The audiobook is a true performance! I laughed so hard at the beginning. OMG the illiterate boyfriend and her bed teeth killed me.

When the book turns to more serious topics (9/11, infertility, racism) it is obviously less fun. I think Michelle Buteau is at her best when she's cracking jokes. When she gets serious, it's interesting to hear about her personal experiences, but most of her insights about serious issues were pretty basic. So the book sort of lost steam as it went along. The best parts were in the first 2/3s. ( )

There were some very funny bits that were definitely highlighted more by Buteau's comic telling. ( )

honestly this is hard for me to rate because her voice reminded me so much of my best friend from back home. not the sound of her voice, but just so much of what she said i could just hear my friend saying, in exactly the same words. so most of this book i really liked because it reminded me so much of my friend.

and parts were funny, which i was ripe for. other parts were thoughtful. it was a nice mix, although i am not sure it flowed well between the different tones. every time it got serious i was surprised. she also didn't read those parts as well; she was choppy in her reading and seemed to be trying to sound somber. i suspect she's more comfortable with levity and knows the cadence of those stories because of her work as a comic, but the serious stuff was harder to pace when reading aloud. (that's my take, anyway. i don't know her work and had never heard of her, but it seems true from this book.)

so mostly i liked this, even if she overused the word "bitch" and didn't nail every essay. there was enough in here to keep me happy and, even apart from making me think of my friend, enough of a message as well. ( )

Best for:
Big fans of Michelle Buteau

In a nutshell:
Author and Comedian Michelle Buteau provides a look into her life, sharing both the highs and the lows. CN for miscarriage.

Worth quoting:
N/A (Audio book)

Why I chose it:
I very much enjoyed Buteau in Always Be My Maybe. I've recently watched her Netflix special, which also got me chuckling.

Review:
I'm struggling a bit with this review. There are parts of this book that I really loved. She tells a great story, she's relatable even though she and I don't have loads in common, and she's open and honest. There are parts of this book that had me laughing a lot, and parts where I teared up. There are the expected stories about life as a stand-up comedian, and the unexpected honesty about working in a newsroom in NYC on 9/11, and her experiences with miscarriages and surrogacy.

I think my rating is based more on the delivery of the audiobook. It was a bit jarring. I'm used to her style of stand-up and speaking, but there was an unevenness to it all that felt like perhaps she hadn't read her words out loud before recording. I don't know. I think for once, I'd say I bet the paper version of the book is better.

On the positive end, the book is filled with a lot of motivating words that don't feel forced. There's an almost infectious confidence that comes from Buteau, which I appreciated.

Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it. ( )