This book was amazing in discussing how 'like' has been used and why it has turned into what it is; it's fascinating. The narrator does an amazing job really getting you into the material. This book combines academic text with pop culture to truly highlight how and why "like" is used, and argues that it is something people should, like, care about less. I really enjoyed this book.

I was really looking forward to this book as a media sociologist and communication scholar. I didn’t mind the research heaviness of the book overall. However I felt the book was disorganized and disjointed, struggling between academic rigor and over sharing of personal anecdote and opinion. I don’t think the author ever found the middle ground so it felt very unorganized overall. I also felt like there wasn’t enough recognition for the other side’s critical feelings about the word, although I appreciated the focus on utilizing like to undermine feminine rhetoric. Overall I think the book struggled although I did learn some things along the way.

I was lucky enough to receive a #gifted ARC of this one—but quickly found the author's voice wasn't for me. I saw this audiobook pop up, however, and thought I'd give it another go! Unfortunately, audio only solidified my instinct.
I was looking for something more analytical, less anecdotal. I've read a handful of similar books, some of which have even covered "like". this wasn't up to par. <b>However</b>—if you're unfamiliar with linguistics and/or prefer a narrative nonfic kinda vibe, this may be perf for you.

Fascinating, informative, and timely this is a highly entertaining history of how we use the word "like" specifically and use language in general to convey far more than just definition.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced listener’s copy of Like by Megan C. Reynolds.

As a teenage girl, I was constantly corrected for saying “like” too much, so I was instantly intrigued by this book. The premise of the book felt deeply personal. While I can’t say for sure, I suspect this book works best as an audiobook, where tone and pacing can add important nuance to the author's arguments.

I truly wanted to love this book. The author takes a thoughtful look at the societal biases that fuel the backlash against the word “like,” particularly its association with women, young people, and marginalized groups. She does a strong job transforming what many dismiss as a meaningless filler word into a lens for examining language, identity, and power dynamics in society.

That said, while the book is clearly well-researched and structured, I found some of the pop culture references, especially those tied closely to the author's millennial experiences less helpful. At times, they felt more distracting than insightful which often pulled focus from the linguistic insights.

Overall, Like is a fascinating read that gave me insight into the depth of a word we often overlook or ridicule.

This book was less academic and more approachable than I expected, and once I adjusted my expectations (not hard to do, it's a fun read) I really enjoyed it.