I love Ali Wong, and that love certainly translated to a love for her writing and this book. Wong speaks to motherhood and being a woman in this world in such a relatable, but outlandish and hilarious way.

Recommended for purchase by the Scottsboro Public Library.

What's not to love about Ali Wong. From acting to writing. She does it all and a mother to boot. She rocks.

Ali Wong is the type of woman you want to be friends with or want to be your super cool aunt. Her writing is fun, relatable, and humorous in a way that doesn't downplay the serious topics she addresses in this book dedicated to her daughters. I appreciated how rawly she shares her experiences and the unflinching honesty in which she tells her story. There honestly isn't anything wrong with this book.

4.5 Stars (I received an e-arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review)

This book was a joy to read/listen to as I did receive an early arc through net galley but did recently end up listening to the audio book through my library. Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian and to be honest the best way to consume her book is listening to both her written and literal voice. Something to note for readers who are not a fan of crude humor and dirty language, this book is not for you. There were some instances where I did cringe a bit mainly the butt hole jokes. It was cute how Ali wrote this book for her daughters; which I did not know before reading; but any of this advice could apply young women. She doesn't sugar coat the hard stuff she went through, talked about her amazing bonds with her family, her career in stand-up v.s Hollywood and so much more. Also her husband's section was very adorable and very heartfelt.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I just love Ali Wong and have watched her on Netflix. I will say that I skimmed a lot of this, but I will definitely be buying a copy for myself and for my library.

I stumbled upon Ali Wong in 2016, in a particularly dark place in my life. In 2016, I spent a large portion of the year awaiting a brain surgery that would, we hoped, allow me to keep my vision. As my vision went in and out, I turned to standup comedy as a relief. The week before the surgery, I found "Baby Cobra" for the first time. Wong was crass and said every thing that came to her mind and I loved her for it. And a week later, as I began to heal post-op, "Baby Cobra" became a regular background in our house. No one had been able to prepare me for what comes with the healing AFTER surgery, and I was lucky to have found comedians that gave me a needed laugh and distraction ahead of time. Two years later, as we hit another bump in my health road, Wong's second Netflix special "Hard Knock Wife" was released and once again Wong became a soundtrack to my healing, proving over and over that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

When I learned that DEAR GIRLS was being released, I was so excited. Memoirs are easily my favorite genre, but when they are the story of someone I'm already a fan of it makes me all that much happier. Wong's memoir, written in a series of letters to her two daughters, is real and relatable, and in my opinion, soul cleansing. She tackles difficult topics in a way that exposes the nerves but then sooths the sting. She bares the good and the bad, not unlike her stand up routines. I think the letter that hit me the hardest was when she talks about the miscarriage that ended her first pregnancy. She took an impossibly hard situation and showed her humanity, and, as one who has miscarriage herself, her commentary on the alone-ness that one feels in that position and how the responses of well meaning people effect an already grieving person was balm to a nerve I didn't realize was still raw after all these years.

I love her relationship not only with her girls, but also with her husband. I think one of my favorite parts of the book was the letter he contributed at the end of the book.

Be ready to laugh...then laugh some more...than maybe tear up a little bit, only to laugh a whole lot harder. I found myself highlighting sections to return to iif and when I need a laugh in the future.

Ali Wong is hilarious! If you're a fan of her Netflix specials, you'll enjoy an additional glimpse into her life. Written as letters to her two young daughters (who are prominently featured in her stand up; she was pregnant with them for each of her specials), she covers areas of life where she hopes to pass on her life experience as advice. Her humor is sharp and pointed, and brings her classic irreverent style to the page.

A Mixed Bag

This was an entertaining read, for the most part. Framed as a series of letters to her daughters, that approach let her do some humorous set pieces, some understated biography, a fair amount of working comic memoir, and then a variety of riffs on topics of interest to her and her readers, (pregnancy, parenthood, dating, and so on). Some of it worked, and some didn't.

Wong comes across as bright and likeable, but of course memoirs like this are about the character/performer created by the author. The tone is true to her stage act and persona, so fans won't be disappointed. There are hints of reality that peek through, but the book is mostly a written version of what you'd expect from Ali Wong after watching her perform and maybe seeing a few interviews or reading celebrity pieces. There's nothing wrong with that, and there are some very funny lines and bits, but whenever comedians start to get serious about the hard work of comedy I begin to tune out. Digging ditches is hard work too.

That said, the tone is upbeat and cheerful. Wong has a great touch with breezy vulgar ranting. Her reflections on Asian-American stereotypes, and on "unfunny women" biases, are refreshing and bracing, and maybe the most personal parts of the book. The comedian memoir is a tough genre, without a lot of room for originality or sparkle. I thought this one did pretty well.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

📚 Book Review 📚

I loved Ali Wong’s stand up special when I watched it a couple years ago on Netflix. She had me in stitches for almost the whole hour of her set. So, I was thrilled when I saw she’d come out with a book. (This is a very, very late review but thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the free copy in exchange for a review)

What I Liked: I switched between the digital copy and audiobook copy for this one. I definitely enjoyed listening to Ali tell her story. I liked that she wrote it as a letter to her girls and some of her anecdotes had me in stitches. My favorite part of the book was the last half where she gets very honest about motherhood, gender roles, and her life with her family growing up. I honestly wish she had started with a lot of this! She also just had some (in my opinion) great life tips for girls.

What I Struggled With: I knew Ali Wong’s humor was raunchy. I didn’t go into this book with any preconceived notions that it would be “clean.” At times it just felt like there were places where she would make it raunchy, and it didn’t need to be. I also struggled with the structure of the book. It didn’t feel cohesive and jumped around quite a bit. To be fair, she notes in the very beginning of the book she didn’t know the right way to approach this book and how she was going to do it. She explicitly stated she “doesn’t write fancy.”

Overall, an entertaining enough read that had me laughing out loud in parts, but just missed the mark in a few other areas.

I love Ali Wong, but this just didn't do it for me. I couldn't finish it. I can't relate to motherhood or having daughters.

Ali Wong writes as she speaks - no filter. If you are triggered by language, sex, sarcasm, body descriptions, know that nothing is sacred; Ali explores it all in great detail.
So, full disclosure....I loved this book! I went through all types of emotions and reaction from Awe to ewww. I so appreciated Ms Wong's honesty and willingness to laugh at herself. As celebrity biographies go , I would place this on a shelf with Tina Fey's Bossy Pants easily.
rated R for really adult.
3.5
I recveived my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

When I realized that Ali Wong had written a book I knew I needed to read it. I didn’t even spend time reading the book description because I knew it would be funny and insightful - and I was 100% spot on the money. I’ve seen bits and pieces of her comedy show while she was pregnant and thought she was hilarious.

The format of this book is written as if Ali was talking to her daughters (once they’re adults and the content is age-appropriate). It’s a combination of laugh out loud humor and interesting cultural food for thought. Some of it I understand the perspective and some of it was new for me.

Refreshingly funny and certainly worth the read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This was absolutely hilarious and only made me love Ali Wong even more. This was the perfect read to lift my spirits.

I never really followed Ali Wong, but this book has made me change my ways! This was unbelievably funny and charming and sweet.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more! I found it incredibly amusing and felt like I was hanging out with a friend in a conversation.

I just love love love this book!!! No wonder it's a BESTSELLER. Being a huge fan of Ali, I was waiting to read this book and this one was funny on so many levels. Even though there would be some rave reviews out there. I felt the was good overall.

I love love love her. This was fantastic. It was in your face, truth and I just can't get enough of Ali Wong. Is it crude? yes. Does it tell it like it is? Yes. She doesn't sugarcoat anything and that suits me just fine. She is honest and I love it. But she has worries, she has failures too, and we get those confessions in this book as well. I tend to really enjoy books by comedians and this was no different. How wonderful that her girls will grow up with this powerhouse behind them. She is strong, yet vulnerable, in your face, yet humble and I will read anything she writes.

The characters are so well-written and intriguing that the reader is drawn into the story and cares about the outcome for each of them. It is a unique story with an interesting premise.

Such an enjoyable look at Ali Wong’s life from her meeting (and trapping!) her husband to the pride and humor she finds in her Asian American heritage. I really appreciate her ability to be gross, hilarious, and also really genuine in her reflections on her childhood as well as the sacrifices her parents and grandparents made to build a life in the US. Very funny but also heartwarming in a lot of ways.

This was an enjoyable read, and I particularly enjoyed that structurally it is told across a series of thematic letters to her daughters. I also don't know anyone that writes birth-humor (for want of a better expression) as well, the early parts of this book particularly had me absolutely hooked! I think readers will connect with this if they also enjoy Wong's stand-up comedy.