I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are
Ratings23
Average rating3.8
3.5 If you're reading this as her fan, I recommend the audio because you're getting a full Broadway musical number that can't possibly translate in the book. Not every piece was vital but I enjoyed her company for a few hours.
This was so good. I highly recommend the audiobook since it's narrated by Rachel Bloom herself, full of singing and fun voices and everything. I bet the physical book is fun too though, since there were things she'd try and describe in the audio. I don't know about any physical versions, but this also had a Covid afterward that was really touching in a few ways. Anyhoo.
This was alternatingly hilarious and rough. She talks about bullying and her OCD, narrates her bad love life as if she's a princess under a curse, has fake resumes and LinkedIn profiles. There are songs and a theme park. It's all so great and funny.
If you like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend you'll love it. A lot of her struggles will be familiar from the show, but there's also some universality to it all too. This was really enjoyable.
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?
I love Rachel Bloom, and I loved Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. When you're a woman and you find a creator who is funny, feminist, and as weird as you are, it's amazing. If you haven't watched Crazy Ex, do it! If you're wondering whether to read or listen to this book, do that too!
Library borrow.
Happy pub day to I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom, star and writer of the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and thanks to Grand Central Pub for the complimentary review copy. This hilarious, witty memoir follows Rachel from her prepubescent years up to June of this year, on her quest to debunk normalcy. Her writing style is very relaxed and relatable - it reminds me of real-life conversations I'd have with my BFF. I thoroughly enjoyed her collection of essays and poems, some of which were more far-fetched than others. And can we talk about the Babysitters Club-esque cover and the Little Mermaid play on words title??? Love it. Especially the baby pink cover. The one thing I will say is that some serious topics were discussed in non-serious ways - which is to be expected - but some essays felt like bad essay prompts (the essay written out as a musical was not my favorite, but discussing unhealthy relationships as a fairytale was fun and intriguing). Overall, I rated this book 3.5 ⭐️
A funny and enjoyable read! I appreciated her honestly and open weirdness-sharing. Like sometimes you have people be like “haha I was so weird as a kid, I played with DOLLS, can you believe” and you're like uhhh that's normal. Rachel shares some stories that are like, legit weird, and that I can imagine felt very personal and revealing to share. If you're a fan of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend etc I would defo recommend this book. (There's also SOME behind the scenes type stuff about the making of CXGF but it's mostly about Rachel's earlier life.)