties and goes into her present-day life in her forties. I really enjoyed how she grew up in the memoir/essays and how her life and what she wanted evolved. I especially loved the parts about her time and friendships in Los Angeles, childbirth, and motherhood. I really appreciated how she views her children and family and friends. She has such an open and welcoming view with low stakes. It makes me wonder how I can incorporate that same view as a mother of two similarly aged children. It’s clear how much she enjoys and embraces her children and family. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author. It gave the book such great personality and I loved her delivery and parts where she became choked up.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook / audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This was a really fun read. I loved the author’s stories about various celebrities. As an entertainment writer, she makes all of her stories exciting and fun for the reader. TW – drug use, sexual assault, fertility issues.
I really enjoy when a writer reads their own audiobooks. It makes me know for sure how they intended a sentence to sound.