I admit that when I began this book, I didn’t realize it was a collection of short stories, While I’m a fan of Sittenfeld’s writing, I struggled with the stories, The center mostly around the romantic relationships of the respective narrators, as well as the financial and professional lives they choose. The writing is lovely, and my sense is that any one of these stories would make a good novel, but often I felt like I’d been left hanging, and that’s not how I like to read. Of the collection, I found Lost But Not Forgotten to be the most satisfying, but that’s probably because I got to see more of the character’s full arc, Other’s may love the opportunity to read in smaller bites!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the review copy, Publication is scheduled for February 25,2025.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to review this ARC.

I’ve been in a real reading rut and this collection of short stories broke me out of it. This collection is filled with characters (mostly women) who are trying to figure out the right thing to do (and getting it right only sometimes). Some feature flashbacks to the past that I especially enjoyed, as a way of understanding their modern selves. A real variety of settings, no skips.

Curtis Sittenfeld is such a wonderful writer, and this latest short story collection is pitch perfect. Each of these stories focuses on people who have believed untruths about themselves, followed by moments of self discovery. They are funny and smart and real. I think this will appeal to so many readers, and I can’t wait to sell it!

I have to say that I remember reading Prep years ago and have a soft spot for it. Show Don't Tell features a story about a grown up version of the teenage character of Prep so I was excited to receive an advance copy of this.

Show Don't Tell is a collection of short stories and there were some I enjoyed immensely and others I didn't care for. I will say I felt that some of the stories felt quite similar and I thought there could've been more variety amongst them. In particular, there were stories about knowing someone before they became famous and almost having an affair that just seemed too similar. I wanted more variety than what was offered but did like quite a few of the stories. A highlight was of course returning to the school featured in Prep. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants an easy to read collection of short stories!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest collection of short stories focuses on friendship, middle age, and privilege. The writing is witty, funny, thought-provoking and touching at times. There are a couple I was so invested in that I’d love to see fleshed out into novels.
4 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy.

No one captures the beautiful messiness of life the way Curtis Sittenfeld does.

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟 is a compelling and clever collection of short stories. They're observational explorations of daily life, mostly about middle-aged Midwestern women, and the insights into their lives and their inner and outer dialogues are so real and raw. I loved every page.

In many cases, the stories seem so simple that it's easy to overlook the complexity and nuance of Sittenfeld's writing. It's one of the reasons I'm so glad I read this one with my eyes instead of listening - I found myself re-reading what seemed like the most basic sentences because they packed such a punch just to see just she crafted them. Whether she's examining marriage, fame, friendship or privilege, I was touched by the often profound revelations and unexpected humor that she mined from what could otherwise be considered mundane.

If you've read Sittenfeld's backlist, there's a bonus for fans of her debut novel, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 - Lee Fiora returns to Ault for her 30th reunion in the story "Lost But Not Forgotten."

Whether you read short stories often or not, this is one collection you don't want to miss.

Thanks to Random House for the copy to review.

I love this author, and I enjoyed all of the stories, but none of them stuck with me. Short stories just aren't my thing!

A collection of short stories. As is the case with a collection of short stories, some are better than others. I particularly liked The Tomorrow Box and The Marriage Box. Some of the stories seemed to end rather abruptly.

Show Don’t Tell is an engaging collection of character driven short stories that explores topics like love, marriage, and more. I enjoyed reading this collection. My favorite of the stories was “The Patron Saints of Middle Age”. While not always likable, the characters were well developed. I would definitely recommend this collection to those who enjoy reading short stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors, and Show Don’t Tell did not disappoint. This collection of short stories was engaging and thought provoking, and there was a surprise at the end for her longtime fans.

I loved this book. Any of the short stories could have been developed into their own novel. Several have stuck with me and will for a long time, in the way that all of Sittenfeld’s books do.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent short story collection from Sittenfeld that covers a wide range of topics such as friendships, marriage, and artistic pursuits. Sittenfeld is very gifted at humanizing her characters, even when they're deeply flawed. There wasn't a single story that I didn't enjoy, and there were a few standouts, especially one where she revisits Lee Fiora from her first novel, Prep. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a digital review copy.

Short stories are always so hard to rate for me because they can be so different from one another and hard to rate as a whole. This was a solid group of stories, but I can see how they wouldn't be for everyone. I have never read anything by this author before and not sure I will again. I'm disappointed in the trend of contemporary fiction having to add every liberal/woke talking point, as I have mentioned in other reviews. Is there some quota that books need to have now in ordered to be published? (I mean that only half seriously.... but do they?) I'm not a fan politics in my fiction, especially when they do not add to the storyline. The one story where it was mentioned and made mildly interesting was in "A for Alone". Also, there were a lot of sexual references, to one "act" in particular, in nearly every story, which was noticeable and off-putting. Politics aside, I found it interesting that these stories didn't have a definitive beginning or end, I actually appreciated this though I see how it'd be frustrating for some. Some of them simply end with no resolution or point being emphasized, they are snapshots of a period in time. They definitely got me thinking, wondering and examining my own experiences. I think my favorites of the collection were "The Marriage Clock", "The Richest Babysitter in the World", "The Patron Saints of Middle Age", and "Lost But Not Forgotten." All in all, I didn't love these, and I didn't hate them either. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this.

I really enjoyed this collection. I’ve read Romantic Comedy but not Prep (which I know is probably her most famous book), and I still found every story here really strong and engaging. Sittenfeld has such a sharp, observant style, and each story pulled me in right away. Even the final one, which follows the main character from Prep, had me completely hooked, even though I haven’t read the novel. It’s one of those collections where every story feels worthwhile—nothing felt like filler. Definitely a great read if you like smart, well-crafted short fiction.

Loved this book! Curtis Sittenfeld is always a sure thing. Each story was so good. I didn’t want the book to end. So many of the stories were relatable.

The very best writers are students of human nature, observing the way people behave around them with the intensity of a social anthropologist, which, one could argue, they are. Such intense observation shows itself over and over in Curtis Sittenfeld’s extremely satisfying Show Don’t Tell.

Take the woman in “White Women LOL” who confronts a table of patrons at a private party for her friend. The patrons happen to be POC, the confrontation is videoed (because, let’s face it, everything is these days), and the white woman of the story’s title must do some self-examination, a test which she might just fail. This is a story that has played out in different media channels time and time again, sometimes with different outcomes–not the topic of this story. However, what “White Women LOL” does is cast a light on the woman’s blindness to her recurrent social interactions with POC as well as show how her increasing self-awareness makes her feel guilty. Her self-righteousness recedes but how much of a self-awakening will actually occur?

Like this woman, many of the characters are not immediately likable. Which leads to the interesting point–how many of us would be considered likable if the very human traits we attempt to hide are revealed upon meeting?

Some of the stories deal with uncomfortable situations. Is the writer investigating the Mike Pence Rule (Billy Graham Rule) of a woman and man never being alone together truly investigating the practicality of the “Rule”, it’s lack of substance, or is she unhappy in her marriage and seeking? If she is unfaithful after undertaking this investigation, does that mean the Rule is correct and should be followed for fidelity to one’s significant other or does it show that some people lack discipline and loyalty or are perhaps not suited to monogamy? Though-provoking at the very least and I am delighted that the author, Sittenfeld, has not stepped in and told us what to think.

A moment of déjà vu occurred while reading “The Richest Babysitter in the World,” before I realized that I had read it before in The Atlantic. As Sittenfeld has done in the past (imagining the life of a real person), the story imagines a young woman who would have babysat for the Bezos’. It’s an intriguing story that presents Jeff Bezos as human before his divorce from his humanitarian and morally substantial wife.

As you may have noted by now, I found all of these stories to be thought-provoking and worth analyzing further, which I absolutely adore. And I could go on and on, as you could probably guess. I love that Sittenfeld has not spoon-fed us anything, doesn’t tell us what to think or feel. She just presents and lets us think. A true and talented writer who examines life through a thoughtful and humorous lens.

If you’re like me and love to think about words and stories long after you’ve read them, read this collection of short stores.

Many thanks to Random House Books for sending me a copy.

I don't read many short stories at all but Curtis Sittenfeld nailed it and I will gladly read any short stories she puts out. I thought the stories were sharp, unique and had a touch of real people which was kinda funny! I enjoyed being able to read a few stories put it down and come back to it without losing anything. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first, I was thrown off when I realized this was a collection of short stories rather than a novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

In "The Marriage Clock," Heather travels to rural Alabama to convince the author of the popular self-help book "The Marriage Clock" to agree to creative changes for the book to be made into a movie by her studio only to find herself charmed in surprising ways by her host. In "White Women LOL," Jill finds herself on the wrong end of a social media backlash after a recording of her at a party goes viral, prompting her to re-examine some of her past actions. In "The Richest Babysitter in the World," Kit becomes an nanny for Diane and Bryan in order to save up money to move to Tuscon with her roommate (and crush). She observes their seemingly enviable life during her time under their employ only to reflect on how their lives, and hers, evolve over years that follow.

I also really enjoyed the stories “The Patron Saints of Middle Age", “A for Alone”, and “Lost but Not Forgotten” Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for providing me an advance e-book copy of #ShowDontTell!

Although I have Romantic Comedy in my TBR pile, this collection of well-written short stories, Show Don’t Tell, is the first book I’ve read from Curtis Sittenfeld. What I really liked was that each story was a slice of life in all its minutiae and complexity. Most of the stories center on women, many in the Midwest, both younger (college age) and older (forties and fifties). Relationships, whether between partners (and the changes that naturally occur in any marriage over the years, including divorce), friends, and colleagues, are also explored, along with broader issues including fame, white privilege, and racism (whether subtle or overt), and self-awareness or lack thereof.

While I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable, I definitely found them realistic, well-written, and interesting enough to keep reading story after story. There were even some twists that surprised and delighted me, especially in “The Richest Babysitter in the World.” Other favorites included the title story, “Show Don’t Tell,” about a group of graduate students anxiously waiting for word about their next year’s funding, and the fellowships that carried the most prestige, “The Marriage Clock,” about a film company executive trying to get a conservative author to include a gay couple in the film adaptation of his book, “White Women LOL,” “The Tomorrow Box,” and “The Patron Saints of Middle Age.” Overall, time well-spent.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on February 25, 2025.

I have enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld’s novels but this was my first reading a her short story offerings. I enjoyed some of them and found them both humorous and poignant. Others, however, missed the mark for me. Though the writing throughout was solid, many of the characters were not likable. More importantly some of the stories seemed to have no point and ended with no resolution. I can’t say I would recommend this collection but I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

An interesting collection of short stories. I didn’t always like the main characters in these stories, but I was interested in what was happening in their lives. There was some variety in the themes and situations the main characters found themselves in, but not much diversity in the type of main characters the book featured (mostly white mid western women). A fun quick read if you like observational stories about women and their lives. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.