Thank you to Random House for inviting me to review an early copy of this book.

Trigger warnings for the book include the death of a parent which is talked about in multiple essays and the COVID pandemic. Both come across in Part 2.

I have no idea who the author is, but opening the collection up with cupcake-craving-induced baking is genius. I was immediately hooked, but I knew it was going to hit hard since I’m in my own cupcake days that have stretched from my mid-20s to my almost mid-30s.

The book is divided into two parts where the essays were short, sweet, and to the point. The two parts are divided in time between pre-COVID and COVID. There’s definitely a tonal shift where the anxiety and hijinks of Part 1 are played for laughs but then Part 2 it really shows what’s underneath the mask we all wear. Part 2 is definitely heavier because it takes place in 2020 post-COVID hitting the US. It was truly wild to be reminded of what was going on at the same time; this really showed how wonky time is/was.

Overall, I enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud at various parts.

This memoir in essays caught my eye in the Modern Mrs. Darcy (Anne Bogel) Summer Reading Guide. I am so glad I was provided with an e-galley from Netgalley and Random House, ensuring that this gem didn’t get lost in my endless TBR list. R. Eric Thomas has immense talent that enables him to write about anything with incredible wit and levity without diminishing the pain of depression and grief. Thomas is open, lovingly sharing his experiences in the years surrounding the pandemic. He doesn’t shy away from the darkness of mental illness, fear in the face of racism, or the surreal and painful experience of losing someone. And yet, this book had me laughing the whole way through and trying to explain to others the comedy of an amphibian gay bar. Despite the fact that Thomas is a queer Black man and I am a straight white woman, I found much to relate to in his essays. I’m willing to bet that the audiobook read by the author will be a particular treat for readers and look forward to listening to his previous essay collection, Here For It, in the near future.

A new collection of humorous essays from pop culture journalist R. Eric Thomas. Some of these were better than others for me but there were definitely parts that made me laugh out loud (the Oprah's favorite things chapter) and were very relatable (the chapter on the joys and pitfalls of working from home), etc. Good on audio read by the author and recommended for fans of authors like Samantha Irby. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

Pros: I first heard about R. Eric Thomas on Annie B. Jones’s From the Front Porch Podcast and read his first book because she raved about it, and I trust her taste. I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed the author’s first book. Even though our lives are very different, I find him to be very relatable. His essays are funny and poignant and a delight to read.

Cons: I read this book on my Kindle, and although it was great in that format, I think I would have liked it even more on audio narrated by the author.

4+ stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book.

This was my first book by Thomas and I really enjoyed his poignant essays. In this book Thomas takes us through his life by talking stories of home and growing into a new person.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been meaning to read R. Eric Thomas's first collection of essays, Here For It, but never got around to it, so this is my first introduction to his work. At first, I was a little put off by his jaunty, light, devil-may-care writing style, but it did grow on me, especially as the essays became more meaningful and poignant as I moved through the collection. I think my favorite essay is the one about the death of his father-in-law and helping his husband navigate the grief. Eric is honest, transparent, and funny, and I do want to go back and read Here For It.

My only regret with reading this as an ARC is that i KNOW R. Eric Thomas will do an incredible audiobook of this. It deserves to be read out loud! The way that he consistently makes life and current events at turns relatable and hilarious is really such a gift to the world.

NetGalley ARC.

Another title from R. Eric Thomas that is genuine and full of heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would recommend this to fans of his work. I would have, however, liked to have listened to it on audio.

Congratulations, The Best Is Over was a lovely collections of essays reflecting on aging, familial relationship, surviving, and marriage. I loved the honest way R Eric Thomas explored all the tough feelings and things about ourselves that we might not always like about ourselves. The essays regarding his father-in-law’s death were so raw and showed the delicate balance we walk when supporting our spouses through life’s difficult moments. I’m looking forward to reading more essays from R Eric Thomas.

So many books describe themselves as "laugh out loud funny." but this is one of the rare ones where I actually did laugh out loud! Thomas' book is funny and touching, and I really liked it all. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Mr. Thomas for the ARC of this wonderful title

Cute, funny, a little quirky. A perfect book to read on the go, as it’s easily digestible and moves around a lot.

It had me laughing (I even read the bit about HOAS aloud to my husband) and it had me empathizing (especially the chapter about Rick). It touches on city life and suburb life and marriage and jobs. Like most good books, it offers nuggets of wisdom that will stick with me.

I've never met an R. Eric Thomas title I didn't adore--and this is no exception. I love his particular brand of memoir-in-essays, and his latest work, Congratulations, the Best is Over is truly Thomas at his finest. I can't tell you how many times I stopped to reread a sentence or anecdote that tickled me, made me tear up, or did both at once. Truly, this is his superpower. I can't wait to buy a copy in August!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

It isn't often that one's sophomore book ranks higher than their first, but "Congratulations, The Best is Over!" did just that for me. I devoured his first book years ago and couldn't wait to dig into this one- and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it! From beginning to end, I felt transported to Baltimore and invited into Eric's life. I already look forward to reading his next book!

Anything Eric Thomas writes is an absolute treat and this is no exception. I feel so glad to have had the opportunity to read this as an ARC, and know it will be a smash once released. I loved so many of these essays, and it felt like a good progression from his last novel of essays.

Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse for an advance copy of Congratulations, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas.

I was delighted to be approved for Thomas’ second memoir in essays since his first book, Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, was one of my favorite books of 2020, and his newsletter is hilarious and one of the few I’m subscribed to that I actually read with any regularity.

I love that this book, while still true to his comedic style, strikes a more serious tone as it addresses topics of depression and loneliness. This book asks the question: what now? When you’ve bought a house? When your father in law dies? When you’re a humorist and the world feels like it’s coming apart?

I love the way Thomas’ writing is both/and — personal and pop cultural, flippantly funny and intensely vulnerable. His storytelling inspires me to write in a way that few people do, and I’m so excited for more people to read this book, out August 8th.

I absolutely loved Here for It, so when I saw that Thomas wrote another non-fiction book, I was so incredibly excited. Unsurprisingly, I also adored this collection of essays. It did not disappoint!

This book is a compilations of short essays about being an elder millennial entering midlife, grappling with depression, moving back to Baltimore (& building a community as an adult), coping with loss, and enduring the pandemic. Sprinkled throughout are Thomas’s hilarious commentary. Each are thoughtfully crafted, heartfelt, and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed the retelling of the gruesome arm injury - I was literally cackling. And the mountaintop proposal was filled with lots of joy and humor beyond being so sweet and endearing.

This was such a fun, lovely read and I would highly recommend this to anyone!



Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but felt like the second half was for someone in a different stage of life than me. Maybe I'm not yet at the point where I want to read COVID stories, but while there were more meaningful essays in the second half, I don't feel like I could truly connect with them. That being said the writing style is great, the first half of the book is hilarious, and for someone who can go either way on essays, I enjoyed it.

I loved This second of Thomas’ delicious memoirs . The writing has a wonderful flow making it hard to put the book down.. I was fortunate to receive an advance reader copy of the ebook..

Who is it for? If anyone has found it hard to make friends, this book is for you. It doesn’t seem like this should be a thing in any city that has multiple venues for meeting people, but it is, even for someone with a brilliant and quick mind and sense of humor in a big city and in proximity to unlimited venues. It goes on to share how the writer and his husband made it through the Covid-19 pandemic, buying a house, and the death of his father-in-law. The over- arching message is one of hope, which we never tire of nor lose the need for..

I am a straight, conservative, white Southerner, so I am fairly certain that R. Eric Thomas did not envision me as part of his intended audience when he wrote Congratulations, The Best Is Over! However, when Anne Bogel recommended this book of essays in her Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, I requested and received an ARC from the publisher and discovered that Thomas is very funny, at times laugh-out-loud and insist-on-reading-to-my-husband so, as in this passage about a visit to his childhood church:

<blockquote>But enough people approached me like a total stranger that I was like, "Is this shade?" I would have respected that. But no; they really didn’t know who I was! I would tell them, "It’s me! Eric! Standing here next to my parents, whom I resemble, and my brother, also in the same genetic neighborhood." And their eyes would widen and their mouths would fall open and they’d say, "Eric?! I didn’t even recognize you!'</blockquote>

As funny as he is, though, Thomas's true strength in this collection, and the element which bridged all of our disparate demographics, is the way in which his love for his husband David shines through, whether they are trying to outrun hypothermia on their engagement hike (in "You Said Outside, but You Ain't That Outside"); "shout-enunciating" at each other in the midst of a medical emergency (in "Oh My, This Soup's Delicious, Isn't It?"); making the dreaded move to the suburbs, with its screaming foxes requiring exorcism (in the titular essay); or negotiating different perspectives on household furnishings (in "This Is Wudder"):

<blockquote>After David and I moved in together, the question that always arose in our house was, "Is this clutter or is this a treasured personal artifact that Eric is heartlessly trying to donate to Goodwill?"</blockquote>

(By the way, Eric, honey, after almost 40 years with my husband, I can tell you that will ALWAYS be the question.)

I do want to be brutally honest with my fellow readers (because, after all, isn't that the purpose of a review?). Some of Thomas's descriptions of his life experiences as a gay black male in America made me uncomfortable, so if you are looking for 100% fun and fluff, this may not be the book for you. On the other hand, if you can take a little poking at yourself and your fellow white suburbanites in exchange for the opportunity to read a collection of warm-hearted and humorous slices of life, I encourage you to grab a couple of your favorite cupcakes and sit down with Congratulations, The Best Is Over! And don't forget to read the Acknowledgments; you won't want to miss the after-party.

I received a free copy of Congratulations, The Best Is Over! through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, Quirky but also, there were some essays quite thought-provoking. I enjoyed them and still think about a few of them daily.