Book Review: “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”

Welcome to my first book review! I’ve mentioned books here and there before on this blog, but have never done a full-on review and would love to incorporate more of them on here. I think it would make my blog even more well-rounded — it is a lifestyle blog after all. Plus, it gives me extra motivation to read more, a past time I love and don’t make enough time for.

For my first ever book review, I’ll be talking about Mindy Kaling’s book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns). I had heard that Mindy Kaling’s book was funny and while I’ve never watched an episode of “The Mindy Project”, I have long thought that she was funny from the things I have seen her in (movies, interviews, “The Office”, etc.). I was looking for a light read for my flights to and from California last weekend. Something fun and light-hearted, because the last thing I need while traveling alone for 5-6 hours on a plane is to read something scary or incredibly sad. I remembered this book, put it onto my iPad and that was that.

source: http://www.amazon.com

I cracked it open (turned on my iPad) on the plane, not sure what exactly to expect from the comedienne’s book. Her first chapter is spent answering some questions that she thinks people may ask when deciding whether to read her book or not. In her answer to the question “Is this one of those guide books celebrities write for girls?” she says no and then explains why. At one point she says:

However, you should know I disagree with a lot of traditional advice. For instance, they say the best revenge is living well. I say it’s acid in the face — who will love them now?

And with that quote from the 2nd page of the book, I was in love and knew this was going to be good!

The book is filled with stories from her childhood, high school and college experiences and then onto her journey to her career. She writes about her life, experiences, and thoughts on subjects (such as the amount of guys in LA who wear velcro shoes which she calls an epidemic) with such hilarity and a real honest voice. It is like you’re listening to your best friend tell you stories. She is just that relatable. She never doles out advice like what she says is right and you should listen to her. Instead, she shares her own experiences and what she has learned and you can take from it what you will.

I honestly could not put it down and was a bit sad that the book wasn’t longer! I found myself trying not to laugh out loud at certain parts for fear of looking like a crazy person on the plane. What I find really interesting and awesome is that she, a famous actress, writer, comedienne, star, has the same thoughts us regular people have about things such as movies. She is a self-proclaimed sucker for romantic comedies and her disbelief in some of the story lines but need to see them anyway is something I think a lot of us can relate to. For example, in her chapter “Types of Women in Romantic Comedies Who Are Not Real”, she writes,

The woman who works in an art gallery: How many freakin’ art galleries are out there? Are people constantly buying visual art or something? This posh-smart-classy job is a favorite in movies.

So if you couldn’t tell by now, I absolutely loved this book.  It was hilarious and relatable. It was such a quick read, though I wish it was even longer I loved reading it so much. My only consolation is that she has a new book coming out in September and you bet I’ll be reading that one too!