A very interesting book which serves as a companion piece for the movie. I think the appeal will go beyond fans of the movie as it captures ideas and analyses ideas as they applied to society at the time, too.

I just read Ugh! As If!: Clueless by Veronica Litt, and it was such a fun ride. She uses the iconic movie Clueless as a jumping-off point to explore pop culture in a way that’s both smart and super entertaining. It’s playful but also surprisingly insightful; I loved how she balanced humor with deeper commentary. If you're a fan of the movie or just into pop culture with a twist, definitely give this one a go!

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC of this title

I've enjoyed other entries in this series, but this one left me a little disappointed by the end - I love the author's enthusiasm for reading Clueless as a rich text, and they've clearly got a lot to say, but I wanted a little more synthesis of their additional sources rather than just giving us their text as quotes and asking us as readers to do all the connecting of dots.

Veronica Litt's analysis of the beloved 1995 movie Clueless is fascinating, although toward the end it veers into semi-ridiculous territory. I loved the first 75% of the book, but the last 25% wants Clueless to be a completely different movie than it actually is. The idea of Cher becoming a community activist, and that the movie should show her journey into activism, is pretty out-of-pocket. However, the author argues that this should have happened in the film and the ABC/UPN TV show that ran for 3 seasons from 1997-1999.

I did love the author's sharp wit and humor in discussing one of my favorite movies of all time! I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of Clueless, 90's films, Amy Heckerling, or movies in general.

4 stars.

This book is focused on the movie "Clueless" by Amy Heckerling. That movie is based on Jane Austen's Emma. The author does a nice job taking us on a journey through 100 pages trying to explain what it is about - along the way, we explore rom-coms, "girl" films, sexism, racism and classism. She includes lots of references to other films, articles, popular culture. I really loved her interludes - from a venn diagram on "ditz's" to a chart comparing characters from Clueless to equivalent characters in Emma, and one on Rom Com heroes who chose the wrong guy. A fun read and now I am ready to re-watch Clueless!

Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

A fun behind the scenes look at a film I have adored for a long time. I really enjoyed delving deeper into the Clueless world and it was a perfect little read before watching it again.

Thank you to Net Galley for getting me access to this book.
This movie is a fav of my wife. Maybe a bit of guilty pleasure for me too. Watching Silverstone act out the role was fun and reminiscing.
Reading the book was a blast to the past for me and some of the behind the scenes portions was fun to read about.
I’m not sure who all to recommend this title for but I don’t think anyone who hasn’t watched the movie would appreciate this.

I have a strong dislike of reviewing non fiction, so I'll give it my best shot.

It's been at least a year since I've seen Clueless, and I didn't remember a ton. While I love the original work (Jane Austen's Emma is one of the more palatable for me), Clueless isn't my go-to comfort rewatch.

Definitely read as a simultaneous love letter to the movie and a dissertation type dissection of some of the more nuanced issues (Like, totally didn't remember the age gap between Cher and Josh).

I think I expected a more "this is how it was made" type book like I've read for Mean Girls, etc. Doesn't mean this was bad, per se, just not what I expected. Still enjoyed it. Thanks, NG!

Arc Review:
Overall Rating: 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An enjoyable book, perfect for fans of the movie Clueless, Gave you a fun look at the behind the scenes moments of the movie.

Thank you NetGalley

Hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since we met Cher. Clueless is one of those movies that I adored back in the day, assumed that I’d cringe if I saw it again, and was very pleasantly surprised when I recently shared it with my 12 year-old niece. It has held well and this short volume discusses it at length. The differences and similarities between Clueless and its inspiration, Jane Austen’s Emma; how a marshmallow-light candy dream had such hidden depths and the issues with its satirical optimism. I really enjoyed the first chapters, revisiting the movie and the characters, while learning more about the making of. The political content was not for me. I enjoy Clueless for what it is and spending pages and pages on how it could have been more woke seems just a little pointless. There could have been more content about the making of the movie itself, instead of speculating over how to make it more relevant to today’s world. It was still nice to revisit the movie with someone who loves it as much as I do.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ECW Press.

This was a really interesting insight into one of my favourite comfort movies! It made me nostalgic for my uni days studying film, as well as for my younger years when I first watched the film (and regularly watched the TV show on a Saturday morning!)
Perfect for film lovers who want to delve a bit deeper!

I don't rate nonfiction.

Clueless is one of my favourite films. The fluffy, brightly coloured feel just epitomises everything I loved about the 90s. And this short read is written from someone who equally has a deep love of Cher, Dionne and co. Veronica Litt does a great job at summing up not only what's so great about the film, but also critiques it's so obvious flaws. I particularly really liked the section of colour blindness, the concept of the Black 'best friend's and the discussion on class. Pretty much everyone knows Clueless is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, so yes class plays an important role, but it's the subtlety of Clueless that makes it more nuanced and yet also insidious in its themes. I do think sometimes this critique verged on overkill at times though, as though the author really needed to hammer home that Clueless isn't this brain-dead film. Clueless at it's heart, to me, is a frothy comedy that relies on quick writing and warm characters that feel genuine. Beyond that I don't think there's that much depth to it, however this did make me think about more overarching themes I may have otherwise overlooked.

Really insightful, well written and compact read. Certainly one of the better of this series I've read from ECW press.

A smart, insightful look into the film that shaped a ceneration. Perfect for fans of the film! Urgh! As if!

Litt’s analysis is sharp yet playful, blending nostalgia with insightful commentary on gender, class, and identity in films like Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You. While some sections may feel a bit academic making the fun genre of rom-coms feel more like a textbook than a celebration of the movies whose influence is felt till today. It leaned too hard on nostalgia and critiquing, risking alienating not only the readers who were fans of the movies, but maybe also the new readers? It sort of, for me, robbed the fun that made these movies so iconic in the first place. A great pop culture book should invite new fans in whilst offering something fresh for longtime fans of the genre.

It's been 30 years and we are still, thank god, talking about this movie.

While the book As If! by Chaney focused on the making of the movie and featured first-hand stories from the cast and crew, Ugh! As If! by Litt takes a more culturally nuanced, mildly academic stance. This is told through the lens of the present day, since over time we really like to re-evaluate elements pop culture and their staying power.

I appreciate the ability to love something, especially for nostalgia reasons, while also analyzing and being critical of the content. Clueless does not tell a perfect, inoffensive story, but it has its sweet moments. Actually, it has a lot of sweet moments. And is generally iconic AF.

I loved this. I always appreciate being reminded that Paul Rudd auditioned for Murray because he thought he was white. Bless.

Thanks to the publisher and NG!

I love non-fiction reads about cult TV and movies, so when I saw UGH! AS IF! I knew I absolutely had to read it, and wow, did it deliver! Clueless is one of those films that is transcending generations, from its Jane Austen roots to the newer gens today. Litt does a wonderful job of blending both positive and negative criticism of the film together. Highly recommend for fans of anything pop culture.

I didn't feel this provided any new information, and therefore did not finish it. I hope it gets a nicer cover!

If you loved Clueless and are a fan of pop culture and media studies, read this. I enjoyed it very much. Litt's writing is excellent and I liked how she drew her points all together. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I read this book in one sitting, it was that good! The behind the scenes info and the commentary on how it should be viewed was amazing.

Okay so the only other book I’ve read in this series was Extra Salty: Jennifer’s Body by Frederick Blichert and I wasn’t wowed by it. I didn’t feel any passion about the subject material (which is rude because it’s JENNIFER’S BODY, one of the best movies of all time) and the book just felt like reading an extra long Wikipedia article if I’m honest. However I chalked this up to the fact that I’m a Jennifer’s Body super fan and I learned nothing from Extra Salty at all.

I tell you all of that to tell you this: I had a completely different experience with this book. I felt the passion dripping off the page, the excitement! It felt like the author was holding my hands and enthusiastically filling me in on this movie I just have to watch. I will admit though that I am not a Clueless super fan and learned a lot of new information.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.