From the charming and wickedly funny co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a collection of hilarious personal essays, poems and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more.
Rachel Bloom has felt abnormal and out of place her whole life. In this exploration of what she thinks makes her “different,” she’s come to realize that a lot of people also feel … realize that a lot of people also feel this way; even people who she otherwise thought were “normal.”
In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star; Rachel writes about everything from her love of Disney, OCD and depression, weirdness, and Spanx to the story of how she didn’t poop in the toilet until she was four years old; Rachel’s pieces are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing).
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Rachel Bloom is one of my favourite funny people on the planet. I’ve loved her since she first started posting musical comedy sketches on Youtube and I am a die hard fan of her brilliant TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you doing? Go! It’s on Netflix now!). So naturally when I saw she was publishing a collection of personal essays, it went straight to the top of my TBR list. What I love about Bloom’s work is her uncanny ability to take a heavy, scary topic and to make it absolutely hilarious while still handling it intelligently and sensitively. I picked up this book when I was going through a period of really struggling with my mental health and Bloom made me feel like I was less alone in a way that I really, desperately needed in that moment. She also made me laugh my ass off, which I also really needed. The subject matter of this book ranges from middle school bullies to shitty relationships to musical theatre to the struggles of being potty trained and is written in across an incredible range of styles, from Harry Potter fanfiction to amusement park maps. Bloom is so creative and so goddamn funny and I really don’t know what else to tell you other than get on board and read this book.
This memoir won’t bring you down & might even make you feel “normal”.
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…the lack of vulnerability in approach to issues.
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…that it was a quick & entertaining read.
I Want To Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was everything I would hope it would be…raw honesty, humor, inspiration and harsh truths. I love the show My Crazy Ex Girlfriend, so I was excited to get an early chance to read this book of stories by the crazy talented Rachel Bloom. Bloom shares her insights on growing up and life in general and does so with sheer unveiling of all her stuff….the good, bad and the extremely ugly!!! You will laugh and cry and be moved beyond measure. You will relate with her stories and find much of what she says is brave and relatable! I loved this book and this is one that I will reread!!! A MUST read!!!
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom is an excellent collection of personal thoughts, ideas, essays, anecdotes, advice, memories, and biographical stories written by one of my most favorite people EVER, Rachel Bloom (actress, singer, dancer, writer, and all-around awesome woman). I loved Rachel even before My Crazy-Ex Girlfriend came onto the CW, but now I her even more. She is honest, quirky, hilarious, imperfect, authentic, relatable, talented, and I was so excited to read more about her life experiences and history.
The collection presented in this book lets us all know just how funny, dark, sadistic, sarcastic, and real she is. It also let me know that I am not as strange as I originally thought. (Oh, I am still different, don’t get me wrong.) But, instead of hiding and apologizing for it, I found a sister in my quest to accepting and owning it.I am who I am, and all I can do is improve how I respond to, and treat others, just as she describes in her book. I also learned more about Rachel in general, which I immensely enjoyed. I literally laughed out loud with the occasional snort, and devoured this gem in one day. So awesome.
And kudos to the 80s-90s Judy Blume throwback cover. Very awesome.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Coronet/Hodder & Stoughten for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/17/20.