Most people know Andrew Rannells as the original Elder Price from the smash hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon or as the witty hot mess best friend of Hannah Horvath, Elijah, in the HBO series Girls. With this release, Rannells proves yet again that he can really do it all. Not only is he a talented actor and singer on both stage and screen, but he is also a hilarious writer whose essays had me grinning from ear to ear. For those who read his first book, Too Much Is Not Enough, and ended the book wanting more, his second release, Uncle of the Year, is the answer to your prayers. While the first book ended with his first role on Broadway, this book explores what happened after he became famous, as well as some pre-frame stories previously not explored. This collection is a brilliant series of interconnected essays that had me laughing and smiling all the way through. Rannells pulls no punches and gets candid in a way rarely seen from a star who has yet to reach the zenith of their career. With the right mixture of self-deprecating humor, heartfelt vulnerability, and dishy asides, Rannells has written a book I will recommend to all my friends.

Disclosure: I received a free ARC of this book through Netgalley. My review is my honest opinion

This is an absolutely delightful memoir. I was not familiar with Andrew Rannells but that did not impede my enjoyment of this book. In a series of essays, Rannells examines key points in his career and emotional growth, many of which spark introspection in the reader. I found myself eager to get back to the book each time and rooting for Rannells as he experienced personal and career growth.

At time funny and at times heartfelt, this is a book all would enjoy.

This was okay. I really liked his first memoir so was excited to read this. It was really a mishmash of unrelated essays and some were good and thoughtful or gossipy and some just felt like filler.

As an andrew rannells mega fan i enjoyed this ALOT. a near encyclopedic knowledge of broadway made this hilarious. the subtle aaron tveit diss made me chuckle. I also LOVE Book of Mormon, so none of the references were lost there. Generally, though, I really did enjoy the insight on working on Broadway, NYC, relationships, and borderline adulting.

I received a free e-arc through Netgalley.
I have to admit that the name Andrew Rannells didn't ring a bell for me when I read this book, but I googled him afterwards and was like, oh yeah, I know his face. But you do not need to know who he is to enjoy this book. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this book and enjoyed it quite a bit so he can definitely stand on his own as an author. It's a collection of essays about different memorable points in his life and while I am neither gay nor an actor, he is personable and I think everyone can relate to episodes in his life. An enjoyable book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and found it to be incredibly relatable. Andrew's voice comes through perfectly and at times I found myself laughing out loud (something I find a big plus when books manage to make me do). I do wish that the order of the essays were a bit different, while I enjoyed the anecdotes of his career by the mid point of the book I began to have a difficult time reading another essay about another Broadway experience. However, I found Happy Birthday to be a turning point and the rest of the collection was a nice balance between career experiences and life in general. I feel if these had been more interspersed there would have been a better balance not making the career driven essays feel so redundant.

I just love Andrew Rannells so I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read this early. It is everything I could have hoped for—funny, touching, relatable, Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and Crown for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book a lot! Memoirs aren’t my go to when it comes to reading but Andrew Rannells story is compelling, relatable, and funny! I enjoyed reading about his life and how he got to where he is. I also enjoyed reading about his time during the pandemic. We’ve all struggled during this time and it felt good to be validated in those feelings! Highly recommend if you like memoirs!

Andrew Rannells second memoir is highly relatable, interesting, insightful and comical. I gained insight into his life and the struggles that he has been through. I also have a very strong desire to go watch him on Broadway right this minute. I had seen him in the show Girls on HBO, but I have never seen him perform in musical theater. Before I started this book I knew very little about him. After reading this book I feel connected and would love to watch more of the productions he is in. I also would like to read his first memoir.

The book starts out with an introspective on when he felt he became an adult. I found out that we are exactly the same age born only one month apart, so I could relate with so many of the different cultural aspects he discussed. Many times during this book I laughed out loud at the different stories he told. My absolute favorite though was his time at the Auburn theater in the Finger Lakes. I am also from the Finger Lakes and my sister-in-law is from Auburn. I could not stop laughing as he described the region and the people he met. Rannells also discussed the pandemic and his personal experience trying to navigate this difficult time. He was very open about his struggles. This was very refreshing as this was such a difficult time for so many of us. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read a fresh and witty memoir. Even if you don't know much about him, I think you will enjoy this. This book even gave me a little perspective on my own life.

Thank you to Crown Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Huge fan of Andrew Rannells and was excited to get an early copy! I did know he was a writer so this was my first read of his and it kept me laughing. Felt as though I was sitting with a friend catching up. So many funny essays tied up with personal experiences of anxiety, relationships and being an adult. As a single adult in my 30's, many relatable situations/thought processes that I was able to connect to. Love the beginning and ending looping the concept of being an uncle and how he takes pride in that. Loved!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2, rounded up.

“Uncle of the Year: & Other Debatable Triumphs” is stage, screen, and voice actor Andrew Rannells’ second memoir. I feel the need to preface my review of this book with an admission that before reading it, I knew very little of his personal life and personality. I hadn’t picked up his first memoir, which covers his childhood and the years leading up to his Broadway debut. I don’t believe I’ve read or watched any of his promotional interviews. But I did catch him in “The Book of Mormon” many years ago and I’ve seen some of his screen performances since then, so I knew he was a talented and successful actor. And I love a good celebrity memoir, so I gave this a try.

I am happy to report that “Uncle of the Year” is pretty delightful. There are some celebrity memoirs that read like a laundry list of events and achievements or barely organized pages of name-dropping and laundry-airing. Rannells’ book is neither of those things. (Though there are some nice mentions of Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, and Hugh Jackman. Some of his theater colleagues and “Girls” co-stars also get shout-outs. And I learned his best friend is Zuzanna Szadkowski, arguably the best part of “Gossip Girl.” Dorota!)

In a series of essays that are often witty and sometimes introspective, Rannells reflects on his life and what he thinks the markers of his adulthood have been. The themes of his anecdotes include, but are not limited to, the highs and lows of being in show business, dealing with anxiety and therapy, the messiness of dating and relationships, and—of course—being an uncle or grown-up-type figure. His tone is conversational and candid, and I genuinely laughed out loud many times throughout the memoir.

I would definitely recommend “Uncle of the Year” if you’re looking for a well-written, entertaining read that successfully balances humor and self-reflection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted online on January 8, 2023 to: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61928015.