I gotta say, I was expecting a bit more from Elyse Myers’ book, especially since she had been showcasing some of her writing in her videos and taking us through the whole process of creating her book. She read some of her writing aloud, and it seemed vulnerable, heartfelt, and full of promise. And then the day finally came and I immediately read her book, and it was honestly pretty underwhelming for all of the buildup. Sadly, this is going to end up in the slush pile of other forgettable YouTuber books. Or maybe one of those quirky Millennial memoirs that they sell at Urban Outfitters.
If I had to describe the writing style in this book, it would be… tiring. It’s written as if we’re inside Elyse’s head, word for word, which basically means that it’s a lot of long-winded, anxiety-stricken stream of consciousness writing. Which, I guess if that’s what she’s going for, it is an authentic way of depicting what her brain and thought process is like during these moments of anxiety and social interactions. But it also definitely becomes overkill after a while, and for me personally, I’m just soooo tired of stream of consciousness writing, especially when it comes to these YouTuber books. It just comes across as too casual and like you basically just typed your entire book on your phone rather than tried to put genuine effort into honing any sort of writing craft. Like, for the sake of literary quality, it would have been nice for Elyse to have written in a more literary style. It would’ve felt a lot more impactful in that way and elevated the writing that much more.
The other issue I had is that this collection of stories—these little vignettes—were also not remotely interesting in any way.
You’re following Elyse as she fumbles her way through awkward social interactions, navigating painful small talk and missed social cues… and it’s just not fun?? For us as the reader, it’s just not a pleasurable experience to read about someone completely bombing at socializing. It is the worst kind of secondhand embarrassment. Honestly, even the more “fun” chapters were…not interesting. Like, maybe they’re more “you had to be there” moments, but it’s genuinely not interesting to read an entire chapter where Elyse is enthralled in a conversation with Jonas about roast beef, and then he and his friend proceed to tell her the other food items they need to pick up from the store. Like, it’s just so mundane. Yes, I’m sure to all of you at the time, it was fun banter. But to the rest of us on the outside, it’s just boring. And that’s just one example. There are so many other examples in this book of little stories or memories that Elyse shares where nothing really exciting or interesting happens? And don’t even get me started on the entire chapter where Elyse teaches you how to fold sheets. I’m dead serious. She takes you through step-by-step instructions, and the entire time her tone is just very hyperactive and rambly.
Here’s a sample:
Do you have a ruler? If you don’t, you might want to go find one. Not because you actually need it for this, but because I can never find my rulers when I need them. You know when I usually find all my rulers? When I have absolutely no need for them… If you don’t tell anyone about the ruler situation, someone might use your ruler and then put it in Any Old Place when they’re done! They’ll have no idea where that ruler lives or that its Temporary Home was replaced with a Forever Home the night its owner decided to learn how to make their bed The Hospital Way.”
OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS CHAPTER. It’s like one of those characters who won’t stop babbling and goes on these long side tangents until you eventually just want them to shut up. Think Robin from Stranger Things or… I don’t know, Buddy the Elf? And this is what I mean when I say the writing in this is exhausting. It was at this chapter that I just reeeally wanted this book to end.
I also can’t help but say: there’s nothing remotely memorable about this book I fear that it’s only going to get lost among the vast number of other “quirky” self-deprecating memoirs written by Millennial women about their socially awkward misadventures. I hate to be cynical, but it’s the truth. I love and respect Elyse Myers as a content creator, and I so desperately wanted to get to know her on a deeper level. Especially with the title of this book, I was really hopeful that we would get that—truly vulnerable, compelling stories about her life. But instead, this just feels like a carbon copy of so many other Millennial memoirs I’ve read that hit all the same tropes—hand-drawn pencil sketches and doodles, messing around with font size. And you know it’s not a Millennial memoir unless there’s at least one page that’s just repeating the same word over and over again..!
Basically, nothing about this really stands out. There’s nothing that makes this feel like Elyse Myers’ book and no one else’s. This could have been a really honest, heartfelt memoir, but instead it just feels like yet another YouTuber cash grab.