i felt so many things as i read— love, rage, tenderness, curiosity, mystification, tenderness, love (and much more). gratitude, gratitude, gratitude that this book, this person, exists. (and her mom, too. special shoutout to her.)
this book is vulnerable and ferocious. from the heart of a poet. it’s magic.

While not a lover of poetry, I found "Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City" to be a bit like poetry. Jane Wong's memoir about growing up in New Jersey, her relationship with her mother, her boyfriends and exes, and how she came to be a poet were all themes that were intertwined throughout many smaller stories throughout. While the title made me think there would be a lot going on in Atlantic City (I'm a Jersey girl), there was just as much taking place in the Pacific Northwest. Overall, an interesting memoir. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

So in love with this book and the way Jane writes about New Jersey, food, and herself. Read this one immediately,

A complicated and raw memoir- Jane writes pieces of her life in a really poetic way. The memoir did feel a bit all over the place, going down paths from different stories that didn't quite connect back until chapters later. Being a restaurant baby, she continually draws from that part of her childhood throughout the book to question pieces of her life now. The pieces where Jane speaks of herself in the third person were also hard to follow for me. The title of this book is, "Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City" holds meaning in Jane’s life, but I also loved reading the little nods to the PNW and Bellingham through the author’s eyes.

I love memoirs about people who aren't famous or wealthy and who still turned out to have creative careers. I really got a feel for what it was like to be a "restaurant baby". It was very lyrical and a joy to read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this memoir. It's smart, raw, honest, and incredibly brave. It's also really funny and complicated and the protagonist's smart, wry voice really has incredible character. I love how the prose feels like poetry and the narrator has the grace and skill to paint even the most complicated characters with empathy and compassion. Can't recommend this one enough!

Meet Me Tonight on Atlantic City is a memoir, so the author is validated using her own voice. That being said, it is far too strange a read for me to hear about gritty Atlantic City told in such a poetic and flowing way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.