Reading this book felt like being in a bad mood, but enjoying it. It is quite effective, the writing evokes the same feelings of ambivalence and melancholy the main character experiences throughout the story.

I do have a tough time with unlikeable main characters, even though I know that’s the point.

4.5 Stars.

Worry follows sisters Jules and Poppy as Poppy moves to New York to start the next chapter in her life. The pair end up cohabitating, despite Poppy’s assurances this is only temporary. The sisters adjust to their new living arrangement and search for their purpose in life/work/relationships.

I loved this weird little book. This is the kind of slice of life book where not a whole lot happens plotwise, but you get to know the characters really well. A little too well, at times. The dynamic and sisterly bond between Jules and Poppy felt very authentic. As someone who is very close with both her sister and mother - whew I felt that relationship dynamic. These girls are MESSY, complex, and mostly unlikeable, but I had fun being inside Jules’ weird and messed up little brain.

I would say this is one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year, but the ending is what keeps it from being a full five stars. I thought it just ended rather abruptly and thought the animal violence wasn’t necessary. Poor Amy Klobuchar.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for a review copy.

Everytime I opened the NetGalley app on my phone to read this book, it was like driving by the scene of an accident - horrifying to look at and sickness inducing but for those very reasons impossible to look away from - for too long, at least. Every moment of identification, with Jules especially in her constant self-pitying and self-hating turned outward state, plus her complete sublimation to the depths of social media hell, showed me the parts of myself I hate in too fine a detail. Because I too have scrolled to long on Instagram pages of people that I can't say I have fond feelings for and that I can't say rewarded me in any meaningful way either. And the relationship with her sister-roommate, as a sister-roommate myself felt too real sometimes and too misery-inducing. There's not always comfort in recognition. Maybe it's because I'm a cancer (moon), and this kind of relating can come easily, or maybe I'm the same kind of awful as these two, or maybe it's that a lot of people are that kind of awful and it's usually hidden, but at the time I read this, it was too much for me. Which is to say the author was successful if her goal was to depress her reader. I wouldn't call this comedic though, ignore any of those descriptions. I felt sick at the ending. Well crafted enough, though!

Book Review! 🥭Worry🥭

Rating: 🥭🥭🥭.75

Genre: Humourous fiction

Read if you like:

Weird girls
Mommy blogger slander
Girls in their 20s figuring it out

Synopsis:

It’s March of 2019, and twenty-eight-year-old Jules Gold—anxious, artistically frustrated, and internet-obsessed—has been living alone in the apartment she once shared with the man she thought she’d marry when her younger sister Poppy comes to crash. Indefinitely. Poppy, a year and a half out from a suicide attempt only Jules knows about, searches for work and meaning in Brooklyn while Jules spends her days hate-scrolling the feeds of Mormon mommy bloggers and waiting for life to happen.

Review:

I enjoyed this book for the most part. As a sister, I enjoyed reading about Jules and Poppy's dynamic and seeing them grow closer while being terrible to each other. It did a good job portraying the drama and craziness that comes with being in your 20s and dealing with family. I also enjoyed how Jules's internet obsession was portrayed throughout the book. Another thing I enjoyed in Worry was how well-rounded and fleshed-out the characters were. Alexandra also has a strong voice in her writing; it's witty, entertaining, and easy to read.

Jules' obsession with the mommy bloggers was a core part of this book. Jules compares herself to the mommies while also making fun of them. Thinking about having her mom become a mommy blogger added much to this. There are a lot of exciting themes of motherhood in this book. It asks who is a bad mom, a good mom, and who deserves to be a mom. Worry interestingly shows this as Jules judges the mommies and her mother while she also has thoughts of wanting to have a baby at points in this book and her being in a sort of significant sister/mother role for Poppy that I think many older sisters can find themselves in.

Some parts of this book were disturbing, specifically the animal abuse/dog fight at the end. I feel like it wasn't necessary and felt shoehorned in. I'm still determining. There were also some descriptions in the book that made me feel weird.

This book was a good mix of good and bad things. It just missed the mark a little bit for me. I'm glad I read it because I've never read anything like it. Worry will be a book that I think about in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book follows two sister navigating the highs & lows of their twenties (job loss, breakups, pet ownership, family drama) together in a cramped New York City apartment. If this book's satirical dialogue hadn't been so on the nose - I probably would've rated it lower because the chapters were incredibly too long. This book definitely falls into the all vibes, no plot category and despite a very-unfulfilling ending, any girl who has navigated her mid-twenties in our current political and social environment will find a laugh in this book.

I loved this book until the end. I wish I had been warned about the animal cruelty scene at the very end, I would have skipped the last chapter. Despite the trigger, It also was a very abrupt ending that made no sense to me. Before that, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the two sisters dysfunctional dynamic together. I so felt the impulse of saying or doing something you don’t mean with a sibling. It can be a very confusing relationship, especially as Jules and Poppy were trying to learn their relationship as cohabitants. ⁣
⁣
“𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵.”⁣
⁣
Worry comes out 3/26

My problem was that I seriously bonded with the beautiful cover. I just wanted to put a bowl of fruit over my head and drown out the voices of Poppy and Jules. If I were sitting at a diner and overhearing their conversation, I would demand another table. If they were chattering away in my car, I would turn up the music. Obviously, these millennial sisters were not for me. I guess I am in the minority here because lots of reviewers were liking their exploits, dialog, family dynamics and humor. Just didn’t get it. But I wish I had. DNF but I really, really tried.

I’m not sure what the point of this novel was, and I don’t mean because nothing happened (and nothing did), I mean because the novel was nothing but a negative rant that offended as many groups and people as possible that ended with animal cruelty.

I hate writing negative reviews but I cannot find anything positive to say about this book.

Thank you to Scriber and NetGalley for the copy! Worry has been on my list since first hearing about it, and it's every bit as neurotic, hysterical, and dread-inducing as anticipated. Carved out with deadpan humor and comedic timing, the narrative explores the complexity of sisterly relationships and mother-daughter dynamics amidst the Internet age.

There's a genuine tenderness to how Jules and Poppy engage with one another as their lives begin to converge — they run errands together, endure petty (and often overly exaggerated) arguments, spout their disdain for each other only to buy a mattress for the other as an invitation to stay permanently. The anger is candid, but the love is clear. However, there's still this lingering angst that feels purely inexorable while going through the book. Poppy for example is constantly striving towards the positive (e.g., interviewing for jobs, browsing through animal shelters for a pet, attempting to restore her relationship with her sister), and Jules shoots her down at every turn, all the while engulfed in her obsession with Mormon mommy bloggers. Both of them have an unbreakable compulsion with the Internet as a whole. If a book could encapsulate the concept of doom so aptly — doom-scrolling, doom-prepping, doom-swallowing — then Worry is the pinnacle.

Most media depictions of millennials / older Gen-Zs often come off as caricatures of virtue or political correctness, but I think Tanner actually captures the malaise and intolerability of mid to older twenty-somethings perfectly. Jules and Poppy are cut from the same cloth while sitting at two separate ends of the spectrum: one cares too much and the other not enough.

Although the plot is scarce, the narrative's pace is quick to match its wit. Much of this book is dialogue with insertions of Instagram captions from said Mormon mommy bloggers.

One thing I couldn't overlook entirely was the ending, which felt abrupt and strangely violent and consequently corrosive to the plot. After finishing the book, all I could think about was how we pour so much love into something just to watch its ruin.

worry is an exploration of anxiety, sisterhood, twenties malaise. i've seen it described as seinfeld-ian, which is apt in the sense that seinfeld is a show about nothing and this is a book about nothing. but also, there is so much to dig into within the nothing. the human relationships on display, the family dynamics working against the characters, and the deep-seated unease that is simply a consequence of existing in your twenties are all handled expertly.

i saw so much of myself in jules and poppy. the way alexandra tanner writes sisterhood is almost too real. the relationship i had with my sister ten years ago when we shared a bedroom is vastly different from the one we have today (thank god), but i can imagine that if we lived together again we would devolve to the same bad behavior we had as children. the bickering, the hair pulling, the clothes stealing, the meanest comments you've ever said to another human being...all a part of the sister game lmao

i found this book compulsively readable. it was quick and sharp, making me laugh and cutting me to my core when i least expected it. this book made me examine my relationship with my siblings, my parents, and my phone, which is kind of a lot lol but worth it!!

I have to say I was entertained by this book and finished it in two days! I have conflicting feelings about reviewing it; there is one part of me that loved it and was entertained, then there is the other part of me that didn't find anything relatable in this story and I found it unbelievable.

The story follows the lives of two sisters, Poppy and Jules, living together in NYC. They're in the late 20's and are dealing with the conundrum of finding purpose in their lives while navigating social pressures, family pressures, and each other.

Thank you NetGalley and thank you to the publisher for providing us readers with this title!

WORRY by Alexandra Tanner was a laugh a minute. It so closely parallels my own current circumstances that I just HAD to race through to the end to see what my future holds.

Twenty-eight year old, Jules, the artistic one of the family, has been living alone in Brooklyn, New York since she and her boyfriend John split up. She is unfulfilled in her work environment and has no social life to speak of. She is also a bit of a hypochondriac and secretly follows a mommy group on Instagram. When her younger sister, Poppy shows up for a few weeks until she gets on her feet (3 weeks?) with a job and her own place, things are definitely thrown out of whack. THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY SITUATION. Right? Yeah, right! After all, Jules doesn’t want to have to clean out her second bedroom which she now uses as office. Poppy, long term plagued by hives, begins breaking out all over again and the stress of the move from Florida, finding a job and her own place unfolds in simple hilarity. The banter between these two sisters echoes off the walls of my own home and had me rolling.

As Jules trolls the net, poppy fawns over a three legged dog at the shelter named Amy Klobuchar. Then Poppy actually brings her home and the fun just ramps and ramps up. The girls start bickering about who bears primary responsibility for Amy. Yes, Poppy brought her home, but Jules’ name is on the lease. When a holiday trip to their parent’s home in Florida goes wrong, the girls return home to New York to decide what their future holds.

I loved everything about this book. The back-and-forth banter was the funniest part for me, I did not have to imagine being a fly on the wall in Jules and Poppy lives, I only needed to turn to my older sister, and strike up a conversation with the same, sarcastic, snide, funny comments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner and sons Books for this arc opportunity. All opinions are my own, and given voluntarily.

I was drawn into this story of two sisters living together in Brooklyn from the very beginning. The dialogue is snappy and the sisters are on a relationship rollercoaster. Add a Jews for Jesus right wing mother who is always there with a sharp retort. A clever incorporation of some of today' s prevalent issues including antisemitism and anti vaxers through an addiction to extremist mommy blogs adding wit and a reality check of the national climate.. Some heavy topics are covered through family exchanges hitting on mental health and class representation. This can be what you want it to be, a deep commentary on the state of the union or a comical reprieve about typical sisters and a three legged dog named Amy Klobuchar. You decide.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I connected so much with this book about quirky/neurotic sisters Jules and Poppy. The book opens with Poppy arriving in New York to live "temporarily" with Jules while Poppy finds a job and an apartment of her own. The gist is that Jules appears to have it together and Poppy is a mess with a history of depression. By the end of the book, the roles seem to have reversed.

The two antagonize each other in ways only sisters can, and it's a simultaneously hilarious and gut-wrenching journey.

I especially love the minutiae of everyday life laid bare on the page, all the scrolling and social media interactions included. Alexandra Tanner truly understands the times we live in, what motivates and triggers us.

My only criticism is the abrupt ending. I wanted more.

WORRY is peak millennial malaise and a masterclass in the no plot, just vibes approach to novels--and I don't say that as criticism. Every line that I could relate to, either currently or in my past, made me feel worse about myself. WORRY is funny, well-observed, and quick. I imagine readers could find it redundant: nothing really happens but for the same things that already happened, over and over again. I think that's the point.

The ending is gorgeous (well, the part after the horrifying part, obviously), and difficult, and bittersweet. I was rooting for Jules to get better: to stand up to her mom, to embrace her similarities with her sister, to at the very least delete a social media account. It left me feeling complicated about the story, not in a way I disliked but in a way that felt honest to life.

Interesting read! I felt *worried* about how the story would unfold, and did find myself waiting for something to happen... The commentary kept me coming back for more, Tanner is now on my watch list!

There are part of this book that are really funny. Two sisters are together in Brooklyn. Poppy ends up at Jules' apartment from Florida, and after a hectic and eventful journey she's breaking out in hives and recounting her travel adventures. Neither sister can get a word in, they pick up where they left off, bickering, loving, being snarky. The book is filled with their chatter. It's interesting, maybe, to them? There's a lot of navel gazing! And observational bodily discussion!

Unsurprisingly, their mother is a hoot, not in a good way: "We text our mother that we love her. She gives the text a thumbs-down." That relationship is fraught. The sisters' relationship is fraught. Poppy and Jules are both going through their own dramas. Jules hates her job and Poppy shoplifts. They shop, eat, bicker some more. Visit the parents in Florida for Thanksgiving. Fight there too.

I was kind of behind the sisters, until they resort to asking the parents for money. "But you have TWO Range Rovers!" Grow up, girls!

So the sarcasm with the mother (they "communicate" via passive aggressive social media posts) was laugh out loud funny. The doom scrolling Jules performs every day (mommy bloggers, survivalists, flat-earthers, anti-vaxxers) not that funny. The three-legged rescue dog named Amy Klobuchar (funny). The horrific animal scene at the end, not funny at all. And triggering for anybody with a pet or has ever had a pet or has ever seen a pet.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

Messy Millennials, comparisons to Seinfeld, hate-following crunchy IG mommies and parents who have fallen down right-wing conspiracy rabbit holes, vibes over plot -- I was here for WORRY and it had been one of my most anticipated releases of 2024.

What I didn't anticipate was all the animal abuse. Sexual abuse *against a dog* that resulted in its death and dismemberment (!) was recounted multiple times and seemed to have been intended to be humorous?? The book closes abruptly with a dog fight that describes an awful lot of blood and the reader does not learn the fate of Poppy's dog (while she leaves the beach, seemingly to go to a local vet, Jules plays around on her phone and becomes enchanted by a bone found in the sand).

If this had just been a cynical take on two sisters living together in New York I would have enjoyed this one far more. The multiple instances of animal abuse did absolutely nothing here.

I really loved the first 95% of this book and absolutely hated the ending, which is tough to reconcile into a cohesive overall opinion.

In the end my feelings about this book tipped well toward the positive end of the scale, probably because I care more about writing than plot, though the needless animal violence at the end really irked me and the abrupt and vague ending felt frustrating and out of step with the rest of the text.

But everything that came before that was wonderful, hilarious and sharp in all the best ways. The tone reminded me a lot of Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados and Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky.

I loved the dynamic between the sisters as individuals and between the sisters collectively and the world. I found myself aching for their heartbreak and laughing out loud at their scathing observations of both themselves and everything around them in equal measure.

I’m bummed about the ending because this would have been a 5+ star book for me had the end been even just okay, but fortunately it’s also too good a book to be ruined by it either. I need more of Alexandra Tanner’s writing as soon as possible.

I wish I could rate with half stars. If I could it would be a 3.5 star read.

This book made me feel so horrible the entire time while reading this, in a good way. I really found myself drawn to these two sisters & their constant arguing. I found Worry to be a “no plot just vibes” kind of book, which is one of my favorite subgenres. The ending wrecked me for sure.