Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld in exchange for an honest review.

Show Don’t Tell is an appealing short story collection by Curtis Sittenfeld, author of several outstanding novels including Prep, Eligible and Rodham. I enjoyed all of the stories, which were tightly written with engaging characters and interesting narratives. (The exception to this general rule was the final entry which I found a bit too long and disjointed.)

Sittenfeld’s style here is to plunk you down in the middle of the action and leave you to figure out what’s going on, a construct I like. Four stars for this one, out in February 2025.

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite writers when it comes to relationships. I feel like she has a knack for creating characters with complex emotions. The first few stories in this book started off strong. I found her openers to be very self-reflective and enjoyed seeing characters of different ages. My favorite books by Sittenfeld have been her alternative history novels: Rodham and American Wife. It’s no surprise, therefore, that my favorite selection from her upcoming release is a loose retelling based on Mackenzie Scott entitled “The Richest Babysitter in the World.” I would be thrilled if Sittenfeld chose to pursue her story for a future work of speculative fiction.

I lost steam about halfway through this collection, however, and started to find the stories a lot less memorable and more superfluous. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with our revisit of Lee from Sittefeld’s popular novel Prep, which I imagine will be a big draw for many readers. Rather than focusing on Lee’s character development the story depicts a second chance romance from High School. I find it difficult to imagine anyone would be invested enough in their High School experience for it to hit the same level of preoccupation as it does for Lee. I know taking on this character carries some level of risk given that former readers of Prep will have their own expectations, but in my opinion, it just went in such a strange direction.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

In Show Don't Tell, Curtis Sittenfeld does a great job with character building and scene setting in this compelling collection of stories. I don't necessarily feel like I was the target audience for this as a woman in my mid-20s, as most of the stories were about characters in middle age who are dealing with changes to their relationships, whether that's partners, friends, or children. However, I still felt myself interested in the characters and was impressed by the author's ability to build a meaningful story and character arc in 40-50 pages. I've found myself in a bit of a reading rut lately, and this was a welcome change of pace because it was easy to pick up the book whenever I had 30 minutes or so to read, finish a story, and put it back down for a day or two to start with a new story.

While I enjoyed the writing, by the end of the book I found the stories to start becoming repetitive. They mostly centered around a Midwestern woman in her 40s-50s, who is divorced or on the brink of divorce, dealing with some problem that seems to be tied to finding personal meaning. My favorite stories from the bunch were the outliers plot-wise, about a college-aged babysitter and a woman attending a high school reunion . I guess the author was writing what she knows, but I think a few of the stories could've been cut to avoid feeling repetitive.

I will read anything Curtis Sittenfeld writes, but her ability to write a short story is perhaps unmatched. This collection was moving, compelling, and I couldn't put it down. I wish each story was a full novel, just to get more of her prose, but I was so impressed with how she managed to say so much in such a short medium. Bravo, I'd give this six stars if I could!

Sittendeld just understands people and writes them beautifully. I was captivated by her clever, insightful, and funny writing in this group of short stories. Despite being different lengths each story is well developed and interesting to read. In this group of stories Sittenfeld truly does show not tell which is what makes her such a good writer. Overall a great selection of short stories that I recommend!!

Short stories are always a struggle for me. By nature, they usually lack character development and resolution, but occasionally you find one that’s really wonderful. But even some of my favorite authors who write novels and short stories often lose me with the latter. This book was no different in that the stories generally did not keep my interest and portrayed the same type of middle aged, depressed, repressed Midwestern woman grappling with her age, relationships, and life. It was just like reading different versions of the same character who was not particularly interesting.

Another winner by Curtis Sittenfeld.

I loved this book of short stories. They were so real and relatable. It was about how life isn’t perfect but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be a good life. I loved how realistic the stories were by talking about the pandemic and politics. So many books these days don’t mention the pandemic at all after it was such a huge part of people’s lives.

Even though they were only short stories I found myself invested in each characters’ stories and I loved how many of the stories let us know how the characters’ lives ended up.

I don't usually reach for books of short stories but as I like Curtis Sittenfeld's novels I was eager to give this one a go. I'm glad I did! The author packed a lot into each story. There was interesting character development with characters exploring various unique situations and while I often felt like I wanted to read more, the stories were overall very satisfying. They left me with space to think!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I loved this collection of short stories! I was a fan of Sittenfeld from "Romantic Comedy." These stories touched on white privilege, aging, and how relationships change over time. I recommend this book to all, as I think there is much to be learned here.

Loved catching up with Lee again after all these years. Curtis is an excellent writer always - I'll read anything she writes. i do prefer her longer novels to her short stories though.

Short ARC review for a collection of short stories!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For those who like:
-short stories
-Curtis Sittenfeld always a reliable author
-characters that are raw, flawed, real and funny
-reading about human relationships and life at a crossroads

"Show, don't tell" is a writing technique that allows readers to experience a story through actions, words, and sensory details, rather than the author's description. This technique can help create a more immersive reading experience, allowing readers to feel like they are "in the room" with the characters.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the ARC copy! Releases February 2025!

I was disenchanted with these short stories as they did not meet my expectations of sophisticated, well written stories crafted by a mature writer. Rather they read like stories by an MFA student who is still figuring her way in the world and is writing about only her current world.. Most of the characters are college age, inexperienced in life, and shallow. Sittenfeld has written several first-rate novels which makes these dumb short stories even more dissatisfying.

Curtis Sittenfeld’s Show Don’t Tell is a wonderfully crafted collection—a rich tapestry of stories that delights, devastates, and leaves you craving more. Each piece feels like a precious fragment of life, from flawed, self-aware characters to intricately written relationships. Sittenfeld brings her signature mix of humor, candor, and poignancy, making even the quiet moments feel profound. Her stories hold up a mirror to the complexity of female friendship, marriage, and the subtle transformations of midlife, all with a light but assured hand.

Some stories, like The Richest Babysitter in the World and A for Alone, tugged especially hard on my heartstrings, blending bittersweetness with moments of revelation. And then there’s the last story, Lost but Not Forgotten, a revisiting of Lee Fiora from Prep, which soars—its dual timeline and rich layers left me stunned and wholly satisfied, capturing the nostalgic ache of looking back. It might just be the best in the book.

Show Don’t Tell is truly a collection to savor: my only complaint is that I wish each story could be a full novel! Sittenfeld has crafted a masterful exploration of lives that feel both intimate and universal. For those of us who have followed her for years, this collection is a gift—a beautiful and generous look at life’s next chapters.

Phenomenal story collection. I highly recommend it. Sittenfeld is great at crafting. characters and relationships. I found each story in the collection to be fascinating.

I really struggled with Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld, a compilation of short stories. I loved novels Prep, American Wife and Romantic Comedy. While her short story telling is similar to her novels in that the characters are realistic, the story lines deal with women, marriage, social situations and normal life situations, I just don't think I'm a short story reader. Midway through the book the characters started blending together to me. I wanted more from some of the stories and just wasn't interested in others. I would definitely say to give Show Don't Tell a try but personally, I prefer novels.

I love Curtis Sittenfeld's writing so much that it's hard to explain. I'm not big on short stories, and usually reading a collection of them is hard for me, because they don't keep me as engaged and the momentum keeps being killed by each one ending as soon as I'm getting into it. But I read this in two sittings and basically couldn't put it down. Sittenfeld just writes in this way that's perfect for my brain, and even when starting a new story and having no idea what it's about, I know it'll take maximum two pages before I'm hooked.

Also, I can't believe I didn't realize there was a follow-up story about Lee Fiora in here!!! As someone who had an unhealthy obsession with Prep as a teenager, it was really exciting to get to see more of that world. I was worried the story might be disappointing or depressing, with all my personal high expectations for it specifically, but I loved it.

I don't even know what else to say. Reading anything by Curtis Sittenfeld makes me want to reread everything else I've read by her. I love the way she writes women who are often morally grey, overly direct, and very observational. I love the way she writes every little interaction in such detail, with all the miniscule ways people signal things to each other. I love how matter-of-factly she writes about sex. I love how she makes everyday things feel as thrilling and important as they are to the people they involve.

I think when I was in high school, Prep was really foundational to the way I learned about the world, and about myself, and about the different ways people could exist and be teenagers (as silly as that might sound). And now, in a way, these short stories are giving me a lot to think about regarding middle age, marriage, parenting--things like that. Not in as intense a way of course, and I know now more what is bad about a lot of the relationships in this book (as opposed to teenage me not realizing some of the ways people treated each other badly in Prep). But still, it's there. I'm glad I got to read this book, both in general, and because it was a really good distraction from the world these last couple days. I definitely want to own a copy once it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I am sad to say I struggled with this one. First allow me to say I loved Romantic Comedy but this collection of short stories just wasn’t for me. The stories I enjoyed most seemed to abruptly end and the ones I wasn’t invested in went much longer than I felt they needed to. I particularly enjoyed The Marriage Clock and The Hug. I felt disconnected from many characters in some stories.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Random House Publishing Group, the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this story for review.

No one writes better characters than Curtis Sittenfeld. I will fight that argument to the grave! Every single person she’s ever created feels so undeniably real, I have a hard time believing they’re not.

On that same note, it’s very hard to root for most of them, especially in a short story format. I had to go so deep on real human problems with minimal resolutions that I found myself overwhelmingly anxious after every chapter.

I’ve also read two of the stories in previous formats, so I was disappointed by the repurposed content.

Overall, excellent writing and if you’re a short story lover, you may like this. I personally wouldn’t have finished if I didn’t already love the author as much as I do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the early review copy! I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited to read an arc.

I'm a proud long-time reader of Curtis' work, thanks to her ability to weave topical moments in culture into interesting, fictional narratives. I always know I'm going to walk away from her writing satisfied, plus giving me more to think about afterwards. "Show Don't Tell" definitely lives up to that description, and these short stories give such interesting jumping off points, especially during this moment in history. A great antidote to those times when you want to get lost in a book, but don't have all the time in the world to do it! Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House for my copy.

I really enjoy Curtis Sittenfeld's writing style and this book is no different. Her style lends itself to short stories. They pack a punch. They'll absorb you. I would recommend this to any short story readers.