Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: The author hopes that women who would benefit from this book find it, and so do I. Right up front: the fact that 12 step recovery groups have been "debunked" as not evidence based and are perceived as not welcoming of women was not the author's experience and the recovery group (never named) was essential to her recovery. It's so concerning to me: a health care provider--that the people who could benefit from recovery groups might never seek them out based on flawed studies. Levy describes deeply problematic drinking, with constant black-outs, in the context of millennial life where there is pressure to be "effortlessly perfect" and live a curated life on social media. This book was illuminating for me--as I'm not in Levy's age group. Her courage to chronicle her drinking and recovery is laudable. The book should almost be required reading on some college campuses--both undergrad and graduate school and for the staff as well. The final chapter about manifesting, is really meditation with affirmations, but if that serves her better than out of control drinking, it's a good substitution. A very helpful book.

Sarah’s story is my story in many ways. There are only so many variations on our road to bottom and the struggle for recovery. Weaving social commentary, humour and gratitude, this book is for any woman who thinks her problem is different, not alcohol-driven, misunderstood, Most don’t reach sobriety, it’s a miracle some of us do.

I just reviewed Drinking Games by Sarah Levy. #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be published January 3, 2023.

The book wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it does give a very honest portrayal of the author’s struggle with alcohol and the effects it had on her life. Kudos to her for getting sober and manifesting her dream of becoming an author!

I couldn’t put this down!

Levy offers a bounty of down to earth, honest, funny, heartbreaking work that details her journey to sobriety as a young woman. It was heartfelt, I was surprised how much I loved this book!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really connected with this book - especially as I have been exploring sobriety for myself this past year. I don't have the extreme stories the author did, but certainly some dramatic ones, and I think a LOT of the women I know can identify themselves in parts of this book. Problems with alcohol are swept under the rug in our society in a major way, and I love how honest and raw Levy was in sharing her experience. She also delves into many other issues that plague young women - body image, disordered eating, strained relationships with family and friends, the effect of social media, lack of self confidence. I struggled a bit with the organization of the book - maybe wished it was a little more chronological? Worth reading for sure.

There were a lot of things I liked about this memoir. It was unflinchingly honest, which is probably my biggest praise. It must have felt truly cathartic to put all of that onto paper. I also really enjoyed reading about her journey. I must admit that I am not the target audience for this book; I don’t drink, I’ve never been a party girl, and I don’t understand that lifestyle at all. It boggles my mind that the author had no one in her life who didn’t drink, because almost everyone I know is like that. So, it was difficult to put myself into her shoes at times. However, her journey was really interesting to read about. I think I would have preferred more of a linear timeline instead of the constant jumping around. But overall, a good read.

I think being in recovery is a type of hard that I will not experience. Because I am not in recovery, parts of this book did not land in the way I think they could for others. However, the validity of this memoir and the strength of it remained for me. Parts of this book will stick with me for a long time.

An important book and a riveting memoir about addiction and life. The world needs this book--not only the recovery community but all of us. I admire this book's honestly and unflinching look at the self.

Get ready to have your heartstrings tugged and maybe sit in some uncomfy feelings depending on your relationship with alcohol. I really appreciate how honest, at times humorous, and accessible Sarah Levy is in this memoir & social critique. It's refreshing and thought provoking. As someone in her late twenties who lives in NYC and doesn't always have the healthiest relationship with alcohol, I could see myself in some of these essays. I am grateful this book exists.

I related to several parts of the story and I do think it is an important one. Each story of sobriety is just different enough to invite the right person in.

I had a difficulty with the timeline shifting several times within each chapter. Made it hard to follow at times.

This is the story of one woman's relationship with alcohol and her ultimate decision to live a life of sobriety. Much of the story focuses on the problematic nature of her usage and the impact it has, especially on her relationships. What I appreciated about this memoir was how the author focused on herself, her emotions, and her true journey from dependency to freedom. She isn't endorsing a treatment of any kind, rather it's about what her rock bottom was and how she got out of that place (and shares that it wasn't always easy) to live a life she very much now loves. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2023 release.

One woman’s eye-opening account of how oftentimes social drinking is actually a problem that someone doesn’t know how to admit to. I saw a lot of myself and my own struggles in Sarah and I deeply appreciated how real her words were and how much they made some of my own feelings feel very validated. Well written and easy to read, I recommend for anyone who is wondering if their drinking might be a problem.

This was a heartfelt and vulnerable story about the author’s journey to sobriety. I really liked Levy’s voice; she was honest and introspective, and she gave herself grace for using alcohol as a coping mechanism without shying away from describing just how destructive a force it was in her life. I also think it’s really beneficial to have stories like this out in the world—stories showing that substance abuse doesn’t just look one way, and that people who appear to be high functioning may also be struggling in ways that aren’t evident to those on the outside. The only part that didn’t quite land for me was the closing chapter on manifestation; I understood what she was saying (essentially that where you spend your mental energy determines your daily reality), but those manifestation workshops still feel a little culty to me. That aside, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to anyone curious about their relationship with alcohol or about sobriety in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy!

A look into a college/post-college drinking culture through the eyes of one woman trying to escape that culture and redefine her relationship with alcohol.

Drinking Games is comprised of 16 essays divided into four parts: Wasted, Hungover, Sober, Free. Many of the essays depict the author's drinking in a brutal way, devoid of the glamour that is often part of her surroundings as as a young woman in New York partying with the "30 under 30" and adjacent crowd.

This is certainly an interesting peek into the author's experiences and an overdue questioning of cultural norms around "social drinking". It is not a deep exploration of the subject-matter. I found the shifts in time difficult to track and there was some repetition.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read and one that I suspect may offer solace to people in similar situations.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy on NetGalley.

Rating: 3/5
One woman's self-reflection on her negative experiences as a young adult in a culture where drinking is glorified.

This memoir's structure is a little all over the place - which isn't necessarily bad. It's a collection of essays, and each could be read as a stand-alone. I think this structure might appeal to someone going through a rough time and looking for connection.

The issue with this though is that there's a lot of repetition. Reading straight through we hear over and over again about the same issues and situations over and over again. Each chapter ends in a similar way: she's reached enlightenment. And everything is perfect now.

It starts to feel like soberness was this big magic key - but we weirdly don't hear much about her struggle to stay sober. Sarah Levy makes it seem like a switch: one day she just chose it. She doesn't have setbacks. She just has a few moments of doubt and concern. I wish we got to hear more about her tips to staying sober.

This book covers more of her struggles while being a drinker, all the situations she ended up in. And it works in a lot of these essays. Sarah Levy has a way of putting emotions down in words. Among other topics she has great insights on social media and how alcoholism is perceived. It's a quick, gripping read.

**Dear Netgalley and publisher: thank you for an eARC in exchange for an honest review**
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I know publishers aren't big fans of sharing ARC quotes but the lines that really hit me were:

"Until I got sober, I thought everyone blacked out. To me, it was a rite of passage and an inevitable outcome when I drank heavily."

"I drink to get drunk; there is not an in between."

"This is the real madness of my relationship with alcohol: that I remained so committed to fixing something that had never worked in the first place."

The first connected with me because it's something I also experienced as a new drinker at 18. Blacking out after three drinks is something that runs in my family, and it was great to see this phenomena discussed and recognized.

The second again is something I also experience. I'm not strictly sober but early on in my relationship with alcohol I realized the power it can hold.

The third is just a great critique of society, and something I believe many young adults will relate to.

I loved this memoir and some of the chapters, especially those where the author describes relationships with her parents and grandparents, brought me to tears.

I'm not the target audience, who I assume is much younger than I. However, that aside, I can't say I really found much here to applaud. I thought the essays were repetitive and there were very few issues where the author dug deep. That might be due to her age, but overall, I was disappointed. I also found the timeline rough, typically asking myself, was this when she was newly sober or when she stopped drinking the first time? How long had she been sober at this point. I know the nature of essays is to jump around, but the back and forth was more confusing and/or repetitive than engaging.

My stepson died last year of throat cancer, brought on by years of alcohol and tobacco abuse. I say this because I thought this was going to be a hard book to read -- part memoir, part 12-step navigational handbook, part Big Thoughts. That doesn't sound like I liked the book, but I did, and thought Levy spoke to me about my stepson and his various demons that he fought and lost. She fought and has won, but it was a hard fight, filled with many missteps and disastrous mistakes.
Alcohol abuse isn't pretty. Those of us who have been touched by it can't really understand why it happens to the people we love, and our feeble attempts at trying to help are often doomed from the start. Levy's book shows how she had the strength of character to fight back -- and while she had many years of dismal failures, eventually she figured out a plan. It may not be the plan that you can get behind, but like I said, the navigational aspects of this book are useful guideposts. Even if you are lucky not to have someone you know with these circumstances, I think you will find this book interesting, engaging, and at times pretty darn funny. Highly recommended.

My favorite kind of books are the ones that take me places I’ve never been: Levy does just that as she exposes and describes her relationship with alcohol. This book is organized by a series of essays - I appreciated the choice to do the book this way as it allows the reader to read a bit and think about it before moving on to the next. This is an honest and complex book and it’s written so well. Brava to the author. Heartfelt thanks to St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. This will help a lot of people and provide a lot of discussions in book discussion groups.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I grabbed this one on a whim because the premises sounded interesting. I enjoyed reading about her journey and how she came out on the other side. My only real complaints where that it jumped around in time, which made it confusing to keep track of where we were in her sober journey, and it rally felt like once she decided to become sober it was a cake walk. She made it seem like she wondered about how this and that event would go, but it doesn’t really show her struggles, just comments about drinking a seltzer Instead. I would’ve preferred more of her feelings and seeing some of what got her to the other side. I also felt like the book was a tad too long. The last 1/4 of it seemed like filler at times. Like she was given a page goal, so she better talk about other things like manifesting, to fill some more pages. I love that she shared her story, because that couldn’t have been easy, but I feel like it needs some edits for the reader to really enjoy it better. Overall, great read and inspiration for anyone going through the same thing or thinking about it. Nice effort by a new book author!