I can REALLY appreciate Sam’s openness, vulnerability, and wit, but a lot of these essays didn’t land for me - and I think I would have a hard time pinpointing who to recommend this book to.

I don’t know enough about Dave Matthews, and I DEFINITELY don’t know enough about Sex and the City to truly appreciate a 33-page chapter rewriting episode after episode. I was just not in the in-group here and that was a massive section of the book! I also felt a bit overwhelmed by the self-deprecation at times.

But there were some moments that had me smiling from ear to ear. “Please invite me to your party?” A total masterpiece. Same with the commentary on teenage approval and navigating public restrooms - and Sam’s essay on reconnecting with a half-brother was very sweet. 

In general, I much preferred the essays that were about Sam’s personal experiences to the ones that were commentary on other media. They were so much more relatable. I enjoyed more essays than I didn’t, but there were some really long pieces in the middle (ie. “Superfan”) that I had to force myself to finish.

CW: excrement, vomit, death of parent, chronic illness, medical content, fatphobia, pandemic, body shaming, grief, ableism, terminal illness, abortion, sexual content

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