I was a fan of Amanda Montell's previous novel Cultish so this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! This novel felt more personal coming from the author and this comes through with the way Montell interweaved her personal stories with cultural critique and commentary. The whole time I was reading it, it felt like I was catching up with an old friend and reminiscing about the bad ol days.

I appreciate that it's very accessible as I'm very picky with my non-fiction reads. It was refreshing to read something raw and insightful while still being very engaging and relevant.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Montell's previous work and her current podcast, Sounds Like a Cut, I was excited to dig into her newest. The Age of Magical Overthinking is a culturally relevant, accessible piece of psychological insight. I so appreciate that Montell leans into the humor and optimism that so much of her research inspired, and that she is able to present data and explanations of cognitive biases in a way that feels personal and refreshing. An excellent read and one I'm sure I will find myself coming back to again and again!

I love the way Amanda Montell’s brain works!!! She is so good at taking complex topics and translating into modern society. I’ve been a fan of hers forever and am thrilled at the success she’s getting. While I think I am a Wordslut girlie at heart, I still really enjoyed this. It does get a little dense at times, but I switched to the audio version (read by Amanda!) and that helped a lot. Can’t wait to see her continued success.

“chapter 1: are you my mother taylor swift?”

you know i’m gonna be having the time of my life when a book starts like this. since the very first chapter amanda tells me exactly what i’ve been thinking for the last maybe 6 months, and because of the i’m perfectly sure these kind of books come to your life in the perfect moment.

all the different bias we learn throughout this book are things i hope we all know deep in our brain, but are too afraid or not ready to accept and learn. i find it very refreshing to actually understand how our mind works the way it does, and having so many background information that’s explains it in a very simple and easy way, amanda did it so beautifully here and i can’t wait to read more of her amazing works. also the audiobook is narrated by her and it’s just so interactive and quick to follow.

thank you netgalley for the anticipated release in exchange of an honest review.

rating: 4.5 stars

Montell has solidified herself as one of my favorite authors with this one. Everything she writes turns to hilarious gold.

Thank you so so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I definitely learned a few things from this book! I really enjoy Amanda Montell's writing style! I appreciate the amount of research she puts into her novels + I made an extensive list of books to read after reading this! Overall a good non-fiction book.

It's always easy to see books such as this and assume the overarching narrative is going to be naggy, negative, and ultimately somewhat downcast - don't try to actualize, basically. But what I loved about this book is the sense of hope and joy about the wonders of the world and ultimately the LOVE that this book has in it!

This book was an absolute freaking pleasure to read. In addition to being well-researched, Montell's dedication to making non-fiction books fun to read is apparent. Her ability to utilize a turn-of-phrase and keep me hooked is impressive. Highly recommend to anyone interested in psychology, sociology, or astrology.

Amanda simply does not miss. Reading this felt like talking with a friend and I couldn’t put it down.

I love her writing so much and am a fan for life!!

Highly recommend to pretty much anyone.

<i>First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

Montell does it again!

I was so torn between reading this ASAP and waiting for the ebook so I could hear Montell narrate (as I have loved doing the audio of all her books) and the audio book won in the end.

This book was so much more personal than her past pieces, and ina. Lot of ways it felt like a conversation between friends.

I really enjoyed this book and I am officially a Montell stan and will read whatever she puts out - but will also give her space to make mistakes and learn from them (yes, talk of fan/stan culture is part of this book!).

Starts off with “Are You Our Mother, Taylor Swift?”, you know I'm in the right place. I loved it! Even more than her previous work, Cultish. I love Amanda's mind and I'm just so happy to be in it. Reading her work feels like my daily coffee and newspaper.

She expresses so much of what I know and think (overthink about, shall I say) and what runs in your mind endlessly. I don't read too much nonfiction but Amanda's writing and work, I will. You learn so much and it just feels like you're reading endless thoughts. She does her research and her essays are well thought out and genuine, just like her.

The audiobook narrated by her? Can't recommend that route enough.

I read this on netgalley, and as I got closer to the end, I was really wishing I had it on paper. It's not what I expected, especially after loving her first book so much - it's got more examples of the daily life of a millennial and personal stories than I anticipated.

But I loved it. It's all about the biases that we have in our modern life and how we're dealing with them as a culture. It's got such a mix of data and personality that I was enthralled with the text. Her story of her ex and the overthinking that left her in that situation, the story of the seat cushion she made and why it matters, her story of the daily crush of social media and why we can't look away.

I need to recommend this to many of my friends who are in the same situation as me... With too much consumption and not enough creating.

An engaging book exploring cognitive biases in an accessible and entertaining format. This essay collection discusses some well-known psychological terms, such as confirmation bias, sunk cost fallacy, and imposter syndrome, in a fresh new light. Montell expertly weaves in personal anecdotes, and to me, her writing is strongest when she is being more vulnerable. I do wish that the essays felt more cohesive; I'm not sure I understood what the overall message was. Nonetheless, I did feel inspired to take a look at my own inherent biases and identify strategies for quieting my inner monologue through hands-on creativity. Also, I just have to say that the cover is stunning!

3.5
My first by this author and I plan to go back and read her previous non-fiction books. She brought up a plethora of ideas on how our society functions in a dis-functional or unusual way. I finished this a week ago and I'm now just writing the review and I have to say, I don't remember anything strongly that was written--let me go check again...

For example the weirdly connected vibes that people feel to Taylor Swift. How people become attached to online personas, or feel that they are their friends just because they watch them daily. The idea that we as people cling to conspiracy theories and why we do so. Confirmation bias and the dangers that can bring about.

A great, short book that is sure to keep you entertained and makes for great topical conversations, if you can remember them for a length of time (unlike me).

Also, isn't the cover just beautiful!?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this gifted e-copy of this book.

Honest, assertive and thought provoking. A read I didn’t know I needed until I read it.

Montell speaks on many topics that are prevalent in our modern, media heavy world. She doesn’t speak with a better-than-you, self help perspective but rather with a sense of vulnerability and relatability with her own experiences. My biggest take from this collection of essays is that we aren’t alone in feeling like it’s incredibly hard to just be in this world where everything is fast paced, and ever-changing.

An enjoyable read! When I first read the pitch for 'The Age of Magical Overthinking' I was worried this would fall into the melodramatic, woe-is-society, take that's all too common. But I was pleasantly surprised to see this a much more hopeful appraisal of humanity and our modern age. Montell effortlessly blended personal anecdotes with scientific studies and tough concepts to create something that's easily approachable for any kind of reader.
My only critique is that the ending felt too abrupt. The introduction was absolutely perfect at setting the stage for what was to come, and this book would have been better balanced with a comparable outro. Something to bring all these individual concepts together again and make a bigger pitch for what this all means to us as individuals.
I look forward to what Montell comes out with next!

Have you ever thought why every thing feels so insane lately? Why is the universe sending an urgent message via a vague TikTok, and why are so many people inclined to believe that you have to use the sound to “claim” it, an action that conveniently boosts the video in the illusive algorithm? Why did an author, who shall not be named, bomb a fellow debut author with fake one star reviews?

These questions and many, many more will be answered in “The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality” by Amanda Montell. This book delves into 11 cognitive biases she sees as contributors to modern irrationality. When our monkey brains, optimized to survive life or death situations, interact with new age technology from the safety of our couches…weird shit happens. Montell expertly interweaves her personal experience and research in a lighthearted, accessible way. Those who often struggle to engage with nonfiction (hi 🙋🏼‍♀️) need not worry. This book feels like a conversation with your really smart friend who, annoyingly, also has a great sense of humor.

It seems that people are more disjointed than ever, or maybe that’s the declinism speaking (“Nostalgia Porn: notes on declinism” is one of the chapters that resonated most with me). Montell brings levity to the chaos of the modern era. If you’ve ever wondered why smart people such as yourself behave illogically, you may find yourself resonating with some of the chapters. Let me be clear, this is not a self help book, but an opportunity to reflect on the unconscious reasons people behave the way they do. It reminded me to give grace to others and myself. It’s okay to live in the gray. I don’t need to renounce my Swiftie status just because I am critical of her rise to billionaire status. I did not manifest a parking ticket because I was in a bad headspace after a car accident. I was just stressed, late to class, and parked in a questionable (nonexistent) parking space. I highly recommend The Age of Magical Overthinking to all my fellow over-thinkers.

I loved this book! Equal parts self-help and social commentary, I think I have a friend crush on Amanda Montell. She has the perfect balance of sassy/funny quips, personal anecdotes, and well-researched terminology to feel relatable yet almost professorial in her knowledge. This was my first book of hers but I'll definitely be going back and reading Cultish.

This book also serves as a good source of book recs. The different chapters were filled with books and references, varying from well known fiction to more obscure but relevant non-fiction and self-help titles. I'll definitely be checking some of those out as well.

so cohesive, so relatable, so informative. LOVED IT. so much more personal than Montell’s earlier works, which made it that much better.

I'll admit, this is my first true introduction to Amanda Montell. I'd heard plenty about her from others, specifically how brilliant her other book "Cultish" is, as well as generally positive reviews about her podcast.

I can certainly see the allure. In "The Age of Magical Overthinking", Montell delves into various topics that relate in one way or another to biases we all encounter and experience in daily life. I found many of the topics interesting in theory, however, the style of the writing didn't really work for me. This book reads somewhat like half blog half critical think-piece. There were a lot of sprinkled researched topics with personal anecdotes that I think would just work better in another format, or perhaps would work better for other readers. I also found it hard to really grasp the driving point concerning what she was trying to say about each area of bias. It felt at times like long-form rambles.

Perhaps a little bit of a more personal nit-pick, but I found the chapter titles really cringy - like, "Are You Our Mother, Taylor Swift"? It just wasn't what I was anticipating from a book that was geared toward this topic. I hope to find more enjoyment in Montell's other works, but this one was just not for me.