Ahhhh…Samantha Irby.
If you know, you know.
If you don’t, you should.

A raw and hilarious read that once again knocks it out of the park.

The aptly named Quietly Hostile features 17 essays with a common thread I'd describe as inner angst with a smile. Irby's ability to share such stories about the most romantic Dave Matthews songs, dealings with a maniacal Covid rescue dog, bowel issues, inappropriate dinner attire, and more in 304 pages only highlights her skill as a writer.

If you don’t think that's enough to tickle your funny bone, add to it her naughty carte blanche inner dialogue.

I'm a fan of real, raw, and brutally honest truths, so Samantha's books are and always will be a win for me. If that's your vibe too, run out and grab it upon its release on May 16th!

Thank you to #samanthairby #netgally #vintage for the advanced copy.

Samantha Irby is hilarious! I laughed out multiple times while reading this! I never realized that she was a writer for 'And Just Like That' either! I loved her critique on Sex and the City and hearing about her experience being a writer for the show. Definitely made me want to go back and watch the series again. Overall, Samantha Irby's latest book is definitely worth reading if you're looking for something light and funny. Would recommend!

Irby is back with a new collection of funny essays that don’t keep any secrets of her everyday life. She takes us through how she would rewrite Sex and the City episodes as well as her struggles with IBS and food allergies. For fans of TMI and oversharing.

I really wanted to like this book. I really wanted Irby to grow more, and not belittle herself every page. As I have read her books over the years, I have found that they're getting worst imo, and I am not sure if that is because she is now a 43 year old fat woman who portrays herself as gross and sad or that her books are pretty much all the same.

Now, if you're looking for the same kind of humour from her other books, go ahead. This is the book for you, but Irby is not for me anymore.

I was really hoping that she would grow, flourish, and possibly go to therapy and be kinder to herself.

I don't like the stereotype if that you're fat you must hate yourself and that you're gross and sad. It isn't a good take, and it isn't true.

Laugh out loud funny, as always, filled with relatable essays as well as stories that could only have happened to Samantha Irby. If you enjoyed her previous books, you've probably already ordered this one, and it will not disappoint. I loved it.

I decided to DNF this one because it was not my vibe.

Pros:
As a woman who grew up very close to Charlottesville, VA, I cackled at the Dave Matthews section. Specifically the girl dancing in gravel part.

Cons:
There was a lengthy chapter about porn that was honestly kinda boring to me. I listened on audio and I was like why are we STILL talking about Irby's favorite porn. I never skip chapters in books but I was BORED. I skipped the whole rest of the chapter because it felt like it would never end.

I recognize that Irby is funny and if she's your brand of humor, that's awesome! I don't necessarily think she's mine so I think this might be my last Irby book. I thought Wow, No Thank You.: Essays was very fine and I think I liked this book less.

This book made me laugh out loud with full belly laughs. Truly one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed the essay style of the book with easy-to-digest chapters. It’s a great book to pick up, put down, and pick up again when you need a laugh or a break from the real world. This would be a great book to gift to someone who needs a pick-me-up!

I will say that the beginning half of the book hooked me, but the second half of the book didn't keep me as entertained. A lot of poop talk!

highlights:
- short essay-style chapters
- absolutely fucking hilarious
- dave matthew’s band song breakdown
- sex & the city fanfare
- adulthood slander

In a lot of ways this book was not unlike the rest of Samantha Irby's writing, and for this I am grateful. She's among the best of the best! In one essay she'll divulge humiliatingly horrifying yet hilarious details about going into anaphylactic shock, in the next she'll defend her position on (her love for) Dave Matthews. I don't always agree with her, but I ALWAYS want to hear what she has to say. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. It was in the same style as other Samantha Irby books. Parts I connected with and others weren't for me. But that has been the same for her other books. The book was filled with her humor and style.

Quietly Hostile is not my first adventure with Samantha Irby. I enjoyed We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, and Wow, No Thank You. Unbeknownst to me, I also enjoyed her work on an episode of Shrill. I was excited to read this latest collection. Quietly Hostile careens wildly from one topic to another in the best possible ways. Whales. Dave Matthews. Dogs. Sex and the City. Innumerable bowel issues. Lesbian nun porn. There is something for nearly everyone. While I’m baffled by her love of Dave Matthews and know little about Sex and the City, I snickered my way through the book from cover to cover. Irby is uncensored, unafraid and allows no aspect of her life to go unexamined. I recommend Quietly Hostile to anyone who can use a laugh (and doesn’t mind poop humor).

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Quietly Hostile from Vintage and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Irby and her previous books, her interview and all, and this book was not my favorite of all her writing.

So so dang funny. I’ve enjoyed getting to grow with Samantha. These are formative years and getting to see the transition from what’s funny 6 years ago to now was fun.

- I'm gonna be honest here, it's completely impossible for me to write any real review of a Samantha Irby book. I've been reading her writing for 15 years, going back to discovering her Bitches Gotta Eat blog while rotting away at my first horrible job after college. I will always adore everything she writes.
- What struck me most about this book has been this: it's a joy to grow up alongside Irby's writing. She and I have almost nothing in common, but I've been right there with her the whole time, from being a confused twentysomething to a confused nearly fortysomething.

This book was exactly what I needed this week- something easy, light, and funny to listen to in order to drown out the possibility of a thought occurring. Jokes aside, I really enjoy Sam Irby’s earnest and unabashed writing. It makes me feel less alone in my own little chaotic and neurotic brain.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars
If you’ve read or listened to any of Samantha Irby’s other books, you know what you’re getting for this one! I was laughing right from the start with the first chapter. I like it! (Exclamation point included) All of the stories were on brand (the bathroom is always a central character). Some of the sections/chapters were more relatable/easier to follow than others. Even though I listen to the Dave Matthews band, I don’t know the songs well enough to break them all down. Likewise, I watched every episode of the original SATC so I loved hearing about her involvement with the reboot, but it kind of lost me with the breakdown of every original episode. I don’t remember enough of things for it to fully hit me. And I know the author won’t judge me for being way too lazy to put in the work to make those sections relatable/relevant. Super fans will enjoy the blow by blow of the attempt to launch a show based on her life. As ever, I can’t imagine why anyone would read these stories when they’re definitely best enjoyed listened to with all of the inflections from the words on the page.
*Thanks to Vintage Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy for review

Samantha Irby blogs, writes books, and writes for television (particularly Sex and the City). She loves to overshare, which I love because if she's this much of a hot mess with her fabulous career, I feel so much better about being a hot mess myself. This book is also a bit of a hot mess. Parts of this book had me laughing so hard, while other parts came close to making me quit reading the book. I'm glad I didn't quit, because the good parts more than made up for the not-so-good parts. The description of her near-death experience due to anaphylactic shock was my favorite part of the book. I know that sounds horrible, but her play-by-play had me laughing so hard that my dog was wondering what was wrong with me. My least favorite parts were the Sex and the City section and the Dave Matthews section. I'm not a fan of either, so I either missed out on the humor or it just wasn't that funny. Also, her descriptions of her "bathroom issues" were funny, but sometimes went on too long. Definitely TMI, but also very relatable.

This book was my introduction to Sam Irby. I am going to have to go back and check out her other work (but not Sex and the City, lol). She is a relatable hot mess and I find it empowering. Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Another hilarious book of essays! We learn what Irby has been up to since the pandemic, around the time her last book was published. I seem to be Irby's target audience, being close to her age and enjoying crass, self-deprecating humor. I laughed so hard at some of her personal stories and really enjoyed the pop culture references within. Some or Irby’s most difficult and/or humiliating life experiences are presented in essays with such wonderful humor and vulnerability. My favorite essay was What If I Died Like Elvis. I could barely catch my breath because I was laughing so hard at her descriptions of going into anaphylactic shock from an unknown allergy. This is the perfect book if you’re looking for some escapism! I will definitely be picking up more of Irby’s books soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for providing this ARC.

I have read all of Samantha Irby's books and am a huge fan and her book does not disappoint! I always find myself laughing out loud (and I got stares on the train the other day) but I can't help it! She has the kind of humor I enjoy -- self-deprecating, scatological and just down-right hysterical observations on life and social norms. I too have IBD so her essay on finding bathrooms was so cathartic to me and I want my family to read this essay to understand my worries. Irby is a huge fan of the Dave Matthews Band and she lists different songs of theirs and why she likes them. I ended up listening to these songs and then created a playlist -- I can see what see likes about them! The irony of all this is that until now the only thing I knew about the Dave Matthews Band was the scandal caused by the tour bus driver who decided to open up the sewer hatch on a bridge that ended up causing a poop storm on passengers on a boat tour. I felt this was very fitting given Irby's focus. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

Quietly Hostile is a book that I have been impatiently waiting for since I finished Samantha Irby's last collection of essays Wow, No Thank You. I am a huge fan of Samantha Irby and she did not disappoint with this latest offering. Her voice is fresh, relatable and effing hilarious.

In typical fashion, I found myself laughing out loud while reading Quietly Hostile. All levels of laughter, from the soft chuckle to the classic knee slap. For me, it's a treat to dive into a book and see yourself and at the same time learn about new things from someone that has first hand experience. Ms. Irby does a great job of being witty, intelligent and vulnerable. Some standouts for me were: David Matthew's Greatest Romantic Hits, Two Old Nuns Having Amzing [sic} Lesbian Sex, Superfan, How to Look Cool In Front of Teens and We Used to Get Dressed Up to go to Red Lobster.

Totally shocked (and appreciative) that I was received the ARC of Quietly Hostile from the publishers, NetGalley and the talented Samantha Irby.

A gift. I will never hear Crush by Dave Matthews Band the same way again.

I read the first 20% on a plane because Samantha Irby's books are "in case of emergency" and FIVE small children in the row behind me for 10 hours is an emergency. So many highlights and covert little giggles.

Then I listened to the whole thing from start to finish, because I couldn't not. OF COURSE Irby and I could have been yelling at the TV together watching SATC decades ago. Of course she can find the humor in everything because life is funny! And weird! She gets it; I'm here for it; I like it!