I needed a good laugh after the anxiety of the election and the Capitol Riots and this book was the perfect antidote. But while I stifled snorts and laughs in my pillow late at night to as to not wake my husband, I also really appreciated the poignant, raw and honest stories that Jenny shares about her anxiety and depression. Fantastically funny, I absolutely loved this book and now I need to go read ALL of her books!

I received an e-ARC of this book, but to the surprise of almost no one, I actually wound up listening to it on audio and let me tell you, that was the way to go. Jenny Lawson is unsurprisingly brilliant at narrating her own story, but like, truly, the way all of the emotions shine through. Her stories are wild and ridiculous and hilarious and sometimes so heart wrenching. As with any essay collection, some of the essays worked better for me than others, but, as with all essay collections, I actually have no idea how to review it. So... Here goes, I guess.

Jenny Lawson has a lot of illnesses that have all sorts of impacts on her life. She also has tremendous social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, and depression. She's married and has a daughter. There are stories in here related to basically all of those things and wow, the horror of thinking through the fact that the medicine that is saving you in many ways is also killing you was... intense. She has chronic pain and briefly touches on going to the hospital and having people call her a drug seeker, which is a really negative thing I know many people with chronic pain have dealt with.

Her stories about her arguments with her husband delighted me though because they have some of the most hilarious arguments. I thought MY brain and mouth connection meant that I have a stream of consciousness thing that happens sometimes, when I'm over tired, but it turns out I had no idea. She is so funny and open about the things that come through her head and I was so delighted to find out that this is normal. (In at least that other people do it too.)

There were multiple chapters where I would have to pause the audiobook because I was laughing too hard to hear it. But, there were also chapters that were heavier and made me tear up. Her grandmother had dementia and the entire chapter was so poignant and I just really loved hearing from her perspective.

All in all, I'm so grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for the e-ARC, sorry I wound up purchasing and listening instead? Definitely worth it though. This book was marvelous.

Broken started off great, with some extremely funny, laugh out loud essays. But then it got really sad. I totally understand how she is trying to normalize depression and anxiety and share what she goes through, but it was too much for me and I ended up just skimming those chapters. But the funny half of the book was very entertaining, other than the Shark Tank essay, which fell flat for me.

Jenny has done it again. Her essays are witty, funny, and make you think. I caught myself laughing out loud as I did with her other books. Even those unfamiliar with Jenny or her blog will find her essays funny. Those that don't understand sarcasm may want to stay away from Jenny's books. Overall I enjoyed Broken, and can't wait to see what Jenny does next.

Thanks to the Jenny Lawson, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Jenny Lawson never disappoints! Her openness with her struggle and never-ending battle with mental illness, her candor, wit and humor make her such a brilliant author (and person, I bet!) and Broken is just more proof of that. I enjoyed how the chapters seemed to go from funny and ridiculous to introspective and soft in a well-balanced way, with her well-known unfiltered sense of humor ever present. Highly recommend it!

Jenny Lawson's Broken made my cry, made me laugh, and often both at the same time. Her straight forward approach to talking about her struggle with mental illness is both relatable and inspiring. Mix in her hilarious brand of humor, and you have a wonderful book filled with laughter and heartfelt honesty. I can't recommend this book and her other titles enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Broken.

I was worried at work this afternoon. I was on my break, reading a chapter of Jenny Lawson’s Broken (in the best possible way) on my phone, and I can only imagine what it would have looked like had someone walked by. They’d probably have thought I was having a seizure, since I was quietly trying to control the loud snorts I wanted to make, grabbing tissues to catch the tears coming from eyes. And had Lawson herself been there, she’d been high-fiving me. (Or maybe, she’d try to but miss and accidentally slap me, but that would only make us laugh harder. She’s that kind of awkward, and I am completely all in for it!)

That is how funny this book is—it will make you look like you’re having a seizure because you’re laughing so hard. Lawson will tell you stories about attic vampires and vaginal lasers and that time leprechauns were in her house, and you will laugh so hard that you will stop caring how you look to others.

And you will need those moments, because not all the chapters are like that. Some of the chapters are about Lawson’s fighting to stay sane despite depression and anxiety, fighting to stay healthy despite a host of autoimmune disorders, fighting with her insurance company to get some relief from all of that and to have them cover the cost or even just part of the cost. When she’s not achingly hilarious, she’s frustrated and angry, having to deal with a health insurance system that fights against her almost as much as her own body does.

Anyone dealing with chronic physical or mental illness will understand her struggles—trying to get a diagnosis, trying to get the right treatment, sometimes just trying to be heard. There is a chapter called An Open Letter to My Health Insurance Company that I think should be a downloadable file with certain phrases left open, so that others can fill it in like a personal health-related Mad Lib and print it out and send it to for-profit health insurance companies, Congresspersons, pharmaceutical companies, and anyone else who might be in a position to help patients get access to the treatments that their doctors are recommending. (She actually did send it to her insurance company, and it convinced them finally to let her try a different treatment for her depression, and that worked wonders for her).

And that’s how it is in Broken. Lawson takes you into her confidence about her health issues, and then she shares stories of social awkwardness that spread throughout the internet so thoroughly that you can actually pull a muscle laughing because the time you accidentally said, “Thanks, love you,” to the cashier at the drugstore is just a starting point for the long list of awkward encounters that people are willing to share.

And that’s what hope feels like. It’s struggling and then embarrassing yourself and then laughing until you cry. It’s fighting with your significant other and thinking about breaking up with them and then realizing just how much time and energy it would take just to finish the paperwork, much less do the actual moving of things, and realizing that you’re too lazy to break up and so you stay together until you get back to that point where you love each other and can’t live without the other. It’s just life. It’s good and then it’s difficult and then you laugh or you cry or maybe both and then it all goes back to good again. Because that’s not just what hope feels like. It’s also what love feels like, and it’s what life feels like.

Do I really need to say how much I loved this book? Lawson’s honesty and genuinely unique perspective on life combine in crazy ways to create stories that make you snort laugh, cringe, shake your head, nod in agreement, and consider befriending an owl and naming it Owly McBeal, because isn’t that adorable? Even if maybe she does drop a squirrel onto your head.

I feel like I’ve gotten off-topic. I think this book is ideal for anyone who is struggling with mental illness, chronic illness, depression, frustration, loneliness, buttworms, cellulite, or vampires using emails to try to sell you immortality. It would also make a perfect gift for anyone on the list above or for your best friend, so you can laugh together at all the funny parts.

Broken (in the best possible way) is a celebration of what us makes us unique, funny, interesting, sad, angry, and human. It’s a judgment-free zone filled with friendship and fellowship for anyone who knows what it is to struggle. In short: it’s for humans. It’s for us all. I just hope that you are broken enough to enjoy this book as much as I did.

Egalleys for Broken (in the best possible way) were provided by Henry Holt & Company through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I should start by saying, I am a huge fan of Jenny Lawson. She is not only so open and honest about her mental and physical illnesses, but she is also so, so funny. When someone asks me for recommendations of books about mental health, anything by Jenny Lawson is always at the top of my list.

Broken (in the best possible way) just continues my love for Lawson. Some chapters had me laughing so hard for minutes on end, and some chapters were so personal and meaningful they almost made me cry. Lawson not only keeps this balance beautifully, but she also makes sure all her readers know that they are not alone. She is such an important voice in the mental health community, and I absolutely recommend reading not only this book, but every other one of her previous books.

If you’ve read Jenny Lawson’s previous books or follow her blog, The Bloggess, then you know that she suffers from mental illness, including depression and has chronic physical health issues as well. In Broken, Jenny shares her experiences in only the way that she can – with brutal honesty and complete hilarity. I appreciate that book is organized so that the more serious essays are interspersed with the funny essays so that the book never gets too heavy. She lays herself bare in some of the more serious essays, she hasn’t been quite this raw in her other books. Everyone will relate to her chapter about her experience with her insurance company. Ugh.

Once again, she had me laughing so hard my cheeks hurt at some of her stories, especially when her husband Victor is involved. Although, the tables were turned in one of them – she was the one behaving sensibly and he was the irrational animal lover. It was fun to see that side of him.

Even if you haven’t heard of Jenny, you will love this book. And if you suffer from chronic or mental illness, Jenny will make you feel like you are not alone. Highly, highly recommended.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In Broken (in the Best Possible Way), Jenny Lawson has once again served up her trademark humor and real talk in a compellingly readable memoir. Jenny Lawson is one of my favorite authors and someone I am always quick to recommend to anyone asking for book recommendations. She has hit it out of the park again with Broken! Lately, I have been doing most of my reading on the treadmill while getting my walking in for the day. However, I had to pick other books to read while working out because laughing so hard I can't catch my breath doesn't go so well with exercising! I lost track of how many times this book made me bust out laughing, but it was easily multiple times each chapter! As a fellow human dealing with depression and anxiety, I can fully relate to the serious moments in her book, too. Everyone needs to read this book!

As someone who suffers from (at times) crippling anxiety, I had not ever found anything funny about it. Till this book! I really enjoyed the authors ability to laugh at herself. She owns her own quirkiness and instead of stifling or hiding her mental health issues, she boldly and bravely puts them on display as lovely imperfections. I really feel this book helps to remove the stigmas surrounding mental health. With that said, there were a few times I felt it overly satirical and too self depreciating, like maybe she was trying really hard to be funny and share something unique. Oddly, this was also something I loved about her writing. Confusing, I know.

Overall, it was entertaining and I am going to be buying a copy for my best friend. Laughter truly is the best medicine and this book is a pill I’d swallow again.

Many thanks to the Jenny Lawson, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. I read and reviewed this voluntarily and opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. This book is available for purchase in April 6th, 2021!

Broken is a collection of essays bouncing back and forth between comic and deathly serious, sometimes doing so within the same story. I'm not sure this genre existed a few years ago. Sure, there were books of essays like what David Sedaris wrote (and I never fully understood), but this kind of deeply personal collection, where we might go from extended depression treatments to Shark Tank inventions and back again, seems somewhat newer, at least to me. Maybe it came about alongside internet blogs.

Jenny Lawson has her own voice that stands out and a sense of humor that is gruesome and imaginative, kind of like an old Warner Bros. cartoon with a hint of Evil Dead. Or something. I'm not exactly proud of that comparison. It doesn't quite capture her inability to focus on a topic and so you'll start reading an essay about solar eclipses and suddenly find yourself stuck in a story about a squirrel outsmarting a rat trap.

I will say, for me, that I preferred the comical essays. I think Lawson's essays where she explored her battle with depression were well written, but not what I was in the mood for when I read this book. My guess is that she would argue that the two types of essays are inseparable and including one without the other would misrepresent who she is. And she'd probably be right.

Still, even with the more serious essays, I finished this book mostly over the course of a weekend — the weekend when I was recovering from my second Covid shot. And you know what? It was time well spent.

I have been a fan of Jenny’s for years, and she does not disappoint with her latest book. It is filled with humor and emotion. It is heart-breaking and hilarious wrapped in a weird, unraveling package. Jenny tells stories of her struggles with mental illness, insurance companies, and sprinkles in embarrassing moments that will have you busting out laughing. Broken is just so human, authentic, and relatable.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I am such a huge fan of Jenny Lawson. This book met all of my expectations. It made me laugh out loud many times but it also dealt with important issues like mental illness. I’ve recommended it to everyone. I can’t wait for her next book. Thanks again to NetGalley die the opportunity to read this book.

Broken (in the best possible way) is the third book by Jenny Lawson and is currently scheduled for release on April 6 2021. I have been a fan of Jenny Lawson since a coworker showed me her blog, and I was introduced to the joys of The Bloggess and tales of a giant metal chicken, taxidermied animals in interesting clothing and poses, and the stories she shared. If you have never had the chance to enjoy all that, I highly suggest giving the blog a look. I'll even point you in the right direction, go here: https://thebloggess.com/.

As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way. With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. From the business ideas that she wants to pitch to Shark Tank to the reason why Jenny can never go back to the post office, Broken leaves nothing to the imagination in the most satisfying way. And of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor—the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball—is present throughout. A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans, and destined to convert new ones, Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter when we all need it most.

I do not know what I can say to describe and recommend this book more than its own blurb. Jenny has shared her struggles, her stories, and herself with readers for years. I think now that so many more people are feeling shattered and broken in their own ways, that people are admitting to themselves and others that they could use some help, that this kind of honesty and humor is needed and appreciated. If you are looking for a linear memoir or nonfiction offering with perfect answers and a solid conclusion then this is not for you. However, if you want a book that offers an honest look at how hard it is to live with autoimmune disorders, depression, anxiety, and more with humor and a deep sense of understanding and camaraderie then this IS the book for you. Some of the stories I remember because I follow Jenny on social media, but none of it felt rehashed or recycled. I found myself laugh/crying in bed one night while I was reading this- which my cats did not appreciate. I really frond joy in some of the stories, secondary embarrassment in others, and a sense of 'that is something that would happen to me' in far too many. More than anything, the book offered a connection and hope, that no matter what none of us are the only one to being feeling a certain way, or fighting our own demons, even if we have somehow convinced ourselves and others that we are just fine. It also reminded me, that those people around me that I think have it all together, are dealing with something too- so lets all just be kind and help each other through life.

BROKEN (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson is hilarious — like need to leave my bedroom and convulsively cackle-sob-laugh elsewhere lest I wake my sleeping husband — level hilarious.

Some faves:
* These Truisms Leave Out a Lot of the Truth
* And Then I Bought Condoms for my Dog

In addition to her funny AF everything, her straightforward and open discussion of her ongoing struggles with mental illness are extremely relatable and moving, and I so appreciate her vulnerability and honesty.

Highly recommended!

(Thanks for the ARC!)

As a fan of Jenny Lawson, I am familiar with her struggles with anxiety and depression. In new release, Broken, she shares her experience with treatment. It is told with brutal honesty and humor. Each essay is relatable to anyone with a chronic illness.

My favorite part of Broken is "An Open Letter to My Insurance Company." I nodded my head in agreement so much that I almost got a crook in my neck. It spoke to my soul and will also speak to yours if ever had to call an insurance company for coverage, pre-approval or assistance with a claim. There are also light-hearted essays like ideas she would pitch to Shark Tank and how "awkwarding" brings us together.

I read each chapter with the sense that Jenny just gets it. She knows how it feels. Her stories are sometimes heartbreaking but always genuine. It is pleasure to read her memoirs in advance. Bookhearts, add this to your TBR and pre-order now!

Happy Early Pub Day, Jenny Lawson! Broken will be available Tuesday, April 6.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

Hands down my favorite Lawson book yet. Lawson guys us with realness in this latest collection of essays, as she takes a deep dive into her mental health. She shares about connecting with countless people making very human mistakes and feeling embarrassed. She takes vulnerability to a new level with this book,as she opens up to connect with people about the shared experience of emotions. We all feel them, but we sometimes forget to acknowledge them.

This is what I've been holding out for in reading Lawson's books. I wanted her quirky weirdness, but with the truth that's under these weird stories. I wanted to know how these experiences make her feel, and I finally got to have that in this book. So now not only is she sharing about how weird things are in her life, but now I can connect with her about these experiences through shared emotions.

All I can say is thank you, Jenny Lawson, for continuing to write and for striving to being the realness to your books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I was completely shocked when I was actually approved because I LOVE this author and I figured it would be yet another rejection. :) So needless to say, I was very happy that day :) I was first introduced to the author while I was living in Iowa about 2012. I remember telling my husband when I finished her first book that I had never read anything so funny in my life. And oddly enough, we moved to Texas the next year so much of what she said had an impact on my arrival there...and not all of it good. :) Anyway, moving on...this book was maybe even funnier than the first one I read... Trying to sit quietly over morning coffee with my husband became an ordeal while reading this book because I could not stop laughing out loud...sometimes cry-laughing. It soon got to the point where I could only read about 10 minutes at a time because the cry-laughing thing would happen over and over... So hey, if you like to laugh (sometimes at stupid shit that shows you are kind of off in the head), this will be an amazing book for you. :)

I love all of Jenny Lawson's books and this one does not disappoint! She continues sharing about her story in a funny and meaningful way that many will connect with and learn from. It's a quick enjoyable read and timely to the movement of talking more opening about mental health/illness in our society.