This is my first foray into the writing of Samantha Irby, although I should add knowingly as she has written on shows that I have watched in the past. I walked in this book blindly and really enjoyed this acerbic, laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays. While on paper we might not have much in common, I found her views on most everything to be frank and relatable (aside from Dave Matthews; his music is trash, but I’m not here to judge as the first essay says). I also found the essay “The Last Normal Day” to be kind of eye-opening in terms of pre-lockdown experiences. Obviously the Sex and the City one was perfection. I would add that some essays dragged more than others, though. There were a few I was ready to be done with, but even still, I found I really enjoyed her and her voice. That said, this was a quick, enjoyable read. Thank you to Samantha Irby, Vintage Anchor, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I didn’t want it to end! More Samantha! More!! This book was literally laugh-out-loud, embarrass-yourself-snort-laughing- in-public, funny ( just like her other books). If you know Sam Irby you know what kinds of sarcastic diarrhea filled stories about her life you are gonna get and this book DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.

I read this book and as soon as I can my hands on the audiobook you can bet your booktok butt I’m gonna snag it. All her stories are hilarious but hearing Sam read them is unequivocal. Ive listened to her other books and I highly recommend it. Just be prepared to laugh loudly enough to startle people around you.

Thank you @ Net Galley & Vintage Anchor for the ARC- you made my day!!

I adore Samantha Irby. I will buy anything she releases the first day it comes out. My favorite work of hers is Meaty, and I think she's at her best when reflecting on tragic circumstances, like her mother's death or her own chronic illnesses. If you're a believer that it's not what happens to you but how you react to it, then Meaty is your bible. Reading Irby not only gives me the freedom to make light of tragedies in my own life but to be completely open about health struggles, propriety be damned.

While I enjoy chapters like the one in Quietly Hostile where she, as a writer/producer on "And Just Like That," reflects on select "Sex and the City" episodes, of which I've seen all multiple times, I think Irby shines in the chapters she's discussing her upbringing or her health issues. Whether she's talking about a probiotic sending her into anaphylactic shock or having thirty seconds to say goodbye to her mother as she's dying, Irby is refreshing and funny. I remember recommending Meaty to someone after I'd first read it by saying, "And she's basically a child on her own, taking care of a mother with a chronic illness as she's dying. Then she passes away when Sam's thirteen and she has nowhere to live. And she has Crohn's and IBS and a wealth of her own issues but IT'S REALLY FUNNY I SWEAR" and they looked at me like I was heartless and/or insane.

My one pet peeve when I read memoirs is when the author is clearly sugarcoating things and hiding all their flaws. None of us are perfect, and reflecting on our mistakes and difficulties is where the "meaty" stuff is, anyway. I will never have that issue with a Samantha Irby book. She is honest and relatable. She gives you permission to be your true self by being her true self.

Another banger from Sam Irby! I've been in a reading slump and this is exactly what I needed. Her reimagining of Sex and the City if she had been allowed to "ruin" the original had me choking laughing, and I never knew that I needed to read a synopsis of a mature lesbian nun porn as badly as I clearly did. So many "funny" books are really just witty, but Irby is out here writing REAL JOKES. So glad to have another collection from her deranged (compliment) mind!

I literally squealed with excitement when I was approved to read an advanced copy of Samantha Irby’s latest and devoured it as quickly as my work and personal schedule would allow. Irby once again delivers what we've come to know her by from her other three collections. She wins me over once again from the first page, dedicating this book to Zoloft.

Each of her essays could stand alone. Whether she's making a case to see Dave Matthew's music as romantic, detailing when she went into anaphylactic shock while trying to practice self-care, or writing about the sitcom that was developed about her life but never aired, she pulls us into her world. Her writing feels authentic, relatable, and EASY. I read a lot of really heavy nonfiction books, and sometimes I just want something easy. While every experience she writes about isn't necessarily fun, reading Irby's work feels like catching up with your friend who doesn't take herself too seriously and you know you'll have enjoy spending time with, even when life is hard. And who else can pull off lists and one sentence paragraphs like Irby?

Big thanks to Vintage Books - a division of Penguin Random House LLC, NetGalley, and Samantha Irby for blessing my life with an advanced copy before it's release in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Irby did not disappoint in her new essay collection. I laughed out loud with her sharp whit and humour.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A funny collection of essays - some I enjoyed, others were a little too long-winded. Overall a fun read. 3.5 stars.

Honest, funny and down-to-earth. Loved this collection as much as her others. It was perhaps a bit more thoughtful, more at ease. Really enjoyed it.

Absolutely hilarious as always! Having listened to Samantha Irby on podcasts and her other audiobooks, I can hear her. Don't stop being you, Samantha Irby!

OMG Samantha Irby does not disappoint!!! she is just a gifted writer sharing thoughts about life with a spin that you are just not going to be able to understand- meaning, she's able to write in a way that you can't replicate because only she can do it. I adore her writing and adored this as I knew I would. And I too was confused at her adoration of Dave Matthews.

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage for the advanced copy of Quietly Hostile!

TWs: parent death, child neglect, chronic illness, vivid descriptions of IBS symptoms lmao
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No writer has ever made me laugh harder than Samantha Irby. I love her writing style because it feels like I’m talking to a really funny friend with no filter on FaceTime.

While I enjoyed some essays more than others, the essay about her dog had me wheezing. I was howling, crying, on the floor, dying of laughter. I highlighted every descriptive paragraph about that gross little chihuahua, and I read ‘em again. It’s absolute perfection. If for only that chapter, read this book.

I laughed heartily, audibly, and often while reading this book. I spent the whole time thinking of a variety of friends that have to read this book because the story is either something that would happen to me or something that would happen to them. Even when I wasn’t laughing, I was highly entertained. Not one second of the book was boring. It was just so fun.

I've been a fan of Irby's for a long time, but this offering is wildly uneven - when it works it works, but when it doesn't work it's a LOT about Sex and the City.

I will forever love Samantha Irby's writing. She turns the mundanity of life into hilarious vignettes of wit and yes, wisdom, even though she would probably beg to differ. This book was not my favorite of hers, as I felt there was a bit more filler than usual. I'm a fan of Sex & the City so I didn't mind the chapter here where she re-imagines the series, but I would much rather have read an essay about her experience writing for the reboot, for instance, and the chapter about her porn habits started off interesting but when it devolved into describing scene-for-scene a partcular nun-centric video, I lost the plot a bit. Overall, I will forever be excited when Irby announces a new book and I will read everything she writes (if you're not reading her newsletter where she recaps Judge Mathis, DO IT) and I think other fans will also laugh-out-loud and appreciate this one, I would certainly recommend starting with WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE.

I was disappointed that this book is the weakest of the author's otherwise excellent, hilarious offerings. There were few insights in this latest book, and some parts felt like a rehash or pale version of earlier brilliance (such as her relationship with her father, and an allusion to how she dealt with his cremated ashes, which was covered more fully, and very well, in a previous book). Not recommended--but try one of her other books instead.

I love all Samantha Irby’s books and this was no exception. Essay’s on so many funny topics that are exactly what an adolescent boy would love. I’m not an adolescent boy but I like the humor. I hope she has another book in the works. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 4⭐️

This is the second essay collection I’ve read by Samantha Irby, and once again, she had me laughing out loud. Because I’ve listened to the audio version of "We Are Never Meeting in Real Life," I could hear her voice as I read "Quietly Hostile," which made it even more hilarious. Reading the latest in her series has been a refreshing change of pace from the heavy material I tend toward. I especially enjoyed her fresh take on Dave Matthews and her humor around aging and married life. If sexually explicit content makes you uncomfortable, this is not your jam. Otherwise, buckle up for a good belly laugh. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was both it and not it. Parts of this book were so funny I peed my pants. But that whole, very long section about Sex and the City? I had to skip it because it was so boring.

Overall, not great but not terrible.

Another winner by Samantha Irby, I have read all of her books and have enjoyed and laughed out loud at each. Most of her books I listen to on audio because I love her narrations, this was equally enjoyable in print form. My only complaint is the Sex and the City chapter, which is still enjoyable, but it lost some of its magic because I have never seen the show (and it was a long essay!) The same goes for the Dave Matthews essay, but with that one, I jumped on Spotify and listened to the songs as I read. My favorite story - removing nail polish; my least favorite - is the nun story. Great collection and I will of course read her next collection too!

Samantha Irby is hysterical. Her life is a mess and she will round up the best, worst, saddest, hardest bits of it for your entertainment. Her difficult childhood, her awkward experiences writing for TV, her thoughts about pet ownership, you name it! What else can you ask for in a collection of personal essays? How much did I like "Quietly Hostile?" I immediately preordered a copy for my BFF across the country when I finished the free ARC that I read before the book even came out! That's how much.