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.