I have run hot and cold with Curtis Sittenfeld, who I find a keen observer of modern behavior. Prep was wonderful but since then, I have either really enjoyed or been really annoyed at her output. As a result, I approached this collection of short stories with curiosity. Overall, this is an eminently readable book, and a fast one, too. She focuses all the stories on people interacting with one another, usually honing the focus to just two.people. Sometimes its a study of manners other times two lives intersecting in unexpected ways. A few of the stories feel rushed and most feature unlikeable people, and I hope she doesn't see most of us in a negative light. She does capture current issues in modern society fairly well and mixes her socioeconomic cast so no two stories feel alike. For the most part, I liked it but wanted to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first Curtis Sittenfeld book I have read proves to be a gem. The short stories, which is not typically my forté, were engaging in that the characters seemed to be derived out of a playbook on realism--your neighbor's story, your college roommate's story, your cousin's wife's story. Some of the stories had the tension of something awkward looming, never quite getting there, while others entered into shades of awkwardness. Sittenfeld, at least in this collection, harnessed the mastery of allowing the reader to be a fly on the wall in the midst of the melodrama unfolding--a woman on business debating a one night stand with a sketchy cab driver, a newlywed running into an old classmate she did not particularly care for on her honeymoon, a woman convinced a neighbor is interested in her wish for infidelity, etc. We sit in the booth next to the characters listening in on their dinner conversations, mingling at the neighborhood parties eavesdropping on the chatter, and in the resort bar having a drink overhearing the forced pleasantries. Masterfully subtle. Thoroughly enjoyable.

A beautiful collection of stories, about love, parenting, the modern world, and coming of age. I always enjoy Sittenfield's writing, and this does not disappoint.

Sittenfeld has yet another masterpiece of social commentary and examination of human relationships. Her superb ability to develop characters is on display in this collection of timely short stories! Thank you Netgalley

I liked this book. I think that each short story was well thought out, developed and enjoyable. If you are interested in reading something quick, I recommend this book. Once you read it quick, go back and reread at a leisurely pace, you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to netgalley and Random House for this advanced readers copy.

The ten stories in You Think It, I’ll Say It are about relationships – friends, exes, acquaintances – and the moments in life when they reappear or emerge in a surprising way, often against the backdrop of fame or marriage. In “A Regular Couple”, a woman is on her honeymoon when she comes across someone she went to high school with. Their power dynamic has shifted, which plays out in interesting ways when they end up spending a few unexpected days together. “The Prairie Wife” is about a mother of young kids who discovers that someone she knew at camp is now famous for creating a persona that is quite different from how she was as a teenager. In “Plausible Deniability”, a sister and brother-in-law play a dangerous game via text that ends when they both realize that he can never be what she wants him to be.

This was a terrific read, that I didn’t want it to end.

You Think It, I’ll Say It is one of those short story collections that you enjoy reading and then end up wanting to read more of them. They felt real, but not pretentious, witty and sarcastic, but not trying too hard. Curtis Sittenfeld knows her craft and beautifully creates something we wanted before we even knew we did. It’s one of the few anthologies I’ve read that allowed me to fully immerse myself in the joy of reading without the need to listen to the critical voice within me.

The stories are unique and engaging, witty and provoking, layered and real. You’ll find a college professor missing the opportunity to see someone as they truly are, a lawyer preoccupied with meeting a former high school nemesis, while concealing emerging doubts about her marriage, a suburban woman misreading the signs of her acquaintance, wanting to feel alive again, a bookish college student who dreams having the life of her friend until she discovered it was nothing but what she expected and other stories that will incline you to pause and think. Don’t we all want to universally feel the same things?

The book offers you to have an intimate sneak peek into the characters’ minds, where you can find the familiar and also the surprising. They are woven into rush and long-harbored judgments, strong beliefs in what they think others are and want, missed opportunities, regret and feelings that they won’t let go of, because they won’t be able to run from their true selves anymore. There are no right and wrong in Sittenfeld’s stories, similar to our own interactions with the people we meet, everyone’s right for themselves and yet as a reader you’re given the power to read their minds and interpret for yourself. You think it and they’ll say it.

If you want to finally read short stories that will make you smile rather than throw the book across the room in frustration, give You Think It, I’ll Say It a go! It’s refreshing and unapologetic. You’ll instantly love it.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange of a fair review.

Sittenfeld's short stories are little homages to the varying types of relationships that exist between adults. Some were amusing, some more reflective but all were well written and much appreciated.

You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld - Short stories by the master of character building. These were such easy reading - my favourite was the 'The Prairie Wife'. Sittenfeld's writing is always so comforting, but with an edge that means it's never boring.

…is that I find them totally hit and miss.

I think that a short story is a total different business to a novel.

You’ve got around 20 pages (sometimes more, sometimes less) to make me care about characters, pull me in, set the stage and get that voice spot on. It’s a tall order and I think my expectations for short stories are much higher than going into a novel.

They’re sometimes seen as something higher. The best short stories should stick with you for weeks, haunt you for days, and catch you off guard when they come back to you randomly every few months. But that rarely happens to me.

I adored Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery and Other Stories’ and ‘Treats’ by Lara Williams was one of my favourite books of 2016.

Right now I’m four stories in to ‘You Think It, I’ll Say It’, the debut short story collection by total legend Curtis Sittenfeld, and I’m totally in love with it. Not since Lara Williams’ debut have I read a collection and loved each story equally. There’s usually an up-and-down, back and forth across a collection, but there’s nothing I haven’t liked about this book yet.

It explores women in all situations: hapless students desperate for love, unsatisified wives, jealous friends and colleagues making snap judgements. Every character is complex and layered and real. Whether in 10 pages or 25, Sittenfeld creates a full world and a sledgehammer of a message, but not in a way that feels preachy.

All of this love has come from a collection where I’ve only read 4 of the 12 stories. I’m beyond excited to see what’s still to come.

My first encounter with Curtis Sittenfield was Eligible and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and when giving the chance to read her new work i leapt at the chance. She did not disappoint at all, it was so entertaining, funny, witty and just so believable and relatable i couldn't put it down. The pages couldn't turn fast enough and it grabbed me from beginning to the end.

Curtis Sittenfeld’s “You Think It, I’ll Say It” is a collection of ten stories. The protagonists are male and female, from all parts of the US. They are young, old, poor, affluent. Not all of them are even likable people. But the stories do capture your attention. And most of them - especially the last one - will resonate with the reader for a long time.

Sittenfeld has a way of writing a story from one voice but still multiple points of view. In “Bad Latch”, for example, the protagonist is Rachel. She’s a new mother dealing with her insecurities about motherhood and feeling guilt about not meeting societal expectations. She meets Gretchen in a support group. Most women know a Gretchen. She’s the person who Has It All Together. She’s so sunny and perfect she is annoying. By the end of the story, the reader realizes that this isn’t just Rachel’s story - it’s Gretchen’s as well.

There’s also commentary about modern celebrity. In “Off the Record”, Nina is an ex-journalist who re-interviews Kelsey, who has made it big since their initial interview years ago. Kelsey has a warmth that Nina conjectures could be genuine friendship. Through their conversation, Kelsey reveals a painful truth behind her latest breakup. Nina agrees not to print it, and then Kelsey shows her real acting prowess.

But the last story is the one that really sticks. That’s the one I discussed with my husband. The one that I want everyone to read. It’s entitled “Do-Over”, and is plants Sittenfeld alongside Alice Munro as my favorite short story writer. Clay is in his mid-40s. He went to prep school with a woman named Sylvia. The pair meet for dinner and discuss old times. They both ran for prefect in school with surprising results. Their dinner conversation spotlights how political correctness has permanently altered what used to be called “social niceties” or “pleasantries”. It discusses the delicate, overly pretentious minefield of a simple male-female conversation during the current era of Trump. There is a sarcastic tone to the words, almost a smarmy tongue-in-cheek which I loved. The more you let this one marinate, the better it gets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read the ARC. It was a pleasure, and I look forward to more of Ms. Sittenfeld’s work.

I'm a huge Sittenfeld fan, so I was thrilled to see that she'd released a short story collection. There were a couple of shocking (in a good way!) stories in this collection. Sittenfeld masterfully reveals the plot in ways that leave me eager to turn the page to the next story. This collection reads super fast and it is a must for Sittenfeld fans. I'd also recommend this to short story newbies who'd like to dip their toes in the genre.

I loved this collection of short stories! It was so good. I am usually not the biggest fan of short stories because they are so quick and you don’t have a lot of time to get to know the characters, This collection is the exception to the rule. I enjoyed every story and the characters were all terrific. I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As with most story collections, 3 or 4 were really good and the rest not.
In addition, i am weary of political rhetoric. I read for pleasure--just tell me a story.

Trust Curtis Sittenfeld to be the one to make me appreciate a collection of short stories. They still don't hold a candle to her best full-length fiction (see: Prep, American Wife, but really all of them are great) but her writing gets me every time, and I sped through this in about 3 sittings. I was going to list my favourites, but only one of them (Bad Latch) didn't work for me - the rest all contained her trademark sharp internal musings and social observations. A few also included flashbacks to high school or college, which I think is a particular strength of hers - I would have gladly read entire novels featuring some of these characters.

I can't claim to now be a total short story convert, but maaaybe I'll start giving more a chance -
though I can't imagine there are many that are quite as eloquent or readable as these ones.

Side note: I recently heard this collection is being turned into a television series produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Kristen Wiig... how is that going to work? Black Mirror style with each episode taking inspiration from one of the stories? I'm a little skeptical, but of course I'll watch!

Thank you so much, Net Galley for the advance copy of this. I have loved Curtis Sittenfeld since devouring Prep 13 years ago. This may be my favorite yet. I love the nostalgia of high school/college in the 1990s, but her voice is pitch perfect in capturing the awkwardness that seemed so prevalent. Sittenfeld creates characters that have so many unlikable traits, yet are highly sympathetic and relatable if not entirely likable. Sittenfeld's voice works as a college freshman feeling lonely at Dartmouth just as effectively as a long term bachelor exchanging emails that seem sensitively out of character.

I did not want this collection of stories to end and enjoyed each one more and more. One of the best books I have read in months. I plan to go back and reread them all!

Full disclosure: NetGalley gave me an advance eBook copy of this in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed Eligible when I read it last year, as "The Prairie Wife" (which appears in this collection) when it appeared in The New Yorker last year. So I was primed to like this collection from Curtis Sittenfeld from the jump, though I totally didn't mean to devour it as quickly as I did. I kept going "one more story..." on my commutes until I ran out of book to read.

All of the stories are united in their discussions of relationships - the ways they can turn, the people we become and unbecome over time, how you can read something in another person that might not actually be there - which provides a nice unifying thread for the collection. All of these are sharply observed and feel very real in how they turn. A few stories had a point where I sensed where things were going or what a twist was going to be, but that was never a bad thing - sometimes the journey you take to get to an endpoint can be as interesting as the point itself.

This is all to say that this is a really nice collection of short stories, you should totally give it your time and attention, and I now need to read some more of Curtis Sittenfeld's back catalog.

I have enjoyed this author's novels in the past. These short stories were just not my cup of tea.

I've read all of the author's previous books and this collection of short stories did not disappoint. Very quick read, the stories are well paced and seem to end at the right spot. Enjoyed this quick read.