I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a kind of LOL book that some people will get a kick out of, especially those looking for a lighter read.

While the idea sounded clever, the execution seemed very cruel to those people who answered the Craigslist ads in good faith. (I would have felt more comfortable if there had been a postscript explaining that the participants found out and were fine with it, or if they'd had a chance to discuss their reactions in the book.)

I admit, I didn't finish this book. I skimmed through a good share of it.

Certainly a fun and interesting concept. How far will a stranger go with a strange idea? Kelly Mahon dangled crazy Internet ads on her line to see what kind of folks would actually bite.

The letdown for me was that no one ever actually went through with these ideas. It was mostly just fun to yank someone's chain, and I imagine that if I were one of these quirky responders, I'd be pretty annoyed with having my time wasted. Of course, it seems like several of the quirky responders (trying to be kind here~) may have had too much time on their hands.

I know it started as a fun-spirited concept, but it doesn't end up feeling fun to me.

I enjoyed this book. It isn’t the genre I typically read but I liked it. I would read more by this author.

I thought this book was pretty funny at first, but then it just got repetitive. I understand the craziness that is behind Craigslist and the like, but I feel like some of these were so far-fetched. I also started becoming slightly annoyed. I think It would be a good book for Urban Outfitters or something, but as far as in bookstores I'm not entirely sure. I appreciate what the author did to create this book, though, and I think it is very creative and different, which is nice!

This was a promotional item and was not for review. I have not finished this book and will not be able to review it. Thank you.

While I generally really liked the ads, the book as a whole felt kind of mean-spirited. I just can't get behind lying to people for your own amusement. I would like this book way more if the author had made it clear that she paid them for the inconvenience of having to interact with her.

This was not a book for me. I thought that it would be funny going in, and for the first few pages I even remember a hint of a smile on my face. It quickly became obvious however that this book is essentially the author trolling people on the internet and making a book out of it. Obviously there is an audience for this kind of thing, otherwise we wouldn't have internet trolls - but that audience is not me.
Even if we take away the trolling element, and go with just the actually conversations - the book would pretty much work without the peoples responses. The people involved essentially boil down to variations of;
"I'm interested, how much does it pay"
"When do you want to do this, HOW MUCH DOES IT PAY"
"You're crazy!"
Some people are more engaging, but they never really add anything to the stories. It essentially came down to people who needed money responding to ads online. The author makes the situation more and more absurd until the person stops responding (but author keeps messaging) or figures it out. The blurb above describes these conversations as hilarious and bizarre. While they are bizarre - hilarious is being quite generous.
I'm sure this will tickle some in the right places - some of the reviews on Amazon USA rate it very highly - but this one is not for me. Next.

This is an ideal book to dip in and out of. It’s amazing What some people will believe to be acceptable behaviour and to what extremes the author has to go without the respondent “getting the joke “
My only criticism is ,as a Brit reading this , it has several Americanisms that I’m not aware of.

I liked the premise of the book and was excited to read it. The issue of posting ads and recording the interractions was interesting to me, however, eventually the story lines got to be repetitious and not as funny as i thought they would be. Some ads were sad and the desperation of those responding made the pranks seem a bit cruel.

That being said, the highlights of the book for me were the lobster suit racing and the snake fashion show.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for providing my honest opinion.

I found these pranks kinda funny but ultimately pretty boring and redundant. I didn't see any need to finish the book. This could've been a blog that I'd maybe skim here and there but reading them in book form wasn't great.

This was amusing but not something I would purchase for myself. Overall, it had funny moments but wasn’t funny enough for me to give it a higher rating

I was really excited to read this based off of the description, but I feel like the execution fell flat. The writing style is repetitious, and while I'm a large fan of pranks and offbeat humor, however after reading the first couple scenes, I was at my fill.

Race Me in a Lobster Suit by Kelly Mahon is a 2019 Quirk Books publication.

If you know anything about Quirk Books, you know to expect the unexpected. This book, however, almost goes beyond the pale.

I’m pretty picky about humor or comedy in movies, television and books, having long outgrown base humor, or anything too silly, which is most comedy is today. But, because this book is supposed to feature actual correspondence, the human element enticed me to take the bait.

I worked for the public all my life, so I know how people can be. After many years of witnessing so many insane human behaviors, I commonly boasted that nothing could possibly surprise me anymore. In fact, on more than one occasion, a friend or relative suggested I write down all my experiences and publish them. Of course, my experiences were not choreographed in anyway, but now I’m thinking these situations may not translate so well in print.

But, if the outlandish conversations relayed in this book are indeed true, and the author is not pulling a gag on us, which I suspected on more than one occasion, it proves that truth is stranger than fiction, and the next time I read a book and start to question the realism or plausibility of it, I will remind myself of this book.

Despite the bizarre-o set-up, some of these e-mail conversations did make me chuckle. They also horrified and mystified me. It is scary, and maybe a little sad too, that people responded to these ads. No matter how desperate I was financially, could I consider doing something so outrageous- like being hired to tickle someone, for example.

However, according to the author, the emails printed here were done so with the permission of those who answered the ads. So, I guess they must have a self- deprecating sense of humor, or maybe they were offered compensation- who knows.

Bottom line-

I was amused to some extent, but mostly I found it a tad disturbing. I’m not sure what that says about MY sense of humor- but I did try to see the appeal and humor here. For the most part, though, this type of gag/prank humor doesn’t really appeal to me. It was just a little too silly for my taste.

On a more positive note, I think this author does have a knack for coming up with quick witted comebacks. It is possible she could find a niche in improvisation or comedy writing, but perhaps it would be best not use real people to experiment on.

3 stars

I thought this would be a really cute book with funny situations between people corresponding on the internet. It wasn't. I understand the author is trying for funny, I get it. But, it isn't funny. It is promising someone a job (or cash), then reneging on that promise. It is very mean spirited.

The writing style is very repetitious. I was so bored reading this book, it became the same thing over and over again. And I still could not get past how just down right cruel it was to the recipients of her games.

received as an arc from Netgalley.

I am both a big fan of the offbeat and the absurd and also strongly believe in the power of laughter, so this sounded intriguing and highly original. A book that takes those crazy pranks that take place online daily and collects them together in this one irreverent volume for readers pleasure. Not only that but each is accompanied by complementary cartoon illustrations. This provides some light relief from an increasingly stress-ridden existence, but it will not appeal to everyone, and some entries were funnier than others. It's an admirable idea - to provide a rather unique comedy creation for a general audience especially those who may not know how or where to access similar pranky comedic content online.

However, how much these sketches resonate with you will depend on your sense of humour; those who find pranks, in general, amusing or have a rather juvenile, silly or crude giggle preference will likely laugh a lot at this. Unfortunately, I wasn't that enamoured and found it too stupid, so my laugh-o-meter was almost, almost running on empty. If you appreciate more nuanced, intelligent comedy this will probably have the same impact on you as it had on me. Definitely a case of personal preference, though, so this should be foremost in your mind should you be querying whether to purchase.

I must add that in an age of such high unemployment and poor job prospects for many around the world these fake job opportunities', once they had interested respondents, spiel began to feel very cruel and callous. It speaks to peoples desperation but that in no way means duping them is any less than a heartless act.

Many thanks to Quirk Books for an ARC.

I give this author high points for creativity and ability to banter. The initial ads are for the most part entertaining in and of themselves, but then you get to read the back and forth exchanges with the interested parties. Kelly Mahon can "big fish" a story and outlast most contenders. At times I thought folks were strung along too far. My favorite request was the snake fashion show. I do think many will find this book to be a comic relief from the stresses in their lives and we have Kelly Mahon to thank for that.

Thank you to Quirk books and NetGalley for making this digital ARC available.

Kelly Mahon, needing an outlet for her “weird ideas,” decided to post an online ad for someone to dress up as a lobster and chase her around her apartment. To her surprise, there were responses and so she invented a whole series of such weird ads and the best have been collected in this book.

The best, that is, that her respondents agreed could be published, though their names or details are not revealed

Her requests range from urine samples to exterminator/exorcists, from a human piñata to a offering a free mattress. Mostly, the results are hilarious, though best served on a dip-in basis as the format can be wearing if several are read to tether.

There is also a limitation in that Ms Mahon knows she has to terminate the contacts before she talks with, or meets, the respondents.

However, this would be a good bedside book and my favourite was the “used”mattress ad.

How much you enjoy this book will depend entirely on your sense of humor. If you like prank phone calls or trolling people in a way that occasionally veers into “blue” territory, this is right up your alley.

The author records her exploits in posting absurd ads (e.g. looking for someone to act as a human piñata) and carrying on increasingly bizarre conversations via email with anyone desperate or curious enough to respond. The conversations mostly involve increasingly difficult, demanding, disturbing, and/or dangerous requests until the responder gets annoyed or weirded-out enough to quit. At times it’s difficult to tell who is trolling whom. Personally, I thought that most of the ads were funnier than the conversations that followed. Overall, it’s pretty juvenile and occasionally a bit crude for my taste, but I’ll admit that it did have me chuckling in more than a couple places.

Kelly Mahon places crazy classified ads, and waits to see who responds. You think, "No way is someone going to respond to an ad for dressing up like a lobster and racing around an apartment decorated with seaweed", and you would be wrong. The crazier the request, the more interested some people seem to be. The book consists of the ads Mahon placed, and the back and forth emails between Mahon and the respondents. Some end abruptly with a "you're crazy", but others really commit to the kooky. Similar to Barry Marder's Letters from a Nut, we have emails to and from nuts for a new generation.