my first and certainly not my last nora mcinterny novel! i loved every minute of this. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC!

This memoir is sharp, clever, concise, and memorable. Each essay is the right length to get the point across without belaboring it. I'll be checking this book out from the library as soon as it's out to cross check all the quotes I loved and write them down because there are some truly poignant and also deeply insightful quotes in these essays. While the author occasionally talks about kids these days or social media in a way that feels a bit alienating for me (10+ years younger, nearly a digital native), it was infrequent enough to avoid getting under my skin. I think I'll be carrying some pieces of this book with me for a while, rolling them around in my head until they're shiny and polished. As soon as I post this review I'll be opening Libby to check if my libraries have her other books

I was thrilled (I mean thrilled!) to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley. While I have never read any of Nora's past books, I am a fan of her podcast (Terrible, Thanks for Asking) and follow her on Instagram. I feel like she's a friend - one who thinks and feels and lives her life a lot like me, which is exactly what this essay collection drove home. Ranging from essays on grief to revisiting her (hilarious) cringey past and anticipating her rapidly approaching, early middle-aged future, Bad Vibes Only is a great reminder to readers that a life worth living is about more than just “good vibes.” Nora managed to put a lot of my feelings about motherhood, marriage and life into perspective and into words on paper. I'm glad I read this.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital copy of this book.

Nora McInerny is well-known in the widow world thanks to her much-watched Ted Talk, her Terrible Thanks For Asking podcast and her founding of the Hot Young Widows Club. But if you're lucky enough to not be a widow, Bad Vides Only is a great introduction to this writer/podcaster. Moving beyond the world of grief, in Bad Vibes Only, McInerny shares entertaining stories spanning her childhood through present-day (she is married to her second husband and raising a blended family now) - still using the same self-deprecating humor and insightful wit that she's famous for.

Bad Vibes Only was an emotional and often hilarious collection of essays by the Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast host. Like most collections, it ran hot and cold; I laughed out loud a whole lot (one fave was “Bad Bosses” — I, too, had (more than one!) boss who made me type, then print her emails so we could go through multiple rounds of pencil edits to send a meeting invitation), but also found myself skimming a few essays, like “Competitive Parenting Association” which felt forced and impersonal. Overall this was a smart, funny, and relatable book.

Because I cannot come up with the right words - or enough words - to shout my praise about Bad Vibes Only, I'll let my favorite highlights do the work instead.

"The future ahead of me is not boundless, and never was. Every choice I made eliminated other versions of myself." - Ch. 2, Hello, Me

"But there it is: we are middle-aged. I am middle-aged. The options for who I will be are getting slimmer with every passing year, and my shame in who I have been is only slightly dissipating with years of therapy and journaling and doing embarrassing things like talking to my former selves and saying, "I forgive you. You're okay."" - Ch. 9, Reunion

"Anything can happen, and it does, but we cannot live every day with the awareness that we are small and fragile creatures, vulnerable spirits in inadequate vessels made of breakable bones and soft tissue." - Ch. 16, Anything Can Happen.

This is Nora at her very best. I would give this book 10 stars if the rating system allowed for it.

For full transparency - I love everything Nora writes. But it’s refreshing to find a writer who can hit such relatable notes again and again. From her thoughts on parenting imperfectly to her descriptions of the struggle for former “gifted and talented” type program kids, it all treads the exact right line between being vulnerable and being funny. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to review this book and am excited to recommend it to prettttty much everyone in my life.

There is not a book out there Nora McInerny could compose that I would not feel compelled to read. From the moment she granted the, wildly taboo at the time, permission to stop saying we are fine when we aren't I have been captivated by her ability to write about life in a raw, vulnerable, humorous and relatable way. Bad Vibes Only continues on her legacy. It is a book that makes you think and feel deeply about the ways resilience is built and appreciate that we don't need sunshines and roses 24/7 to be worthy of existing.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Atria Books and Nora for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Bad Vibes Only has an anticipated pub date of October 11, 2022 and you should really go pre-order it now. Thank me later.

Essay collections and memoirs are usually only as good as one's connection to the author's experience. Aside from a couple of the essays, most of this book spoke to a lifestyle and worldview that was too far removed from my own to be enjoyable for me. If nothing else, reading it made me want to stay off social media and my phone even more than I already do!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

As a new fan of Nora McInerny (because of a friend recommendation to request this book), I can say that I will be going back and reading her other books and listening to her podcast.

While I personally did not relate to every single essay in here (for example, I'M the one in my relationship that falls asleep easily), I loved reading every single chapter/essay of this book. I thought I would read a chapter here and there over a few days, but loved my time with Nora so much I read the entire book in two sittings.

You don't need to be an existing fan of Nora's to like this book. It's a refreshing take on life, where social media makes us think everyone else out there is happy, gorgeous, and has everything under control. THAT message I did appreciate. I think there's also a chapter out there for everyone. Each essay topic might not be relevant to you, but one of them probably is (who didn't struggle at least a little bit through COVID?).

If you're thinking about this book, it's worth the shot.

I really loved this book! Nora McInerny is new to me (& I wish I could remember where I heard about this book)! Her writing was delightful - I loved her dry humor, particularly around how the Oregon trail generation was parented. The book is very raw & addresses miscarriage, eating disorders, loss of spouse, loss of parent, etc -- so if these are triggering topics, maybe hold off but I found her perspective refreshing & will follow her work moving forward!

If you’re a fan of Nora’s other books, podcasts, and who she is, you will love this. I always enjoy her storytelling.

I received a copy of Bad Vibes Only from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Nora McInerny is in a world all her own. No one writes about grief or complex human experiences with more humor or sensitivity. Bad Vibes Only follows in the footsteps of all her others. I enjoyed the childhood stories and don't remember as many of those in her other books. Would recommend!

I was first drawn to this book by its title and cover. I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read about Nora's life, which spans from childhood until now. It was nice to read someone else's perspective on various topics such as grief, religion, and motherhood. I loved that she didn't simply focus on "good vibes" like many self-help/memoirs tend to do. Some of the essays were funny, a few were sad, and there were several that I could relate to.

This book was so unexpectedly funny and moving. Knowing the authors history, you expect humor but also sadness. I didn’t expect to laugh so much or to be so riveted by childhood stories of escape and adventure. The descriptions were so vivid that I (a Minnesota girl myself) could practically feel the reedy lake water and the weird stilted feeling of running into high school friends or acquaintances long after graduation.

It’s called Bad Vibes only, but this book definitely has good vibes on its own.

I’ve read one of Nora’s other books, but not familiar with her podcast. I enjoy essay style books and this did not disappoint. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book has the best title and cover of the year! I love Nora, she is sooooo funny and I always look forward to reading her work.

One thing I've recognized (about myself) with author's who are very active on Twitter/Instagram, is that by the time I go to read their book it's almost like they are overexposed?? And I don't enjoy the book that much. I think I didn't like it as much as her earlier books only because I feel like I hear from her all the time.

But, I will always read anything she puts out! And this review sounded somewhat negative but it isn't, I enjoyed reading this, and she is very smart, timely, and funny!!

Nora McInerny does it again with her honesty, humor, and empathy. In her newest memoir in essays, the author digs further into her young life before marriage and the significant losses she is known for. She has a gift for self-deprecating storytelling and is refreshingly open about mistakes and lessons learned. Although we are born a few decades apart, and consequently assigned to different social generations, I find McInerny extraordinarily relatable and refreshing, and always look forward to what she has to say.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book. Nora McInerny writes truthful, humorous essays that were largely enjoyable and poignant. She has had several traumatic experiences that she addresses with grace and humor. I enjoyed the way she sprinkled anecdotes about extended family members and the difficulties of making and maintaining friendships as adults. My only criticism is that I think the book may have been 2-3 essays too long, and feel it is geared toward older millennial women, of which I am not one (but that is ME problem).

Thank you netgalley for this ARC! I saw this cover and thought it was super cute i was not familiar with the author but i love a good essay/memoir novel so im glad i read this one and got to know the author a little more because im not a listener of podcasts but a book? im all in! This book had great stories and honestly good laughs i laughed throughout this book at different things and i loved how vulnerable the author was at times talking about family and grief and what she went through. She talked about motherhood as well. This book was so enjoyable i loved it to the point i finished it in 1 day and a half! If you like essay books and such i think this book is for you it had great stories.

Overall great great book! Easily a 5 star read!