I am just recently getting into memoirs/ essays. This book felt like a look into the authors diary and was so raw and real. It gives me reassurance knowing that even at almost 40, you may not know what your place in life is.

I could tell this book was a labour of love for the author, but it did feel a bit unorganized at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eArc.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You're Embarrassing Yourself is an essay collection by Desiree Akhavan. She's been on my radar for years as a bisexual filmmaker, and her stories here tell the reader about her formative years, her struggles in film school, the process of creating her first films, and how it felt when her career took off. I loved this journey through her life, as she has an interesting perspective on the industry.

Akhavan's essays were captivating, though I'm not sure it fully came together as a whole. I definitely will keep an eye out for more of her work!

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of Desiree Akhavan's since I watched her directorial debut and learned that she was adapting "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" as a film. Actually, earlier this year, I rewatched her movies for the first time in years and was reminded of how much I enjoyed them. So, when I learned that Akhavan was releasing a book, I was immediately interested.

Due to having previous knowledge of Akhavan's works, it was really fascinating to see her recount her experiences of the sets of her movies or having to navigate festivals and meetings with producers, who's main motivation is making a profit rather than storytelling. Akhavan continues to reflect on her life with both humor and earnestness. I deeply related to her stories of struggling to find close friendships in her youth and how she turned to movies/TV. She doesn't hesitate to point out her flaws or faults, even in moments where someone else would shy away. She also writes those who have been in her life with a lot of understanding and compassion. My favorite sections were when she was talking about her best friend/collaborator Cecilia, or her parents.

While this is not a new all-time favorite memoir, I appreciate Akhavan's honesty and this was clearly a labor of love. Love for her past self, for the people around her, as well as love for those she is in community with and who may need this book to realize that they are not alone.

I love love loved this memoir from filmmaker Desiree Akhavan. I loved the journey of her becoming the "it" filmmaker of the mid 2010s after her debut film. I also deeply related to her story of being a late bloomer, wanting to make and be close to art and film, and was deeply moved by the last essay which is all about her deciding if she wants to become a mother or not. As a currently first time pregnant person, at the same age as her, she was speaking all the right things to me. She is just as fantastic a writer as a director and each essay fit perfectly within the frame of the book. It's a quick read, I read it within a sitting, and really enjoyed every page. I can't wait for more from her!

You're Embarrassing Yourself is an unflinchingly candid coming of age memoir that is at once startling, painful, and inspiring to read.. AKhavan's honesty is addictive and drives the narrative. Her willingness to be vulnerable and open about pretty much every detail of her life without painting herself as the victim is admirable. As a memoirist myself, I was impressed with the detail and use of humor, especially handling touchy topics.

If you like Mindy Kaling's books/stories about people who run in privileged circles but are by no means the popular or pretty girls in their school, then this book is for you. I feel like I've read too many of these types of essay collections in the recent years, and it's not really adding anything new to the equation. You see the same formulas (person hung out more with the adults at children's gatherings, person had growth spurt early and stood out from group, person claims they had trouble losing their virginity but still had plenty of hookups before they graduated from college, etc), but nothing really helped it stand out for me (I barely laughed, cringed, or laugh cringed). I opted not to finish the book. I received an arc through NetGalley.

well written memoir thats put togethre fantastically. also the cover is great. thanks so much for the arc. would recommend

I'll be honest. What sold me on this book was the part of the tagline that advertised "the stories she was told to shut up about" - and Desiree did not disappoint. This was such a fun essay collection!

The stories were just as fun, and raw, and weird as they promised to be - without ever feeling like they were trying too hard to be cool, or self-help-y. And, there wasn't a single story that felt weak or out-of-place, which is something I usually expect to see from collections like this. Each one was just the right length and pacing to read on breaks at work, which helped me fly through this in a day. Overall, I had a great time! My favourites from the collection were "Going Downtown" and "Letter to a Young Filmmaker", but "A Cokehead I Met in a Support Group" came close!

For what it's worth, I think this would make for an incredible audiobook listening experience.

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for this eArc :)