Hilarious? Check. Real and raw? Check. Relatable? Check.

Samantha Irby’s latest essay collection, Quietly Hostile, reminds us what life is really like. Instead of romanticizing the unfortunate (dead parents, chronic diarrhea, etc.), Irby takes you right there into the bathroom stall with her (and her noise cancelling headphones so she can’t hear herself — other ears be damned).
Reading this collection was like talking to a friend. Her writing is entertaining and enjoyable. This book made me laugh the entire way through, with certain parts that I caught myself saying “exactly!”
Highly recommend this collection of essays for when you’re in need of a good laugh. 4/5 stars.

Special thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

(Very sorry to hear about the death of her beloved cat, Hellen Keller)

This was perfect if you are a fan of Sam Irby's writing - her essay collections are definitely in a voice and if you enjoy that, you will like all of them.

Made me think and bust out laughing, what more can you ask for from a collection of essays? Each piece was strong, some hit a little better for me than others which is to be expected.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Ok if you love Samantha Irby of Bitches Gotta Eat than you know what you are getting into.
It’s been awhile since the last book and she put in the work with this one.
You will laugh, cry, and possibly gag.
Five stars.

QUIETLY HOSTILE |

Is hilarious as expected

Irby discusses porn, some freaky sex, adopting a horrible dog, working on Sex and the City's reboot (going through all seasons), deconstructing David Mathews' love songs.QUIETLY HOSTILE |

Is hilarious as expected

Irby discusses porn, some freaky sex, adopting a horrible dog, working on Sex and the City's reboot, deconstructing David Mathews' love songs. SI wasn't expecting some of the essays to go on as long as they did - for instance the SaTC and Dave Matthews - she goes through what seems like every single episode of every season and she goes through a lot of Dave Matthews songs. For someone who never liked him, it was a lot. But that also goes to show that I could probably read anything Irby writes and still think it's funny without even needing to know/love/hate the subject.

I was excited to be approved for this title and as usual Samantha Irby didn’t disappoint. There were a few essays that lost me and I skipped (I am just never going to read that many pages about Dave Matthew’s songs no matter who is writing it and how funny they are), and she maybe hit the shit thing a little too heavy handedly, but overall this was a funny and enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend to friends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this new essay collection from Samantha Irby. I've been a fan of hers for years and if you liked her last few books, I'm confident you will enjoy this one as well. The background into her TV pilot for Meaty and writing for the Sex and the City reboot were especially interesting parts for me. There are also bits about COVID-19, TikTok and other culturally significant events which make this feel like a timely read. Recommended.

First time reading Samantha Irby and what a delight it was!!! Highly entertaining, hilarious, real, relatable, honest, and smart writing. I love her style and sense of humor. Even the most mundane, sad or serious stories she can spin and make it comedic. She definitely puts herself out on the line at her expense for our entertainment - so happy to have read QUIETLY HOSTILE!

Thank you to Vintage Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC!

I've now read all of Samantha Irby's essay collections and I feel confident in saying that I would read dozens more. She's a national treasure! Highly recommended.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

I love Samantha Irby. I love how she's able to bring humor into any situation, even the bleak ones. She's back again with another stellar collection of essays about writing for TV, dealing with aging, and dangerous brushes with the emergency room. As with any essay collection, some pieces are stronger than others. However, there's no bad one in this book. I didn't really enjoy the Sex & the City essay, but that's my own problem because I've never seen the show. Irby always knows how to make me laugh out loud while reading, and I love her for it.

I love Sam Irby's books. I yelled when I got approved for this one. This book is amazing. She never disappoints. We are never meeting in real life is still my favorite of hers. I love how she can write a short story to make me laugh out loud in public. I have always loved how she discusses living with a chronic illness and puts a funny spin on it. I am glad this topic has been consistent in all of her books. Can't wait for her next book

GIVE SAM IRBY A MACARTHUR, A NOBEL, A GRAMMY, I DON'T EVEN CARE, SHE IS THE COMEDIC GENIUS OF OUR TIME. As always, I laughed so hard that I wept and immediately forced everyone in my proximity to start reading this absolute masterpiece. Samantha, my god. Never change.

I became a fan of Samantha Irby during quarantine and I will literally devour anything that she writes. Quietly Hostile is her latest books of essays. I love that Irby is able to be transparent about her flaws and imperfections in a way that make those of use with those same issues feel normal. Her writing and style is laugh out loud funny, even when it stops you in your tracks with its honesty and pain underneath.

I am a Samantha Irby stan and will always want to read her books. This one is perfection, as always. Her essay on her love of Dave Matthews and descriptions of certain songs told a life story. I think it is the standout of this book. I definitely place her with David Sedaris, who is now my second favorite essayist.

Quietly Hostile is Samantha Irby’s latest comedic essay collection, with essays ranging on topics from pop culture to her chronic illness (and lots of related poop stories) to her bad dog to complex and painful family dynamics.

As with any essay collection, not every essay worked for me, especially the couple that dove deep into fandoms I just don’t care about (Dave Matthews, Sex and the City). But Irby writes about the things she loves with such joy, I found myself wanting to get on board.

This one comes out in May! Thanks to vintage and netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Samantha Irby is one of my favorite current humor writers, including her previous books, tv work, and the joy of her email newsletter “who’s on judge mathis today?” This new collection of essays totally meets the high bar she’s set, both for laughs and also for the COMPLETE lack of filter she brings. Expect literal and relatable toilet/body humor lol. She’s got such a distinct voice and it was just plumb a fun experience to read. I will say the extended Sex and the City recap section went a little over my head since I didn’t watch it, but even so the way she describes scenarios is just so funny. She’s a must-buy author for me!

This is my first foray into the writing of Samantha Irby, although I should add knowingly as she has written on shows that I have watched in the past. I walked in this book blindly and really enjoyed this acerbic, laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays. While on paper we might not have much in common, I found her views on most everything to be frank and relatable (aside from Dave Matthews; his music is trash, but I’m not here to judge as the first essay says). I also found the essay “The Last Normal Day” to be kind of eye-opening in terms of pre-lockdown experiences. Obviously the Sex and the City one was perfection. I would add that some essays dragged more than others, though. There were a few I was ready to be done with, but even still, I found I really enjoyed her and her voice. That said, this was a quick, enjoyable read. Thank you to Samantha Irby, Vintage Anchor, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I didn’t want it to end! More Samantha! More!! This book was literally laugh-out-loud, embarrass-yourself-snort-laughing- in-public, funny ( just like her other books). If you know Sam Irby you know what kinds of sarcastic diarrhea filled stories about her life you are gonna get and this book DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.

I read this book and as soon as I can my hands on the audiobook you can bet your booktok butt I’m gonna snag it. All her stories are hilarious but hearing Sam read them is unequivocal. Ive listened to her other books and I highly recommend it. Just be prepared to laugh loudly enough to startle people around you.

Thank you @ Net Galley & Vintage Anchor for the ARC- you made my day!!

I adore Samantha Irby. I will buy anything she releases the first day it comes out. My favorite work of hers is Meaty, and I think she's at her best when reflecting on tragic circumstances, like her mother's death or her own chronic illnesses. If you're a believer that it's not what happens to you but how you react to it, then Meaty is your bible. Reading Irby not only gives me the freedom to make light of tragedies in my own life but to be completely open about health struggles, propriety be damned.

While I enjoy chapters like the one in Quietly Hostile where she, as a writer/producer on "And Just Like That," reflects on select "Sex and the City" episodes, of which I've seen all multiple times, I think Irby shines in the chapters she's discussing her upbringing or her health issues. Whether she's talking about a probiotic sending her into anaphylactic shock or having thirty seconds to say goodbye to her mother as she's dying, Irby is refreshing and funny. I remember recommending Meaty to someone after I'd first read it by saying, "And she's basically a child on her own, taking care of a mother with a chronic illness as she's dying. Then she passes away when Sam's thirteen and she has nowhere to live. And she has Crohn's and IBS and a wealth of her own issues but IT'S REALLY FUNNY I SWEAR" and they looked at me like I was heartless and/or insane.

My one pet peeve when I read memoirs is when the author is clearly sugarcoating things and hiding all their flaws. None of us are perfect, and reflecting on our mistakes and difficulties is where the "meaty" stuff is, anyway. I will never have that issue with a Samantha Irby book. She is honest and relatable. She gives you permission to be your true self by being her true self.

Another banger from Sam Irby! I've been in a reading slump and this is exactly what I needed. Her reimagining of Sex and the City if she had been allowed to "ruin" the original had me choking laughing, and I never knew that I needed to read a synopsis of a mature lesbian nun porn as badly as I clearly did. So many "funny" books are really just witty, but Irby is out here writing REAL JOKES. So glad to have another collection from her deranged (compliment) mind!

I literally squealed with excitement when I was approved to read an advanced copy of Samantha Irby’s latest and devoured it as quickly as my work and personal schedule would allow. Irby once again delivers what we've come to know her by from her other three collections. She wins me over once again from the first page, dedicating this book to Zoloft.

Each of her essays could stand alone. Whether she's making a case to see Dave Matthew's music as romantic, detailing when she went into anaphylactic shock while trying to practice self-care, or writing about the sitcom that was developed about her life but never aired, she pulls us into her world. Her writing feels authentic, relatable, and EASY. I read a lot of really heavy nonfiction books, and sometimes I just want something easy. While every experience she writes about isn't necessarily fun, reading Irby's work feels like catching up with your friend who doesn't take herself too seriously and you know you'll have enjoy spending time with, even when life is hard. And who else can pull off lists and one sentence paragraphs like Irby?

Big thanks to Vintage Books - a division of Penguin Random House LLC, NetGalley, and Samantha Irby for blessing my life with an advanced copy before it's release in exchange for an honest review.