This was such a fun book for all fans of parks and rec! I loved every second of it and definitely need to go rewatch the show now!

I loved this book! I was fortunate enough to see Mr. O'Heir at a comic con a few years ago and he brings the delight of seeing him in person to the written word. He tells personal stories from his time on the set and has interviews with other cast members and staff from the show. I had was given an advanced copy and it didn't have all the pictures that were shared in the book. So I will be picking up a physical copy to browse! I loved this. For Parks and Rec fans this is a must read!

I'm a big fan of Parks & Rec so I was looking forward to reading this one. Jim O'Heir has a very familiar, Midwestern vibe which is on full display in the writing style. I haven't listened to his podcast, but I would assume the book is a continuation of that. The book is separated by seasons, covering the personal and professional trajectory of the show and Jim's career. There are plenty of stories about his time coming up in the acting world and a bit about his family life. There are asides with quotes or interviews with different cast members or show creators to give a bit more context for the nitty gritty of how this show was created and came together.

The downside to the folksy, Midwestern style is that it can be a bit circular and/or boring. Jim is working so hard to be nice to everyone (understandably) that many stories end up with a "but that's life". I also didn't feel like there was a lot of particularly new information. The insider details were more around the details of show making rather than interpersonal experiences of the actors. Some of that was very cool to hear, but it wasn't really what I expected.

Overall, a good read if you love the show. And I thought it was fun to hear it all from Jim. It's not often that you get to hear from a character actor like this and I appreciated that most of all. (Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!)

Heartwarming insider look at Jim’s journey and the making of Pawnee! Parks fans will love every moment! Jim, Jerry, Larry - the sweetest guy.

As a huge fan of Parks and Rec, Jim’s account of his time there was phenomenal. I absolutely enjoyed this read!

The release of "Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation" couldn't have come at a better time, as I am currently in the middle of my annual Parks & Rec rewatch. For lovers of the show, Jim O'Heir's chronicles of the cast and episodes is like a warm hug from Jerry Gergich. I will be thrilled to purchase a physical copy to keep for my collection, to pull out and help me reminisce about one of my all-time favorite comfort shows.

**Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

A fun read, especially for Park and Recreation lovers. O’Heir shares his behind the scenes stories and memories of being in the show, and includes snippets from other cast and crew members! He also includes stories from his life before and after the show. I learned a lot about him!

This book was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Parks and Rec is one of my ultimate comfort shows and I loved getting a behind the scenes look at the positive work environment that was fostered by the cast and crew and also some fantastic stories from some of my favorite episodes. Also, I really enjoyed Jim O’Heir’s writing style and related to him in so many ways. The way he wrote about his costars turned friends was so lovely and it makes me want to rewatch the show immediately with the new knowledge of I gained from this book. I laughed several times (no surprise there) and teared up a few as well. I think this is a must read for any Parks and Recreation fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Pawnee is a wonderful accompaniment to Parks and Rec. Jim O’Heir tells the story of the show from his perspective, but with the help of his fellow cast and crew members. His reminiscing brings back the wonder of the show (and reinforces how amazing everyone involved could be), but doesn’t shy away from the lowlights. The stories are told in a cohesive order and in a way that connects Jim’s life outside the show with the years on Parks and Rec. I highly recommend this book if you love P&R

as a huge fan of parks and recreation this was such a good read. it was a humorous but heartfelt look behind the scenes.

What a fun read! I love Parks & Recreation and jumped at the chance to read Jim O’Heir’s book. This book had a great balance of insight into Jim O’Heir’s career and the behind-the-scenes of Parks and Rec. I really enjoyed the quotes he brought in from various cast & crew members. It's the perfect book for any Parks & Rec fan.

Thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Welcome to Pawnee by Jim O'Heir--a memoir and look back at Parks and Rec by the actor who played Jerry. I love this show but found I was less interested in O'Heir's personal musings. This book releases on 11/19. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

Jim O'Heir, who played Jerry on Parks & Recreation, and his stories of making this beloved sitcom may be better suited to podcasting as a format rather than writing. While it certainly gives the impression of a nice guy who loves working in comedy, his voice is just a little too informal, a little too simple to make the work feel like a well-crafted memoir. This is exacerbated by the structure flowing back and forth between O'Heir's writing and long quotes from other cast and crew members. Hopefully formatting of the final book will make these block quotes stand out, but in the review copy I was provided, it was sometimes difficult to tell when one voice stopped and O'Heir's resumed. There are some nice tidbits about the show, but it's not the best show biz memoir out there.

Leslie Knope is legit who (ironically) inspired me to get my Master's and become a librarian. I've loved Parks and Rec since college, so when I found out Jim O'Heir wrote a book, I could not wait for it to get to Goodreads.

It's a memoir mostly focused on his time in Parks and Rec. The fact that there isn't "hot gossip" in the book is refreshing, and feeds my theory the cast actually liked each other. The book ends a bit abruptly once he talks about the last day on set, but I guess that's to be expected since it focuses on the book. Either way, if it's Parks and Rec related, I will read it.

Thanks, NetGalley!

I’ve always loved Parks and Rec, As an Hoosier, I have always been super proud that it was based in Indiana. I enjoyed reading Jim’s stories and insight behind the scenes. I can’t wait to rewatch and reread this book again.

O'Heir shares behind-the-scenes stories from his time on "Parks and Recreation" alongside his own journey as an actor. It's a lot of fun, recommended for fans of the show.

Living in Indiana and going to college in Muncie (the city map is in the opening credits of Parks and Rec, just upside down) and now working near Carmel (Eagleton) in a Library this book was MADE for me. I loved this series when it was on and it's still one of my comfort watches. As a Librarian or a "Punk Ass Book Jockey" it simply delighted to journey back to Pawnee. Thank You Jim!

As someone who has watched Parks and Recreation all the way through several times on streaming and still turns on random episodes when they air during syndication, I truly enjoyed this book. Jim O’Heir (Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich on the show) provides a heartwarming history of what it was like to film Parks and Rec for seven years. Jim also provides some insights about his life as an actor outside of being on the show. Several other cast members and crew also provide their insights throughout the book, and there are quite a few great behind-the-scenes photos.

There weren’t any sordid details or gossip about cast members that came out in this book, if that’s what you’re looking for. Rather, Jim shares heartwarming, comedic, and fun memories from his time on the show and beyond. From the way Jim presents it, the cast and crew were as close off-camera as they appeared to be on screen. Jim talks a lot about his close relationship with Retta while filming and this was something I was not aware of. The book is a fun, quick read filled with never-before-told stories, and I flew through it.

If you are a fan of Parks and Recreation and want the opportunity to go back to Pawnee to experience these characters again in an even more intimate setting, I recommend checking this book out.

I really wanted to like this, but I was disappointed by how boring this was. This was neither a memoir about the author’s life, or a complete oral story of Parks and Rec. It was just some disjointed behind the scenes facts and a lot of Chris Pratt hero worship.

What a lovely book! I loved hearing all of the behind-the-scenes stories from Parks and Recreation. It made me have an even deeper appreciation for the show and everyone involved in making it. The pictures were a fun addition as well. I appreciated that there were also interviews from the creators and other cast members. Overall, it was super cool!