Hardcover, 240 pages
Expected publication: April 25th 2017
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: ARC provided by Penguin
Rating: 5/5
BuzzFeed senior writer Erin Chack provides a collection of personal essays for the Snapchat generation.Erin recounts everything from meeting her soulmate at age 14 to her first chemotherapy session at age 19 to what really goes on behind the scenes at a major Internet media company.She authentically captures the agony and the ecstasy of the millennial experience, whether it's her first kiss ("Sean's tongue! In my mouth! Slippery and wet like a slug in the rain.") or her struggles with anxiety ("When people throw caution to the wind, I am stuck imagining the poor soul who has to break his back sweeping caution into a dustpan").Yet Erin also offers a fresh perspective on universal themes of resilience and love as she writes about surviving cancer, including learning of her mother's own cancer diagnosis within the same year, and her attempts to hide the diagnosis from friends to avoid "un-normaling" everything.
I had to start this book the second it arrived. It is one of those books that just sounds so good so I actually squealed when it arrived at my house. As you can tell, I had very high hopes for this one and I'm happy to report that it didn't disappoint.
There's an addicting quality to nonfiction told in essays and this is no exception. I loved Erin's voice from the very first page. There's something so refreshing yet familiar about it (think Jenny Lawson) that really connected with me. Erin tackles serious issues in a very light and honest manner. Her take on cancer, romance, and work is refreshing and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. My only complain is that, at 240 pages, it is rather short. I think this is more of a man, I wish this was longer because I really enjoyed every single page than anything else. So, in a way, my one negative is more of a compliment. Oh, well.
This Is Really Happening delivers exactly what it promises: it is a hilarious collection of essays. If you're on the fence because it is marketed as "personal essays for the Snapchat generation," please know that the contents of this book can be enjoyed by all. Erin is so likable that you'll feel like you're having a drink with your best friend.
* A huge thank you to Penguin for mailing me an ARC! 💜
