This collection of short stories was fantastic. Some characters I could relate to more than others but each story left me wanting to get to know the characters more. Sittenfield does a masterful job of dropping the reader right into the middle of a fully fleshed out characters and then plucking us right out again. I truly enjoyed getting to read about all of these fantastic characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I loved this collection of short stories! The characters are mostly unlikeable, and yet Sittenfeld immerses us in their messy lives in a way that’s both fascinating and enjoyable. Her ability to create such compelling connections with these characters in such a short amount of time is truly remarkable.

Curtis Sittenfeld’s Show Don’t Tell is a masterful short story collection that reaffirms why she’s an auto-read author for me. Each story brims with her signature wit, sharp observations, and deeply relatable characters, making it impossible to put down. Her latest work did not disappoint—I highly recommend it to anyone who loves immersive, thought-provoking fiction.

This wonderful collection of stories focuses on the small moments that make up marriages, relationships, families and careers. Curtis Sittenfeld has so many loyal readers who will love this collection, and she is sure to attract new fans with this as well.

I have read every book Curtis Sittenfeld has published, and I love each one more than the last. Her short stories are fantastic. More “slice of life” than a fully developed plot, but I enjoy that style. This collection appealed to me because it addresses themes for middle aged people like myself. I grow tired of contemporary literature and romcoms about 20-somethings so this was a refreshing change.

These short stories were excellent to read--I could easily find one that fit my mood or tone needed for the day. Curtis finds a way to write that is both witty and some left lots of room for interpretation and I don't usually like being left wanting more, but in this case---it worked!

Another wonderful short story from my favorite author! I sped through this collection, even while trying to savor, and enjoyed every story. While definitely not for everyone, I really enjoy Sittenfeld's detailed slice-of-life writing style, as well as her varied locations of short stories. We follow many different characters through regular true-to-life situations, just as in her previous works, with some stories touching on COVID/lockdowns.
If you are a fan on Sittenfeld, this is definitely more of the same, which is why is was such a hit for me.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This was a tough one to rate. Some stories had me completely hooked, while others didn’t click with me and ended up being forgettable. But there’s no denying that Curtis Sittenfeld knows how to write and create characters like the best of them! Her stories make you reflect on your own life and experiences, and you feel like a fly on the wall, eavesdropping on her characters’ conversations. The ones I loved were too short and left me wanting more, while others felt like they ended too abruptly, with more ambiguity than I prefer. Overall, I found this book fascinating and engaging. I love Sittenfeld’s writing style and her sharp, witty take on life.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
📖Short stories
🩷Relatable life topics
❎Flawed yet realistic characters
💡Thought provoking
😅Humorous and witty
🇺🇸Sometimes political
🦠Covid backdrop

📖𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was 20% in and wondering when the characters would come together when I realized I was reading a book of short stories 😂. Somehow I missed this when reading the description and I’m glad because although Curtis Sittenfeld is a must read author for me, I probably wouldn’t have requested this if I realized it was short stories.

But I loved it! Each story was entertaining and extremely relatable. Sittenfeld is a master at putting words to thoughts snd feelings we have but never express. And because this book focuses on middle aged experiences I especially identified with it as (eek) a middle aged person.

The stories are all rooted in reality and current events (especially from the 2015-2022 time period). One story about a Jeff Bezos (not him but yes him) babysitter before he became famous was especially intriguing. And of course we catch up with Prep’s Lee Fiora at her 30 year Ault reunion and that story was truly delightful — and reminded me again how brilliant Sittenfeld is at getting in the head of a high school girl.

I resonated with so many characters in the most mundane throughout, and I spent a lot of time thinking about the situations in these stories. I’m glad I misread the description!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Smartly written and reflective short stories. I always enjoy Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing and this volume fits nicely in her cannon of work. Great stories for those that enjoy contemporary literature.

I absolutely adore the way Sittenfeld writes and I loved this collection of short stories as much as her last one. These were all so delightful, I love curling up in these stories for a bit!
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ARC!

I love, love, love Curtis Sittenfeld. Her writing is truly a gift. This collection is probably her work that I felt least connected to. It's brilliant, as is all her work but it seems to be lacking her signature warmth. I couldn't connect to the stories as much as I was hoping to.

I enjoy short story collections but this one not so much. This is probably due to my age, that I really couldn't relate to some of the characters. Nevertheless, the writing is insightful and will no doubt be an enjoyable read to a younger audience.

Perhaps this is a well written collection of short stories but just not for me at this time. I enjoyed two of her other books and enjoyed meeting her at a book signing event.

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2024/12/20/book-review-show-dont-tell-by-curtis-sittenfeld/.

I always enjoy anything Curtis Sittenfeld writes and this collection of short stories is not an exception. Some of the stories are more understandable to me than others but all have interesting, quickly developed characters and intriguing, unique concepts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is not my first Curtis Sittenfield read, and some of the stories in this collection are stronger than others. "White Women LOL" is probably one of the strongest sections, but I had already read it outside this collection. That being said, "White Women LOL" is a bit predictable and smarmy, which is also the case for some of the other stories. Middle-/ upper= class white, middle-aged womanhood is a throughline: I don't say this as snarky, but a descriptor.

From a literary standpoint, these stories are excellent, as is basically all of Sittenfeld's fiction.

This is a collection of nearly all female-focused stories, featuring moms and daughters, often in the Midwest, and touching on the mundane while offering deeper lessons.

Still, I'll admit that I found this collection long, and I rarely wanted to pick it up, even though the stories were interesting enough when I did. I know they all had more meaning than on the surface, but sometimes I did not feel like thinking so much. That's not the stories' fault--just mine.

This is a strong collection of tales focused on daily moments, but they'll appeal most to those who love looking into the nuance and interpretation of each story they read.

Curtis Sittenfeld's newest short story compilation combines the every day lives of the characters and lessons we often overlook. The book was easy to pick up when a few minutes were available. Enjoyed the short bursts and robust stories, filled with memorable characters daily lives.

Curtis Sittenfeld has a very distinct niche in that her best fiction revolves around academia. In this collection, almost every story is concerned with the effect that the pressure cooker existence of either university or prep school life has had on the protagonist. These aren't change of life stories, stories containing a sharp edge of drama or realization, but those that are reflective and slice of life. As with any well written collection, this is a more challenging read than a novel of the same length, each story worthy of reading on its own in order to absorb.

Thank you random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a great collection of short stories. These stories are engaging and share human experiences.