Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. It hasn’t affected the contents of my review.
First, here’s the blurb, because I’m not sure my review actually does a great job letting you know what the book is about:
“A memoir reflecting on heartbreak, perseverance, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer.
Kristin and Jenny’s marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny’s favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the terms set, they began a journey that has led them through seven seasons of the beloved genre show, a podcast rewatching the series with their newly minted listenership of “Scoobies,” unexpected success, and a divorce. Through it all, their love for Buffy and their commitment to their community held them together against the odds.
Slayers, Every One of Us is the story of how two queer women navigated divorce on a very public level and managed to stay in each other’s lives through it all. While chock full of Buffy (and Buffering!) content for true fans, this is ultimately a memoir of queer love and chosen family. It’s a heartwarming story for anyone who’s experienced lost love, and a roadmap for staying close with your ex.”
I have absolutely no idea how Slayers, Every One of Us will play for people who don’t listen to Buffering and haven’t spent years getting to know Kristin and Jenny via audio, but I had a great time with it. I kept getting teary and having all these sad small cries that were over in like five seconds*. I started keeping track of them and had about six by the end of the book. As of fan of their podcast from literally day one (I have no memory where I heard about it; probably someone on gay Twitter), this was both like stepping back in time as they relived the early days, and seeing behind the curtain.”
*I mostly cried at the way they talked about Buffy and what stories can mean in everyday life, but there were certain real life moments for Kristin and Jenny that made get choked up, too.
An important warning: Absolutely do not read this book unless you don’t care about being spoiled for the entire plot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (it’s beyond me why you would want to read this book with no interest in Buffy, but hey, you do you). The whole point of the book is that their podcast journey through the TV show eerily mirrored Buffy’s journey, so they talk about it all.
I think if you like audio, the audiobook is the way to go, because a good part of this book is spent on talking about the songs Kristin and Jenny wrote for the podcast, in various contexts, and clips from the songs (and sometimes the entire song) are included in the audiobook. A lot more fun than reading lyrics in a book. Kristin and Jenny read the audio themselves, in an almost duet fashion, and I actually listened to an audiobook on 1.0x speed for the first time in forever because I’m used to hearing them speak at a certain speed and it was really throwing me off to have them at 1.25x or 1.5x. Presumably this won’t be a problem other people have. Even listening on a slower speed, I managed to listen to this whole thing in one day.
I do have a hard copy of this book coming, which I’m glad for, because I think they included exclusive content in each format, and I want to look at the pictures.
