The late 2000s/early 2010s were a heady time to be on the internet as an introspective 20something. Tumblr! Blogs! THOUGHT CATALOG! One of my favorite blogs to read was one called The Frenemy (sadly vanished from the internet unless you use the Wayback Machine). I loved Alida Nugent’s writing, which was funny and relatable and felt like it overlapped so much with my own thoughts and feelings about the world. So when she published a book in 2013, I put it on my to-read list. And a couple years later, I actually bought a copy. And now I have finally read it. Here’s the thing, though: the writing that speaks to you when you’re 27, or even in your early 30s and not quite fully settled yet, is very different than the writing that speaks to you when you have a mortgage and a child and a stable professional career. I read it feeling a pang of fond nostalgia for my 20something messy self, trying things out, feeling the simultaneous thrill and terror of not really knowing what you’re doing or where your life is going to go. Nugent’s writing in this essay collection is still clever and compelling, but I’m just at such a different place in my life that it couldn’t possibly have the impact on me that it might have if I’d read it ten (or even five) years ago. Alas. ( )

I'm in my late 20s, so I figured I'd give this a whirl to see how I "stacked" up, especially someone who's managed to get published.

Well, I think I'm doing ok. My idea of an adult dinner party drink is wine, NOT tequila and Triple Sec. I pay my bills on time and don't claim electric only needs to be paid when they're threatening to turn off the power. And while I too spent some time living with my parents post-college, I was in grad school and not layabouting in my childhood bed.

Parts of the book were good. I enjoyed the last chapter of finding your home, something especially relevant to those of us figuring out where we feel at home and at ease. And while she does have a wicked sense of humour, she definitely overuses it in this book. I found myself rolling my eyes time after time.

I can see why some people would enjoy this book, though, and like I said, I enjoyed parts, but overall, it was meh. ( )

nonfiction humor/memoirs (blogger). I only read the first 2-3 chapters, but didn't find it that funny. Not everyone can relate to Alida, but I'm sure some people will find it right up their alley, and hilariously so. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, but I've read more engaging pieces on thoughtcatalog. ( )

Mostly I found this woman incredibly annoying. The book was entertaining enough, and I usually like this type of humor. Perhaps this is indicative of my own age in that I don't find 20-somethings' writings very amusing...or perhaps I'm still too close to that stage to see the humor. ( )