This bordered on 'too' raw for me. Funny in parts, poignant in others, but I found the majority to be quite crass and nearly gave up after the pants-wetting chapter. Also this should have either been a book about SATC or not about SATC, not some weird hybrid that devotes a lot but not all to the show.

I am a long time fan of Samantha Irby and I was really looking forward to this. Not just for the essays themselves but to find out how her life has been over the last couple of years. Like catching up with a long time friend you haven't seen in ages ( only the friendship is one sided obviously).

I loved this. I am sorry I have finished it. Full of Irby's usual spit your drink out humour. Unapologetic, entertaining and properly funny. I loved the SATC essay, her covid perspective, getting on with teens. .....I loved it all. I missed her voice when reading though so immediately went and bought the audiobook of this, Samantha Irby reading Samantha Irby is my favourite way to consume her content. Relatable, hilarious, honest and entertaining. Nodody does it better.

4 stars

( and even though its not part of this review, 5 star for the audiobook).

samantha irby is hilarious - i thoroughly enjoyed her first three collections, and quietly hostile is no exception. i listened to the others on audio, and her writing voice is so distinct that i could totally hear her in reading these essays. she has a good balance between funny in a silly way, and funny but also vulnerable and talking about something more real. i especially enjoyed the essay about her siblings, and that ending really got me.

This is one of those books that is both full of idiosyncrasies and yet completely relatable. While some of the experiences she shares might not be ones that readers are familiar with (making a TV show based on your life, being rushed to the hospital in anaphylactic shock, trying to find ways to connect with/not embarrass/tolerate your teenage step-child), the inner workings of her mind and the near constant awkward embarrassment feel universal (I too, would wait in line at A&E as my airways closed so that no one thought I was rude for trying to push to the front). As often as Irby describes herself as cynical or is sharing memories that are full of discomfort and self-consciousness, her writing feels liberating in the way that it acknowledges how difficult life can be, and yet picks up, carries on, and finds the humour and the good parts in amongst it all. This collection gets pretty weird in places, but it is always fun, and it made me actually laugh out loud.

Last week, I read Samantha Irby’s fifth essay collection, ‘quietly hostile’, which is released this Friday (18th) and I have to say, I liked it!!!!!!!

I like it!!!! is the name of the opening essay and sets the tone well for the rest of the collection; one of unashamedly revelling in self acceptance, unapologetic (often dark) humour and niche cultural references. This was my first time reading Irby’s work, but I doubt it will be my last. Irby is confident is her style, and the book fires joke after joke at the reader, I often found myself laughing out loud whilst reading.

That’s not to say that Irby’s topics are glib- she deals with COVID, ageing, sickness and health but the collection never feels too heavy, and it’s interspersed with essays about how Irby plans to ruin the Sex and the City reboot and a definitive ranking of her favourite Dave Matthew’s Band love songs, to lighten things up.

Without access to the same very specific cultural touch points as Irby, you may find yourself a little lost at times. I can also imagine that her style and tone- of cutting wit, and excessive exclamation points- may be grating to some people, but I found it very accessible and enjoyable!!!!!! Essay collections can be daunting and often heavy going and critical, but Irby manages to speak candidly about her life, making important observations on difficult subjects, but with real humour and warmth.

Sadly this one didn't really do much for me, but that's not really the book's faul. Humour is such a deeply personal thing and a book that can really have one person in tears can be totally unfunny to another. Also, with an essay collection like this quite a bit of your enjoyment rides on whether you find the topics discussed in the essay interesting, and a long essay in this was all about Sex and the City, which I have never seen and have no interest in, and there was no way of understanding it without having watched SatC. I also wasn't interested in knowing what the author has eaten or who she has pissed on, but that's just me. Someone else could easily be very entertained by it, I'm sure.

Incredibly funny, Samantha has a sharp wit and a strong voice, and this essay collection is fantastic. There are a few stand-out essays - “What If I Died Like Elvis” particularly made me laugh out loud. I will definitely be reading whatever she publishes next.

I have never encountered Samantha Irby before, but she has apparently received widespread acclaim. for this collection of essays and her other writing. Personally, I did not warm to it.

Hilarious and disturbingly relatable. An unflinching, no-holds-barred collection of essays on a variety of subjects from allergic reactions to sex and the city. A thoroughly clean enjoyable read but not for the easily shocked.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this hilarious book.

Really enjoy Samantha Irbys books and this is no exception. She's definitely become a go to author for me and I'd pick up anything she write!
However, this isn't my favourite work for her. I think I much prefer an audio version of her books as her narration adds such a special touch.
Also felt some chapters were a bit to long.
I'd advise listening to her other work before this one

Samantha Irby simply does not miss!! She is the goblin queen of my heart.

Quielty Hostile offers more of the same of her profound, hilarious essays and while you could accuse her of being samey, who cares when the offering is this good?

Listen, Samantha Irby is not going to re-invent the wheel on this, her fourth collection of essays. We've got more IBS talk, more travails of being a person alive in the world, and more pop culture discussions. Add to that some discussions of married life, and life during a pandemic, and you've got something that feels classic and modern all at once. She is magic.

Some of it was lost on me - not Irby's fault, but mine as I haven't watched Sex and The City - but I still found plenty to giggle at. She remains one of my favourite essayists - I'd gladly read her shopping lists.

Another crack up essay collection from Samantha Irby. She is one of the very few writers who can make me laugh out loud.

I enjoyed the varying length and form of the essays - some were short and more akin to a blog post, some were longer and more in-depth. My favourite was Superfan!!!!! About Irby’s relationship to Sex and the City. I wished it had included her take on every episode.

Some of the stories were more vulnerable and bittersweet. Irby has a distinct way of turning these situations into insight through her humour which serves this collection well.

Some stories I wished went a little further with the narrative, building to a punchline rather than a satisfying end to the story. But perhaps I am just being greedy for more Irby musings!

Overall, extreme Gen X goblin girl vibes.

Props to who chose the title, 10/10.

Pick up this book up if: you are a Samantha Irby fan, duh. Or you need a laugh!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had never read any of Samantha Irby's writing before but I am pleased that I did. I enjoyed 'Quietly Hostile', a collection of essays (well, observations and experiences, really) that have largely come out of the past few years of Irby's life.

Even though she has a distinct writing style and many of the stories are quite amusing, there is something about the candid tone (and overuse of exclamation marks/points) which jars with me. Here, we have tales of the writer in the Covid years, through to her experiences with family - and a rather large, dull section on 'Sex in the City'. Unfortunately, having never really watched that much of 'SITC', I did not appreciate the episode dissections and observations on different characters. I felt a bit like the one who is left out with an in-joke.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This book is similar to Samantha Irby's previous collections of essays.
The chapters vary from funny (Sex and the City) to extremely graphic about her toilet habits. And the chapters about bowel movements keep appearing throughout the book when you think the subject has been exhausted.

Sam Irby is a gift from the 00s blogger boom that keeps giving. She is frank and hilarious. Quietly hostile perfectly illustrates how difficult it is sometimes to just be A Person Doing Things whilst managing your health, family career and email inbox. I really relate to it as an elder millennial myself. I honestly don't know how Irby writes so much and manages to keep it fresh but she does it every time.

I squealed with joy when I received my ACR copy of Quietly Hostile. I love Samantha Irby's writing, her honesty and his she makes me cackle with delight and recognition.

Quietly Hostile doesn't disappoint. Over almost twenty essays, she covers a myriad of topics including the time she dated a man who wanted to pee on her, her love for Dave Matthews Band, nearly dying of anaphylactic shock, porn categories, how to look cool in front of teens and the time she nearly met Bill Clinton.

As any fan of Irby's will know, she has for years dealt with an IBS type condition. She doesn't shy away from describing in eye-watering detail what this entails for her personally (her constant monitoring of her food) and when in public (advice on how to deal with public toilet blocks).

I just love her writing - how sharp, funny and self-deprecating she is. I would definitely invite her to my party.

Available in July from Faber Books.

Samantha Irby's writing just really works for me. She's sharp and funny and has a perspective on the world that I can get on board with. I enjoy essay collection but few as much as hers. From an SATC deep dive to early pandemic woes to lesbian sex and so much in between. It all works for me. Great to pick up and get lost for a while.

I have read and loved every single one of Samantha Irby's previous collections. However, while I enjoyed this and read it compulsively, it somehow didn't always work for me. She's still funny and her essays still flow incredibly well but something was missing. The first essay was absolutely brilliant and very much captured how the beginning of the pandemic measures felt like.

I find some of Samantha’s past very relatable, I wish I could write as well as she does. For me some of these were a completely hilarious hit and some were a miss that I couldn’t get in to.

Sharply funny, no holds barred, self-deprecating essays from Samantha Irby, writer, comedian and sometimes script writer on Sex and The City. Irby is brutally funny about growing up in poverty and the difference between her world view and those who have been raised with privilege. She writes with razor sharp clarity about her debilitating illnesses in a way that is engaging and with very little self pity, which is a feat, given what she has suffered. I enjoyed every single one of these essays, even the one about SATC, which is a show I watched twice and gave up on because it had absolutely nothing to say to me, and to make me keep reading there is nothing short of a miracle. Wildly enjoyable. I am now off to find all her other books.