I so appreciated the boldness of this memoir. In the tradition of Anne Lamont and Caroline Knapp, Sarah Levy pulls no punches about the circumstance that led her to seek sobriety and the struggles (and wins) she found in that process. Her candor is bracing and I suspect that it will resonate with many readers who’ve wondered if a social life filled with blackouts and feeling sick every morning is inescapable. There are moments where Levy begins interesting stories and then just wraps them up quickly rather than taking us through their nuances and depths, and there are a few chapters that seem out of place (the one on clothing comes to mind - it’s great writing but seemed like material for a different book).. But overall, this is a powerful, interesting account of one woman’s sobriety journey.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

Drinking Games is an honest and raw exploration on the role alcohol has in our formative years. The discussion of alcohol in our culture where we witness the use in the social media generation and on reality shows is a fascinating topic. Drinking has this normalization to it where you think seeing others do it makes it healthy behavior. This book is part social critique, part memoir as Sarah Levy shares her experiences with drinking and the realizations it took for one drink to become her last. I am in a family with some extreme alcoholics, so I found this to be an important read especially when it comes to millennials. Highly recommended!

I really loved this. Sarah Levy brings humor and candid to a very interesting conversation and the sobering [pun intended] reality about alcohol and the hold it has on so many.
4 stars for a compelling story and lots of food [and bev] for thought that I'll be mulling over for a while. I'm so sorry for all these drinking puns. I wish I could stop but they just keep flowing.
Many thanks to NetGalley for a e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Sarah Levy writes this memoir in essays about the drinking that dominated much of her 20’s, and her choice at 28 to stop. Sarah had always worked hard and partied hard, but was conscious of the fact that her blackout drinking wasn’t “typical.” Vodka gave her the excuse to act in a way she wasn’t emboldened to when sober, and I love the way Levy lets us see her both in the midst of and overcoming her addiction and discovering her authentic sober self. The text also acts as a commentary on influencer culture, the need to maintain a social veneer of nonchalant perfection, working at a startup and other relatable modern phenomena.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The observation running through my brain while reading Drinking Games, a collection of essays by a young woman who drank a lot, and I mean a LOT, in her twenties was: how does the body survive such a thing? The astonishing resiliency of the body allowed Levy the time and space to let her brain catch up to the inevitable truth: to live she would have to stop drinking. Levy shares enough about herself, her past, her demons, her ruined friendships and job opportunities to make the reader open to her advocacy for twelve step programs. One note: there are a lot of blackouts involved, so the narrative has literal holes in it which can feel frustrating to a reader. Worth a read if someone in your life, or you, have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

A memoir about out-of-control drinking and a coming of age story, Levy’s book is compulsively readable.

Sarah Levy was a full-blown alcoholic in denial despite blackouts, the shock of waking up in a stranger’s bed with no memory of how she got there, and multiple trips to hospitals as a result of alcohol fueled nights on the town. Living the fast and cool life in Manhattan provided daily opportunities for binge drinking with “fun” friends. The negative buzz about AA’s rigidity, belief systems, and “maleness” discouraged her until the need for support outweighed her fears.

Although AA is clearly not for everyone, it gave Levy the coping strategies she needed to succeed at long term sobriety. Much of the book recounts what she learned—and achieved—during the first four years after leaving alcohol behind. In this respect, it is a moving and well-written coming of age story. After a series of brief and disastrous relationships, Levy meets a loving partner and for the first time has a relationship in which she experiences joy and learns how to sustain closeness.

Drinking Games is also marketed as a “social critique.” Alcohol is an integral part of contemporary social rituals, prompting people to accept a drink as a matter of course rather than of mind. “Mindful drinking” is the latest fad to counteract mindless imbibing. But Levy points out that mindful drinking is not an alternative for everyone because many people are unable to stop at one or two drinks. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to alcohol abuse. Every individual’s relationship with alcohol is different, as I’ve learned from participating in Dry January for the past three years.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is sober-curious but also to readers who enjoy a quick and enjoyable nonfiction book.

This memoir was not my taste, unfortunately, and I was only able to make it about halfway before I stopped reading. I know that the author tells of many instances of difficulty in her relationship life and work life in order to provide transparency to others who may also have a problem with alcohol, but it was so monotonous that I couldn't finish it. I found myself skimming pages, to be perfectly honest. I would not recommend that a person who struggles read this, as they may not need to hear quite so many examples of blackouts and drinking to get the point across.

A gut-wrenching memoir about alcoholism for millennial strivers who grew up among competing messages of perfectionism and "work hard, play harder" hustle culture. Shame makes us all into pretenders, from lying about our injuries obtained while binge-drinking, to scrubbing our social media profiles of selfies we posted during a blackout. Sarah's honesty and relentless self-reflection knocked me on my ass — she is a new voice to watch. This book will resonate most with female young professionals curious about sobriety and if they can still find love and professional success without alcohol, but there's plenty to learn and enjoy for nonalcoholics and sober folks.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Drinking Games by Sarah Levy. It’s hard to rate someone’s life, but Sarah’s memoir was very relatable, honest, and raw. I really enjoyed reading about how Sarah found a new sisterhood with her women’s group and was able to get away from her self destructive drinking. It was awesome to see how she was able to grow confident in herself without alcohol and create new and real relationships with other people. Thank you again to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Drinking Games!

**First to note, this is not a memoir written by Sarah Levy from Schitts Creek. I had to look that up because ah same name- not same person. Different entirely.
Synopsis-“On paper, Sarah life was on track. She was 28, living in NYC, working a great job, and socializing every weekend. But Sarah had a secret: her relationship with alcohol was becoming toxic. And only she could save herself.
Drinking Games explores the role alcohol has in our formative years, and what it means to opt out of a culture completely enmeshed in drinking. It’s an examination of what our short-term choices about alcohol do to our long-term selves and how they challenge our ability to be vulnerable enough to discover what we really want in life….”
I commend this women for having the guts to put herself out there. Although I’m past those primitive years of alcohol and my 20s, I understand her completely. Alcohol is never really looked down upon when you’re socially drinking with friends. It’s more taboo to tell your friends you’re not drinking! Its so much easier to fit in when you’re participating. This is not easy and Sarah really dives into that in her work here. Not only is she honest about her breaking point but she fills in the gaps for her readers with the muddy middle.
I hope the right audience will read her memoir and it will help them if they are struggling the choice of letting go for fear of social acceptance.
There were some deeper moments here for Sarah but also some humorous parts that had me nodding my head in remembrance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Levy, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. My review is my own.

Funny read.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had o bearing on the rating I gave it.

This is a memoir about drinking and recovering from drinking. It's written in essay form, and in the course of an essay the author describes her experience while drunk, and then after sobriety. There are essays on her drunk experience of life- trying to fit in, insecure, directionless in her 20s and early 30s. There are essays about her life sober, experiencing her feelings for the first time, making better choices for herself, and meeting and ultimately marrying her husband. Most of the essays combine both lifestyles- as a person living for the next cocktail, and as a person who has eliminated that option for herself.

Loved Sarah Levy (and the whole Levy family really) in Schitt's Creek, and found the synopsis of this biography very intriguing. Great read for already established fans or those new to Ms. Levy.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Sarah Levy pens a memoir that details her love affair with drinking, and how she finally decided to stop. Her story of college and drinking struck a chord with me, as so many of us drank to excess in college, and woke up with bruises we didn't remember. However, most of us outgrew it, and stopped drinking that way once we were out of college.

I enjoyed reading how Sarah navigated sober life, and how she was honest about how hard it was, and how all her relationships changed as a result, mostly for the better.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Sarah Levy bares it all in this memoir, the good, the bad and the ugly. Sarah shares her experiences with drinking and her thought process around it. For instance, in college, she felt that blacking out was just a part of the experience, everyone was drinking but she later realized they were not drinking to the extent that she was. She watched her friends graduate and move into higher learning and amazing careers. We watch Sarah navigate the start up life, dating and eventually making the decision to cut out drinking. I liked reading about her sober journey and her honesty of being scared to date, be intimate, tell her family and friends etc. It shows that you don't know what others are going through or the extent of their struggles. I appreciate Sarah's honesty and writing style.