This is similar to her previous book Cultish in that Montell relates very engaging, entertaining, and highly informative psychological and social concepts to useful and memorable examples. This goes a lot more personal than Cultish, but I found the memoir portions and anecdotes for the most part interesting and relevant. There were some really fascinating factoids in this one (including some of the most surprising in the footnotes!). It did feel a bit broad at times for a short book, especially since these chapters read more as essays, so I think the "Notes" in the subtitle is very fitting, that's what these felt like: interesting, highly relevant to the current moment notes on our overly online existences and what it's doing to our brains, personalities. I think the main takeaway is it's healthier all around to spend less time online and worry less about what we read and see there, or at least take it less seriously.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC! All opinions are my own.

I've been a long-time fan of Amanda Montell. Her nonfiction books are probably the only ones I can stomach and read through. When I saw she was coming out with a new book about overthinking, I knew she wrote it for me (this is completely rational).

Each chapter of The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality dives into different types of biases and mental processes that constitute societal interactions. I found myself reflected in a lot of what she discussed, and although I had a basic understanding of many of the different types of biases she presented, I genuinely learned a lot! I also appreciated how she was more vulnerable in this book than some of her others, embedding her personal stories alongside scientific research. Her voice really shines through in this book, which is one of the reasons I love her writing style so much.

That being said, I think the pacing of this book could be a bit better. For some sections, I was left wanting more as the topic was very engaging, whereas others felt like it was droning on and on. While this isn't my favorite book of hers, I definitely enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone!

I liked Cult-ish, and I liked this even better. Sometimes it feels like she has too many ideas to cohesively communicate them, but I was able to sort of fit the puzzle pieces together in my own head and appreciate why she had put them all there in the first place. I find her highly-researched yet personal approach to nonfiction refreshing.

I find books like this hard to rate because each chapter feels like different articles and some resonated with me more than others. If I were to rate chapter 3 on its own, it would be 5 stars. If I were to rate chapter 11 alone, it wouldn’t be as high. There were a lot of interesting insights in this book however, I was hoping for more insights on how to making the best of my overthinking and manage it.

Amanda Montell does it again—accessible, engaging, entertaining and relatable nonfiction. I’ve now read all her books and I’ve loved them all.

This one took me a little longer to get through because I read the ebook I think and I far prefer to listen to her on audiobooks instead, she just has a very conversational and gossipy (in the best way) tone that I feel like is made to listen to, and pretend you’re besties just having deep and personal chats that still somehow cycle around sociology terms but as applied to your fave pop culture or online obsessions… like the halo effect but applied to Taylor Swift, or how cognitive bias play into wellness culture and misinformation, or how the sunk cost fallacy keeps us in toxic relationships.

I’ve been familiar with most of the terms she’s framing in new ways here, and it’s a super enjoyable read as always.

She’s so interesting, funny and intelligent and I’m always down to go where her mind wanders next.

Forever fan.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with advanced reader copy for my honest review.

This was an engaging and well-written book that combines a little memoir with modern day culture study and social science issues. I've read the author's previous 2 books, and this was my favorite of them. I may not agree with everything the author puts out there, but she presents her case in a smart and effective manner.

I found that I enjoyed reading this as a chapter at a time, letting a day or 2 go by before starting a new chapter.

I look forward to Montell's future books.

While somewhat different than Amanda Montell's previous works, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. This one is more introspective, with bouts of memoir interspersed with her research, but in this case, that worked quite well for me. If you're a fan of Montell, or are interested at all in the subject, be sure not to miss this one!

Many thanks to Atria for the digital review copy!

The Age of Magical Overthinking is Amanda Montell's deep dive into a variety of documented cognitive biases and how they influence the way we see the world. She incorporates her own personal stories as she details research about things like the sunk cost fallacy or recency bias, reminding us that our brains aren't always quite as reliable as we think they are.

Alright, let's jump right into my review of The Age of Magical Overthinking!

What I Liked

As always, Montell's tone is just so captivating. She balances her genuine curiosity about the world and her own mind with scholarship, creating a text that is both informative and relatable. We feel okay learning that our minds play tricks on us because Montell admits openly that hers does, too.

The subject matter is fascinating. As someone who always kind of wished I'd taken more psych classes in college, I love learning about how our minds work and the shortcuts they take. While I'd heard of a few of these cognitive biases in psych class, there were a few others I'd never heard of. I felt like I learned something in every chapter, and had fun doing it.

What I Didn't Like

My only real complaint about the book is that it felt a bit short at times. That's partly because the percentage read in my Kindle tricked me because the endnotes are a thing, but there were some chapters where I felt like we'd just really sunk into the subject before we were off to the next.

While this is technically a downside I think it's also a compliment because what it really means is that I wanted to listen to Montell explain cognitive biases for longer, which essentially means this book was great.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy learning about how the human mind works and like a nice, personal approach to research, I highly recommend The Age of Magical Overthinking. I laughed, I learned, and I thought about how I think about things. Overall, a great reading experience.

After reading (and enjoying) Amanda Montell's popular novel, Cultish, I had high expectations for The Age of Magical Overthinking. Not only did this book live up to my expectations, but I honestly enjoyed the book even more than her previous work.

What I loved:
- The data: Amanda Montell does her research, and it shows. While Cultish focused heavily on historical stories with science scattered throughout, The Age of Magical Overthinking really leans into the psychology research, with a heavy focus on cognitive biases. Even though I'd learned about many of these topics before, it was truly fascinating seeing Montell describe the ways in which these cognitive biases appear in our current society. The way that she wove in personal anecdotes (including a toxic breakup, putting a parent on a pedestal, and getting sucked into online beauty culture) made her examples more relatable, and the data more salient.
- The pacing: This was a quick read. Even though there is a decent amount of data, the book doesn't get bogged down in facts. The chapters read quickly, and it was easy to zip right through this one.
- The takeaways: As I worked my way through this book, I was forced to take a step back and truly consider how seemingly rational people can sometimes make such questionable choices. As we enter a year that is already politically fraught, and certain to become more so, it was fascinating to see the psychology behind human's decisions. Montell also suggests ways that we can become more aware of our biases, and thus more thoughtful as we make decisions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy.

I cannot rave about this book enough! The cross pollination of social science and pop culture was music to my ears. Admittedly it was different than what I was expecting but in the best way possible. My college courses covered cognitive biases and I remember showing little to zero interest in what they had to say...that is until Amanda Montell decided to apply it to current, sometimes divisive, topics. Really can't recommend this enough if you're hoping to walk away feeling like you learned something!

Another hit from Ms. Montell. I already devoured her previous books, Wordslut and Cultish. I loved this book as well. Amanda has a way of drawing you in, no matter the subject. I can't wait to see what else she does in the future.

I was a fan of Amanda Montell's previous novel Cultish so this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! This novel felt more personal coming from the author and this comes through with the way Montell interweaved her personal stories with cultural critique and commentary. The whole time I was reading it, it felt like I was catching up with an old friend and reminiscing about the bad ol days.

I appreciate that it's very accessible as I'm very picky with my non-fiction reads. It was refreshing to read something raw and insightful while still being very engaging and relevant.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Montell's previous work and her current podcast, Sounds Like a Cut, I was excited to dig into her newest. The Age of Magical Overthinking is a culturally relevant, accessible piece of psychological insight. I so appreciate that Montell leans into the humor and optimism that so much of her research inspired, and that she is able to present data and explanations of cognitive biases in a way that feels personal and refreshing. An excellent read and one I'm sure I will find myself coming back to again and again!

I love the way Amanda Montell’s brain works!!! She is so good at taking complex topics and translating into modern society. I’ve been a fan of hers forever and am thrilled at the success she’s getting. While I think I am a Wordslut girlie at heart, I still really enjoyed this. It does get a little dense at times, but I switched to the audio version (read by Amanda!) and that helped a lot. Can’t wait to see her continued success.

“chapter 1: are you my mother taylor swift?”

you know i’m gonna be having the time of my life when a book starts like this. since the very first chapter amanda tells me exactly what i’ve been thinking for the last maybe 6 months, and because of the i’m perfectly sure these kind of books come to your life in the perfect moment.

all the different bias we learn throughout this book are things i hope we all know deep in our brain, but are too afraid or not ready to accept and learn. i find it very refreshing to actually understand how our mind works the way it does, and having so many background information that’s explains it in a very simple and easy way, amanda did it so beautifully here and i can’t wait to read more of her amazing works. also the audiobook is narrated by her and it’s just so interactive and quick to follow.

thank you netgalley for the anticipated release in exchange of an honest review.

rating: 4.5 stars

Montell has solidified herself as one of my favorite authors with this one. Everything she writes turns to hilarious gold.

Thank you so so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I definitely learned a few things from this book! I really enjoy Amanda Montell's writing style! I appreciate the amount of research she puts into her novels + I made an extensive list of books to read after reading this! Overall a good non-fiction book.

It's always easy to see books such as this and assume the overarching narrative is going to be naggy, negative, and ultimately somewhat downcast - don't try to actualize, basically. But what I loved about this book is the sense of hope and joy about the wonders of the world and ultimately the LOVE that this book has in it!

This book was an absolute freaking pleasure to read. In addition to being well-researched, Montell's dedication to making non-fiction books fun to read is apparent. Her ability to utilize a turn-of-phrase and keep me hooked is impressive. Highly recommend to anyone interested in psychology, sociology, or astrology.

Amanda simply does not miss. Reading this felt like talking with a friend and I couldn’t put it down.

I love her writing so much and am a fan for life!!

Highly recommend to pretty much anyone.