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Funny How It Works Out: Personal Stories & Life Lessons

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For comedian and content creator Manon Mathews, comedy is life. It took more than luck for her hilarious antics on Vine to open the door for her career. Years of routinely embarrassing herself, improv classes, some stints as an amateur standup comic, unrelenting dedication, and a life-altering night out that forced her to change her ways—that’s what set her on the path to manifesting her dream life.Making people laugh with hilarious skits isn’t the only way Manon chooses to be of service. Sharing nuggets of motivational and spiritual wisdom on her @ManonFestation spirituality account is also how she provides for her followers. Now Manon recounts her wackiest moments, questionable decisions, lessons learned over the years, romantic tales, and the screenplay that is the story of her marriage in hopes that she can help others find the lessons in their journeys so that they too can grow from their pasts and manifest their best lives.

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2020

237 people are currently reading
638 people want to read

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Manon Mathews

2 books5 followers

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5 stars
144 (28%)
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141 (28%)
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144 (28%)
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52 (10%)
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20 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Michelle {Book Hangovers}.
461 reviews191 followers
July 14, 2020
Well, I just finished that in one sitting!!!

How could I give this book any thing less than 5 stars!?!?
Manon Mathews is an exquisite human being! She already shares so much of her life with the world, so for her to let us in on the nitty gritty, not so fabulous, personal stuff.....is huge! H U G E !!!

I’ve been following Manon’s journey for, WOW.....I don’t know....5/6 years!! She was a favorite on Vine. Her skits brought me so much joy and laughter! Man, I loved Vine!! And I certainly loved Manon Mathews! Sadly, Vine came to an end, but luckily, I was able to continue watching Manon’s journey through Instagram & Snapchat. Her fans were able to watch her blossom into an incredibly talented, lovely and hilarious, young lady. With over 500,000+ followers (and still growing) on her social media platforms, She quickly became a popular and well loved Influencer. She is always so positive and uplifting! She loves to spread laughter and positivity, motivating others and bring happiness into people’s lives! She really is a unique and truly gifted woman!

In the past two years we got to see a lot more of Manon’s personal journey. From moving cross country and falling madly in love, to getting engaged, and now married, living happily ever after......😕
Sadly, that is FAR from truth. Everything did happen that way, except for the whole “happily ever after” part!

To a lot of her fans, we were shocked and disappointed! All we knew was that she got married and then a couple weeks later they weren’t together anymore. Rumors, of course, were flying around. Nobody knew what really happened. And to be honest, it was none of our business.
For a while there we did not now the details. It wasn’t for us to know! It is her personal life and though she does shares a lot of her life with us, it is not required that she do so. It is totally understandable and I am happy that she kept that part to herself. She needed that time to heal.

Months have passed since the world found out about her marriage break up. We all moved on from trying to find out the “whys.” And Manon, herself, has moved on and seems to be doing really well. And I am so delighted to see her happy and vibrant and making videos again!!

*** BUT THEN***......Manon shares with us that she has a book coming out!! SAY WHAT!!?!? 😮

This woman is so inspiring!!!! To read anything written by her, YEAH!!!! I was super stoked about it! And I’m not going to lie....I wanted to know what happened!!!!! You know...with her marriage. (I know, that’s horrible, but damn! I’ve been a fan for years. I’ve watched so many of her videos and got to know so much about her, like she’s a friend. I just had to know) 😅

AND DAMN!!!! Did she let us know!! 🤯

I thought this woman was incredible already but then to read her book and know what she went through....WOW!!! She is beyond incredible! She is a rare gem! High-spirited and courageous!!

Reading her book is very therapeutic! I thought I knew a lot about Manon but obviously I did not. I learned so much more about this amazing human! I love the way she views and adapts to things in her life! How she listens and educates herself, allowing herself to learn and grow and live the best, most fulfilling life without any grudges or ill-will towards any of those who have wronged her. She exudes strength and resilience. Love and light just radiates from her. It always has! But now it seems to radiate much brighter!!

Through all the pain and heartache, Manon reigns supreme!

Forever a Fan
💗 xoxo 💗

“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Profile Image for Kristen Lindtvedt.
318 reviews2 followers
August 12, 2020
A Wandering and Rather Bland Tale of Twentysomething Life...

This one was a step outside my normal reading box. I rarely read autobiographies. However, 2020 has really challenged my ability to stay in any sort of reading groove, and after seeing a few of my favorite comedic folk publish books I decided to step outside my normal genre and give some real life a try.

Back in the day I was a lover of Vine. One of millions entranced by the crazy, often hilarious antics of everyday folks creating seven second bits of comedic joy to help get us through the day. Funsters like Brandon Calvillo, Thomas Sanders, Josh Peck, Josh Darnit, and David Lopez took up a fair amount of my nightly after work wind down time with their hilarious pranks, skits, and all around quirky humor. Manon Mathews was one such individual, funny in her own right, a comedian of sorts, who was one of a few I followed to Instagram after Vine’s untimely demise. Since then Mathews has joined others such as Vincent Marcus, Matt Cutshall, and Arielle Vandenberg on my list of daily insta-story visits when I need a break from the stress of 2020 life.

Nothing sparks a smile like one of Mathew’s quirky characters or Kristen Stewart impersonations. Little comedic gems that lighten even the direst of moods. And after following her on social media the last few years, and watching her mention some more serious events happening in her life, I thought reading her story in her own words would perhaps offer a bit of inspiration on dealing with the stressful insanity that has been this most awful year. However sadly that was not the case, as, “Funny How it Works Out” reads like more like a twenty-ish chapter advertisement for her new “Manonfestation” motivational speaking business than an autobiography.

Perhaps I am too cynical to understand the point of all the millennial slang infused fluff painted as deep introspection. Perhaps I am too old to see all of the short, vapid antics of a rather wild and unsupervised youth couched as life lessons within this book as anything other than the normal everyday actions of a girl growing up a privileged white youth in LA. There is chapter after chapter of little stories, written in such an informal, conversational way, they are hard to take seriously. Stories about teenage drinking, giggle filled jailhouse antics, immature relationships, and a tale of a marriage gone bad that honestly, is so obvious in its constructs, you are left wondering if the author even pays attention to the very life happening around her? The biggest takeaway here is the almost frightening level of naivety, denial, and destructive behavior exhibited throughout. So much so that I wondered often where the heck her parents were throughout her teen years?!?

Now before you attack, I hear you. I hear all of you reading this screaming “what the hell did you expect from a social media comedian?!?” And well, my answer is: something more than a ploy to buy into her new self-help business.  Was I expecting a Pulitzer prize winning introspection? No, no I was not. Was I expecting something above a highschool level lunchroom gossip session? Yes, yes I was.

Was it all bad? No, it wasn’t. There were many interesting, heartfelt moments throughout. Tidbits like her life as a Viner and all of the social happenings when you put a bunch of influencers in the same room together and expect them all to behave. Having the curtain pulled back a bit from what we all suspected was a catty social media personality scratch-fest was fascinating. Furthermore, some of the quieter “hindsight is 20/20” moments toward the middle and end of the book show a woman truly romantic at heart; a girl in love with love and wanting happiness for herself and all around her. These parts are written with such emotion you want to literally reach out and hug her! I would have loved to see more of that reflected throughout, as for me it showed the real woman behind the social media mask, not the influencer still standing behind her social persona offering tidbits as her character.

I left this book feeling like I wasn’t truly introduced to the real Manon Mathews. In the end I felt like the real purpose of this book is to funnel folks to her new self help/motivational speaking business, rather than the eye-opening tale of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds as it's portrayed. I was hoping for so much more, but in the end was disappointed. This one is, in my opinion, not worth the $10 price tag.
Profile Image for TL *Humaning the Best She Can*.
2,347 reviews166 followers
November 30, 2023
*Audible audio *

3.5 stars 🌟 🤩

Can I be Manon's friend?

I came across Manon via Laura Clery's Instagram feed. She grew on me fairly quickly :)

She has a very calming presence and she always manages to give me some laughs.

I enjoyed hearing about her journey to who she is today and what she learned from each experience. She is a strong compassionate person.

If I ever get the chance to meet her, hopefully she'll let me ask for a hug and so I can thank her for cheering me up and calming me.
Profile Image for Tracy.
Author 1 book3 followers
September 17, 2020
Ok..I'm going against the popular on this book. I will say I liked the book..so it's almost a three star book. I really resonated with what she has to say about the power of words. I think she has a lot of wisdom..but I struggle with taking her for real, when every chapter is about a different guy she slept with and what she learned from him. I feel badly about her story..her marriage and then quick divorce..and I admit to getting the book so that I could find out what actually happened. I think she is hilarious in real life, and I appreciated her humor throughout the book. I am glad she was able to get her shit together and be happy again..but I struggled with the serious messages above all the sex. Just being honest.
Profile Image for Jamie Watkins.
134 reviews19 followers
December 22, 2020
I just can't...

I think she is hilarious and love how she wants to make people laugh and I will keep following her for that.

The end.
15 reviews
July 19, 2020
I love Manon.
This book flowed with such ease.
She’s a sweet and funny soul and this book is embedded with that spirit!
Profile Image for Melanie.
3 reviews
July 25, 2020
Such a great read

Loved this book because it helped me understand my depression a bit better. Also that I am allowed to say, I LOVE ME💖
Profile Image for Liberty Brassbridge.
42 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2020
"Every day can be an opportunity to start fresh. This is just a short period in your life, and you will find hope and good things if you persevere and keep getting back up after stumbling during your journey down the road of life. Which you will… because we all fall at some point. You are NOT alone." Quoted from the last chapter of Manon Mathews book, Funny How It Works Out. This quote was chosen because it was something I personally resonated with. Doing book reviews is a way that I am taking control of my life, by doing something that I am passionate about. Mathews tells tales from her life, and in doing so includes what she has learned from those experiences and how she continued to push through the tough times. As someone who follows Mathews on social media it was interesting to see who she is as a person when putting all the jokes aside. Learning that she is very spiritual and puts her whole self into each person she meets.
If you are someone who struggles with drugs and/or alcohol, or if you are in any type of life funk then Mathews provides what she calls, "Lessons in Manonfestation". She provides therapeutic tips that have helped her along the way. A disappointing aspect is that I expected… More. As someone who has personally not experienced problems with alcohol I was expecting more details. It was as though she provided two or three problems (although I have no doubt there were more), but provided more information about her AA meetings and the 12 step program. As a reader it would have been more helpful to have had more depth to the struggles that inspired her to find inspiration to better herself and to help others do the same. I would recommend it to anyone who is spiritual in nature, and is looking for advice and guidance from someone who experienced the same thing you’re going through.
Profile Image for Alaa Abdel-Rahman.
112 reviews6 followers
September 16, 2020
I’m an avid fan of Manon ever since she appeared on my Explore page on Instagram and I’ve followed her videos, her posts, her life, her shining personality so passionately. When I heard she wrote a book about her life, I wasn’t as excited as I could be to be honest and it’s not until she mentioned that she mentions why her marriage ended, that I got interested in reading her book (Sorry, Manon!).

And boy was it a good decision!

Every word she wrote, every chapter she created, every phrase she made come into the light, resonated with me in a way that at some parts of the book I paused and contemplated my own life. Her down to Earth way of projecting her obstacles and soul made me finish this book in one sitting. Her simple way of making things appear easier than they look made me believe that everything shall pass and that we all have purpose despite the heartbreaks, the hardships, the loss and confusion we all feel on a daily basis in our lives.

This book is beautiful. It’s written by a beautiful soul seeking a stable, happy, laughter filled life that resonates with her own vibrant heart and wonderful soul. I would recommend this book not because it’s an easy fixer, not because it holds the secret to a stable and problem free life, but because it makes you see what you yourself are afraid of acknowledging: you’re harsh on yourself. It’s not a literary masterpiece but it paves the way to your heart and soul so very easily and wonderfully it feels like a friend talking to you. Her in LA, me in Cairo, Egypt; I felt like I was conversing with a friend, one who’s pouring her heart and soul over a cup of coffee from Central Perk and some scones.

Thank you Manon for sharing this with us!
Profile Image for JM.
897 reviews925 followers
February 23, 2021
I think she is a very funny woman and the book certainly reflected it, but despite all the positivity and new age-y good vibes it puts out she still somehow rubbed me the wrong way at some points, like she wasn't being 100% honest and sincere with it. Much to my surprise, the widest the generation gap made itself felt wasn't when she was talking about Vines and being an influencer but when she assumed people in general don't know "The Blue Danube" and suggested the reader go listen to it for the first time in order to fully appreciate the story she was telling. A short, amusing read.
Profile Image for Brantley.
42 reviews15 followers
July 27, 2021
I love Manon, I truly do but this was a hard read for me. It’s hard to follow at times but you can tell she’s excited to share her story. She writes how she would talk to a friend and I just had a hard time retaining anything and would sometimes have to reread a paragraph.

That aside, I really appreciate and love her for sharing her struggles with alcoholism and her journey with sobriety.
1 review
August 13, 2020
I never followed Mannon Mathews on Vine and didn’t even know about vine at all. I stumbled across her on IG last year and have been following her life story about Her acting career and recent love story. She has been a total inspiration to me and I feel that this story hits home on so many different levels. Her story has taught me that happiness and love is most important in our lives. Surround yourself with positive, happy and LOVING people in your life. I went through a very toxic marriage and witnessed my husband at the time go through a relapse right before my eyes. That’s when I knew my marriage was over and I deserved to be happy. Life is too short to be unhappy and I’m so grateful that Mannon has stumbled across my feed and opened up to the world on her journey. Safe travels Mannon and thank you for this beautiful book you created!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rachel.
128 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2024
I loved the personal stories - so fascinating and interesting! Holy cow!! I wanted more of the story/narrative and less of the reflection/life lessons attached to them. I still have questions about some of those stories.
I feel that overall this book leaned more life-coach-pseudo-therapy than memoir. Which is exactly how it was advertised! I'm just not sure it was done very well, overall it fell flat for me.
Still love her comedy though, she makes me laugh and I am happy that she is creating!
Profile Image for Briana Alzola.
1,020 reviews8 followers
August 3, 2020
This is a funny lady, who became famous on a social media platform that no longer exists, so I didn't really know what to expect here. I follow her on instagram and find her videos funny, so I dove it. She is insightful and thoughtful and has had a lot of experiences even though she is young. I enjoyed reading her book, getting to know her a little better and hearing about some of hte heartache and tough times she's gone through.
Profile Image for Courtney.
262 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2020
I love Manon Mathews, she’s made me laugh so many times over the years, and it was beautiful to read about her journey from her perspective. She is full of wisdom and I will come back to this book time and time again to be reminded to do things such as make time for myself, look for the similarities in people rather than the differences, and be excited rather than nervous!
Profile Image for Kyle Carroll (i_fucking_love_books).
96 reviews35 followers
October 6, 2020
A little too “Gen Z” for me as far as the writing style. Lots of “And I was like”, and “OMG”, and various ‘textspeak’ phrases. The whole book felt like a series of blog posts, and perhaps it should have stayed that way. Still, it was good content, and it was interesting to know the behind the scenes of what went on in the Vine-celebrity life.
2 reviews
May 16, 2021
If you are looking to read this book for a laugh. Put it down. HOWEVER if you are looking to read this book for self help/improvement keep reading.

One star rating is really because this book was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be along the lines of Chelsea Handlers book and it’s really just a self improvement book (which is not my preference of books).
Profile Image for Chloe Adams.
149 reviews5 followers
December 15, 2024
I was not familiar with the author but the book was recommended to me. It felt super unpolished and all over the place and like a high schooler wrote it. I think the author had good intentions but it was not for me!
Profile Image for Danielle Radulski.
21 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2020
Manon is my fav! She is hilarious but such a down to earth person. She gives great advice through experiences shes had. A great book!
Profile Image for Krysie Weil.
10 reviews
December 8, 2020
This book was so much better than I thought it would be. Thanks Manon for such a good surprise.
Profile Image for Lucy Hunt.
54 reviews
December 13, 2020
I laughed out loud and will continue to reference this book when needed. A tad simple of a read but so full of insight, inspiration, much needed perspective and reminders.
23 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2022
The stories were interesting but did not really care for the fact that it was being written like she was talking to a friend.
Profile Image for Anastasia.
332 reviews
March 25, 2023
Not exactly the type of book that I enjoy. The narrative seems to jump around quite a bit with flashbacks and parts that skip ahead, so it can be difficult to read at times.
Profile Image for Samantha.
86 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2024
Had no idea what to expect with this book but glad I gave it a go. Manon is funny, raw, and unapologetic. I hope to see more from her in the future.
Profile Image for Kristin.
41 reviews
August 18, 2024
Listening to the audiobook was a great decision. Love Manon'a sense of humor.
Profile Image for Megan Kolb.
61 reviews13 followers
December 29, 2020
I devoured this memoir! I’ve been following her for a few years and have always admired her comedic ways. It was interesting getting a glimpse behind the scenes! I also loved the life lessons!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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