*When I rate memoirs and autobiographical books, I'm not rating the content or the story itself. It is the author's story to tell, I'm not judging that. My rating refers to how much I personally liked the writing style and if I felt eager to continue reading.

Sarah Levy leaves nothing on the table in her memoir Drinking Games. She tells us about her life as a heavy drinker and the reasons why she decided to become sober. Although I don't have an issue with alcohol myself, I still found Levy's writing to be relatable. Maybe that's just the Millennial in me reliving some cringe-worthy teenager experiences.

Her story is hard to read and I encourage anyone with specific triggers to look this one up before reading. Levy's story focuses heavily on addiction, alcohol, drugs, and sexual experiences.
Minor spoilers: Levy's first experience with drinking, and I mean drinking to get drunk, was at a high school party after the hot-jock guy made a comment about oral sex. That made my blood boil. That night was the first time Levy got black-out drunk. As an adult, she had many nights of black-out drinking. She would wake up naked in a stranger's bed unsure of how she got the new cuts and scrapes on her body.

Drinking Games is meant to be experienced as an audiobook. It's like you're sitting with a friend chatting over brunch (minus the mimosas). I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs, but especially to people living in sobriety.
Again, please check the content warnings and your personal triggers.

Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. And thanks as well to MacMillan Audio for the gifted advanced audio copy. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: addiction/alcoholism

I would like to start off this review by saying a couple of things.
The first is that I gave this book a 3-star rating, because I have a hard time assigning star ratings to memoirs. These are true stories of the author's life, so who am I to decide if they are 5-star worthy or not? Whether or not I enjoyed them, this is the author's life.
The second is that I am not someone living a sober lifestyle, and don't see a need to start doing so at the moment. This book is about the author's journey to sobriety, and I don't have much to contribute from my own real life experiences. So take everything that I say here with a grain of salt.

Let's start with the things that I really enjoyed.
This book felt really honest and raw, like the author was pouring her entire soul into this book that feels as much essay as it does memoir, giving us a full deep-dive into her sobriety journey. She didn't sugar coat her drunken stories from her younger years - she remembered and was honest about the bits that were fun, but she was also transparent about the parts that were dangerous and embarrassing. I think that if I were someone trying to make this kind of change in my life that would be very helpful for me. Like allowing yourself after a bad breakup to remember that you had a couple of good times, but not letting yourself dwell on them.

I will also say that I listened to this book on audio, and in my opinion it is definitely the way to go. The author narrates the audiobook, and it really felt like she was sitting across the table from me telling me her stories over a cup of coffee, or like she was acting as the sponsor for the reader's own journey with drinking. It just really felt right listening to her tell these personal stories herself, and I would highly recommend this format to anybody wanting to read this book.

Jumping to something that I didn't enjoy quite as much. At one time in the book she is talking about an article that another sober author had written about AA, and how it can be a patriarchal and difficult space for women specifically, and can discourage those women from working towards sobriety. Levy condemned this article and the author, saying that it was going to be the cause for it's readers to stay sick in their lifestyle of drinking.
As I said above, I am not someone who has experienced these trials, but I can only imagine that there are about a hundred different paths that someone can take to sobriety, some including AA and some not. While I believe that both that article and this book are written from a place of love and wanting to help folks in the same situations that the respective authors have been through, I don't think that anybody needs to necessarily be discouraging anybody's different path to find sobriety. Just because something didn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for somebody else. Everybody is different, and everybody's relationship with alcohol is different, so everybody needs to find the program and path that makes the most sense to them.

Overall I would recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers, specifically anybody who is wanting to work towards sobriety. I think that folks who have that in mind will get much more out of this book than I did. And as I said above, I think that the best way to read this book would be by listening to the audiobook. Maybe with a very large cup of coffee, or as motivation while doing some light exercise or yoga at home.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley, for the ALC of DRINKING GAMES by Sarah Levy; I so enjoyed this audiobook. Levy is brutally honest about her drinking problem, sobriety, and the various struggles she experienced during both phases of her life.

Her writing is so compelling and so perfect encapsulates so much of Millennial drinking culture. I think anyone who enjoys well-written memoirs, is sober curious, or just enjoys “quit lit” as it’s been dubbed, will find this biting essay-based memoir a thoughtful addition to their TBR.

Life changing. Made me look inward and think of some of my decisions. The author was very brave to share her experience

Oh my gosh I have been a fan of Sarah Levy for years, so I was beyond excited when I saw she was coming out with a memoir type book. She was so open and honest this entire book about her struggles with alcohol in her 20s and 30's which ultimately lead her to sobriety and her journey getting to that point.

Even if you don't struggle with drinking, you can take so much from this book. That time of life is always as struggle for anyone on finding yourself and your friends and I was able to relate to so much of her stories.

I loved the audiobook, and getting to hear her stories told in her own voice. I think this would be a great gift for any college girl or graduate that just needs to hear they are not alone.
Thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review!!

Full disclosure- I requested Drinking Games from @netgalley because I thought it was written by the actress Sarah Levy. It is not. While it’s not the author’s fault she shares the same name as an actress, it definitely can cause confusion. I wonder how many people are checking out this book thinking they’ll hear about Sarah’s upbringing as the daughter of Eugene Levy and sister of Dan Levy. I would not have requested this book (or been interested in reading it if I had realized this sooner). Often the lure of a memoir is hearing about the life of someone you are familiar with and getting to learn more about them. Happily, the book was an enjoyable listen (which feels odd to say about a book about alcoholism).

“As I got further from my last drink I got closer to my most authentic self, the one I had buried in booze since I was 16.”

In Drinking Games, author Sarah Levy shares her experience with alcohol, going to AA, and figuring out how to share her sobriety when dating.

Levy shares what it was like when she realized alcohol was destroying her relationships and the ways her life improved when she let it go.

With friendships that revolved around alcohol, drinking to get drunk, waking up next to men she didn’t know, lies to her family, and blacking out often, Levy doesn’t hold back in sharing how she stumbled through her twenties.

Through nonlinear essays, Levy also writes about social media, body image, and unattainable standards.

This memoir is not doom and gloom. There’s humor and a happy ending. This book may resonate with those who don’t think they have an issue with alcohol but also find their lives greatly affected by it. I am not sure how this book would land for those who have experience with addiction as I wonder if it would feel as if the topic was handled too lightly.

I decided to read my copy of DRINKING GAMES over the long holiday break, and I enjoyed it so much! Part memoir/part essay, author Sarah Levy is completely transparent, sharing her honest struggles with alcohol in her 20's and 30's, which led to her sobriety.

In a time where most of us are still figuring out who we are, and trying to navigate life as a young adult, I loved the honest approach that Sarah gave us readers. I found myself nodding along, remembering plenty of times that I used the crutch of alcohol, whether it be for social occasions, or to add confidence.

I read both the physical and audiobook copies, and really enjoyed that the novel was read by the author.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I really enjoyed listening to the authors journey to sobriety. It’s definitely hard to discover that you don’t drink like everyone else or can’t handle it like “normal people”. While I haven’t personally experienced this, I know many people that have and I see their struggles - from their drinking time to their sober time.

Even though this book has the underlying theme of drinking versus sobriety for the author, it’s also relatable to anyone. And I mean that. Anyone. We’ve all had struggles with getting jobs, the pay we deserve and other workplace issues and they’re all touched on here. It takes these serious and hard to discuss topics and does it in lighthearted and funny way while still emphasizing how important whatever we are dealing with is - even if it’s just important to us.

The audiobook is read by the author (which yes please - nonfiction read by the author is the best!) Since she reads it herself, we get the feelings and emotions that she felt during these times and it’s fantastic.

Thanks to NetGalley for the access to the audiobook. It was great.

NR since it’s a memoir!

I'm always nervous to pick up another quit-lit book because I hate being peddled different programs. This book did not have that.

Sarah shared her story just like a close friend would during a sleepover. As someone who is sober and shares many experiences that Sarah did, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who is sober curious.

Really enjoyed the audiobook version of this book!

This book is a series of essays around drinking. The narration is read by the author. I found it moving, relatable and heartfelt.

I listened to the audiobook version of this one, and really found it fascinating. Was it vastly different from any other drinking memoir I've read? Not in events, but I found this one incredibly relatable, much more so than others. There was nothing extra dramatic about Levy's story (when compared to someone like Matthew Perry), but she told it in such a direct, non-sugarcoated way that I was instantly drawn in. Levy is someone I see myself in, and I get the feeling that this will be the mass appeal of her story. A seemingly normal, well adjusted young woman that no one would suspect of having an increasingly severe drinking problem. And this just goes to show that this is where the majority of substance abuse problems lie: right in front of our faces.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author thanks to Netgalley. She laid her experiences, those she could remember, on the line and didn't try to sugar coat them. This is a great book for anyone, even if you are not struggling with an addition. It's not preachy and that's what I liked most about it.

Hi Goodreads Admin! I read the "audio" version, but can't find that option for choosing a reading edition for this review. I chose instead "hardback", but will change it to audiobook if you add it. Thanks! Here's my review:

I listened to this book on audio which was written and narrated by Sarah Levy. This memoir is of her life as young woman, including her feelings and beliefs of the state of social drinking. It begins with Sarah in NYC at age 28. We were all 28! She is fortunate to have a terrific job and is the proverbial party-girl. Sarah doesn't stop at 2 or 3 or 4 drinks, she frequently mixes alcohol, and often has blackouts with no memory. Sarah is often the first to arrive and last to leave a party or gathering.

Sarah Levy is brutally honest about her life and her mistakes involving or because of alcohol. I found her style of writing, by way of this audiobook, to be very compelling and it was easy to stay involved in her situations. As Sarah begins to make changes in her life, we learn about her thoughts on drinking and how people, especially the recently employed (?), are culturally led to habitual drinking. While some friends hike, discuss books, meet at a dog park, meet for coffee, many instead meet for drinks as a regular, devoted, habitual, habit-forming, gathering. Sarah's book is an ode to the 2000's, but could easily be happening in 1970, 1980, 1990, etc., with the exception of social media.

It got a bit dark at times for me, because of her detail, honesty and poignancy, as if I were falling down Alice's rabbit hole right alongside of Ms. Levy. I was happy to find that this novel hadn't gone to the preachy or condemning. It was refreshing.

Thanks to Macmillan, NetGalley, and Sarah Levy for this ARC. - I tried to post this on my GR account, which is connected, and got this message: Unable to find book with ISBN "9781250880611" on Goodreads. I'll copy/paste it instead - no worries.

While I applaud the author for her honesty and vulnerability in writing this book. I just think I'm the wrong audience for this one? Maybe I'm too old? Maybe I'm not big city enough? Maybe it's the clear privileged position the author comes from? Whatever it is, this one felt like reading a self-help book about how you will feel after you quit drinking and quit curating your IG page and start manifesting your future.

This might be a better fit for a younger person or a person looking to part ways with a partying mindset. I'm sure this book has an audience that will appreciate the message, it just wasn't me this time around.

2023, starting off well with this intimate and thoughtful memoir by Sarah Levy.

This is her story from alcohol dependence to living a sober life. As a young woman, she shares the role alcohol played in her life and how, as a culture, drinking is so deeply enmeshed. Especially how alcohol is marketed to women.

I think what really touched me the most about this book was the honesty around how drinking for Sarah was such a part of her life. She was the party girl, the one up for anything. The one who was happy to go for after work drinks. How her work life and relationships were navigated constantly around alcohol. But Sarah saw how negatively this was affecting her. How scary the constant blackouts were. I think it is important to note alcohol dependence can look so different for people. How there is still a stigma around what alcohol dependence looks like.

When Sarah decided she wanted to stop, she struggled to find places for a young professional woman, but she eventually did and realized she was not alone. I do believe there have been great improvements in addiction recovery for women, but there could still be more.

As someone who works in the field of addiction, I really appreciated this candid book. I also enjoyed Sarah's take on wellness and how it played a role in her recovery. I like to incorporate those holistic approaches in my work, too.

Thanks so much, @stmartinspress, for sending me an audio copy of this book. Sarah narrates, which I loved. Definitely one to pick up for memoir lovers or if this topic interests you.

Drinking Games is out now!

Drinking Games is a collection of essays by Levy exploring her struggles with drinking/alcoholism/eating disorders and just how society has influenced her life in general. I think every millennial will find something they related to in this book, even if they don't struggle with substance abuse. I really enjoyed the fact that while Levy was open and honest about her struggles, she never got preachy at all. She just stated the facts as they pertained to her and explained how and why sobriety has helped her.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because at times, it felt kind of repetitive as she told a few of the stories a couple times over.

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

Listened to audiobook via an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Very honest memoir of a woman struggling with alcohol use.
Much of her 20s consisted of binge drinking nights that ended in blackouts or injuries. While some of her stories seemed shocking, her experiences were not all that uncommon.
After many attempts at sobriety, the author describes many barriers that made it hard for her to remain sober including social pressure, lack of support system, etc.
Gave 4 stars because it was such a vulnerable, honest memoir that hits the nail on a topic not discussed enough but it felt repetitive at times and was not always told in chronological events, and switched between different points of her life frequently.

Sarah Levy is a twenty-something resident of New York City, trying to be effortlessly cool, popular, the epitome of wellness and/or successful in the business world. However, she seems to be unable to stop drinking to excess, often blacking out before the night is through. This really throws a wrench in potential partnerships, her friendships, work-life, and her journey to self-love and acceptance. I mean, you can't really be well when you're an alcoholic, even if the next morning you try to make up for it by taking an excess amount of vitamins and doing strenuous exercise until you start seeing stars.

This was so great and refreshing to read. This is my first addiction memoir/"social critique" novel, and is definitely something I will have to look further into. I'm no stranger to addiction, but the novels I tend to read first are my AA-written ones. However, women's & young women's stories chronicling their journey through addiction and sobriety is something that is so near and dear to my heart, and this did not disappoint.

I also love that Levy does not "preach" a certain sobriety program or lifestyle, instead just focusing on her story of addiction and subsequent recovery - thus making the writing accessible to all who are interested in reading. This isn't just a book for someone who's concerned about their drinking, or is living a sober lifestyle themselves. This is a book that analyzes the effects that alcohol has on American culture, particularly for young, professional women.

Levy also touches upon subjects like the addiction to "wellness" many young women have, constantly seeking out the next best thing to "fix" them. Additionally, things like disordered eating, self-image & self-love, social media, and workaholism are mentioned and chronicled as they relate to Levy's life. Her drinking escapades aren't the focus of the novel, and they shouldn't be - it simply gives us a point in which to spring off from and understand how many things young women can be addicted to, whether we as a society identifies it as such or not.

Lastly, as I said, young women's stories of addiction, sobriety, and recovery is so near and dear to my heart because 1. I'm one of them, and 2. they're not as well-known. Many 12-step programs were designed ~100 years ago by white men, and its literature and stepwork they prescribe can absolutely reflect that. Thankfully, in 2023 we have many young women at the forefront of these programs that have recovered from addiction, but they have not been yet digested by society. The more women that speak about their addiction/recovery such as Levy has, the more others can feel validated in their struggles and feel ready to recover themselves. Otherwise, we will continue to have a society that believes the only people "worthy" of sobriety are those fall-down drunks who have lost their family, homes, jobs, and have ruined their lives - the very stigma that keeps people away from sobriety.

I think I'm just super into this book as well because her story is so much like my own <3 but that's okay!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!

Thank you to the St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a galley and physical ARC of this new 2023 memoir.

Wow. To my fellow millennials - I hope you consider picking this up.

What a vulnerable and heartfelt memoir, and one that absolutely hits hard. I feel like a big part of 'millennial culture', or at least for those of us that experienced college, drinking became a huge social event that carried into our everyday lives post college. What used to be left for frat basements or bars on the main drag in our college town has now turned into drinking after work and drinking at every 'social event'.


I think this is a must-read for anyone, not just millennials, that are toying with the idea of going sober or are interested in learning more. This may read too young for other reads, but as a fellow millennial - this is a memoir that everyone should attempt to pick up.

I do feel like this was a collection of essays instead of a memoir, but either way - amazing. The courage that this took is astounding and I'm glad that memoirs/essay collections like this are getting published. The realm of toying with the idea of starting a sober journey needs more than self help books. This is it.

Sarah's narration of her story was also amazing and I can't even imagine how much of a struggle it could have been.

- DRINKING GAMES is part substance abuse memoir, part dissection of the larger role alcohol plays in our lives today.
- I liked Levy's point that she and many others convince themselves that their drinking isn't a problem because they can still hold down a job, friends, etc., and pointing out that not only is "rock bottom" different for everyone, but that you don't need to reach it to change your relationship to alcohol.
- I am someone who quit drinking relatively recently, and something that really resonated with me was Levy's description of how small things suddenly bring outsized joy. For me, when not dealing with the highs and lows that come with drinking, I began to find great pleasure in things as small as a fuzzy blanket or a new kind of candy.