5 stars

If you thought you knew Michelle Buteau, think again.

This hysterical and heartbreaking memoir reads like one of her stand up acts with references and jokes that had me cackling, but where this book really succeeds is in the painting of the moments when there is very little to laugh at. The funniest comics are not happy 24/7 and Buteau's story is perfect evidence of that. However, even in describing her low moments, her sense of humor lets the reader know that things are somehow going to be okay. For someone who doesn't read a lot of memoirs, I absolutely adored this book and I hope you do too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Michelle Buteau's "Survival of the Thickest" is an amusing and relatable collection of stories from her childhood in Jersey to her more recent foray into motherhood. We learn about growing up catholic and Caribbean in New Jersey, attending college in Miami, and her journey from behind the scenes news work, to stand up comedy. She discusses her relationships in New York City, and how she meets her future husband as a one-night stand. He's Dutch, and she highlights the complexities of their mixed marriage and the cultural differences between her Caribbean background and his Dutch. Their wedding alone is quite the to-do! The latter parts of the book focus on her journey to motherhood, focusing on challenges that many women face such as miscarriages, and difficulty conceiving. Ultimately, her and her husband go the surrogacy route, bringing up other complexities. Some themes that I really appreciated in thus book included the importance of friendship in your life, chosen family, and just trying to get through each day. I have enjoyed Buteau's comedic work in the past, and will continue to follow her future work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance reader copy for review.

If you're looking for a hilarious memoir, pick up this book! Michelle is hilarious and I felt like I was in on her life stories. I could literally hear her voice as I read along. I learned so much and laughed the whole way though. It made me long for the nostalgia of the 90s and those overalls. She does a great job of painting the picture and i feel like we are best friends. She does a great job of toeing the line of funny and serious where it needed and honestly if I ever come in contact with Michelle I might act like we are friends IRL.

If you like her comedy - you will LOVE her book. The book reads like her comedy specials - a little brash, a lot sassy, and a whole lot of honesty. I received this book as an ARC and was so excited I was picked to preview it.

I so look forward to more specials, I have to go find her movies! I did not even realized she acted until I read this book. Now I have something to look forward to this weekend!

Good, not great. An easy read that you can devour in a day or two, but as someone who has watched some of Michelle's comedy I do not think the book adds a whole lot - I remember some of the jokes, even! Still, I smiled, and I felt for Michelle when she was struggling, and learning about who she was all with a positive spin.

This book of essays from comedian and actress Michelle Buteau is all about her life and journey, peppered with a conversational tone and language as almost like if she's in element doing a standup routine. It's an authentic memoir of essays, where everything she writes and experienced is quite funny because it's relatable as heck. A fun, lighthearted celebrity memoir read.

An interesting and funny book from the very funny comedian and actress, Michelle Buteau. She's led quite an interesting life, and it was fun getting these essay-type peeks inside.

This was a fun read, and may be comforting to women in the same set of circumstances as Michelle Buteau. I've had the issue with several memoirs written by comedians that they seem to be competing for the title of most outrageous story. The book is funny, but kind of lacks a string that would make it a collection rather than just a stories that happened in sequence.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I had listened to the author on several podcasts and found her hilarious, so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it. I liked the essays focused on race but didn’t enjoy the others much. It wasn’t badly written, and I did laugh at a few parts, so I still give it 3 stars.