Thank you to the publisher for reaching out and sending me a copy of this! I was intrigued by the cover and the description the first time I saw this book but didn’t feel the overwhelming urge to read it. The second I picked it up I was so mad at myself for not reading it earlier.! It feels like it was perfectly crafted to appeal to me as a 28 year old who just had her sister move in with her. Alexandra Tanner made a lot of references to memes and topical issues but it wasn’t overdone - it was genuinely very funny. The relationship between Jules and Poppy is the driving force behind this novel and as someone who loves character driven novels with less emphasis on plot, that really worked for me. Everything that happens in the book feels unreal and every character was deeply unlikable but it all culminated in a novel that I could not stop thinking about once it ended. This book will appeal to readers who enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.

loved this. funny and caustic and angsty and honest. i loved the dynamic between these sisters, the push/pull of loving/hating, not being able to live or live without. also a huge fan of self-soothing via hate stalking mormon mommy bloggers.

it's giving the guest, it's giving happy hour

I adored this book and yet it also gives a “what did I just read??” feeling upon ending. I wanted to continue hanging out with the characters forever. It’s one of those books I wanted to never end and I feel like I’m going into withdrawal. I found it so funny and relatable and everyone was just annoying enough to be realistic and amusing but I can also see how someone else who doesn’t recognize themselves in any of the banter could think the whole thing was pointless. If you’ve ever been in your 20s, had a writing job, been Jewish, lived in New York, had a sibling, been a person - probably you’ll find something to relate to. But if you take yourself a bit too seriously you might not get it.

I was entranced reading Worry by Alexandra Tanner. Following the life of Jules, with her younger sister Poppy beside her, Tanner presents a realistic yet wild look at two sisters living together in Brooklyn during their late 20s. Featuring lots of, as the book is aptly named, worry from both sisters, as well as a slew of childhood trauma, some individual and some shared, this book was a great example, at least for me, that our own worries are not always so specific too ourselves, and that we are all a lot more alike than we realize.

I saw a lot of similarities to my personal relationships with my own siblings through the bickering and disagreements between Jules and Poppy, as well as the occasional moments of kinship. I think often in most media we see more of the loving and caring sides of sibling relationships, and less of the strains that many people have between their families, so this detection was refreshing to see.

An excellent debut! Thank you so much to Scribner and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Worry, the story of two sisters who end up living together in a small apartment in New York. Two sisters who learn boundaries, and secrets, and to rely on each other. Two sisters who deal with regular life, parents and adopting a pet.

I think I was three pages in when the MC mentions something about fear of food, and having safe restaurants, I paused my reading and thought “Holy shit is this book going to be about me?” and while i related to a lot but also didn’t relate to some I enjoyed this book A LOT.

nothing really happens but character development, and good character development that you can see happening. The story moved along quickly through the year and while the book is roughly 200 pages i never felt like anything was pointless to be written about.

I loved the beginning and middle the most, the ending lacked something for me (i have an issue with endings). But still, a very strong, well written, intriguing, book about mental illness, sisterhood, life and a dog.

Funny and good writing, but borderline cringey and not in a good way. Some books capture the zeitgeist with a light enough touch to be simultaneously current and timeless. This is not that book. It is extremely online while also ripping off preceding cultural touchstones. Perhaps it would work better as a movie so there would be some quieter times with a strong visual language, but then it would just be a ripoff Frances Ha ten years later.

I really liked this book. Nothing really happens, and the characters are difficult to like, but I loved reading their story. I laughed a fair amount, I almost cried. The ending kind of made me mad, but overall I'd recommend this to anyone with a sister.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the ebook. Such a fun and sharp book about sisters living together in Brooklyn in 2019. They love each other and drive each other crazy as they try and find meaningful jobs and try not to constantly scroll through the horrors of their social apps. It was so much fun following these two as their mother yells at them from Florida and they adopt a three legged dog named Amy Klobuchar.

"Worry" offers perceptive insights into the lives of Jules and Poppy, skillfully navigating their challenges. While the narration excels in capturing poignant moments, the ending feels somewhat disconnected, contributing less to the overall storyline or meaning.

I had never heard of this book nor author before seeing it on NetGalley, but the cover and synopsis had me so intrigued!

So many parts of "WORRY" reminded me soooo much of two of my favorite books of all time "The New Me" by Halle Butler and also "Big Swiss" by Jen Beagin. If you've read either book, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. It also gave me serious Otessa Mosfegh vibes, too. The holy trinity of authors, if you will.

This book was sweet, really gross at times, SHOCKING, tender & loving, and ultimately made me feel really thankful to have a sister while simultaneously making me sad that I am estranged from 2 of them. :( In fact I'm going to go give my little sister a hug right now.

This was an EASY EASY 5 stars and I will literally read anything that Tanner puts out in the future. I will 100% be buying a copy of this for my personal home library and will be recommending it to all of my lit-fic friends..

This was so so so so good! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this gem. I honestly have zero recommendations or any constructive criticism to give. This was truly a 10/10 no notes book.. A++++

Worry is abrasive yet soft, the exact feeling of having a sister. The secondhand embarrassment next yet not trivial in the slightest. It’s undeniable how realistic this depicts two girls, bonded forever by their childhood traumas and shared blood, traveling on their way in NYC. This one was really no plot only vibes and it absolutely delighted. It made me miss my sister yet reminisce about the times growing up where we bickered about absolutely everything and everyone. I loved it.

thank you @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for letting me read this one early! i absolutely loved ‘worry’ by alexandra tanner!

two sisters, a three-legged dog, mormon mommy bloggers, a jewish mother investing in MLMs, this book truly has everything. the two sisters, jules and poppy remind me a bit of my own sister and i (but also not at all). it was weird, simple, eccentric, and an overall great read.

for lovers of patricia lockwood, ottessa moshfegh, and/or mona awad you’ll love this one. super excited for all my friends to get to read it.

OKAY. This is one of my faves of the year, I feel like. I am so thankful to Alexandra Tanner, Scribner Books, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this aesthetically humorous and realistic take on two sisters navigating their way through NYC and their late 20s, carrying the weight of their childhood traumas along with them. Worry hits shelves on March 26, 2024, and I can't wait for pub day.

Jules is a 28-year-old worrier; she lives on the internet, stalking her "Instagram Mommies" to feel something, is artistically frustrated with her lack of bestsellers under her belt, and has mommy issues with her hot and cold mother. On top of that, her sister Poppy is in town, "temporarily" staying with Jules until she finds a job and a place to settle down -- temporarily is in quotation marks for a reason.

Together, Jules and Poppy bicker, disagree, adopt a dog, argue about that dog's adoption, meet with friends, argue about those friends, get new jobs, get laid off, travel home for Thanksgiving, fight with their parents over Thanksgiving break, and continue to argue and bicker with each other -- just like siblings do, all while living together, not-so-temporarily.

Ultimately, there is no plot to Worry, but the vibes are so realistic, and every day, I could go on reading narratives like this until the end of time. Bravo!

I’m a sucker for stories about dysfunctional Jewish women in NYC (as a dysfunctional Jewish woman originally from NYC), and this was definitely one of the best ones I’ve read. I found the story to be very engaging, relatable, and funny, and I couldn’t help but devour this story in less than a day. A very charming and very honest debut.

i love a dysfunctional sibling dynamic. jules and poppy were fun to read about but the novel felt like it was lacking something. i kept waiting for just an ounce of character development but there was none. not bad overall but fell a little flat for me by the end

DNF, not funny, unrelatable characters. Not plot driven, which may appeal to some, but the characters aren't interesting enough to support the story.

Two sisters living in New York City, trying to get through the day with an overbearing mother and clueless father that keep calling. The older sister Jules is also trying to keep her little sister Poppy in check with her narcotic and irrational behaviors getting the both into trouble. A darker slice-of-life story for sure.

Such an interesting look into sister relationship dynamics plagued with meddling parents and very different lifestyles. While this book went into a weird direction I was not expecting in the slightest, the main premise was so engrossing that I could not put it down.

Worry by Alexandra Tanner was great - the cover is absolutely stunning too! This work of literary fiction is the kind that I enjoy reading as it follows a character in their 20s (to be specific, their late 20s) and I found many aspects of the book relatable. I can see so much of myself in Jules, especially since we're around the same age. The dynamic of Jules and Poppy was also interesting to read about since they are quite different from one another. The novel had a good pace and was easy to follow. There were a bunch of funny moments and the writing is witty indeed. Overall, I enjoyed this and can't wait for the published version in March 2024!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner Books for providing me with an early copy!

{NetGalley Arc}
I have never been into literary fiction but oh my god. Sometimes life is crazy and nothing means anything and the mommy issues are going a little too hard and oh my god this book captured it perfectly. Excuse me, I need to go call my sister.

I feel like this book cover relays nothing of the chaos between its pages! I love a codependent female friendship, the should I stay or should I go moments when thinking about how to become independent and decide on your next path. It’s such a fitting story for women in their 20s and 30s. Loved it.