Rachel Bloom (1) (1987–)

Road trip audiobook!

I'm a big fan of Rachel Bloom's TV show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, having the songs on constant rotation in my music mix. This book is just as hilarious and cutting as the show, and if you listen to the audiobook you get to hear Bloom put on a short musical about her life and love of musicals. You'll also find Harry Potter fan fiction, childhood diary entries, and lots of amusing and cringe stories about bullying, amusement parks, shapewear, award shows, and bathroom usage.

I need more Bloom in my life.… (more)

Actual rating: 4.5/5

Little-Mermaid-inspired title? ✅
Gorgeous cover, with an 80s/90s teen book vibe? ✅
Rachel Bloom, aka the amazingly talented creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? ✅
Was there every chance I would love this book? YOU KNOW IT!

I love the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (and am, coincidentally, just in the middle of a big re-watch) so I was extremely excited to read a collection of essays by Rachel Bloom. My expectations were sky-high with this one, and I was not disappointed.

Through her distinctive style and using her original voice to the fullest, Rachel Bloom takes us on a journey to explore the concept of "normality" in a quest to find the oh-so-elusive "normal people". This was certainly one of the most original, amusing and refreshing books I've read in a while, and it managed to touch on hard topics such as bullying, OCD and depression, and so many more in an incredibly honest and heartfelt way.

Some essays resonated with me more than others, and some were definitely... something; some made me laugh out loud, some really moved me, but all of them showcased Rachel's incredible talent and her honesty in talking openly about topics that are often, sadly, still taboo.

Overall, this is a great book that will appeal to fans of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and those who haven't yet seen the show alike (though if you're in the latter category - what are you waiting for??). Highly recommended!

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (more)

I wanted to love this a lot. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend spoke to me in a way that's hard to explain: I didn't really identify with the main character, and it was a little too cringey for me, and a little to explicit for me, but it still kind of made me feel seen somehow. So I expected the same from this. And in so many ways it was just like Crazy Ex: good, but a little cringey and a little explicit and I didn't really identify, but somehow the magic wasn't there. Some of the essays got very close (especially the one at the end, where Rachel talks about shapewear & the upfronts). Some of the essays were even further. Overall, funny, but it didn't really come together into something bigger.

Some of her affectation is challenging. I was hoping she’d be more real.
She portrays herself as being completely unsure of herself and doomed in love, but she met her husband at 21 and was a writer for TV at 23. But realizing that a lot of the book was her own insecurity talking was charming?… (more)