The hardest part about getting through this book was dealing with the pessimistic main character. It was exhausting. No one can have a good time and anyone who says they are is lying. I did enjoy the New York City setting and I enjoyed her job at a late night studio.

Haven’t had a visceral flashback to my former embarrassments as strong as this since I watched “8th Grade.”

Even though I’m now extremely happily married and moved out of NYC after one soul crushing year, I *felt* this girl. A workplace crush that flirts with you even though they’re dating other people? Check. An embarrassing cab make out after a drunk UES karaoke session? Check. A willingness to do anything other than admit your feelings to another person? Check.

Watching DUNKIRK at Village East? I did that!!

This girl is me. I am this girl. Or was. Very happy to be 30 and married and on the other side. But buy howdy did this book take me back there.

Thanks to Celadon & NetGalley for a free ARC.

Cat Shook has a real gift for getting you interested in characters that might be a bit prickly on the surface. Humor Me is the story of 25 year old Presley Fry, who lives in NYC and is an assistant working for a late night show. She is standoffish and smart, and really trying to avoid mention of her dead mother, who passed a year ago and with whom Presley had a very complicated relationship. The book is also set around 2016, so mentions of the Me Too Movement and the 2016 election abound. Within that context, Presley begins developing a friendship with one of her mother's old friends.

I really got a sense of who Presley was through this book - she felt like she could have been one of my friends (although I probably would have called her out on some of her BS earlier than her friends do!). I liked that it showed her processing how to grieve someone whom she struggled with when they were here. I adored Susan and their burgeoning relationship. Overall, Presley had very gracious friends who give her a lot of space, because BOY does she shut down quickly! In fact, my only frustration was how frequently conflict is created by Presley refusing to acknowledge and address her feelings. Luckily, this is an area in which she grows. I adored the romance aspect of the book, and if anyone has had a complicated will-they-won't-they friendship, you will definitely recognize one part of this book.

I can't wait to see what characters Cat Shook comes up with next. Based on her last two books, she's become an auto-buy author for me.

This was a good uncomplicated listen where the main character is living in NYC in her 20s, and going through all the growing pains that are inherent to that decade of life. Fleshed out characters and decent dialogue make it a pretty interesting read.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i really enjoyed this, especially the friendship with susan. its a good summation of a woman in her 20's trying to figure out life in nyc.

I thought the ending of this story was really cute! I find there were some things kind of left unresolved that maybe could have been tied together better. Also wish there was more happening in the plot.

While this book was a slow start, it did take quiet the turn that I didn't really expect with her childhood best friends mom? I loved that Susan got a friend, but I really felt like she was almost using Pres as a way to say sorry to Patty. (Sorry for the slight spoilers)

Once I got into the groove of the book, f**k Adam, I didn't mind the turn it took. I was cheering her on as she took a walk thru life and loved the ending.

humor Me was another great read from Cat Shook. I liked the character exploration and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

It took me awhile to get into this but by the end I enjoyed it! Humor Me follows Presley, an assistant at a late night show in New York as she grapples with grief from her mother passing, her workplace crush, and friendships changing and growing. Presley is a very relatable character for young people just starting out in the professional world and dealing with real life. And maybe a bit emotionally stunted (aren’t we all?)

The first half-ish of the book mostly has to do with a sort of situation ship that got old pretty fast for me bc from the readers perspective it is so obviously not right for our main character. But this does come to a satisfying conclusion and we may see a new love interest swoop in who is basically the opposite of the previous, so again - satisfying!

While this was mostly funny and lighthearted, it does explore grief a lot. Almost got some tears out of me at one point!

I’m glad I read this as it was different than the typical rom com I expected it to be. Much more about character growth and all her relationships, not just the romantic ones. I think readers will find this to be relatable, whether you’re an early 20 something or are older and able to reminisce about our younger selves. 3.75 stars.

I loved Cat Shook's debut novel "If We're Being Honest" and this one had the same wit and heart. The descriptions of New York and the media/comedy scene were so enjoyable to immerse myself in and the friendships and side characters shone just like in Honest.

The best parts of this book however for me were the sections on complicated grief. I myself lost my mother last year whom I had a complicated relationship with and these portions of Shook's writing felt like they had come straight out of my soul. Beautifully done.

My only critique is I missed the multiple POV's of Shook's first novel and the ensemble cast feel. That's not even a critique though because this novel was entirely different, its just the only reason it didn't feel as '5 Star' to me as Honest did.

It’s only been a year since her alcoholic mother’s death, but Presley is doing her best to push her complex grief down. She keeps busy with her demanding job at a late-night comedy show, her social life in Manhattan’s East Village and her will-they-or-won’t-they flirty friendship with a coworker. But all of her feelings about her mom resurface when she runs into Susan.

Susan is a posh New York housewife now, but she grew up in small-town Georgia with Presley’s mom. And she has problems of her own. Her husband, the president of a TV network, has become embroiled in a Me Too scandal. 58-year-old Susan and 25-year-old Presley form an unlikely friendship, and Presley begins to learn that it’s OK to let other people into the fortress that is her heart. Including, perhaps, Susan’s handsome son…

This book was fun and sweet, and I appreciated that while there was romance, it wasn’t the main storyline. Presley’s own emotional growth and her friendship with Susan are front and centre. I like that the characters were complex and flawed, and that the book showcased the realities of racism and sexism in the media industry.

I think that if I had read this in my twenties instead of my thirties, I would have given it five stars! It’s a love letter to being young and confused in a big city. Think Taylor Swift’s 22 meets HBO’s Girls. I found myself at times wishing these characters would just communicate with each other, but it totally rings true to the lives of a certain subset of twenty-somethings.

Overall, this was a fun and feminist read. I would particularly recommend it for a younger adult audience. I think 21-year-old me would have LOVED this book!

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did because romantic comedies aren’t one of my normal genres. But this book was very real and relatable.

This book follows Presley who’s an assistant at The Late Night Show. Her job is to find up and coming comedians and she loves her job. The pacing of this book was on the slower side. But it fit with the topics discussed in the book like loss, dating, and friendship.

I recommend this book if you’re looking for a feel good book to lift your spirits!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book to review.

So here's the thing: I don't know that I am ever going to LOVE a book where the main characters are 20-somethings on Tinder, drinking a lot, smoking weed, and having casual sex.

That wasn't my experience in my 20s and I am old and it's just not my favorite to read.

If I was going to love about a book about it, though, it might be this one. Because even though I felt like that gave me the icks in the beginning of the novel, I really enjoyed that unlike a lot of books I read, I truly had no idea where this one was going. Presley is a very real, closed-off kind of character who has to find ways to grow. She has to find ways to let her guard down, grieve her mother's death, figure out her place at work, and stand up for herself.

She isn't the kind of character you love, but maybe one you'd like to shake a little bit to WAKE UP GIRL.

I adored the parts of this book that were about loving NYC in all its rhythms and eccentricities and price-gouging.

I think it's a lot less about the "stand-up scene in New York" (jacket copy) and about growing up, grief, and finding friends in unexpected places.

Thank you to the publisher for the free advanced copy! After spending a bit of time with Presley, the main character, I decided to DNF this book at the 25% mark. I think the writing is excellent, and the story is intriguing, but I have found myself less drawn to younger characters and coming-of-age stories recently, so I decided to skip this one. But I think it's a great, funny one if you want something in that realm!

Thank you Celadon for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. I LOVED Cat Shook's first book, and this one did not let me down. The characters were interesting, and I wasn't sure where everything was headed, which kept me engaged. References to "me too" and to late night television comedy made the storyline timely, but I especially loved the friendships that supported the story. Enjoyable read!

For readers who love coming-of-age novels, comedy, and stories with female friendships.

Certain parts of this book got on my nerves a little bit and I think that's been a current theme for me lately. When I'm reading a book and the MC starts out being more negative but as you continue to read the book they don't grow at all and stay just as negative, just ugh. The story was interesting enough that kept me reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love a book that makes me feel and this one made me feel so many emotions. I was a bit comedy, but death with grief and romance as well.

I loved our main Presley. She's dealing with grief of losing her mother. But also working hard trying to pave her way in her career. She has a small but interesting group of friends.

This one took me on an emotional roller coaster!

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and MacMillan Audio for eARC and ALC copies.

This was a true pick up and can't put down story. The story of Presley Fry, an assistant on a late-night talk show, navigating her life in Manhattan, felt so real and relatable. From the laughter to the tears, every moment was beautifully crafted.

What I loved most was how Shook blended humor with heartfelt moments, making me feel deeply connected to the characters. Presley’s journey through personal loss and unexpected romance was both touching and inspiring. It’s not just a rom-com; it’s a profound exploration of friendship, identity, and the complexities of modern life.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh out loud and tug at your heartstrings, Humor Me is a must-read. It’s unique, engaging, and left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Highly recommended!

I didn’t love this book but I didn’t hate this book either. Humor Me by Cat Shook had a little bit of everything going on throughout the story. It had romance, grief, and comedy. The FMC Presley Fry is just a girl who is making minimum wage at a comedy show being an assistant. She was working very hard to move up the chain in the comedy scene and her career. This was a story of bizzare friendships and how they can drastically change and develop in a short period of time. Presley had a roommate name Izzy and Izzy’s mom has passed away and Izzy ran into her mom’s friend Susan and it brought some tough emotions for her. This was a cute read so if you are looking for a book that has a bit of everything this is for you.

3.5 rounded up to 4. This is an entertaining, "almost" realistic story with some uneven writing and not quite complete plot lines. Having a 20-something kid who lives in NYC, performs and films comedy/stand-up in a lot of venues, who also interned at three of the late night shows....this book gets a lot right about those worlds. You can feel the author's (and MC's) love for New York and she expertly conveys the experience, both positive and negative, of living there in your twenties, figuring out who you are. My only real issues revolve around the occasional slowdown in pace and the inconsistency of the writing (amazing one page and trite and "young" the next), as well as some lapses in rounding out the relationships.

I fully believe the friendship between Presley and her roommate, and even her experiences with her co-worker (and love interest). I initially thought Susan was an odd connection, but I came to see her role, particularly as a portal to her mom as a younger woman (she didn't seem to be an alternative mother figure for me). Presley's ability to begin to work through her grief to more fully connect to others in her life picks up in the second half of the story with the more consistent presence of a genuine romantic interest. There are some interactions in the latter part of the book that feel very authentic to me, particularly for people in their twenties. My one big gripe was that the ending didn't really feel like one...maybe it needed another few chapters? Or an epilogue?

Overall, this is an easy read that tackles some big themes, perfect for the Summer. NOTE: There is a #metoo storyline if that is something you are concerned about.

I received a digital copy from Netgalley & Celadon Booked in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.