This is a collection of short stories focused primarily on women in their midlife. Several contained parts where the story time jumped between the teen or early twenties and midlife. I imagine there was meant to be a reflective quality to these time jumps, but I continuously found one timeline to be significantly more interesting compared to the other, usually not the younger one.

Overall, these were “deep” stories meant to provide a level of introspection, for me they felt meandering. Not every story, some were interesting without pandering for a greater meaning to be found. Maybe it was the sense of blandness in the mundane aspects of life portrayed in these stories that didn’t speak to me. The lack of passion or enthusiasm made this book a trial to get through.

I do appreciate this author’s works, but perhaps short stories are not my preferred method to consume these works.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I’ve been a huge fan of Curtis Sittenfeld ever since Prep came out – I read every book she writes, and that’s not true for any other author. So I was very excited to receive the arc for this!

Throughout the stories, Curtis draws on her signature style of exploring the subtle details and dynamics of interpersonal relationships, and as always, she pulls it off beautifully. I love living inside her characters’ heads. And I appreciated all the ties to the modern day. (Covid, Trump, etc.) It made it all feel extra real.

If I have two critiques, it’s 1) that all the stories felt like they had roughly the same narrator with roughly the same voice, which made them blur together a bit. Though then again, I understand that this is the type of narrator that Curtis excels at, so in that regard it makes sense. And 2) In the follow-up to Prep, Lee recalls something she did in high school (that we never saw in Prep) that just felt very unlike the Lee I remember. And if she’d really done this thing, there’s no reason why she wouldn’t have shared it with us in Prep. So in that sense, it felt like history was being rewritten in a way that seemed a bit too out of character for me. BUT I remain Prep’s biggest fan ever, and it was truly a pleasure to get to revisit those characters all these years later.

After liking Romantic Comedy m i was excited to be sent the widget for this new book, but this was not one i enjoyed at all. None of the stories had likeable characters and most of the stories, despite supposedly being short, felt long and wordy and drawn out. I was expecting sharp wit and instead it felt like a collection of unfinished thoughts. I think they were supposed to provoke thoughts and feelings, but all I felt was “when will this end?” Not what I expected at all
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Show Don’t Tell is classic Curtis Sittenfeld. These stories have characters who, if they aren’t likable, are at least self-aware. Or if they’re neither, they’re at least entertaining. I seldom know how one of Sittenfeld’s stories is going to end and it’s pretty much always better than I could have imagined. These are best enjoyed one or two at a time, with time to digest and think about them in between. Sittenfeld’s writing is so observant and almost accidentally funny at times. It’s definitely an acquired taste but I love it. Can’t wait to recommend this collection.

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is a compilation of twelve sharp and witty short stories that delve into themes like marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition. Notably, the collection revisits Lee Fiora, the protagonist from Sittenfeld’s novel Prep, as she attends an awkward school reunion decades later. Other stories explore scenarios such as a woman visiting old friends post-divorce and a married artist embarking on a project to challenge societal norms. Sittenfeld masterfully peels back the layers of her characters’ inner lives, revealing moments when their long-held beliefs are overturned.

I wish I had read Prep so I could have enjoyed the callback more!

🖋️ Sittenfeld's unique and sharp voice
👥 Complex relationships and stories that make you think
📖 A collection tied together by powerful themes

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 😊

Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is a good collection of short stories. I enjoyed some stories more than others, but overall this is a good collection of a variety of different characters and stories. I have been a fan of Sittenfeld's writing for many years, so I enjoyed the different format of shorter more bite size stories. I will definitely re-read certain chapters again when I want to re-visit their story. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

DNF. this is the second book by Curtis Sittenfield that I didn't enjoy. I'm not sure what this genre is but I don't enjoy it. And this one seemed to be a collection of short stories. Sadly I couldn't get invested in the first story so I did not finish this one.

I love a good short story collection and Curtis Sittenfeld amazes in her latest publication. There are readers that hate short stories. But, I find, it’s where an author can truly showcase their talent. Can you reel me in with believable characters and plot development in just a few pages? I am gifted this and more with these 12 stories. The characters feel real, the dialogue believable, and the situations relatable.

I am not the typical audience for short stories but my love of Curtis Sittenfeld's writing led me this book. Her writing is so wise and thoughtful that each story managed to feel complete, even in shorter format. The characters she created in this work are varied and some were hard to like but that made the plots even more interesting. An update about Lee (from Sittenfeld's pervious novel Prep) was such a wonderful addition. I highly recommend this collection, even to those who may not gravitate to short stories, and all of this author's work. Thanks to Curtis Sittenfeld, Random House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous novel, Romantic Comedy, so I was eager to dive into this collection of twelve short stories. Overall, the writing is sharp, the characters are well-developed, and while some stories are more compelling and relatable than others, the collection as a whole is engaging. This book marks a refreshing departure from the author’s signature rom-com style, showcasing her growth and versatility as a writer.

The first Curtis Sittenfeld novel I read was "Romantic Comedy", which admittedly put me off of the author's work. When I saw the opportunity to review short stories, I figured it would be a good chance to re-try a celebrated author. Show Don't Tell is an excellent collection that focuses on relationships, modern struggles, aging, and generally living life. I love her writing in this series. Not all characters are likeable (or even tolerable),and some descriptions may seem mundane, but in the end, that's life... isn't it? We all spend time analyzing our actions in our own slice of the world, repeating our traumas and mantras, trying to break free and be different. We all live life. This collection is a great connector, showing vulnerability in forms both recognizable and foreign to different reader demographics. Well done!

Standouts included:
Show don't tell
The richest babysitter in the world
White women LOL
The Hug


Some stories stood out to me more than others, so 4* review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always love Curtis Sittenfeld's writing. She has such a unique ability to capture perspective and emotion. At this point, I think I've read nearly all of her catalogue, so I was excited to scoop this up --thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm not typically a reader of short stories, as I prefer more time with the characters. That being said, nearly all of these stories drew me in and made me think, although I connected with some more than others. I also appreciated that most of them were helmed by middle-aged women, whose inner lives aren't often explored in books. And a Prep update?!

I am not really a short story fan as I often feel like things aren't fully fleshed out and I'm left a bit unsatisfied - but that being said, I adore Curtis Sittenfeld and will read anything she writes. I do feel like I prefer her novels, but I did enjoy this short story collection and especially enjoyed the update from Lee (of Prep fame). Definitely recommend this as a quick read for anyone who enjoys this author!

Curtis Sittenfeld returns with Show Don't Tell, a collection of twelve short stories and my first time reading her shorter work. I prefer Sittenfeld's novels, which benefit from more time and depth, but still really enjoyed this thoughtful, character-driven collection. Her writing is always sharp, observant, and witty, and she manages to flesh out the worlds and characters of each story.

Loved this collection of 12 short stories- each one discussing different topics of relationships, friendships & community. such a quick and easy read. even though the stories were short each one was very thought provoking.

4/5 - I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing. She is a true storyteller, and that was abundantly clear in this series. Sittenfeld has an uncanny ability to transform the most mundane moments and internal musings into something meaningful, thought provoking and layered. Most of these stories weren’t happy, per se, but some were uplifting while others were left me feeling uneasy or melancholy. I don’t typically love short stories - or books for that matter - because I’m a detail gal and consuming always feels unfinished, but each of these stories left me intrigued, curious and contemplative. It’s been years since I read Prep, but I LOVE that the series ended with an update from Lee.

Thank you to @netgalley, Random House and Curtis Sittenfeld for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I will read anything Curtis Sittenfeld writes. Her ability to make the seemingly mundane layered and entertaining is unlike any other writers in this day and age. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys literary fiction or novels about life.

Although I love how the author writes, these did not do it for me. Some of the stories were interesting, however ultimately I was glad when one ended and another began.
Not all were bad, but more were ok than great.

I loved this author's prior book, 'Romanic Comedy', so was excited when I saw this collection of short stories. As with any collection, you like some more than others, and of this selection of 12, there are a few that stand out for me. 'White Women LOL', 'The Richest Babysitter in the world', and 'The Marriage Clock', particularly stand out. Many deal with 'what ifs'-I took the other path, regarding decisions made and not made, many deal with mid-life crisis, and several discuss the trials and tribulations of every day life. In 'The Richest Babysitter in the World', Kit starts working for Diane and Bryan during college, planning to move to AZ after graduation to go to law school. Bryan is starting up a fledgling online shopping website (a la Amazon), and offers her a job. She still pursues her original path (with some changes), and he ends up becoming a billionaire. In 'White Women LOL', Jill is accused of racism due to some comments to a group of black friends that were party crashers at her friends' party. The incident gets recorded and put online and the rest of the story she is trying to redeem herself. Many of the stories focus on chances not taken, or wondering if you made a different decision, things we all do on a day to day basis. The writing is crisp, the characters well developed, and some of the stories are more interesting and relatable than others. A nice departure from the authors' usual trope of rom coms, and you can see her growth in this body of work.

In this collection of short stories we meet some engaging friends, young adults working towards careers, and interesting married people. We learn how tentative ideas can be as experiences change the character’s lives. Intentions are often misconstrued leaving characters exhibiting the wrong idea. I liked that we meet some of the characters as teens and see changes in later life that have changed them. Characters are well developed with a lot to share with the reader.