Samantha Irby is hilarious, as always, The essays were relatable, funny, and original. Reading about her journeys in homeownership, lesbian marriage, and writing for TV were entertaining.

3.7 (rounded up)

Well, is there such a thing as being too self-deprecating?

Irby is the queen of anxiety (and occasionally, poop), and she is not shy about baring all. Honest, funny, and overly self-deprecating, this collection of essays grabbed my attention.

This book is about getting old (ha, to Irby this means turning 40! Gawd!). It’s about not fitting in and having crippling anxiety and physical pain to make matters worse. It’s about trying to survive as a married, lesbian, black woman living in Podunk. She documents her feelings as she tries to get out of bed every morning and as she attempts to act like a “normal” person. A stand-out essay was about her first writing job in Hollywood.

I was fickle with my rating as I soldiered on. Here’s my star trek:

-I remember nothing. I was sort of liking this funny book. I loved her earlier We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and thought, man, this girl makes me laugh! But concentration was low because corona was stealing the show, and my laugh reflex was malfunctioning. I was about a third in, and I decided to set it aside and get a shot of Sedaris. Which worked, and got my glands and nodes all giddy. Then back to Wow I went. I had a good attitude, I promise. (After all, I DID return to it, right?) I was reading away and looked down to see I was at 6 percent. I had left off at about 35 percent when I started it a month ago, so WHAAAAAT? Yes, I was rereading it from the start and I had remembered nothing! Now, granted, my brain was screwed up because the virus hit, so it’s partly my fault. But to remember nothing? Something tells me it’s sort of the book’s fault, too. As in not compelling. 3 stars for this so-so content. (1 star for me for my dufus memory.)

-You don’t have to make fun of yourself every second, you know. Irby goes a little overboard in putting herself down. This is pretty much her whole shtick. Don’t get me wrong—I love people who make fun of themselves, but I was overly aware of it, which means it was too much. 3 stars

-Nervous nelly (I’m happy). This is one anxious tootsie! I loved her talk about she survives in the world, carrying around a bundle of heavy nerves that threaten to make her crash and burn. I have mucho anxiety myself, so it was cathartic. She makes it all funny as hell and she’s super smart. I forgot to mention she’s raunchy. Talking about her bodily functions is a favorite topic of hers—I found it mostly a kick. 4 stars

-Nervous nelly (I’m not so happy). Okay, we know you’re anxious, but can’t you let up a little? Same old story over and over. We get it. 3 stars

-List heaven! She made me want to immediately go make some killer lists myself. There are lots of lists and most are soooo funny. 4 stars

-Hello, 911. I loved this creative and funny chapter, where she fantasizes calling 911 with comical problems. 4.5 stars

-Dedicated to Wellbutrin. Seriously, she dedicated the book to Wellbutrin! Anyone who dedicates their book to a psych med is going to make me dish out all the stars (for the Dedication, that is). Love it love it love it! She dedicated We Are Never Meeting in Real Life to Klonopin, so this is her thing. 6 stars

Do NOT give me your playlist! There’s an entire (eternal) chapter near the beginning that outlines her favorite playlist, song by song, and she writes about how each song made her feel. BORING! I really felt like I was in the wrong demographic here—I hadn’t heard of the songs (they were from the 90s) and I got more and more furious as I continued not to be able to relate. I ended up skipping most of the chapter, but I didn’t go out gently—I was mad at her. How dare she ruin my reading experience? How dare she write about something I can’t relate to? Humph! I was so mad, I jumped over to Sedaris, who I was quite sure would not give me his damn playlists. 1 star

Mix it up and throw it in the blender, and I end up with 3.7 stars, rounded up. I’ll definitely check out her next book, but I must say, this one can’t compete with We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. No way.

P.S. The title is sort of interesting. Does she mean someone says or does something wowsy and she wants no part of it, but she says so in a polite way? Or is the “wow” pure sarcasm?

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was first introduced to Samantha Irby via a podcast interview so I was excited to pick up her latest collection of essays. This was such a fun read. She's hilarious and relatable and I was so happy to have discovered her.

This was my first time reading Irby, but it won’t be my last. While I did sometimes feel she slipped into mean-spirited writing, most of it was really funny. I’ve already ordered a couple copies for my library. I think this will be a hit. Thank you!

Wow, No Thank You||Samantha Irby
#thestacksreview
•
•
This is a collection of hilarious essays about growing older and gaining some much needed perspective. Thank you Vintage/Ancho Books for sending me this copy.
•
•
Samantha Irby is so funny. If you need a little joy right now, this is your book. She is also extremely relatable and thoughtful and observant and did I mention funny? That all comes pouring out in this book. It’s a treat to see the world through her eyes.
•
•
Irby really nails the anxiety of aging in WOW, NO THANK YOU. From her essay on going out with friends to the unknown responsibilities of homeownership. It’s refreshing to read about the ways gravity can ravish a body without pretentious philosophizing. Its just straightforward and real, which always works. •
•
Also, it’s hard to be funny. It’s even harder to be funny in a book. What can’t be overstated is that Irby’s honesty and shamelessness makes way for so much funny.
•
•
Have you read this book? What did you think? Did you have a favorite essay?
•
•
If you want more from Samantha Irby check out her episode on The Stacks podcast: https://thestackspodcast.com/2020/04/08/ep-106-samantha-irby. Trust me, she is a total delight.
#thestacks.

WOW!! Yes, PLEASE! And THANK YOU!

I LOVED this. I don't typically read short stories or an essay collection but I am so, SO happy I read this. The essays were very poignant and extremely funny. They hit very close to home and were EXACTLY what I needed right now.

Irby is a master at her craft. Her writing ability oozes with confidence. I cannot wait until her next book!

Highly recommended!

Hilarious!! Loved the format - I was obviously drawn to some chapters/stories over others, but all had something within I could identify with! I laughed out loud more times than I can count. Will be recommending, especially when friends ask for something light among the stress of the world right now!

Maybe now more than ever, readers are looking for some humor. This book is absolutely sure to offer laughs, but I think Samantha Irby's real talent is finding the humor in the aspects of life we can all relate too but maybe didn't at first see the humor in ourselves.
I read this book in little pieces as I needed something funny, and it was great.

This book is in a much different format then I am used to reading. Sorta a rambling with no real climax. At first I wasn't digging it, in fact I thought about not finishing which I never do and I am so glad I decided to stick with it. The chapter detachment parenting had me laughing out loud. I actually highlighted some things in this book because I thought they were so funny. I am glad I stuck with the book. It did not disappoint and I see what all the hype was about. She is relatable and I now am going to have to read her other books!

If you loved or hated We Are Never Meeting in Real Life you must read this. It’s just as funny, if not more so, and establishes a vivid mutual agreement that we are all related in more than one way.

We all need some humor, but maybe even more so during this time. Funny, heck yes, but also so much with with I could identify. Out with friends and wishing to be home. Making plans on a certain day but when the day comes wondering what you were thinking. Looking in your closet and wondering what pod bought some of these clothes. Her Crohn's disease and lamenting her partners penchant for buying healthy snacks. So much more is included, her comic delivery is top notch.

Sometimes raunchy, honest and pertinent, this is my first introduction to this author. Taken all together it is almost too much, but parsed out, read here and there, these essays reflect life as many of us live as women.

Not having read any books by Samantha Irby before, I was pulled into this book by the cover. Thank goodness for a bunny on a green background. I needed some irreverent humor right now. The essays were not laugh out loud, but there were many giggles as I read the book.

Samantha Irby remains an absolute delight. I'd probably recommend reading 'We Are Never Meeting in Real Life' and 'Meaty' before diving into this one (I think those first two collections are just a little bit funnier), but this was still a total, laugh-out-loud read. I was already glad Samantha Irby exists, but I'm especially glad to have her essays during these weird times.

Hilarious book of essays! I seem to be Irby's target audience, being close to her age and enjoying crass, self-deprecating humor. I laughed so hard at some of her personal stories and really enjoyed the pop culture references within. Some or Irby’s most difficult and/or humiliating life experiences are presented in essays with such wonderful humor and vulnerability. This is the perfect book if you’re looking for some escapism! I will definitely be picking up more of Irby’s books soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage/Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

Samantha Irby does it again! I was laughing so hard during this book that tears were streaming down my fave! I highly recommend!

I've been looking for a funny escape due to the current times and this fit what I needed. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, as I can be really picky about this genre of book. I found plenty of the chapters funny and look forward to reading more!

Wow, No Thank You. is a perfect humorous escape from our dreary times. Irby is so damn funny. In these essays, Irby uses hilarious self-deprecation and consistently relatable insights to bring humor to the bad parts of life, all anchored by the drudgery of adulthood. She uses this framework to cover a wide variety of topics, such as the panic and dread that come with preparing for a night on the town as a homebody, her love for her phone, the infinite questions which come with owning and maintaining home (so relatable - I don’t know anything either), her typical daily routine and bodily functions, and her experience working on the Hulu show “Shrill.” Irby often uses lists in her essays to side-splitting effect - one of my favorite essays in the collection, “Hello, 911?,” is a list of 911 calls in response to awkward, anxiety-inducing moments that often happen on a daily basis. Example: “Hello, 911? What on earth am I supposed to say to this bathroom attendant?” Finally, I highly recommend the audiobook of this one - Irby narrates, and her delivery is perfect.

Wow, No Thank You was a pretty funny read. For anyone looking for a humorous set of essays to read as a means to escape these strange times in America, I suggest you check this one out. While some stood out more than others for me, I believe there's a little something in this collection for everyone. This is my first Samantha Irby read, but won't be my last. Will be getting familiar with her other collections asap!

3.5 Stars

A hilarious new title from Irby. Perfect for classes on humor/essay writing, and just for the average person to read and laugh hysterically. Highly recommended!

Samantha Irby’s latest does not disappoint! How is she so real and funny??! This was the perfect read while housebound and stressed. A++