In her latest book, Scaachi Koul offers a raw and unflinching look at her life, focusing on her marriage and divorce. Unlike the lighter tone of her first book, this collection dives deep into the pain and complexity of relationships, balancing brutal honesty with humor and fairness. While much of the narrative centers on her marriage, it also touches on body image, culture, childhood, and her deeply moving relationship with her mom. The essays are both relatable and thought-provoking, showcasing her ability to make even the most personal struggles feel universal. It’s an intimate, candid follow-up.

These essays will take you on a journey - not just of divorce, but of how Koul wrestles with her own responsibility for what happened to her marriage. Was it because she was too abrasive, too big, too much of a fighter? Or was it because her ex-husband made choices too? It’s all intertwined with Koul’s upbringing, relationships with her parents, being a woman of color, and basically…the patriarchy.

These essays are vulnerable and self-reflective. I found myself wanting to beg her to chill out a tiny bit (and for the love of god, not get married in the first place), but also f*ck that guy. She is unafraid to tell the truth about him, but only after dragging herself through a lot of mud first.

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

Scaachi Koul digs deep with personal thoughts on her marriage, divorce, family, religion, body image and self-esteem struggles. She tells you whatever is on her mind without missing a beat.

The essays are vigorous and spirited with a strong emotional appeal. She flips through a bunch of life events and then wraps each one up like she’s said enough. One can only wonder what her ex-husband and a few others may be thinking.

Writing is a form of therapy with her complex feelings and she doesn’t seem to hold anything back. I have to wonder what she will say next.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 4, 2025.

Scaachi Koul’s Sucker Punch is a striking collection of essays that feels raw, honest, and unflinchingly human. Koul's writing is brave, unafraid to dive into difficult truths about identity, relationships, and the messy contradictions of life. She doesn’t shy away from her flaws, and in doing so, she challenges readers to confront their own.

As a college student, I found it hard to personally relate to some of her experiences, but that didn’t detract from my appreciation of her work. Her words are beautiful, imbued with a vulnerability that makes the book deeply compelling. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to see ourselves reflected in every story to understand its importance.

Reading Sucker Punch requires an understanding that Koul is human—complex, imperfect, and navigating life like the rest of us. Her candidness, even when it’s uncomfortable, is what makes this book so real.

really excellent, thought-provoking book of essays. I loved her first book and was eager to read this one - it did not disappoint. Scaachi Koul is such a good writer. there's a moment in the book where she says that she just wants people to enjoy spending time with her on the page, and I did.

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.