Thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Thomas' previous book Here For It, and knew I had to pick up his new work to review. He has a way with words that’s hilarious yet insightful. His books are a lovely time to read, I think everyone could enjoy these books.

In this new essay collection, Thomas dives into finding himself and a community after moving back to his hometown, Baltimore with his husband. He discusses lots!

My favorite essay was on Oprah's Favorite Things episodes, in which audiences go crazy once they learn their getting lots of goodies and Thomas watches these reactions back on Youtube. They give a sense of dopamine, which when I rewatched these reactions I definitely felt that lol.

Thomas also discusses his struggles with depression, finding a church and friends as an adult, learning about taking care of a home in a pandemic. I also really loved the essays about supporting his partner after the loss of his father. His writing is so easy to read, and full of funny quips but also powerful statements on finding oneself.

I just love Thomas' writing and if you haven't picked his work up yet, for fear of nonfiction, I think you should give this one a go.

"Congratulations, the Best is Over" by R. Eric Thomas is a hilarious and insightful collection of essays that navigates the complexities of modern life with wit and charm. Thomas's unique voice shines through as he tackles a range of topics, from personal experiences to societal observations, with a perfect blend of humor and introspection. His writing style feels like a warm and witty conversation with a close friend, inviting readers to laugh and reflect in equal measure. The essays touch on relatable themes such as identity, relationships, and self-discovery, often laced with a refreshing dose of pop culture references. Thomas's ability to find humor in the everyday and turn mundane moments into memorable anecdotes is a testament to his skill as a storyteller. "Congratulations, the Best is Over" is a delightful read that resonates with readers who appreciate smart, humorous, and heartfelt narratives that capture the essence of contemporary life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that any book R. Eric Thomas writes, I will read. This is a hilarious collection of essays that straddles the bridge between dark and hopeful. He is a gay, black, pop culture journalist with a lot of thoughts on life as an adult, post-Covid. This one is a bit more on the serious side than his last essay collection, but I loved it even more. This collection focuses on the struggles of marriage, adjusting to life after quarantine, grief/loss, and how damn hard it is to make friends as an adult. It made me literally laugh out loud but also want to curl up in a ball at times. It's hard to do both! I, for one, also appreciated the plethora of pop culture references imbued throughout. If you are looking for something insightful and relatable with sarcastic, deadpan humor and an overwhelming message of hope, look no further.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this beautiful ARC.

This was fantastic! Thomas blends laugh out loud moments seamlessly with discussions of death, love, and living as a gay black man in America. I related to a lot of what he wrote in have a love/hate relationship with a city and his urgent care visit. The writing jumps off the page painting you a picture like you are listening to a long time friend. If you need a good laugh or cry I would give this collection a try.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book comes out August 8, and you’re going to want to get yourself a copy.

Eric has been making me laugh since I first read Here for It two summers ago and then immediately subscribed to his newsletter. This book is funny because Eric is funny, but there’s also a cracked-open feeling to it, a vulnerability that’s unique to this collection. Many essays reflect on the struggles of seeking connection and community as an adult, navigating a new marriage and moving back to a hometown you intended to keep at an arms length. There are passages on depression that had me googling “how do I get my insurance to pay for therapy?”

I was delighted to find that Eric and I have identical stances on where we’d like to be in the end times (not present!), but by the end of that essay he had me convinced that maybe, MAYBE, I might want to survive too.

Where this collection really shines is when Eric writes about his husband, David. From an engagement story that I think the Schitt’s Creek writers borrowed from, to the hardships of navigating a major death together, there’s so much tenderness as he describes “the work of love” in every day life, and at the end.

I loved this book, and if you’ve read this review and think any of it sounds even a little interesting, I think you’ll love it too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was recently at an event that R. Eric Thomas was also at; after the event, I read a few of his ELLE articles and really enjoyed them. I was looking forward to this read, but it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I was hoping for shorter, witty essays, but this just wasn't for me. I am sure others will enjoy it.
Thanks for the arc!

R. Eric Thomas has written an insightful, sad, funny, and hopeful series of essays with a deceivingly bleak title. I loved the references to 90s music and movies, and definitely related to a lot of Eric's emotional rollercoaster moments. I believe this this book will be enjoyed by a small, specific audience: elder Millennials/Xennials and the youngest of Gen X, especially those who are liberal and understand that Trump politics are dangerous. If that's not you...this might not be your book. If it IS you, enjoy!!

4.5, rounded up. The range of emotions that this one inspired in me was wild- from laugh out loud moments to tearjerking, quiet, and honest moments of grief (sometimes within the same essay). As a world we have lived through a lot over the last few years, and R. Eric Thomas has captured some of the rawness and realness of those times, but also I will never forget the bananas portion of this book involving a broken glass and arterial spray.

I'm so thankful to Random House / Ballantine Books, PRH Audio, R. Eric Thomas, and Netgalley for granting me advanced audio, digital, and physical access to this sweet treat. Congratulations, The Best is Over! is projected to hit shelves on August 8, 2023, and I purely enjoyed it.

A collection of essays with a comical take on some pretty heavy topics (grief, Covid lockdown, being a gay, Black man in Trump’s America). He completely won me over in the chapter about hiking when he said “I firmly believe that Mount Everest in none of my business.”

Poignant and laugh out loud funny. R. Eric Thomas tops his previous essay collection with this new work. Now that he has come out and found love, life still finds obstacles to throw in his way. The author confronts the ghost of his hometown of Baltimore and the city versus the suburbs and deals with married life and the pandemic. If you liked "Here for It" or the author's twitter or elle.com columns, run out to get this new volume. If you missed "Here for It", rectify that! Please note, I was gifted an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

For years I thought I wasn't a "collection of essays" type person, but in the past few years I have learned that that's not the case. I don't need a whole biography to get to know a person. Sometimes some essays on a variety of topics gives me a better look into who they are, their opinions, and their life.

While I enjoyed a few of the essays in Congratulations, The Best is Over!, I found that by the end of the book, I didn't really feel like I got to know the author. This book just kinda hops around to different stories, but never really lands anywhere. The writing was kinda flat. I haven't read a ton of books by screenwriters, but both that I can remember had this same flatness–the dialogue and setting exist, but there's no additional prose to round out the feelings and emotions and location.

I don't regret that I read the book, but it's also not one I'll be revisiting or will stick with me past the initial read and review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I very much enjoyed R. Eric Thomas' first essay collection, Here For It, so I jumped on the chance to read the ARC version via NetGalley when I saw it offered. Several other reviews mention how this collection is more negative in tone, as many of the essays touch on or directly deal with death, grief, depression, therapy, COVID, and others. Don't let that fool you, though! At its core, the underlying theme of every essay is that while life is chaotic, messy, unpredictable, and downright hard, with love and hope there is always a way through. Some of the essays are a bit uneven, but there are several standouts (the one on Oprah's Favorite Things jumps to mind) and plenty of true laugh-out-loud moments. R. Eric Thomas frequently muses on wanting to build connections, friendship, and community as an early-middle-aged adult (much like myself) - all I could think while reading this book was "damn, I wish I could be his friend!".

I loved Here For It and was excited to read R. Eric Thomas's new book of essays. Like others have mentioned this felt more serious than his previous work, but still had me laughing out loud, especially at the parts about home ownership. I enjoyed taking my team to read this and picking it up here and there throughout the course of the month. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House / Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this memoir, Congratulations, the Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas.
Call me a monster, but I didn't find it funny? I really wanted to love this one, but it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book, it was perfect to breeze through while still having deeper meaning. It made me think about my own relationship to my parents and deciding where to put down roots. I think it was a little disjointed at times, but overall an amazing quick read!

A very funny yet challenging collection of essays - the first I’ve read that dares broach the subject of life during 2020-2021.

Thomas up top seems to be an unreliable narrator, increasingly negative about everything around him and yet morbidly fascinated. He grows more earnest through the course of the essays: at one point, when he talks about possibly leaving his job, he says something to the effect of “it’s not fun anymore - nothing is fun anymore.”

This type of post-pandemic ennui was interesting to read. I’m not exactly the target demo and some subtleties were lost on me, but overall this was an enjoyable collection.

Thank you to NetGalley, R. Eric Thomas, and Random House / Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the funniest, deepest, most truthful post-COVID book I’ve had the pleasure of reading, Wonderful messages abound in “Congratulations. The Best is Over.” My takeaway - Life is destabilizing, unpredictable, often a mess, yet love endures, and hope in possibilities makes this passion play endurable (and, Amen to church values!) I also enjoyed R. Eric Thomas’s prior book, “Here for It” for its many hilarious observations.
In this book, he makes his journey home to Maryland (near his childhood home of Baltimore) emotionally vivid. He grapples with melding the person he is now with memories of who he used to be, His parents were grounding, along with all things theatre arts. The love of his husband, David, is particularly lovely and touchingly explored in this book. He demonstrates how all of these passions help him cope with the uncertainty of the outside world. I appreciate that scary, haunted dolls remain an enduring theme, especially when riffing about a former DC political figure. His signature cultural references make this a great read. Banal matters are none of his business, or ours. He keeps it real. Though I’m half of a “same-sames” couple, I can relate to R. Eric Thomas. I want to be his friend, sitting around his beautiful pond, complaining about those obnoxiously loud frogs, while also LOLing at any Saliere references he drops. I know a kindred soul. I only hope he’ll forgive me for showing photos of my fur-babies or at least feign interest.
Fantastic writing! Unforgettable book - I’m already planning to re-read, especially the parts about relatable suburban things like HOA’s, bargain mulch, and Nest cameras. And all the reasons to avoid boating. I appreciate this book for making even me feel sane.

One of the most fun reads I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. Every essay gripped me, made me laugh, made me think, and made me feel seen. I related to so much of what he was writing while also being entertained and enjoying it. I couldn't stop reading them and stayed up late to keep reading.


Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for giving me an advance copy of the book

R. Eric Thomas does it again! Here For It was one of my favorite reads of 2020, so I was anticipating this new essay collection and it did not disappoint. This book really brings you into the author's life and the insights that he shared resonated with me a lot.