Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan has been one of my favorite reads of this Spring. Part memoir, part self-help, this book was funny, forgiving, and wholehearted.

In this Book, Pan tells us stories about the year that she decided to start saying yes and pushing her boundaries more. She talks about being an introvert, being a depressed introvert, being a depressed introvert with anxiety, and also doing all of those things while sitting in a sauna fully clothed. (Don't ask.)

Some of the stories she shared made me laugh, and some of them made me pause and look inward, but each of them was unique and fun and a special challenge to the reader to examine their own lives. At times, I too have felt that “my life was passing me by” and the struggle that Pan describes is authentic and validating.

I love this kind of book and it is right up my alley. Jessica Pan, like Jenny Lawson or Brene Brown, has an uncanny knack for making you laugh and insightful profundity at the same time. I felt empowered, amused, and satisfied by the end of this delightful book and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this memoir eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

sorry i'm late, i didn't want to come: one introvert's year of saying yes (Jessica Pan)

Title: sorry i'm late, i didn't want to come: one introvert's year of saying yes

Author: Jessica Pan

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Publication Date: Tomorrow!! (paperback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1449499235

Source: NetGalley

Okay so I be an introvert from an entire family of very extroverted people.  The ma can meet and talk to anyone and makes life-long friends everywhere she goes.  Me sis loves parties and tons of people hanging out at her house.  I be a tough ol' salt who has a withering glare, a distaste for crowds, and a cutless for prodding if ye get too close.  And yet I be the weird one.  Bah!  As I grown older and even more set in me ways, I like nothing more than long nights at sea with me book and me bunk and the peace of the waves.  So when I saw this title it made me laugh and I had to give it a go.

And the author's journey is hell, pure and simple.  I was impressed.  I can talk to strangers if I must.  Though the sails end up tattered and all hope was nearly lost, I have survived public speaking engagements.  A Captain must do such things or face mutiny.  But doing improv or performing stand-up comedy.  I would rather slit me own throat.  I am an introvert who despises having to force extrovertedness at all costs.  Only for survival mateys!

I ended up having a decent time reading this one.  I certainly found the first half of the book much more to me taste then the second half.  I feel that the latter part of her year seemed to be discussed in less detail.  It was less about the interesting people she met and more about the social situations liking traveling alone or taking magic mushrooms or more comedy nights.  I have no interest in the mushrooms and no problems traveling alone.  So I did get a bit bored.  But ultimately I applaud this kindred introvert and her pluck.  Congrats matey.  I raise me grog in toast.  Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing!

Side note: for the large majority of introverts on me crew, if ye haven't read quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking then I suggest giving it a gander!

Goodread's website has this to say about the novel:

An introvert spends a year trying to live like an extrovert with hilarious results and advice for readers along the way.

What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she’d normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much, much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the author’s hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Jessica Pan – Author

To buy the novel go to:

sorry i'm late, i didn't want to come - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Thanks for the chance to read an advance copy.

Jessica Pan, shy introvert, was looking for a wider experience of the world. Somehow, in my favorite episode, she managed to tell a story onstage at a Moth story hour event.

Not every plan was as successful, but she gamely continued her experiment.

Rounding up my rating for an adorable cover

This book looks so good, but I'm going to have to wait to get a print copy. I wasn't able to download it to my kindle and I can't read a book on my phone or laptop., Thanks anyway for the download ARC and I will be happy to post a review on Goodreads once I'm able to get a copy I can read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars

It always feels a bit tricky for me to review this kind of books as I always feel like I am rating someone's life & experiences so I try not to do that!

👏🏻 I found the cover to be hilarious and it is truly what drew me to it, so well done on that part!

👍🏻 Some of the author references and comparisons made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I can totally see that we're from the same generation and like much of the same things in life.
Being an introvert myself, I found myself using a few of the tips in real life, so I am grateful she shared her experience with us!

👎🏻 I found that each of the chapters was pretty independent and I found it hard to connect everything to create that year-long experience. I found that each part was very much independence even if previous experiences or people were mentioned. I also find that sometimes, too many details were given while other times, I really wished there had been more.

Overall, it was a pleasant read but maybe just not right for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.
I would actually round this up to 3.5 stars. I liked this book but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. As a social introvert, the premise of this book intrigued me and made me cringe at the same time. I figured it would be something similar to Yes Man but it really wasn't.
Jessica Pan basically threw herself out of her comfort zone and tried things to help her understand her anxiety. This book took me a handful of days to get through (I partially blame the reading layout of Adobe Digital Editions) because it didn't flow quickly as much as I would have liked. That's probably my main negative nitpick about it. Otherwise, I commend Jessica for some (not all) of the activities that she tried. I would NEVER try stand-up comedy or improv and definitely would stay away from any hardcore drug experiences, even if that chapter was interesting. The surprise trip she takes might be my favorite part of the book, even if I'm too much of a planner to ever try something like that. She can really write her social anxiety well and, if I'm being honest, if gave me a little bit of secondhand social anxiety. You know...if that's a thing. I can see people enjoying this book and the adventures that Jessica goes through. I'm glad I read it, even when I was uncomfortable at times.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It had a catchy title, a fun cover, and it started out promising; Ms. Pan, though self-deprecating, came across as very relatable and engaging. Halfway through however, I had to force myself to finish. The experiments and feelings related to them (nausea and panic) became repetitive, there were too many character names thrown around, and I didn't find the ability to actually get in touch with the "experts" she was able to either talk to or meet realistic at all. Maybe she was able to reach them because she's a journalist? I'm not sure, but The "Real-Life Interlude" sections became the saving graces.

Though she lived in London, a city filled with people and things to do, journalist, American ex-pat, and “shintrovert” Jessica Pan found herself sitting on the couch for yet another evening. Jobless and friendless, she wondered if she was developing a full-blown case of Depression. One day she decided to break the cycle of sitting on her couch alone and set out on a year’s worth of attempting to make friends, try new situations, and put herself into the public eye by attempting stand-up comedy. Along the way, she learns that she can survive a bit of embarrassment, travel by herself, and even make new friends along the way. Her new memoir, Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come documents this year of self-discovery and adventures in extraverting.

By now, “My Year of _________” memoirs have become a sort of sub-genre of its own, with writers picking a project, documenting their progress through the year, and then trying to write a witty book about the process. Oftentimes, it doesn’t seem like the writer comes out of the project having changed very much, and so the “My Year of ________” feels like a gimmick. But Jessica Pan’s self-imposed project begins when she is unhappy and has a genuine desire to make drastic changes in her life. She’s not setting out to prove anything to anyone except herself: that she can go out into the world, talk to people, make friends, and try new things.

The stereotype of introverts is that they are homebodies who would rather stay home with their cats and watch Netflix than go out and socialize in bars or comedy clubs. But while social anxiety is a real problem for many, it is not the case for every introvert. Pan’s unhappiness stemmed from the fact that she was unemployed, and all her friends had moved far away. She was lonely but able to put herself into new situations and try to make new friends.

Thanks to her background in journalism (though often unsuccessful, as she candidly recounts), Pan didn’t go blindly into her year of extraversion. She did her research, found people to talk to on the subject, and developed a plan. She tried friend-finding apps that work like dating apps, she talked to strangers on the Underground and found excellent advice to help break the ice (nobody waves, but everybody waves back). This, along with her own decision to be courageous helped Pan to begin to accomplish what she set out to do: to say yes to new experiences and find new friends.

There is a wonderful sense of both humor and honesty in Pan’s writing. She does not shy away from recounting personal embarrassment or describing when she was uncomfortable or afraid to do something (but then goes ahead and does it anyway). Personal failure is part of life. To hide them in a memoir is to be disingenuous, and when your goals are to A) learn from your experiences by writing about them, and B) describing those experiences so that other people can learn from them, lying about your failures misses the point. By recounting failed ‘friend-dates’, her terror before a public performance, and bombing at stand-up comedy, Pan proves not only to herself but to the reader as well, that embarrassment is survivable, and that putting yourself out there is worth it when it helps you find new friends you can make deep connections with.

“Does there need to be a spark in friendship? I’ve always thought so. You want to have chemistry with someone when they’re helping you move the dead body; otherwise, it’s just a very, very bad night for both of you.

And while loyalty and support are important to me in the long run, I want to laugh and have fun with new friends.”

There are reviews that criticize Pan for putting herself into situations where she was anxious or embarrassed. They feel that she should not have done things that made her so uncomfortable. These reviews miss Pan’s point. Adults– particularly introverted adults– have a harder time making friends than they did as children. But loneliness is a problem that affects a growing portion of the population as we turn to the internet more and more for shopping, entertainment, and connections. Nowadays, it is entirely possible for us to avoid human contact altogether as we do more work from home and have our groceries, clothes, and everything else delivered. While this is convenient, it cuts us off from our social nature. Humans are social beings. We crave deeper connections than a quick trip to the grocery store provides. Pan discovered this first hand and decided she wanted more out of life than a comfy couch and streaming television every night. Though putting herself out into the world was an uncomfortable experience, Pan found it was worth it. She found new friends, learned about herself, and discovered that she was far more courageous than she thought.

“My Year of _________” memoirs often have a contrived aura, but Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come is a bright spot among them, and Pan shows readers that while reaching out to others can be scary, it is worth it to find deeper connections with other people.

The title of this book is so me! I am an introvert so my first reaction is to want to stay home. I really liked this book and I would read more from Ms. Pan!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I don't consider myself an introvert; however, I still found this book to be quite comical. Jessica Pan is a witty, clever writer. I'm a sucker for a book of short stories (as it seems to make for a quick read.) Overall this was a fun read and I'm happy to have read and reviewed it.

As an introvert, I have reached the age where I have gotten comfortable in being alone when I want to be or not being the center attention in a group.
The author, Jessica Phan, decided that she needed to get outside her introverted comfort zone after feeling depressed within her comfort zone.
Jessica gives herself a year to act like an extrovert and see how it changes her. She utilizes living in London to attend networking events, improv classes, and speaking to different experts on how to make friends or how to have the nerve to do public speaking.
Over the year, she does realize that she craves deep conversations and real friendships (friends you can call to bury a body, she calls them).
Overall, I liked the concept of the book.It was fun living vicariously through Jessica. I feel like she was very hard on herself, but maybe you need to be hard on yourself to invoke any kind of real change.

2 stars for this one. I consider myself to be an extroverted introvert, and I was drawn to this book based off of the description. While there were plenty of cringe-worthy, relatable moments, this book just didn't do it for me. I cannot exactly pinpoint what made me feel this way, but I just didn't dig it. I hope any future readers enjoy it more than I did. Special thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book as an introvert myself. I could not even fathom putting myself in these situations! It was a great read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Went in with no expectations, but found it to be a delightfully funny read. Found there was a lot to relate to in the text and can easily see myself picking up other books by Pan in the future.

Recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book looks really interesting as well as a good resource for sharing with the people who care about those with this issue. Unfortunately, I was unable to download a readable copy so cannot give a true review but I will be getting myself a hard copy when it's released.

This was a charming, hilarious, poignant book. It picked me from the title because it's definitely me.

The writer is a shintrovert who finds herself in an unhappy place (cold London, all friends abroad, lonely) and decides to go through a year of extroverting.

If you ever dreaded your birthday party so much you told friends and family only the day before, or every time you had to talk to a group of people, or generally be the centre of attention, then you'll relate so much you'd think you might have written it (if you ever dared doing the crazy things she had done during the year)

The writer is honest, open, she makes you feel every single moment of the challenges she bravely submits her to, being totally funny

So since I know most strong readers and fellow bookstagrammers here are as introvert as I am, and as the writer is, I'm basically sure you'll love it.
"I love you all. The quiet ones, also observing, who are witty and thoughtful and want to leave early with me"

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I will most definitely be ordering it in to sell to customers at my work!

Unfortunately, I am not able to read this book on my Kindle due to the file being a protected pdf. Please allow access for a mobi file so that I can read and give it a proper review. Going through the reviews, I am not the only reader with this problem.

I'm an introvert who isn't shy... I can talk to strangers, public speak (I do it for my work), and host a party, it's just exhausting.  I wanted to see someone else's way of looking at the world, and Jessica Pan certainly delivered.

Shy people have always confused me.  I just can't find the give-a-damn inside me to care what a stranger thinks about me.  I don't judge shy people negatively, I know there are things about my personality that they wouldn't understand.  Pan does an admirable job of putting me inside her mind, so I can see the world with her understanding, even if I don't agree with it.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the way time jumped forward, but I know everyday life is boring to an outsider.  She concentrated on the interesting bits, and they were certainly interesting.  Just hard to follow when it seems months went by without an update or lesson learned.

Overall, great story and well written.

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows shy introvert (or "shintrovert") Jessica Pan for one year as she seeks to make a lifestyle change. Realizing that she needs to make a serious adjustment while fully clothed in a sauna, Pan makes the decision to get out of her comfort zone by doing things she never thought she would do. Using humor and honesty Pan takes us on her one year journey of saying "yes" to all the experiences she never thought she would have.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I didnt. I found this book hard to get through as most of it couldn't keep my attention. I found myself taking frequent breaks as I couldn't get through much at a time. There were two things about this book that were a bit of a saving grace and made it possible to make it all the way through. The first would be all the personality that was poured into the pages. It felt like Pan was there telling me the story herself. The second was the humor. There were parts in this book that made me laugh out loud, literally. The funny parts were the only relatable parts for me, as I have actually had quite similar thoughts at times. One of these in particular is when Pan says:

I run down. Sam is reheating the turkey and whipping up the vegan mashed potatoes. I take a look at my sweet potatoes covered in butter, sugar, and marshmellows. The marshmellows have failed to form that camp-fire-y, charred glaze and are instead completely melted, the white dissolving into clumps among the orange sweet potatoes.

"It looks like I spit my toothpaste out in it," Sam says.

I want to kill him. But there are too many witnesses.

I found this to be hilarious and relatable, as I'm sure most if not all individuals with a smart-ass partner would relate to it. There are many more laugh out loud moments in this book, this is just my personal favorite.

Overall, I can't say it was a bad book. I didn't enjoy the overall story but it definitely had it's redeeming qualities. This book would probably be enjoyed most by "shintroverts" who are looking to become more outgoing or even considering trying something out of their comfort zone.

You can find this and all my other reviews at
https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/...