Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. When I first came across this book I was instantly reminded of Post Secret by Frank Warren. Warren's book provided an anonymous way for complete strangers to share their secrets, judgement free, via postcards. . Craigslist Confidential by Helena Dea Bala used this concept, but provided more in-depth encounters using a novel format. Bala's project/book began after sharing lunch and conversation with a panhandler met on the street. Sharing her frustrations with life, encumbered by student loan debt, she left the conversation with a freeing feeling. She then had the idea to post an ad on Craigslist offering to to listen anonymously, and freely to anyone who wanted to talk. She was flooded with responses and this book features forty of those. Ranging from addiction, relationships, heartbreak, and hope, Bala's book is quite the portrayal of the broad range the human experience entails. I highly recommend this book.

In a time when Americans cannot bridge divides or listen to each other's opinions, this book was incredible refreshing and honest and touching.  There were so many stories that were thought provoking and interesting and ultimately, very human.

I’m feeling completely overwhelmed after reading this book. The raw emotion and power in these stories is palpable, I’ve smiled and I’ve cried. I loved this book (despite the tears!). What a fascinating concept. Thanks the the publisher and NetGalley for an egalley.

These were all good stories but I felt like something was missing. I never felt like I connected with any of them in a meaningful way.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read, albeit a bit slow at times. 3/5 stars for me.

This was such an interesting premise for a book and it worked so well!  I couldn't believe how honest people were to a complete stranger.  Kuddos to this author for taking the time and having the ability to listen to these stories with no judgement.  It was a reminder to me that you truly have no idea what another person is dealing with in life.  A person is often defined by what we see, but there is so much more under the surface that we have no idea about, good and bad.  I would definitely read another volume of these stories.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. 

I am an incredible nosey person and want to know about people all the time, specifically the secrets they keep. I am the friend everyone turns to when they need to vent or discuss something with no judgement. This book was right up my alley. The only bad thing I have to say is, Im jealous I had not thought of this first. 

Each story was relatable. There were stories on love, loss, affairs, sadness, happiness, etc. I could read many more books like this by Helena.

DNF at 22%. This is a really powerful read - each person’s story feels real and raw and true and full of emotion. And I think I could really appreciate reading this at a different time. But right now with everything happening in the world, I can’t read this. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I loved that they were all broken up into individual stories. So that they were quick to read, you could read one waiting in the car or waiting on hold.

Some of the stories felt familiar as I have lived through some similar things. Some were also heartbreaking and tearful. While others made ya smile in the end.

Really interesting compilation of stories. Almost feels like Post Secret or an anonymous website. Some of the stories were so tragic I almost couldn't believe they were true. In some cases, I wish I knew who belonged to the story and whether they were able to get past their problems. This is a good book to read if you feel like you are alone with your problems. Gives you the sense that even if you feel your situation is unique there is always someone with worse issues or a similar story

I didn’t know much about this book going into it and kind of expected it to be light-hearted (clearly I didn’t read the synopsis closely). I couldn’t have been more wrong. These stories are the take-your-breath-away kind that I remember from Tiny Beautiful Things…just without the advice element (Dea Bala chose to strictly listen). They’re deeply raw and unfiltered and cover issues ranging from infidelity to addiction to racism to abuse to terminal illness to identity to mundane marriage issues. Just like life, some stories end on a hopeful note and offer life wisdom…and others don’t really have an ending and / or don’t leave the reader with much hope. I was riveted. Each story is relatively short, so you could easily read this in snippets or take breaks if the stories become too emotionally overwhelming. And, Dea Bala’s personal story (which she shares in the Introduction) of immigrating to America from Albania with her successful parents (a doctor and an Ambassador) who then worked at Home Depot and cleaned houses to make ends meet in the U.S. is astounding in and of itself. A 5 star book that came out of nowhere for me! P.S. – check out my podcast episode with the author!

What a thought-provoking concept... What would people share if they knew that the person listening had no agenda? Craigslist Confessional gives us a glimpse into the minds and hearts of people who chose to reach out to the author with a simple goal: to get something off their chest and be heard by one person. Helena Dea Bala does a great job of telling these 40 individual stories and channeling their voices. Highly recommended!

Thank you Gallery Books for a copy of Craigslist Confessional for review.

This was an interesting collection of true stories, and with any collection, I enjoyed some more than others and while they are collected under a few broad categories, I did find that they all felt the same after a while.  The fact that we only get one side of each story and only the storyteller's perspective on things, I found myself wondering more about the other people than the storyteller.  Interesting idea that just felt one sided, which was something that left me feeling wanting more.

I really liked this book. It will show you a painful side to life but it will also teach you to have more empathy and in today's world I think a lot of people need to relearn what empathy is. I woukd recommend this book. .


I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I throughly enjoyed this book. With the state of the world right now, the stories in this book put things into perspective.

A fascinating concept; an interesting read. This book truly is a confessional. It makes you realize that everyone has a story and many have a specific moment in time that changes the course of their life altogether. There were some happy stories but much of the book was quite sad. Some stories were exquisitely painful to read. I do find it brave, albeit a bit naive, that the author met with complete strangers and simply offered to listen. Out of that simple act of kindness came this book. Thank you to @netgalley @gallerybooks and the author for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  #netgalley #goodreads #craigslistconfessional #helenadeabala #gallerybooks  #bookstagrammer #booksandmrdarcy #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚

What a great idea for a book. I was a huge fan of post secret and trying to get inside people’s heads. I am a big proponent of empathy and I think Craigslist Confessional can help those that lack empathy, gain a little more. This was a wonderful read during quarantine time.

A tough read, not because of the writing because of the nature of the book. There is a reason it is called confession - it is too heavy and personal to be told and to listen/read about it. This is a book that you will have to take breaks while reading - it is not an easy read. It can be cathartic or depressing according to the topics and it will be a personal experience for every reader. Impossible book to rate because of that, so just based on personal opinions, 3.5 stars

Many of these stories were hard to read. Some were relatable, some were upsetting, some were disturbing, some were insightful, some were encouraging, some were odd. I felt a whole lot of emotions while reading this book. It was well written and does a great job exploring humanity and the need and desire people have to be heard and understood.

This book contains many short stories where people confess to the author, about their lives and situations they had been in. This definitely helped me out of my slump. I want more of these stories. Each section has their own set of trigger warnings - I remember abuse, rape, cancer, dying, mental illness and I’m sure there are more that I missed. Some of these stories are so incredibly heartbreaking - Can you imagine having to marry your rapist? These stories also help you to not feel alone and help you to realize that everyone has a story and often you have no idea what is going on or has gone on in their lives. This is one I highly recommend!