Thank you, Atria Books. for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Book just finished Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles and Parks and Recreation, by Jim O’Heir.

I made the mistake of never seeing Parks and Recreation when it was on the air, but I got caught up by binge watching it during the COVID pandemic. So I was unaware of the backstory about how the story originated and the casting stories. I enjoyed reading about them in this book.

But, unfortunately, the book as a whole was too inconsistent. There was a bunch of stories that I enjoyed, but also many that just weren’t that interesting.

I give this book a B. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, a B equates to 3 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I originally finished reading this on July 16, 2024.

This book felt like sitting down with a dear friend and listening to them tell you about some of the happiest, most important moments in their life. And let me tell you, I couldn’t stop listening. Jim O’Heir played the lovable and hilarious character of Jerry on Parks and Recreation.

Through behind-the-scenes moments, cast and crew interviews, and hilarious tell-all moments, this book walks you through the entirety of Parks and Recreation from Jim’s audition for the show to the series finale wrap party.

There were moments so heartfelt that I found myself tearing up (which I hardly ever do when reading books) and also several moments I was laughing out loud at the hilarity of it. Because, of course, this book wouldn’t be a true product of Jim O’Heir’s without being incredibly funny.

Any fan of Parks and Recreation needs to go ahead and read this book. And then, when you’re finished, go binge watch the series all over again, as I plan to do as soon as I hit “done” on this review.

Thanks to net galley for this arc! This will be a great time for any parks fan. While Jim shares some hilarious stories.its almost too reverential to his cast mates. As if he's afraid to ever even intimate something negative about anyone (except Newt Gingrich). Overall had so much fun though and the pics were great!

This was like walking down memory lane! Jim O‘Heir mixes his own backstory with the story of Parks and Rec in a wholesome, honest and loving way. He understands his audience and gave us in Parks fashion a look into his time on the show. The cast and crew are included in a fun way and share their memories.
I was obsessed with Parks for a while there, so I enjoyed the anecdotes of the set and between the actors. I never listend to the podcast, so I don’t know how much it overlaps like the office ladies book did. Overall it was a little surface level, but since I hadn’t really done a deep dive in a while, that didn’t bother me much. Cute, fun time in between big, dense books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy!

This was such a treat! I've been a fan of this show for so long, rewatching it all the time for a pick me up. I loved this behind the scenes look and the interactions between the cast members you can just tell they care about each other so much! Thank you so much for the e arc!

I could not put this book down from the moment I started it. Nor did I want to! Aesthetically, this is gorgeous. That cover? Incredible. The formatting and colours and photos all just work so well. I love all of the inclusions of memories from cast and crew of the show, and the way it was included was so easy to follow.

I think to really appreciate and enjoy this book, you have to be a fan of the show. Not just a “I’ve watched a few episodes” or a “well I like Chris Pratt so I’m intrigued” type fan. There’s a lot of specific moments and episodes mentioned, and as a huge fan of the show I loved that. I loved remembering all of those moments, and I’ve never wanted to do a rewatch more than I do right now.

The entire cast of Parks & Recreation all seem like such good people. Jim was so open and honest about everyone and their connections to each other, even if sometimes the memories weren’t perfect (like when cast members left the show). I loved reading about how they are genuinely friends, and call and text each other. I feel like I learned so much not just about Jim, but all of the characters that I’ve grown to love throughout all of the episodes I’ve watched.

I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy of this, and I highly recommend you do too if you’re a fan of the show. It’s lovely, and I’m so excited that it was written.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.