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The Worrier's Guide to Life

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If you're floundering in life, striking out in love, struggling to pay the rent, and worried about it all -- you're in luck! World Champion Worrier and Expert Insomniac Gemma Correll is here to assure you that it could be much, much worse.

In her hugely popular comic drawings, Gemma Correll dispenses dubious advice and unreliable information on life as she sees it, including The Dystopian Zodiac, Reward Stickers for Grown-Ups, Palm Reading for Millennials, and a Map of the Introvert's Heart. For all you fellow agonizers, fretters, and nervous wrecks, this book is for you. Read it and weep...with laughter!

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

70 people are currently reading
4404 people want to read

About the author

Gemma Correll

76 books1,069 followers

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5 stars
632 (22%)
4 stars
803 (28%)
3 stars
934 (33%)
2 stars
321 (11%)
1 star
81 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 394 reviews
Profile Image for Sandee is Reading.
696 reviews1,253 followers
May 24, 2015
Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh god this was hilarious. I didn't know what I was supposed to expect when i requested this, but since I'm a worrier, and its on the title, I picked it up. Imagine my surprise when I read it. Hehe it's pretty neat. It even taught me how to draw. Lol

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If you're a worrier or not, pick this one up. It's so funny and relateable.
Profile Image for ❀Aimee❀ Just one more page....
444 reviews93 followers
April 9, 2015
Quick read. I appreciated several of the pages and humor, and smiled at a lot, but nothing really made me laugh out loud.

The author/illustrator riffs about all manner of things. Take her chapter on health and hypochondria. I am full of dismay that her idea of a "Disease a Day Calendar" does not really exist. That would be an amazing gag gift..or for those in the medical field for fun! I would ADORE one!
disease a day

There are plenty of entries for the introvert within. Take these wonderful dice to help you make decisions on your social obligations:
dice

There's a full page of stickers we wish we could get as an adult.
paplaundrytaxes

And a page of modern day curses.
curse you

I was hoping for a bit more on the worrier front but Gemma has a wide range of musings and humor. Something is bound to hit hit the mark for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for ✟Roxanne✟(Death by Book Avalanche) ☠ .
430 reviews91 followers
April 3, 2015
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you.

I related to this book so much! The drawings were so funny and cute.
I laughed so much at some of the chapters and must say I had my favourites...such as the adult stickers and the tunnel of love (so funny as so true).
Some of the sections did go over my head but most of them I really enjoyed.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
965 reviews1,212 followers
April 26, 2015
This is a cute and amusing collection of cartoons that pinpoint all aspects of a modern worrier's life. I felt I could connect with a lot of the content of this book, and although I didn't find it amazing and laugh-out-loud funny, I did find this enjoyable and lighthearted.

Special shout-out to the Map of an Introvert's Heart. That is ON POINT.
Profile Image for megHan.
604 reviews86 followers
June 16, 2015
Gemma Correll draws witty, sometimes snarky, cartoons about the things that go on in a women's head, especially a woman that is a worrier (like me). She pokes fun at the emotional - and sometimes just plain silly - things that we do. Some of them I found cute, some of them made me smirk, but others made me laugh out loud, guffaw even. Quite a few are definitely things that I do. She definitely has some talent and I look forward to checking out more of her work.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Please remember that this review is my opinion based on my personal impressions of the book.
Profile Image for Ylenia.
1,087 reviews415 followers
June 15, 2016
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thanks again*

*4.5 stars*

I'm a huge fans of Gemma Correll's art and facebook page so no surprise I really wanted so read this.
I will say that some jokes were repeated along the way but overall The Worrier's Guide to Life is one of the funniest coffee-table book/graphic novel I've ever read.
I saw myself in some (a lot of them, to be honest) of the panels - I'm a bit of an introverted person, and I definitely can see many other people sympathize with this book.
Profile Image for Tanvi.
112 reviews59 followers
December 27, 2018
I really really enjoyed this. Gemma is another artist I discovered over on Instagram & I absolutely adore her.
The content is funny, witty, punny & relatable.
It felt too real at times :P
I went through it pretty quickly & would totally recommend it.
Profile Image for Corrie.
1,705 reviews4 followers
October 29, 2019
I've been following Gemma Correll for a few years now (facebook, instagram) and her drawings and quirky sense of humor always make me smile.

4 stars.
Profile Image for Donna Brown.
Author 7 books108 followers
Read
June 12, 2020
Okay, first let me say: THIS BOOK SCARES ME! I started off thinking it was pretty amusing but then I hit page 10 and began to get seriously freaked. This was like an illustrated autobiography. I can only conclude that little people have found their way into my head and are faxing out memos of every neurotic, crazy thought I have. Those are regular and consistent so I'm guessing there's a lot of faxing going on.

From the thoughts you might have while meditating (which of course culminate in 'Mmm... pizza') to the safer versions of board games ('Monotony' anyone?) to the modern day plagues ('May there always be an unexpected item in your bagging area'), The Worrier's Guide to Life is a hilarious look at all potential sources of stress, anxiety and worry for the modern day neurotic. Think you are alone in your sleepless night thinking? Check out the Wheel of Insomnia and feel instantly reassured (though remember, you won't be sleeping tonight).

As someone who has suffered with anxiety, I feel like there's an underlying seriousness to this book. It isn't hard to feel overwhelmed by life and there's more and more to engage, stimulate or petrify us every day. The Worrier's Guide to Life is very funny, brilliantly illustrated and will strike a chord with every worrier across the world.

I'm so glad I found this book. I haven't felt so in touch with something since I read Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened.
Profile Image for Amber.
727 reviews29 followers
April 5, 2023
I may have just had higher expectations for this one. I went into this as someone who also suffers with anxiety and I was excited to read this and relate to some funny comics. I really like Gemma Correll's art style and easy to digest strips. When I did relate to a comic in here it was fun, but there were about 30 other pages in here that I just didn't understand the point of adding them. I feel like those 30 other pages could have been in a separate collection that was just comics about puns.

In the end because of the back and forth of relating to the comics and then not understanding the point I started to question the point of the whole thing. It wasn't as funny as I would have liked and I think it could have gotten more serious in order to really give the whole thing a bit more cohesion and meaning.

Profile Image for Estelle.
168 reviews144 followers
April 7, 2015
No need to be a worrier or an introvert to enjoy this! Very quirky & funny.
I know a few people who would absolutely love it, this would make a great gift.
Profile Image for maegan.
473 reviews89 followers
July 9, 2022
Some of these would be sooooo cool as gag gifts. I would definitely buy the non-commital valentine cards, the real life horror movies and the dystopian zodiac.
Profile Image for Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive).
2,497 reviews57 followers
September 7, 2015
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

This didn't really feel like a worrier's guide to life, but far more as an introvert guide to life, and in that aspect, I think it was a good guide. It was at least filled with a lot of very recognizable situations that I really enjoyed reading.

I'd never heard of the writer or her comics before, but I thought many of her ideas were funny or refreshing and it was a very quick and very enjoyable read. Special favourites of mine were the Dystopian Zodiac and the modern curses (like: may your videos buffer for ten thousand years! mwahuaha).

I'd consider this a perfect gift for an introvert, as you'll probably recognize a lot.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Melissa Orth.
447 reviews6 followers
July 19, 2017
A few of the cartoons were funny (any about the pain of being an introvert) but nearly all were repetitive and contained lame food puns. Might have been ok if read once a week as a web comic but collected as a whole didn't do much for my sense of humor.
Profile Image for Emma.
192 reviews114 followers
February 5, 2017
Perfect "I'm at the library. I need a break from studying but I don't want to buy this so I'll read it in the library" book.
Profile Image for Cat.
810 reviews86 followers
April 14, 2015
I love Gemma Correll so much!!
full review will be up soon
Profile Image for Ana.
71 reviews64 followers
November 17, 2019
Went into this under the impression that it would be more centered around mental health themes but it was actually split up in various categories having to do with lifestyle, mental health, relationships, and adulting in addition to some miscellaneous comics. My favorites were centered around mental health (particularly anxiety), and adulthood. Some comics were relatable and enjoyable, others fell flat for me. Aside from that, I really liked the art style and I’m interested in checking out more of the author’s comics.
Profile Image for Abyss.
516 reviews209 followers
April 22, 2017
Introvertní pasáže byly hrozně fajn. Třeba hororové filmy ze skutečného života: Telefonní hovor (Proč prostě nepošlou sms?) Každej - byť malej - introvert to zná :D

Ale některé části byly i dost slabé, škoda že to škarohlíkovství je zahnáno i do naprostých krajností. Když se to přežene není to už tak vtipné, jen trochu absurdní :)

Každopádně je to dobrá jednohubna, ale "Všechny důvody světa, proč běhám" jsou stále o dost vtipnější.
Profile Image for Roglin.
197 reviews
April 30, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. The humor made me laugh so hard. It was perfect and relatable.
Profile Image for Gracella.
262 reviews176 followers
July 13, 2021
Well, the illustrations were super cute and lovely. But i didn't really get the jokes and humor. So sorry though.
Profile Image for Alicia Siekierski.
83 reviews5 followers
January 25, 2018
I liked the illustration style and ocasional pug and cat references but the writing just made me sad and anxious
Profile Image for Ashly Lynne.
Author 1 book48 followers
November 23, 2016
4/5 Stars

If you’re not sure of where you are in life and are constantly struggling to make it through, don’t worry; Gemma Correll is here to remind you that it could always be worse. Peruse a collection of her comics to put a smile back on your face and to remind yourself that you’re definitely not struggling alone. Staying afloat can be hard; Gemma Correll’s comics make it a little easier.

This was a fun little read. Although it wasn’t what I was expecting, I still loved it!

This book is filled to the brim with adorable and hilarious comics. If you are familiar with Correll’s work, then you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. If you are unfamiliar with her work, you are in for a wonderful surprise.

It may have been pointless to write a full review on this book, since I can’t really think of much to say about it except that you should definitely read it, especially if you’re looking for something light and quick. This book had me laughing out loud at least every other page. And, on the pages in between, it had me nodding in solidarity with Correll’s anxiety. I don’t have anxiety, which made this an interesting/informative as well as fun read. Not that I think in any way that anxiety is fun or funny, but I am glad that Correll is able to express herself in a fun way and is able to reach many people just like her by doing so.

Overall, even if you are not a worrier (but aren’t we all a bit of a worrier from time to time?), I still recommend checking out this book. Gemma Correll has amazing talent that deserves to be seen. Even though I am very familiar with her work and had seen a good deal of these comics already, there were still so many new ones to enjoy!

Pick this book up for sure!

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.2k reviews456 followers
February 14, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


I will be honest, I have, until yesterday (3 April 2015), never heard of this artist. In the back of the book she talks about a shirt with pugs that people are probably sick of. I just did a search, and sorry, I don’t recognize your shirt. Never saw anyone walking around with it here.

Now for the book, as that is what the review is about. :)

This book was super funny and I (but also my boyfriend, because I just had to share some pictures) laughed out loud. It was just brilliant. We got stuff like hand-reading for millennials, creepy games, body diagrams, nailpolishes that no one ever would want or wear and a whole lot of more. It is a bit negative/cynical at times, but I think that is what makes it more brilliant.
The book is quite short and with just images, you can read this book quite fast. It only took me a very short time to read this book, and on the one hand this is too bad, but on the other I don’t think this book would have worked as well if it had been longer.

There were various parts that I really liked. I loved the Urban Birthstones, or the Landlubber flags and also the Dystopian Zodiac. Of course, I didn’t like everything, some things were just strange or a bit too negative for my liking. Oh, one last thing, I was so happy to see various references to stuff I (used to) like. For one I didn’t expect people to still know Anne Geddes! It was such a nice surprise.

The art is pretty good, I like the art-style. It was creative and new, not always pretty or good, but I think this style fits with the book as it is.

I would really recommend this book, it might surprise you and you will probably won’t be able to stop laughing.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for Chris Cummings.
103 reviews25 followers
August 5, 2015
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest review. Thanks a lot*

I read this book this evening after receiving it today from Netgalley. I thought this was a really enjoyable and relatable book (for me, anyway, and I would imagine many others). We all worry about something, even the small things, and this book covers them. The big ones, like finances, death, love and building a home, and the small ones, like, erm... pugs and fish raining down from the sky. Did I mention that this book is a bit weird too? I like weird, I like strange, and I like the surreal humour that Gemma Correll inserted into the wonderfully drawn illustrations. I really liked how the book worked, with chapters relating to different things we worry about. It made both me and my partner laugh out loud on a number of occassions and is one I can see us revisiting in the future when we need a laugh.

It's a short book really, but in the short time it takes to read it, it covers plenty of those niggling and frustrating little things that bug us, upset us, anger us, depress us and yeah, worry us each day, week, month and year of our lives. I recommend this. It's perfect for a fun gift, but also an enjoyable coffee-table book to read from time to time and giggle at. Definately worth the price of admission.

4 out of 5
Profile Image for Hymerka.
689 reviews122 followers
October 15, 2018
Виглядає, що "The Worrier's Guide to Life" Джемми Коррелл розрахована на ту ж цільову аудиторію, що й книжки Сари Андерсен, але в Сари мені було смішніше. Можливо, причина в тому, що у цій книжечці сильніше відчувається різниця між нашими культурними бекґраундами.
Нижче кілька сторінок, які мені сподобалися:
Profile Image for Sibil.
1,752 reviews76 followers
April 16, 2015
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you.

I didn't know this author/artist, my bad! Now I have to find her other works, because this one was so funny and clever that I have to read something else!

I loved the drawnings and some of them was pure genius (for example the Wheel of Insomnia and the adult stickers... ehy, I want them, too!), others was just funny and hilarious, and that's not bad.

I enjoyed it a lot!

Spero di non aver scritto qualche castroneria in inglese... comunque.
Non conoscevo quest'autrice ma devo assolutamente informarmi meglio perché questo libro è stato davvero una lettura divertente.

Un pochino troppo corto, ne volevo di più! Ma è simpatico, divertente e, a tratti, geniale. Certe parti mi hanno divertita molto, mentre altre erano magari un pochino ripetitive, ma, tutto sommato, è stata davvero una lettura piacevole e spero che sia l'inizio di una lunga relazione con questa autrice/disegnatrice.
Profile Image for Vonze.
425 reviews10 followers
May 15, 2015
Loved this so much! Overthinkers unite! Gemma Correll shares her quirky worries about health, fashion, dining, love, work, travel, holidays, and modern malaises in this cute comic. Each page features a single worry. I found it very honest and relatable. I finished it in one sitting and laughed out loud many times.

There's a little something for all us ladies. The Period IceCream Truck. Less Popular Nail Polish Colors. New Eye Make-Up Looks. Stickers for Grown-Ups. Sexy Halloween Costumes. Great for laughs and encouraging others. Kinda reminds me of a female Demetri Martin, who I also enjoy.

Count me in as a new fan of Gemma Correll and her pug obsession! Hope to read more of her work soon!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 394 reviews

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