As a lover of pop culture and "tacky" things, I love the idea of examining your own life through your love for those things. This book was entertaining and hilarious and it allowed me to look at my own life in new ways.

A series of essays in which the author explores something considered “trashy” in pop culture while also tying in her own personal stories. I thought the first few and last few essays did a good job tying in this idea of tacky and why these things were considered tacky. I didn’t see that as much throughout the middle chapters. There were also some essays where I didn’t really see the connection to her personal stories.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the description I was expecting something a little more along the lines of Lindy West's Shit, Actually, which I enjoyed. I love deep dives into pop culture and the stories behind them. I thought the pop culture aspect of this book would be the focal point with the author's story adding more context to why things of that time hit the way they did. Instead it was more of a backdrop. Not what I was expecting.

An intelligent, fun essay collection investigating the odds and ends of "low culture". The author has such a piquant, humorous style, and though I found the book dragged in its later parts, it's written with a promising voice i'd follow anywhere. I'm looking to more future work from Rax King.

This series of essay is really just a disguise for the authors partial memoir in her sexual and romantic misadventures. Entertaining but not what I was expecting. Towards the end all the essays started reading the same.

I felt like the quality really waxed and waned with this book. At times it was funny and clever but other times it just seemed to be about her sex life which wasn't that interesting. I wish she had either written a straight memoir or a book of essays about pop culture that had more reflection or depth. This sort of flip flopped around too much and didn't get into that much depth about her life or culture. Fine for a magazine article, not as fun to read as book of essays.

These essays were nostalgic and funky in the best way possible. We get to remember what it was like to grow up in the 2000s and how it shaped our lives today. Through showing us pop culture phenomenons, like the Jersey Shore, that had an impact on King's life, there is a greater exploration of the way that these pieces of a life can make an impact, even if it does not seem like they are at the time.

This collection of 14 essays dives deep into “tacky” aspects of pop culture and how they impacted the author’s life as she came of age, explored her sexuality, and survived an abusive relationship. Specific tacky topics include the illustrious shopping mall culture, Sex & The City, Jersey Shore, Cheesecake Factory, & The Sims. While I appreciate what the author was going for, the book ends up being less about pop culture and more about her relationship with intimacy, adultery, and failed relationships.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would give this 2.5 stars, but rounded up.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It was funny, it was relatable, it seemed to match up with the description given for the book. However, somewhere around halfway through this collection of essays, I felt like the train was derailed. I began having trouble telling what "tacky pop culture" subject was meant to be the topic of the essays. There is nothing wrong with a memoir, which is how it began to feel, but it was not what I was expecting. And while I appreciate the author's honesty, I personally disliked how blase she seemed to be about infidelity. Obviously that is my own issue, but it tainted the end of the book for me, which is why I did not rate it higher.

Loved this--I follow the author on Twitter and this felt like more of the relatable, darkly humorous content I've come to expect and enjoy from her.

When I first started reading this book I was really excited. I thought it was going to be a very funny and interesting look at tacky culture and growing up in the early 2000s, which is something I find relatable. Some of the essays were a really nice blend of memoir and cultural commentary, especially the ones about the Jersey Shore and Degrassi. However, I feel like this book was marketed incorrectly because it was more of a memoir of the author's sexual encounters, than a deep dive into tacky early 2000s culture, which is fine but not really what I signed up for.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rax King’s ode to all things tacky is a funny, nostalgia-filled ride and a reminder to love what you love. I had a hard time relating to a lot of the chapters, but still got a laugh from them. I think I still have a bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar around somewhere.

If you enjoy 2000s nostalgia and general tacky (i.e. fun) things, you may enjoy this essay collection.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As much as people love to rag on the “tacky” parts of society, it’s hard to say that they haven’t made their mark on us. Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer by Rax King is a collection of essays that explores how the “tacky” parts of our culture have been shaped by us and, in turn, shape us.

I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book. Rather than a series of essays that follow a “yes, this is tacky but here’s why you should love it” structure that one might expect based on the title, readers will find essays that focus on how each of these tacky things (bands, objects, stores, behaviors, etc) reveals a truth of being human or how they are loved because they are comforting. One essay that particularly resonated with me connected “Jersey Shore” with memories of a father and a parent/child bond. I know I associate certain “tacky” things with important people in my life, and I loved how King captured that affectionate tenderness.

Toward the end of the collection, it felt like the focus shifted from the “tacky” item itself to focusing more on what the author associated with it. I was a little disappointed with this because I enjoyed how the author would convey a series of anecdotes about her experience with the “tacky” item only to turn the piece on its head and reveal that the anecdotes show the true value of the piece. That being said, I adored the author’s unique voice with its humorous yet earnestly enthusiastic wit. Regardless of the subject matter, the writing style had me turning each page.

I would recommend this book for readers who are looking to defend their own “tacky” interests or those who are interested in the value of memories and moments tied to objects.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer is an essay collection about enjoying the “wrong” elements of American pop culture. Wrong as in tacky and popularly snubbed after their (debatable) peak prime — Think the band Creed, shows like Jersey Shore and America’s Next Top Model, the tween girl favorite Bath & Body Works scent of Warm Vanilla Sugar, the store Hot Topic, the game The Sims, and the ever popular Cheesecake Factory restaurant.

While I haven’t loved all of these pieces of pop culture, I did, at one time, love some (looking at you ANTM and The Sims)! I still hold no qualms with Cheesecake Factory, arguably high on my list of preferred chain restaurants, if I’m going to eat at one. I admit the volume of its menu can be overwhelming, but this won’t stop me from agreeing to eat there.

”I’ve longed for the Cheesecake Factory myself, because it is the precise sake experience everywhere, and because I could go there today or next year or in 2009 or in Oregon or San Juan and find absolutely zero surprises.”

I liked some of Rax’s exploration essays much more than others, which is fairly common for me with most essay or short story collections. As a whole, I found Tacky entertaining. There’s an implied reminder not to let the court of public opinion sway your enjoyment of anything — Life is short, embrace what you want!

I think I am the wrong age group for this book. I didn’t really relate to a lot of what was written. It was just an okay book for me.

What an interesting read! Though I wasn't familiar with the author, I was immediately drawn to the cover, title, and premise of the book: tacky or low culture, specifically of the early 2000s: Jersey Shore, Creed, Hot Topic, etc. I really really enjoyed this book - but I think it is a very different book of essays that reads more like a memoir. That being said, I would still recommend this title, but make sure the person you're recommending it to is comfortable with the amount of sex and unhealthy relationships depicted.

This enjoyable, hilarious collection features essays on more than a dozen often reviled pop culture phenomena from the 90s and early 00s. The audience and humor are very specific, but excellent. I'm a little older (elder Millennial) than the author and could identify with the content and snark. Each essay focuses on a different topic, from Creed to Sex and the City to Hot Topic. Definitely pick up if you're looking for something light-hearted and punchy.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC.

This is Rax King’s memoir. From the title I thought it would be more like cultural criticism or sociology, and there are touches of that, but it isn’t the thrust of the book. The book is mostly about King’s relationships, not just romantic, told through the lens of the “tacky” culture that she loves. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It is also a book in favor of authenticity and against the culture of irony and appearances. It’s very readable and often relatable. Four-ish stars.

TACKY: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer is a collection of personal essays by Rax King. While each essay ostensibly centers around a different tacky thing (e.g., Creed, Hot Topic), the book traces Rax's coming of age and personal growth -- at times, TACKY seemed to be more memoir-in-essays than a collection of essays on pop culture.

It took me an essay or three to settle into the collection, but once I did, I found a lot to like. Some of the cultural touchstones resonated more with me than others (Josie and the Pussycats, Samantha Jones, Warm Vanilla Sugar). But I don't think one needs memories of 2000s (American white teen?) culture to enjoy TACKY. The standout essay to me was Never Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore (and I've never seen an episode).

The essays could verge on repetition, but I loved the through-line of unabashedly loving the music, TV, etc. that makes our hearts sing. Who cares if it's "good?" or has "prestige?" As Rax puts it: "Life is short. It's important to attach oneself to the pieces that stick, regardless of whether somebody else believes the stuff is any good."

This is an essay collection that feels more like a memoir and some parts of it worked really well. I liked the essays near the beginning that had a lot of pop culture discussion (for example, an essay about Warm Vanilla Sugar). These were nostalgic and cringe and fun. For different reasons, I also liked the ending of the book, which was much more serious and discussed the author's experience with an abusive relationship. It was well-written and emotional. However, the middle of the book didn't work for me. It began to feel a bit slow and recounted many sexual encounters that the author had. I felt like this middle part lost focus compared to the stronger beginning and ending.
Overall I enjoyed some parts of this book, but it did not feel totally cohesive as a whole.