Spectacular narrative on the spiral of anxiety. One minute I felt understood, the next I felt enveloped in laughter at all times recognising how alike us humans can be even in a world of division

Confession: I'd not heard of Georgia Pritchett before I read this book. Now I'm glad to 'know' her.

My Mess is a Bit of a Life is an interesting, hilarious, sad, and brave selection of anecdotes, memoir style.

I love mental health non-fiction that isn't afraid to be funny. Dark humour often sees us through the worst.

This is a book for anyone; the anxious and the free. Read it and laugh, maybe weep, but know you're in the hands of a great writer.

I found this memoir oddly affecting. It’s unusual, in that it’s more like series of anecdotes (some funny, some sad) than a traditional autobiography where there’s an attempt to make sense of it all, and this somehow adds to the memoir’s visceral quality. I would have liked to learn more about Georgia Pritchett’s unconventional route to writing for television and was missing being guided by dates. However, this is not the point of the book. Instead, Pritchett’s matter-of-fact relation of her ‘scraps’ of experiences reflect very well how chaotic and nonsensical life can be, especially to someone living with anxiety or any other mental health issue. Nonetheless, there are plenty of lighter, hilarious, moments in the book which quickly whisk you away from the mental health rabbit hole. An honest, moving and entertaining read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for a copy of “ My Mess Is A Bit Of A Life” for an honest review.

I must admit Georgia Pritchett wasn’t a name I was aware of, even though I’ve seen many of the productions she’s been part of, but as someone who has been known to suffer from many moments of anxiety I was drawn to this book.
I loved it !
This is the first book I’ve read for ages that had me laughing out loud, and then had me close to tears.
I really didn’t want this book to end.
For me,, the short chapters worked well and I loved her style of writing.
I hope she may decide to write more books in the future .
Five stars+

Many books claim to be funny. Few genuinely are. But Georgia Pritchett's memoir of her life so far really is genuinely very funny indeed. This ìs partly because she has years of experience as a comedy writer for radio, TV, stage and film. But it's also because she is so honest about the details of her often troubled life. Presented in short, very readable chapters which tackle everything from her early memories of worries about the childhood monsters living under her bed (she is concerned they will be uncomfortable on the hard surface and leaves out food for them) to her more grownup struggles with snail-infested flats, all male writing rooms and motherhood, this is a genuinely marvellous read.

I found this book a bit odd. It's well-written, and very funny in parts, but it isn't long enough (or interesting enough) to work as a memoir, and I'm not really sure what the author wanted to write. Certain scenes would work well as a stand-up routine, but such a short book didn't really work.

I have a real soft-spot for this memoir. It's comical vignettes recall moments from early childhood through to adult life through the perspective of someone who clearly has anxious thoughts at the back of their mind constantly. Despite the connotations of the word 'anxiety', this book is deeply funny and had my laughing and cringing in relatability throughout. It brought back memories I didn't know I even had: of frustrations at the adult world as a child, of deceased childhood pets and navigating the world as someone that doesn't possess a happy-go-lucky outlook. The form of the book was beautifully executed and I particularly appreciated the way the anecdotes interacted with each other, frequently with a degree of irony that will be enjoyable to the reader. This isn't a memoir that is preachy and pretentious - it's a heartwarming and uplifting memoir that details a life of frequently surviving and sometimes thriving, in all the best ways. I'd recommend it to readers who want to feel seen, who feel like they don't have the perfect life that everyone else seems to present and who enjoy the works of writers like David Sedaris.

I don't often laugh out loud when I'm reading but this book got a few. It's written in a very interesting way. The chapters are short and to the point. It's quite matter of fact even when talking about strange events. I think that's why it's funny, you don't see the joke approaching, there isn't a long build up. It's the same with the sad parts, they just appear. All the more shocking when they do. It's a really clever way of writing. It also means it's hard to put down because when the chapters are so short you think, just one more. Then you read another ten.
The writer is talking about her life which is simultaneously both normal and not. She just casually drops in who she has worked with as though they aren't huge stars of comedy.
The wedding story was one of the most moving things I've read. Beautiful.

Georgia Pritchett works as a writer and screenwriter. She has been involved in many TV shows (thick of It, VEEP and many more).
Her memoir ,starting from her childhood (absolutely hilarious), relates her own tribulations with anxieties. It is told in such a comic way and yet just and tender. She managed to make you laugh even though we know how painful living with various form of anxieties is.
This book has enough dose of humour to be classified as a natural SSRI antidepressant.

The title hooked me in from the off and I particularly loved the start, her childhood way of thinking, the matter of fact chat. So funny, pure and fresh.
I liked the Spice World and S Club 7 insights such nostalgia for me to gain insight.
Some real laugh out loud moments, some cringe moments and some real heartbreak; this has it all.
Some sections interested me more than others- the first of the book was much better for me than the second half personally, but I'm sure other readers will feel differently.
An interesting read,

Oh, how I love this book. I'll force every single client to buy this. It actually made me laugh out loud 27 times and almost made me cry once. In a wedding scene. Go figure! 5 stars!

'My Mess is a Bit of a Life' is an autobiography written in the form of brief snapshots or vignettes from Georgia Pritchett's life. The author, who has written for big shows such as Veep, Miranda and Smack the Pony shares her life experiences and witty encounters over the years and the book covers a wide range of topics from her childhood to motherhood, from life as a female writer to amusing celebrity encounters.

I read Georgia's book in just a couple of sittings over just a few days. It sways between comedy to serious quite quickly and sometimes unexpectedly and I feel like this works really well and keeps the reader alert. I love her conversational style of writing and some of the celebrity encounters laugh out loud funny. It's some of the more serious stories that I have found myself thinking about in the days since finishing the book. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book and hope it gets the success it deserves.

I thought this book sounded like fun and ventured in without knowing much about it or the author. It turns out I'm familiar with a lot of her work in television writing. This isn't so much a memoir as a series of anecdotes and I really loved the format. I found it laugh out loud in places and a hugely enjoyable and quick read.

I had never heard of the author but chose to read this book because I could relate to the title.
Georgia Pritchett is, in fact, an award-winning television writer with shows such as Miranda and Spitting Image (the original series!) to her name. Despite that, Georgia’s tone is self-deprecating, making it very easy to relate to her.
My Mess Is a Bit of a Life is a series of short vignettes. Initially, I’m not sure I liked this: I wanted to know more. From the blurb, I’d expected a book about Georgia’s journey with anxiety: I thought it would be a much more detailed account. But I was soon hooked on the little snapshots of Georgia’s life, often hilariously funny and written with searing honesty. In fact, I read the book in just two sittings, not able to get up and do anything with my day until I’d finished it.

I wasn’t familiar with Georgia Pritchett on name alone but I love the cover design of this book and it also has a memorable title so I requested it. I then did some research and discovered that Pritchett has written for some of my favourite TV shows, including Veep and Succession, so I was then very excited to start reading.

My Mess is a Bit of a Life is a portrait of anxiety, told through a series of vignettes. I really liked this style and I ended up reading the book in only a couple of sittings. Pritchett is really funny and is very skilled at writing about her anxiety in a humorous yet relatable way. You know how sometimes, you read a memoir and think, the author and I could be really good friends? That’s how I felt about Georgia Pritchett (if she’d have me).