Sucker Punch dives into different situations that have delivered a sucker punch in Koul’s life; from her divorce, her mother getting sick, and confronting / getting stuck in a complicated friendship.

Although the topics of this book could be heavy, Koul still uses humor throughout.

I have enjoyed her articles on Buzzfeed in the past, and I would love to go back and read her first memoir in the future.

ohhh my goodness.
I requested this on a bit of a whim and was completely knocked off my feet from the first essay.
this collection is real and funny and, at times, so breathtakingly relatable that I had to put it down and just stare at a wall. It feels dramatic but I will be forever grateful for Scaachi Koul for having the courage to write this and putting words to feelings that I felt alone in.
Truly my only complaint is that it's not out yet because I want to hold it in my hands and reread it and annotate it and give it to my friends and make them wonder what parts made me sob.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. <3 One of my favorite reads of 2024 will be out in 2025.

Maybe more of a 3.5, but I'm rounding up.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an ARC of this book. In exchange, here is my honest review.

In her follow up to "One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of this Will Matter", Scaachi Koul peels back some of the layers on her life to show us the unpleasantness that lurks behind, particularly on her marriage and her divorce. It's an interesting read, since things had been painted in a sunnier more forgiving light in her prior book.

The title really sums up what this book feels like -a sucker punch. I was expecting some entertaining father anecdotes, some witty jokes about growing up, and a lighter take on divorce. Instead, this was a brutal and honest retelling of how her marriage fell apart before it even started. She wasn't kind to either party, and that gave it a sense of fairness.

As I was reading, I found myself thinking, "When is she going to talk to anything else? This keeps going back to her marriage." But, I later realized her divorce was used as a framing device to narrate so many other crucial points that have brought her to this point in her life. There are dad anecdotes, there is discussion about body issues (which was relatable), a glimpse into her childhood, stories of her culture and religion, and, my favorite part, an incredibly touching narrative about her relationship with her mom. This got me thinking about my mom, and may I just say, wow moms.

I think this book is a really interesting follow-up to her last book, and I appreciate the candor she gives her audience. She didn't have to do it, but she did it anyway.

This was a really great, illuminating read about life, marriage, relationships, and family. I really loved how no-holds-barred it was all written and how she basically turned herself inside out to be honest about her life and perspective. She writes so beautifully that it can make the most tragic situation sound lovely and ridiculous. She truly laid herself bare in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it! She’s the writer that I wish I was. Phenomenal sophomore book and can’t wait to read more from her!

I’m usually someone who reads personal essay books in chronological order, but the description of Sucker Punch had me eager to dive right into Koul’s latest work even without much background on her life. I really enjoyed this book, especially her writing style and her knack for candid self-reflection. All in all, spending a few hundred pages with Scaachi was nice, and I'd recommend this book.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I wish I had read her previous book first to have better context of all the marriage narrative. I think I would have enjoyed more if I had read her first book.
This is a raw narrative that shares her emotions, especially when Covid began and the feelings of loneliness.

Sucker Punch is just that - a raw, unflinching, honest collection of essays mostly framed around the author’s divorce that pack an emotional punch.

Memoirs and essays can be difficult to rate. Not everyone is going to get the same thing out of reading them depending on your own life’s experience. That being said, this collection of essays is one of the best I’ve ever read. Scaachi’s words made me feel seen as someone who also married and divorced young.

“Sometimes it feels like there is so little I can remember about my marriage and my divorce and the thousand little cuts that I endured, and other times, I remember so much, so vividly, that it feels like I might be living in someone else’s life.”

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced readers copy in exchange for this honest review.

A raw, candid look at the author's failed marriage and the complex relationship she has with her Indian-Canadian family, especially her mother. She's pretty hard on everyone in her life, but no one more so than herself. I wish there was a glossary of some of the Indian terms she uses, but I always enjoy a good google so that's a pretty minor quibble.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

When I read "One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter," I was 22 and graduating college. It feels so strange to be reading Scaachi Koul's new book at 28, thinking about the ways both of our lives are different now.

The thing I admire most about Koul's writing is how open and honest she is. Even when there are no easy answers, no ending wrapped in a bow, she searches for the meaning of things. She is funny, introspective, and knows how to tell a story.

Fans of her first book will like this one; there is a lot to root for.

I have essentially been waiting for this book to come out since I finished reading One Day We'll All Be Dead in 2017. If you, like me, were one of the many who replied to Koul's oft-repeated Twitter question ("Who wants an update on my dad?") with "Yes! Always yes," then you understand.

I very rarely laugh at books, but I will always laugh at anything Scaachi Koul writes. Books, articles, tweets (RIP @scaachi), Instagram stories. Don't let the humor distract you, though; this book has a lot of soul. I have a feeling this will be dubbed a "divorce" book, but it's also a book about the love Koul shares with her parents. For a new reader, or for someone not familiar with Koul's social media, her relationships may seem confusing at first. You mean she loves not only her parents, but Baby Braga and Adrian and Elamin? But all she does is insult them!

But this, friends, is how Koul shows love. As she clarifies here, she only fights with those she loves. Because they will be there in the end.

No pressure, Scaachi, but I'm ready for the next book now.

This might start out humorous and “well, we’re just like that”, but I think the author is easing you into murkier, deeper subjects. She does so with ease, telling some fun tales sprinkled along the way, and then she hits you with the truth. And it’s not a very nice truth…more for the guy who decided he can be whatever he wants without consequence. She admits to her own faults with crystal clear honesty, but she also builds up to telling the true misery that her husband brought to her life. And really, he sounds like your typical mean boy who never grew up.

Dear ex of the author, if you read this review, I mean it. Your spite and inability to be decent to the woman you “loved” is far more about your character and truth than hers. I mean, she still refrains from many dirty details, but she also gives the truth of divorce to many. So many people have gone through this, and so many have been threatened with retribution if any truth comes out that I have to like the frankness of her words. It’s a little cathartic and a lot “f you, I’m finally living my life” and while it’s a tad chaotic, I sort of think this shouldn’t have been told any other way.

Thanks for the review copy. As an English major I adore a great collection of essays. The cover is interesting. Koul is original and very funny.

This book is a for a select group, probably of Indian Americans. It assumes a prior knowledge of Hindi or Urdu vocabulary and possession of Indian family culture and background.

I loved Saccachi Kohl’s first book her second is just as good a raw intimate look at her life her emotions.She is now a married woman describing her marriage her divorce.Her arguments with her parents had me laughing out loud. Visiting with her again was a pleasure.Im looking forward to more catch up essays from her. #netgalley #st.martins

Great book! The plot and characters were believable. I would read another book by this author. A part two is a must.

This was such an interesting read, that really captured the pain, confusion, and heartbreak that accompanies a relationship ending. I was really taken by the different cultural details that Scaachi included, and found her explanations of the different figures in Indian culture as they relate to her own experiences fascinating. I thought the sequence of the stories really did an amazing job taking the reader on the emotional roller coaster along with her, and I found her self reflection about how she grew up and how that may have impacted her to be extremely interesting. I really liked this book and will definitely recommend.

This was a raw and emotional read.
Difficult at times but well worth it.
I was not familiar with the author’s previous work but will certainly search it out.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

As I was reading Scaachi Koul's "Sucker Punch: Essays," I couldn't help asking myself "What happens on the way to a happy ending?"

What happens when you're on the verge of setting aside the crap, getting ready for domestic bliss, on your way to marriage, and then suddenly everything spirals downward?

Sucker punch, indeed.

Koul's first book "One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter" established, if her journalism career already hadn't, that Koul is willing to confront her own life, her family, and our culture with a refreshingly open, blunt, and occasionally intimidating honesty. That first book dealt with everything from race to body image to rape culture. An Indian-Canadian woman who grew up in Calgary, Koul writes with equal parts wit, wonder, warmth, and a healthy dose of sarcasm.

With "Sucker Punch," Koul was expecting a different tone as she headed into marriage and seemed on her way to a different kind of life.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Her marriage fell apart. She lost her job. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Again, sucker punch.

"Sucker Punch: Essays" reads like what happens when you're expecting one life and get another. It's filled with moments of exhilaration and moments of emotionally clawing toward light. It's witty, sarcastic, heartfelt, insightful, and challenging. It won't resonate with everyone, I can honestly say it didn't completely resonate with me, but for those who click with it it'll be a necessary read and a constant companion. For all of Koul's willingness to challenge the world, what's perhaps most illuminating here, and often quite funny, is that she's also willing to challenge herself just as passionately. She calls out B.S. relentlessly, her own and everybody else's.

Truthfully, this is probably more of a 3.5 read for me, however, I'm sticking with the 4-star because this will no doubt click with fans of Koul's writing and will no doubt be incredibly meaningful for those who embrace Koul's journey. There are those books where the reviews are going to be all over the place - truthfully, I doubt they even matter here.

Funny, honest, and with an emotional resonance that sneaks up on you, "Sucker Punch: Essays" is yet another winning collection from this Emmy-nominated journalist and Ambie Award-winning podcaster.

I’ve been a fan of Scaachi since her first book that I read on a whim last year and absolutely loved it. I think in my review I said something about being disappointed that she had no other books out so I’d just have to find her online and form a parasocial relationship with her. I did find her online, I’m subscribed to her news letter Hater Nation, and occasionally like her posts and stories on instagram.

Anyway imagine my shock and delight to learn she was coming out with another book! Now imagine my awe that I got approved for the ARC! I will say I absolutely expected to be rolling around on the floor laughing for this one and received a stark reminder that the author is older (sorry, Scaachi!) and has Gone Through Shit. I don’t even know what to say or how to review this, how do you review someone’s thoughts and feelings on their divorce? It feels crass to speak on it, but what I will say is men are trash and this book does make me want to go back and reread the first one and see it with new eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review,

I wasn't sure what to make of the book's essays. Some of them were difficult for me to understand, while others were likable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to reading other works from this author.