You Think It, I'll Say It is a collection of short stories from Curtis Sittenfeld, author of a few other well-known books, including Prep, Eligible, and American Wife. I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but I've been feeling fairly blah about the last two books I read (one still to be finished...) so I requested this one in hopes of finding something refreshing, and I am so glad I did. And of course, thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. 

These stories are sharp - bracing, witty, and honest. I was grabbed immediately by "Gender Studies," which centers on the interactions between two unlikely partners - a feminist professor and an early Trump supporter, which also garnered a legitimate laugh for the quote above. "Bad Latch" really nails the complicated relationship between judgement and projection in early motherhood, and how difficult and vulnerable it can be to make mom friends. "Plausible Deniability" is also a stand out, as is "Off the Record." The underlying theme through all of the narratives is the question of how what we think about others - and what we think THEY think about US - shapes our interactions with them, for better and for worse. Any of these stories alone would make excellent book club fodder, as there is endless room for discussion in each. Sittenfeld's collection is truly an excellent reflection of the nature of human relationships, in ways that are not always pretty, but true.

A stellar collection of short stories exploring how time affects our relationships with others, and ourselves. I found each examination of marriage distinct and compelling, and I think this collection only grows stronger as one continues reading. Another excellent piece of writing from Sittenfeld, and with a beautiful cover!

I haven't read any short stories for awhile but needed a book that would allow me to drop it or awhile and then come back to it. This fit perfectly for my need. The stories for the most part were easy to read and likable.

I’m relieved to have aged out of that sense that my primary obligation is to be pretty, relieved to work at a job that allows me to feel useful. Did I used to think being pretty was my primary obligation because I was in some way delusional? Or was it that I’d absorbed the messages I was meant to absorb with the same diligence with which I’d studied?

Curtis Sittenfeld’s You Think It, I’ll Say It, is a collection for the grown woman, for the woman who still thinks back on her “youth” and college years with fondness but also with a sense of wonder – is that who I was? Is this who I have become?

This is a smart collection—one that explores the natural irony in our everyday lives. There’s a lot of wistful nostalgia and contemplation in this collection on the feat—the very fact and act—of being pretty: what it means to be “pretty” and how that affects us as adult women.

“I once heard that smart women want to be told they’re pretty and pretty women want to be told they’re smart. And the most depressing part is that I think I agree.”

An upper middle-class woman ponders the boredom and mundane quality of her routine life, only to seek out a thrill that may or may not have already been there from the start (“The World Has Many Butterflies”).


A college student at her dad’s Alma Mater who’s idolized the school for most of her life also starts to idolize one of her college friends—only to find that the friend is just an average, flawed individual like everybody else (“Vox Clamantis in Deserto”).


A young political intern with OCD snaps while volunteering at a shelter for poor urban families (“Volunteers Are Shining Stars”).


And a woman contemplates her near-hate-like jealousy for the reality lifestyle star who was her first lesbian experience way back when (“The Prairie Wife”).


Here would be a great place to say that “Plausible Deniability,” “Off the Record” and “A Regular Couple” were my other favorites. I wasn’t particularly fond of “Gender Studies,” in which a woman misplaces her license and ends up having a sexual encounter with the taxi driver she believes has found the license. I first read this one in The New Yorker in the fall of 2016. There were speculations and allusions from other bloggers that maybe Sittenfeld was offering political commentary on a nation’s identity lost! (I say in my dramatic voice) due to the (imminent) election of Trump, but I didn’t see it. I just took that story at face value and it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t a favorite either.

These are just a few of the narratives you’ll find here in this 10-story collection. There were so many times that a story would start and I’d fear it was going down the route of “Everyday Yuppie,” and I cringed. BUT, EVERY time, Sittenfeld pulled the story back from the brink with a twist of irony and humor. After the third or fourth story, I just relaxed into the read and went with it, knowing that the place I’d end up in the end wasn’t where I thought I was going in the beginning. I know I’m not alone when I say that I LOVE being able to trust an author, to trust a narrator, like that. It allows for a phenomenally smooth read and for the reader to have time to become one with the characters, no matter how short the stories are.

This collection ran a gamut of stories that wasn’t necessarily wide but did manage to convey a delightful spectrum of sentiments, emotions and lessons. “Bad Latch” was by far one of my favorite stories, hilariously Yuppie and otherworldly—these sheltered, middle-class moms who spend their days at infant swimming lessons and pregnancy yoga—then the story morphed into something so much more special and resonating:

“It wasn’t that I looked down on parents who put their kids in daycare, it wasn’t that I disapproved of them, or at least if I did disapprove, I knew enough to be embarrassed by my disapproval…Nevertheless, on Sadie’s first day at Green Valley Children’s Center, I didn’t even make it out the front door before I burst into tears. I hadn’t felt that bad about some of the things that women having babies when I did…were supposed to feel bad about—an epidural, formula—but the collapse of my carefully crafted childcare setup seemed like a failure of a different magnitude."

In You Think It, I’ll Say It, Curtis Sittenfeld’s distinctive writing style is in full form. It’s casual and conversational, witty and makes for an easy, entertaining read. I also gave her a strong 4 stars for her novel Eligible for this same reason. I blew through about 60% of this collection in one sitting, so well did it flow and move me along with the characters and their ironic contemplative situations. Not only that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sittenfeld is a true master of showing her reader rather than telling her reader. I got to know so much about her characters simply by watching them in their everyday lives, and she, as the writer, trusted her reader enough to let us figure out what she was trying to say. Each story is set in a different city (all either during or referencing the 1990s) which I thought was a FANTASTIC device, creating a kind of survey of American—well, upperish middle class white American—life. That survey aspect was a real gem, because each story in this collection set up a different dilemma rooted in the same basic question—the question of Who am I, how did I get here, and am I okay with it? None of these stories takes an overly grandiose view of life. No one is living in a sci fi fantasy world of improbable circumstances and star ships. These stories all happen right here on Earth, literally, of course, but more importantly, figuratively. And for me, that’s always a breath of fresh air. A strong 4 stars ****

I'm a huge Curtis Sittenfeld fan, so I was excited to get a chance to read her new collection of short stories, thanks to Netgalley. Short stories are not my preferred genre, as I always find myself wanting more after each short story, but I enjoyed this collection. One of my favorite stories is "The World Has Many Butterflies," where the title of the collection "You Think It, I'll Say It" comes from. It had great character development with not a lot of pages to develop these characters. "Gender Studies" was weak and it didn't seem to have much of a point besides bashing a shuttle driver who happened to be a Trump supporter. "Vox Clamantis in Deserto," which takes place at Dartmouth, was also a weak story, although had a decent plot reveal. "Bad Latch" was fantastic and left me thinking that things aren't as good as they seem sometimes. "The Prairie Wife" was a very unsatisfying read and left me thinking she was just a social media stalker that held a grudge from a long time ago. "Volunteers Are Shining Stars" should probably have been left out of the collection. It didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the stories and was very weak. I'm not sure what the point was and I found myself thinking maybe I was missing something with this selection. "Off the Record" was probably the one selection that worked best as a short story. I was ok with where the story ended. "Plausible Deniability" and "A Regular Couple" ("Would you mind tying my shoe"...definitely a line I won't forget!) were by far my favorites. I would love to see either of these stories turned into a novel. The last selection is "Do Over" and it was very well structured and the plot had a nice build up, but I felt the ending was abrupt. I was left wanting more from the story.

Earlier this year I was beginning to think that I just don't like short story collections. I was reading the wrong ones, apparently, because I thoroughly enjoyed the stories in Curtis Sittenfeld's new collection. I may have been biased towards enjoying them- I've absolutely loved the author's full length novels- but I found them to be timely, thoughtful, and interesting. The stories overwhelmingly deal with relationships, and the author's keen eye on this topic makes these stories, depending on which one you're reading, humorous, wistful, frustrating, and a full range of other emotions. Sometimes with short story collections I'm left wanting more, but Sittenfeld did a good job giving just the right amount of detail, character, and depth to each story.

These stories were quite readable and I enjoy Sittenfeld's tone what she did with these stories. A lot of these really made me think about how you can make quick judgements about a person without being correct in any way. The stories were really fun to read and some were quite humorous.

A fabulous collection of short stories that leave you wanting even more...genuine, thought provoking, real. Pick it up...you'll be glad you did.

3.5 stars, rounded up
Short stories are the tapas of the book menu. Small plates, when I like big portions. So, I was really conflicted about reading this. I like Curtis Sittenfeld, but I hate the fact that a short story typically ends just as I’m getting invested in a character.

There does seem to be a theme here, involving communication, appearances and first impressions. What do we say? What do we stay silent about? Or what do we think we know about someone vs. what is real. In each of these stories, the narrator misjudges someone.

Sittenfeld tackles some interesting subjects. Adult crushes, texting affairs, belatedly realized sexism. Almost all the stories involve the interaction between men and women.

All the stories are interesting, some really grabbed me (like The World Has Many Butterflies and Plausible Deniability) . They’re all really well written. She does a great job building up the tension between characters. And there’s always a point to be made.

But damn it, in the end it comes down to I want more. A five minute YouTube clip isn’t enough, I want a full length movie. Nothing against you, Curtis, this is just not my style. Please, please, please write a full length novel next time.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

I'm a fan of short stories so this collection by Sittenfeld, who is one of my favorite authors, is a real threat. These ten tales are not always perfect but golly they're good. All of them are keenly observed portraits of women who are sometimes struggling, and sometimes talking to themselves about themselves and others. And, btw, the pettiness and snarkery that women can inflict upon women (and themselves) is portrayed wonderfully. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was a perfect collection to dip in and out of- to savor each story and each woman for itself and herself.

A fascinating collection of short stories that illustrate the fact that life is full of bumps and bruises in an entertaining way.

This is a book of short stories all centered around the messy experiences of being a human in today's world. There are stories of love, regret, roads not taken, families and life in general.
I am a huge fan of Curtis Sittenfeld and jumped at the chance to review the new book coming out. I failed to notice that it is a book of short stories however. I am not a fan of short stories. That being said, the stories were for the most part enjoyable and I feel like anyone who does enjoy short stories would enjoy these.

This collection popped up on radar earlier this year when Reese Witherspoon announced she was optioning it for a television series. I’ve yet to watch/read (both on my ‘shelf’) <i>Big Little Lies</i>, but I hear no end of good things about both. I immediately requested an ARC of this collection because while Witherspoon is not on my list of favorite actresses necessarily, she is definitely doing things for women in film and books.

<i>You Think It, I’ll Say It</i> is my first time reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s work. The collection did not disappoint and I will be moving my copy of <i>Eligible</i> further up in my tbr pile. There were moments at the beginning of reading this that I found it really difficult to connect with the writing. I wasn’t sure if it was the tone or that my experience with short stories is not vast. However, a few pages into the third story I was feeling more at home. It was quite easy to see how Sittenfeld’s writing would translate so well to television, even film. I felt refreshed and at home in the Midwest setting of the stories. There is a newness to each host of characters and while 20ish pages each felt perfect (and I am wholeheartedly jealous of how well contained and complete these stories are), I can see them as entire novels or films. I am a cinephile, so forgive me talking film here too. As the collection goes on each story feels more and more engaging. I would sit down to read for a few minutes between work and my next task and find myself saying just finish this story, you have to know!

If I had to pick a favorite in the collection it would probably be the last one. It is a very intriguing thought that would could approach our infatuations later on in life when we are more grounded and able to make ‘saner’ attachments. Many reviews I’ve read have said how there are lessons to be found in each story and I can see them, but I also see how these are people like you and me navigating life. Honest, stark, and refreshingly human.

Write more Curtis Sittenfeld. I’m grateful I have some catching up to do with your backlist.

Curtis Sittenfeld + short stories = one really terrific book! These stories are very, very good.

My life has been feeling pretty boring lately (on my way home from picking Rue up at daycare, I get to the third song on the Moana soundtrack at the exact same red light every. single. day) so there was something comforting about the stories in Curtis Sittenfeld's new short story collection.
Each was about someone living a perfectly ordinary life, yet still page-turningly interesting. It gave me hope: Maybe I'm not as boring as I think I am-- or maybe Curtis Sittenfeld is just really, really good at this whole storytelling thing.

Sloan Crosley just keeps getting better and better! I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories.

I don’t know why Curtis Sittenfield dropped off of my radar, because when Prep came out I read it in one sitting, and then passed it around the office because it was so brilliant. And waited with baited breath for American Wife, which I enjoyed immensely too. So now I’m really, really excited to discover her other novels that have been published between them and this wonderful collection of short stories entitled You Think It, I’ll Say It.

You Think It, I’ll Say It is a collection of 10 stories depicting human nature in all its (dirty) glory. Curtis Sittenfield has a fantastic ability to craft characters in such a way that they appear in front of you, lifelike and real. We jump into their lives for a few minutes, a few days, and drop out again, but their stories remain with us. I love how each story contains seemingly mundane, everyday life, plots, but the mere interaction between characters, or the thought process of the main character makes them so original. Relatable and original. Depressing but also uplifting. In the end this is life: a collection of mundane but original situations that we make the most or the worst out of before we move along to the next one.

While I enjoyed all 10 of the stories, finding a piece of myself in most of the characters, I especially loved The Prairie Wife, Bad Latch, and Off The Record. Be prepared to smile, cringe, laugh out loud, shed a tear, and cringe a little more when you read the stories, as there is no way you won’t relate to something or someone in every one of them. Gender roles, coming of age, politics, becoming a mother, the most recent election: all of these topics are laid open in these short stories, in such a brilliant way.

You Think It, I’ll Say It will be published by Random House on April 24th. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy!

This is probably a 3.5 star book for me, but I'll bump it up to a 4 since it did make me intrigued to give the rest of the author's back list a try. This is a solid short story collection, with most of the stories thematically touching on some level of self-deception. The political elements I felt were handled well, and I'd say my favorite story in the collection was "Gender Studies," which is the opener. I did feel that the author was holding me at a distance somewhat with the writing style, which is not something I always love & why I dinged this down. Still, as I said, I'd like to try one of the author's full novels after reading this collection, so that certainly says something.

(Disclaimer: This review was based off an ARC kindly provided by the publisher)

Dear lord. Curtis Sittenfeld. This book is brilliant.

First of all, I don't really do short story collections. I've only read a few in my life. I always find myself frustrated by short stories, because I want to know more, about the characters and what happens next. So when I got an opportunity to read this, I was skeptical. But I will read anything Curtis Sittenfled writes, forever and ever, so I dove in. And it exceeded my wildest expectations.

Every single story in here is just a perfect snapshot of real life, all of the pain and beauty and pettiness of it. Curtis somehow manages to capture how we can all be such assholes to ourselves and each other, but also how we try so hard to redeem ourselves.

I would read an entire book about any of these characters, but somehow these stories were just the right length and I didn't feel like I was missing anything when they were done.

Great Writing, Honest and Unpredictable. This is Sittenfeld at her very best. OMG do I love her writing, her insight, I wish I could express my adoration for this book (and her others) as eloquently as she would.