This is the most difficult book I have ever tried to rate. The first half of the book had me in fits of laughter, mostly because I, like the author am an introvert. It’s not uncommon for me to laugh whilst reading. The beginning of the book had me on cloud nine. Unfortunately, by about 45% I started to lose interest. I couldn’t even finish the book which was such a let down after such a positive start. There was a comment in the book where I felt the author alluded to Australian Universities not being of a very high standard compared to the rest of the world. Perhaps Pan did not mean it in this way but it definitely contributed to putting me offside.
3 stars for the superb beginning

I am a major introvert but I'm trying to put myself out there just a little bit more. This book chronicles one woman's journey to become an extrovert. There were so many parts of her personality that I could relate to and I found the entire book really amusing and entertaining. However, there were entire chapters that had her doing things that would be absolute torture for any introverted person. I found myself a little bored with the parts about performing stand-up comedy and improv class because I mean, come on, what introvert would actually do that? Overall I enjoyed this one but it wasn't my favorite. A solid 3 star read. Thank you to @netgalley for the copy!

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come from Jessica Pan is a motivational memoir, at least, that is how I think of it. And it succeeds far better than I anticipated.

Like a lot of reviewers, I'll admit I am an introvert, probably a borderline shy introvert though the shyness is very context oriented. But I am never outgoing. So I could easily relate to many of the things Jessica does. I also understand the desire to push some envelopes to see what it might add to one's life. I have a fear, not a phobia, just a garden variety fear of heights, so I have been skydiving, rappelling, and several other activities to learn to control it (not sure I'll ever overcome it) and to learn what the thrill/fun is for some people. I did get a feel for what these things gave people and I found ways to add similar feelings into my life without the heights. I see this book as a prolonged experiment along those same lines. But with introversion.

For any introverts reading this, you will probably experience some anxiety when she describes anything that you closely relate to, I know I did. I do think that I gained a better appreciation for what being a little less introverted can add to my life, though I know that I still prefer the things that being introverted offers me, such as personal time, quiet, and the feeling that I don't have to go out when asked. I need private personal time to recharge in the same way many extroverts need groups and interaction to recharge. And I enjoy the periodic group time just as they enjoy the periodic private time. A fair exchange, I think.

I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys good goal-directed memoirs, ones that relate experiences that had a purpose from the beginning. Most introverts should like it as well and it may encourage you to push your own envelope if you feel it needs it.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Really enjoyed reading about a fellow introvert and what it’s really like.

Always on the lookout for a good book about introversion, and this doesn't disappoint. Very enjoyable journey.

As an introvert, I really wanted to love this book, but I don't think the writing style was for me. Or it may be that I'm not a fully "non functioning" introvert. I like to have a nice balance. So the experiments she did didn't really resonate with me. But, if you are feeling paralyzed as an introvert, I am sure this book would be great!

As something of an introvert, i really related to this book, and i feel many people will feel the same.
A really great read.

This fellow introvert really enjoyed a look into someone else’s journey outside of their comfort zone! There were many moments where I felt that I totally related to Jessica Pan and at the same time admired her bravery and honesty in navigating so many new experiences. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

With a healthy ability to laugh at herself, Jessica Pan has provided introverts everywhere with a comical how-to on putting yourself out there. Walk with Jessica as she asks strangers in London who is Queen or attends a meeting of fellow introverts and discusses her most awkward moments. Put yourself in her shoes as she comes to grips with the fact that being an introvert does not mean that you're happier locked away from people altogether--and what she does to overcome an anxiety that has taken a stranglehold on her life.

When I read the blurb here, I immediately felt a kinship with Jessica Pan. As an introvert myself (although fortunately not a shy one) the truth of the title resonated deeply with me, and like Jessica, I too have declined invitations simply because I was peopled out, and would rather snuggle up on my couch with a book or my knitting.

So her challenge of saying yes to everything for a change is one that at the same time appealed to me and terrified me. Yes to improv? Absolutely, sign me up! I LOVE that stuff! Yes to stand-up comedy? Meh... would require somebody else to write my material, but otherwise, ok (I don't have a funny bone in my body, but love being on stage). Yes to friend-dates? Sure... it's a one-on-one situation, it could work. Yes to a solo vacation where I'm not allowed to buy guidebooks but have to rely on asking locals for advice? Meep! Yes to networking events and - gasp - talking to strangers on the bus? Noooooooo!!!!

I was a bit hesitant at first, because it seemed like this could very easily just be one cringe-worthy experience after the other, and some of the first forays into the world of extroverting did indeed end up that way, but as the year progressed and Jessica found more and more mentors to help her through - and made more and more friends along the way! - it became both a pleasant and a motivating read. I don't know that I'll go out and sign up for the friendship version of tinder anytime soon, but it's quite refreshing to know that while people might not wave - everybody waves back.

As an introvert myself, this was fun to read, and I was glad to not be doing these things myself. I enjoyed the tidbits she shares of the specific advice the experts she talked to gave her in terms of getting over some of her fears and nerves. It was a fun and enjoyable book.

I really wanted to like this book but for me it was a bit of a slog to get through. Don’t get me wrong...it was still a great read. It was eye opening though and made me think about introverts and how we all have those tendencies. I admire what she put herself through to be out there...it didn’t sound easy

I absolutely loved this book! I honestly don't know why it took me so long to finish it and I'm sorry that I didn't get to it even sooner; although I'm convinced that I picked it up when I really needed it most. I've already recommended it to countless friends who've mentioned something in passing and my brain would ping back to things mentioned in this book. It's not a self-help book but it's filled with such relatable experiences. Not only that but Jessica was just downright hilarious! I don't think there was one chapter in which I didn't laugh my ass off at least once (seriously).

This book brought me great comfort at a time when I was feeling such debilitating anxiety and stress due to an event in my life that required me to speak in front of close to 100 people, followed by networking with all those people who just witnessed me most likely make a fool of myself. Public speaking is still insanely uncool but when I came across Pan's own experience with it in this book, I found myself completely awed and enamored by her courage to get up on that stage to face one of everyone's greatest fears. It wasn't smooth sailing, and to be honest, my actions at the time mirrored hers in the book 100% (i.e. pushing off making my presentation until the very last minute due to intense fear). But it made me want to steel myself and plunge forward just like her. Obviously, it wasn't as simple as wanting to do it, but the fact that she, someone who I saw big parts of myself reflected in, could do it, then I could too, right?

There's no greater comfort in knowing that there are others out there who experience the same fears, and feelings of loneliness, as well as anxiety about what to do with it. Like Pan all my friends are scattered across the globe and since moving to where I am now and entering my 30s, I've noticed it has become progressively harder to make friends. Or even to just meet people in general. While I couldn't see myself doing half of the things she did, I liked the insight that she gave through her experiences. I think at the end of the day, it's not really about realizing being extroverted or introverted is better than the other, but knowing that putting yourself out there, even when you really don't feel like it, can often times lead to really great, and sometimes even life changing things.

This was such a fantastic read and I know that I'll always want to keep it on my shelf so that I can go back to it whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed by my increasing need to introvert. This book was written in a very conversational tone so that none of the moments felt dull and it kind of felt like just chatting to a friend. I'm so looking forward to read what else Jessica Pan has to offer in the future. She has got a big fan in me! I'd definitely like to be her friend :)

Thanks to Netgalley, Jessica Pan and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is the book that made me realize I am not alone in feeling this way. I, too, am a happy introvert - I do not want to change that about myself, but making friends is harder when it doesn't come naturally to you.

This book is not really a self-help book, more of Jessica's adventures in her year of trying to make new friends and saying yes to situations introverts would usually avoid. It's inspiring.

In this book, the author really goes outside her comfort zone - stand up comedy classes and improvisation theatre, and also talks with experts that offer great advice for the reader too. But my favourite thing is that she keeps it real: things don't always go as planned, life is not perfect, some people might not want to be your friends and that's okay. But put yourself out there.

I received this book in exchange of an honest review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Jessica Pan has written one of the most related books for me personally! It is great to know there are more people like me out there. Jessica offers an amazing insight into her life as she says to new things coming her way, which I find courageous and inspiring. It is a great read and I’m excited to follow her example by taking on her attitude of life.

This was a memoir of a year of an introvert trying to be more extroverted. This book was at times serious and at time hysterically funny. As the author negotiates through a series of challenges to lessen her unhappiness, she finds a new circle of friends and some confidence to step out of her comfort zone. I loved the information that was brought in from academic sources as well.

I really love this book. As an introvert mys life, I feel all the authors’s pain of being awkward and feeling out of place at social gatherings. I admire Jessica’s courage and picked up a few tips of things to try myself, although improv comedy may just be a step too far for me personally!

What an interesting book. I thought the information presented was well laid out and flowed well. I really enjoyed reading it and want to try and start implementing some of what I read.

Sorry I'm late but I didn't want to come is the story of my life. The title is, not the actual plot of the book. The plot is pretty much one of my wildest introvert fantasies lived and narrated by someone who I feel could be my best friend.

I went from pretending to be an extrovert during my teenage years, through acceptance and the introvert revolution and right into hermit. I'm a person of extremes. Living in a new city, getting into my 30s and starting to lose friends, all these has driven me into picturing all kinds of scenarios in my mind. What would happen if I actually gave a damn and tried being more social?

Jessica Pan hit rock bottom, that point where there is no other way than up. She was crippled by her introversion and mostly about her shyness. She longed for meaningful connections with others. Cue that epiphanic moment that forces one to just change.
Then, she commits to a year of extroverting aka doing everything that’s out of her comfort zone: from talking to strangers on the street up to doing stand up comedy.

Jess can write light and funny, full of witty pop reference. She’s like an introverted Lorelai Gilmore. In that whole year, she had ups and downs, wins and fails, and you can feel her joy as well as her anxiety and fear through her writing. She interlaces personal moments in her life and deep reflections with the experiment, which add a layer of meaningfulness and make this book a roller-coaster of a read.

I don’t want to spoil anyone, but I have seen a lot of people concerned about this book being some kind of extrovert propaganda. I want to assure you that by the end of the book, the author has learnt a lot about herself and her introversion, but even more about extroverts and the fact that the lack of human connection is not only a thing of the shy.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was at turns hilarious and caused much head-nodding by this reader in agreement and wonder. Yes, apparently many people think and feel the same way about various social interactions. It is always a comfort to realize you are not the only one to feel a certain way.

This author may not be a natural at stand-up comedy, BUT she completely blew me away with her writing. I understand that some of that credit goes to editors, Beta-readers, etc., but the meat of the book is HER. And she is friggin' hysterical. Or at the very least, can tell a story that would be humiliating with inner snarky monologue that makes it funny enough to read and laugh and not cringe and put the book down as carefully as possible to pretend that you didn't just read that.

I honestly still have quotes from the book floating in my head and they pop up at random times to make me smile or laugh.

This book was a brave endeavor by a very introverted women who wanted to see if she could live differently and still respect her boundaries, to see what boundaries she needed to be comfortable and happy and what she should move, change, or do away with altogether. She had/has guts and I respect her for that. I wouldn't have done a good portion of what she did, but I respect that she did it and that she seems to be happier now.

This was an amazingly funny and insightful book. I highly recommend it to just about everyone, those who are introverts and extroverts. It doesn't matter which you are, since most people are a mix, it would be very surprising if you didn't see a bit of yourself in her struggles and triumphs. A very human book.

5, introspective and funny, stars. Worth the read, definitely!

My thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.