Honestly I don’t have an interest in reading this book anymore and I want to be more selective with what I request.

It is exciting and superbly entertaining. This well-written work is a must read. As far as the writing style and narration is concerned, it is absolutely fantastic. The way author has wevaed the story with the mastery of writing style and narration, it is truly commendable. Overall, it was a great experience. I highly recommend this work and give it full 5 stars for the writing, narration and overall presentation. Happy Reading.

I admittedly struggled with this book and it ended up being a DNF. In all fairness, without reading the book summary I assumed this would be like Jen Lancaster's other memoirs - irreverent and laugh-out-loud in public hilarious. But I didn't get far enough into the book to see if her signature wit and humor were there - the book ended up reading like more of a non-fiction political book and I just couldn't continue.

4.5 stars

If you asked me to summarize this book after finishing it, I would be hard pressed to tell you what exactly this is... It's not a memoir, it's not a book about anxiety per se. It reads more like a stream of consciousness around observations and pitting life in the 70s to what life is now.
I rather enjoyed the snark and the witty tone and the fact the author is unapologetic yet not a jerk - it's the voice of her, a lot, that made me push through this book, as the many facts (well-researched, btw, and supported with the source material link in the last pages) can get a bit boggling, but it is all wrapped up in what I suppose is essentially Jen Lancaster, as if you were sitting across a table with her and having coffee and just catching up, talking about everything and nothing, but in the end the whole conversation makes sense to you...but you wouldn't know how to explain it all to someone else? That's the feeling I got with this one. But the fact that I loved 'being' with Jen Lancaster this way made this a nice journey for me, and some, if not many, of her observations are spot on the mark and really make you stop and ponder where life is at nowadays (granted, pre-pandemic).

This is definitely different from most of Jen Lancaster's other non-fiction/memoir books, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It comes across as very well-researched, and I found it to be fairly informative, if a bit predictable.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and was immediately drawn into the information presented. I really appreciated how researched this book was and the tie in with Maslow's hierarchy of needs for the segments. I found this to be logical as well as insightful. The first thing that really grabbed me about this book is just the general humor and wit of the author. I found her to be immensely intelligent, witty, and just overall original voices that I have heard in quite a while. If you are looking for a book that will bring you joy and maybe help you reminisce about growing up as a 70's and 80's kid, this is it. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,

DNF at 30% after several attempts to pick it back up. It wasn't at all what I expected. For me it just adds to the 'anxiety' instead of giving relief, be it comic relief or comradery.

I love Jen Lancaster's earlier books but this one fell a little flat for me. I still found some parts relevant and insightful but overall I don't think it's worth the effort of a full length book.

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety was not for me. I won't be publicly reviewing it for this reason. I'm sure many will enjoy it.

Definitely not the usual that I expect from Jen Lancaster, but still an OK read. This one almost felt a little "preachy" to me at times. It definitely seems like Jen is growing up, which isn't a bad thing! I think readers should be prepared that this is not the typical train-wreck-esque funniness that we expect from our girl. She's all grown up now!


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I didn’t enjoy this book. The Tao of Martha was great, but this...ugh. It was way too UC white woman virtue signalling for me.

One woman's honest look at the world around us. Edited in March 2020, touches on the pandemic, wokeness, racism. Lancaster is always well written, and I enjoyed a different person's perspective on our world.

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

This was my first experience with a Jen Lancaster memoir. I liked her personal and anecdotal material, but felt a lot of the book was just her throwing facts our way. The footnotes didn't come in until the very end of the e-book (not sure if it was set up the same way in the print version) and it was too hard to go back and match each one up by that time. Jen said some things I could relate to, but I wish that the book was overall about her anxiety vs. what she researched.

While she has made me laugh while reading this book, I think our sense of humor is different most of the time. I still would be interested in checking out one of her earlier memoirs, as I've heard good things about them.

DNF at 5%. Soooo... This one's on me. I requested Jen Lancaster's new book sight unseen, because I have read every memoir by her, and it had the word anxiety in the title. But... I guess I'm a different person than I was in high school (thank God!), and she most certainly has changed since her early memoirs. I don't know, I found her writing to be incredibly belittling and patronizing. I had a hard time identifying with her
wealthy MLM guru lifestyle. And while I enjoyed a good self deprecating fat joke in my youth, I'm much more body positive now, and they just don't hit the same. Disclaimer: I wouldn't usually rate something I didn't finish, but under Netgalley's guidelines, I'll rate what I did read a 1 star.

I have been reading Jen Lancaster’s books since I happened on her book of essays called Bitter is the New Black while shopping at BJ’s many, many years ago. I have always enjoyed her snarky wit and her boldness in the midst of social awkwardness.

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety is her new book of essays which sometimes reads more like a dissertation, but correctly points out the chaos and confusion of the new norms while trying to navigate social media which sometimes (well, most times) consumes our lives. Social media can take time away from your real life, although it feels like real life, it can also impede our daily life and cause anxiousness, even depression.

She rightfully explains how years prior to any type of social media one could make a mistake, dress improperly, have a disagreement with a friend and it would be over so quickly, you would forget whatever happened. Now, with social media, not only can a small incident turn into a major war, it can last for eternity where it can be brought up again and again.

Lancaster’s biting humor and sarcasm are still visible in these new essays, but she also backs up all her information with statistics which, given the age we live in now, seems extremely appropriate.

Her essay on The State of Our Stressed-Out Union, explains how social media has opened up a new world to people who grew up in an era where most things were private, where no one outside of the family had access to secret information and those who did would take it to the grave. Her parents, as most during that time of innocence, allowed their children to never wear seatbelts, never lock the doors, make no calls after 10 o’clock p.m., (way too expensive) or even… we have a prowler? Oh, probably a boy from the high school pranking..no worries! Everyone seemed to be of the same easygoing mindset.

Now, with social media, one can be influenced into what to eat, think, wear, feel or even which “influencer” that’s a thing too now, should influence YOU. Lancaster tells the story of being on Facebook and connecting with an old friend, only to find their beliefs might not exactly be the same and stressing out as to whether to block the person or just never go on Facebook again. Now this is a stress no one ever saw coming back in the 80’s or 90’s!

A powerful essay is how she had to distance herself from her mother, a relationship which was complicated to begin with, and how the power of social media actually became a tool her mother was able to use against her.

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety is a funny, sadly very true story of where we were, how far we have come and where we are trending. Now I need to go check twitter to see if anyone liked the last tweet!

Thank you #NetGalley #LittleA #WelcometotheUnitedStatesof Anxiety #JenLancaster for the advanced copy.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Full Disclosure: I already had this book on pre-order because I am a huge fan of Jen Lancaster's books, I have read and loved every single one. That being said, I will always give my honest thoughts on a book I read whether or not I already adore the author and everything about her! Ok now that's out in the open let's get into it. The majority of Jen's books have been memoir style ones where she cracks me up and has me nodding my head in agreeance with her experiences. I went into this one blind...she is on my autobuy list so I was expecting her usual sarcastic, funny, laugh out loud humourous style. In parts I still got that but this book offers so much more also. I read it during our strictest lockdowns (couldn't travel outside of 5km from home etc), a time of uncertainties and a time that was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. This book without a doubt helped get me through even my darkest most depressing thoughts during those times. Not only did Jen make me laugh but she gets deeper than ever before in this book and really discusses some issues we should all be thinking about. It was more like a hug from Jen a "we are in this together and we all have anxiety triggers" kind of read than her usual brash and funny humour. I cannot praise this book enough, if you are thinking of even reading it just pick it up and start, you will not regret it. It was a perfect read for an anxiety ridden time. Also a shoutout to her podcast Stories I'd Tell in Bars...for any podcast fans who need a pick me up. Jen and her besty Gina are great in this podcast too. #netgalley #jenlancaster #welcometotheunitedstatesofanxiety #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #goodreads #amazonkindle #bookstagram #bookqueen

I feel like this book would have been more appropriate had it been released during a different time! So many of the anxieties Lancaster brings up just seem so trivial and ridiculous during the times of Covid. What is intended as a humorous tone comes off as cringeworthy when you think about the actual state of our country right now. This takes the enjoyment out of the book for me, because it is tough to relate to or find some of her complaints funny. I love to laugh & I love humorous books, but I just found the tone a bit annoying. Maybe if I can pick this book up a few years from now I will see it in a different light!

Jen Lancaster is known for her humorous take on life and she missed the mark with this book. She had no authority over the subjects she tackled and there were no "LOL" moments to even out her lack of knowledge on the topics.

Well, hard to review when the book did sound interesting, but I got it on Oct 2, and it was released on Oct 1. I could not access it beyond 10/2. So, hard to review. See, that it is a Kindle Unlimited Book, so can read my Mom’s one if I wish. I doubt it. The 5****** are there, but can figure out why. The 3*** down, sound much more honest and there are a lot of them. Good luck, we have lots to worry about and seriously doubt this book, in the time, will be a hit.

Lots of luck though. Best to NetGalley and best to Jen Lancaster. Perhaps, another time, I can read your work. Heard you are a good author.

A relevant read for the times that combines facts with humor. This collection of essays tackles heavy topics that affect us all while managing to be engaging and funny. Insightful look at our needs ( based on Marlow hierarchy) the roots if anxiety. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for an honest review.