Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Very nice story. Its full of humor and a great read.

This collection of short stories was a light and quick read. The funny highlights for me were his commitment to tanning and avoiding his neighbors. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Gary Janetti has followed up his hilarious DO YOU MIND IF I CANCEL with a new collection of humorous, heartfelt, relatable essays, and wildly entertaining with STAR WITHOUT ME. There are so many fun moments in this new book from summer camp shenanigans, to lying to nuns, to being overly dramatic and afraid of being outted all things I could totally relate to and had me laughing out loud much to the dismay of my boyfriend who kept turning to me like I was a lunatic. There were way too many good essays to pick a favorite but GAY RESTAURANT was so so good, The Carol Burnett Show was incredible and Sister Wilda to name a few. If you want to read something fun while laying by the pool or the beach; this is the read for you. OUT 4/26/22

Janetti has done it again! A superb collection of essays, full of laughter and heart. From hilarious stories about a casual serial killer and Carol Burnett to heartwarming memories about his grandmother. Young Gary emerged full of imagination- helping him forgo football, take on a full time role of “pretentious reader of NYC,” and most importantly, outshining us all in the art of getting a tan.

Loved it. Gary Janetti’s first book was great so I was nervous about this one as my expectations were high, but I think I liked this one even more! And yes, could not agree more about destination weddings!

Just finished this and it was great! If you need a laugh this is the book read. I will now have too track down the first one and read that. I’m a new fan. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
4⭐️

What is not to love in this horous collection of life stories by Gaey Janetti? I follow him on Instagram and couldn't expect him to top his witty posts. He sure did in this collection. Loved it.

This book of hilarious essays was such a treat to read. Gary takes us from his childhood to present day, with an insightful look into his life but also with very relatable moments. It was laugh out loud funny and I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of humorous essays- like Samantha Irby, David Sedaris, etc.

Start Without Me
by Gary Janetti
Genre: Humor
Pub Date: 26 April 2022

A fun & hilarious trip down memory lane with master essayist Gary Janetti (Family Guy). A perfect commuter read/listen to add to your April TBR!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: From camp counselor betrayals to a hook up gone completely awry, this collection of humorous essays is premised on the self-deprecating, relatable moments of life.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: An introvert’s delight. I saw shades of myself in Janetti’s description of his youth, particularly the young child who prefers the company of adults.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: So short it was over before I knew it! Please, sir, may I have some more Gary?

Read if you:
🏡Fans of Dave Sedaris & Jenny Lawson
🏡Absolutely lose your sh*t over The Wizard of Oz
🏡Have a “you’re never gonna believe this” story
🏡Need a cocktail before going out with people...for cocktails

Thank you to @netgalley , @henryholtbooks & @macmillan.audio for the ARC & audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

#books #bookstagram #bookclubreads #bookclub #booklover #reading #ilovebooks #bookreview #humor #true #story #funny #essays #bookrecommendations #tbr #nonfiction #comingsoon #bookblog #netgalley #shortreads #audiobook #StartWithoutMe

Start Without Me
(I'll Be There in a Minute)
by Gary Janetti
Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the ARC.
Gary Janetti is just truth in his humor. I laughed so hard and his raw honesty made me the real. I love Gary even if I am 64, female, and not gay.

First a HUGE thank you to #GaryJanetti, #NetGalley #HenryHolt for the ARC of this book.

A laugh out loud listen, I loved the audio book so much I went back and read the book as well. Gary's stories of summer camp (the most nightmarish tiny cocktail party you could imagine), Pen Pals (Hell is other people) and tanning (which he worked on with the same kind of round-the-clock dedication as a medical intern) are so outrageous you want to immediately be friends with him.

His "commencement address" should be printed and given to all graduates (high school, college and graduate school) and made required reading for anyone turning 18

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a huge fan of Gary Janetti and am entertained daily by his social media posts. Start Without Me (I’ll Be There in a Minute) is the first of his books that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Start Without Me is a collection of essays of the moments that shaped his life from his childhood growing up in Queens, NY to present day. Janetti has a a caustic wit and I found myself laughing out loud at his reminiscences and pop culture references. I am basically Gary Janetti avoiding my neighbors and dreaming of Broadway musicals. Interspersed with the humor are genuine explorations of loneliness, missed opportunities, and creating the life you want. The essays are lighthearted but not superficial. It’s a quick read and I would dip back into this again.

This was much better than Janetti's first book, which I found somewhat insufferable in its celebration of all things superficial and youthful. Here he goes deeper into his childhood and does some actual reflecting, all while quipping like the brilliant sitcom writer he is. There were some truly laugh-out-loud moments in this book, and I really appreciated that. It was light and fun, and I read it at the exact moment I needed something light and fun.

"The Catholics are the RuPaul's Drag Race of religions. We put on a show, honey."

Gary Janetti, a comedy writer and performer, presents a hilarious collection of essays, many about his childhood spent growing up gay in Queens.

"I was never more relaxed that when I was with a woman over thirty reading a book.

I was good at making small talk with anyone twenty-five years or more older than me. A fellow child was like something from another planet. But a married woman with sunglasses and a cigarette was my kind of company."

I started writing down all the lines that made me laugh, but had filled a page and a half by the end of the first chapter. You'll have to read the book yourself if you want more.

Gary, I'd love to go with you to see The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I'll even buy the tickets. (FULL price!)

This book will be available in April. Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt for letting me take a gander at this very funny collection.

Start Without Me is both hilarious and intimate. Gary Janetti really allows us to know him in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest opinion.

A light hearted collection of essays that can be read in one sitting. I'm a fan of Gary Janetti’s humor and first essay collection and I’m so glad he’s bringing another one into the world

I really enjoyed Gary Janetti’s latest book, Start Without Me. Gary has a way of telling short stories that are incredibly relatable and filled with so much humor. His stories not only transport you back to your childhood or to the time you first saw a movie or broadway show, but add the best comedic twists. This was a lighthearted read and I loved the way each chapter told its own story. I’m adding his other books to my pile after finishing this one!

This was entertaining and spent a lot of time inside the author’s head, which makes sense because it IS his book, but I found his inner musings moved the story along rather than the “stop and stare” effect that introspective moments have in memoirs. Overall, I’d rate this as funny.

This book of essays was such a delight! If you are a fan of Gary Janetti and loved his first book you will love this one too. He has a very distinct writing style and sense of humor, I can pick out his writing and voice from page one. I look forward to the audiobook version so I can hear some of these essays in his voice. While this book was equally funny as his first, I found this collection of essays a lot more vulnerable. There are more stories about his life and childhood in this book, many that will leave you with tears in your eyes. Gary does snark like nobody else and this book was no exception!

I first became familiar with Gary Janetti through his husband Brad Goreski's reality show appearances, though their charming "Bradbucks" series of Instagram posts early spring 2020 was a bright spot in every day, and Gary's own Instagram is wickedly funny. So, I very much looked forward to his last book, "Do You Mind if I Cancel?" - enjoyed but didn't quite live up to my high expectations. However, Janetti has hit his stride with "Start Without Me." While "Do You Mind" focused a lot on his 20s, this one has more childhood anecdotes, making it much more poignant - alternatively heartbreaking and hilarious, sometimes within the same sentence. He takes risks with his cultural references to growing up in New York in the 1970s, though if you get them, they hit just right.

Knowing he was gay since childhood, growing up in Catholic schools in Queens was a lonely existence, mainly finding solace and fascination in television and movies, when not preferring the company of older ladies to kids of his own age. It's easy to how his career as a successful television writer budded from these origins - "The Wizard of Oz" is brilliantly funny, and "A Chorus Line" is the perfect marriage of the naivete of youth and ,the disillusion of adulthood . We also see the role his parents played - the "Movies" chapter, being blithely carted along to age-inappropriate film such as "Jaws" and "The Omen" by mother, delivering my favorite line of the book, "children in the 70s didn't have feelings, this was not something that was developed until much later."

It would have been easy to read this in one sitting at just over 200 pages, though I consciously dragged it out over two evenings to savor it more- a quick read, but merits a future re-read, hopefully on audio with Janetti himself narrating?? My only complaint is it wasn't longer, though look forward to hopefully a next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.