I did this one as an audiobook, and it is a testament to how delightful Mindy is that I chose to listen instead of my continuous loop of the Hamilton soundtrack. It currently takes a lot to knock out that particular gem out of rotation.
And yet Mindy succeeded by being her charming, quirky self. Another collection of essays similar in vein to her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (which I loved), this one is obviously an older, more mature Mindy. For the most part I really loved it! Her essays are always smart, relatable, and witty. She’s the kind of woman that one wants to be best friends with. So much. I mean, even Barack Obama wants to. Also we had this in the car, and even Mr. Beth Ellen found himself laughing out loud with her. That is a true feat. “Lady humor” is not his genre of choice.
The only part of the audiobook that didn’t really work for me was Mindy’s essay on her alternative reality if she didn’t make it in Hollywood. While a very cute story (and totally her), it just didn’t translate well to audio as it’s told almost entirely through email so there’s a lot of repeating signatures etc that just get quite repetitive after a while. Otherwise though I highly recommend the audio, although I think once it’s out in paperback I’ll probably get a copy. I enjoy being able to flip through her first book to re-read my favorite essays easily.
So this one is a definite recommendation! If you’ve enjoyed any of her writing before, be it on The Office, The Mindy Project or her first book, then definitely pick this one up. Or if you’ve enjoyed say Tina Fey or Amy Poehler’s books but haven’t tried Mindy yet then you definitely should. She’s a delight!
