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Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)

Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-03 05:19:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nora McInerny
  • ISBN：1982186712
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

From the host of the podcast Terrible， Thanks for Asking—called “a gift” by The New York Times—a raw and humorous essay collection in the spirit of Jenny Lawson and Samantha Irby。

Nora McInerny does not dance like no one is watching。 In fact， she dances like everyone is watching， which is to say， she does not dance at all。 A bestselling author and host of the beloved podcast Terrible， Thanks for Asking， which the New York Times called “a gift，” she has captured the hearts of millions with her disarming and earnest approach to discussing grief and loss。 Now， with Bad Vibes Only， she turns her eye on our aggressively， oppressively optimistic culture， our obsession with self-improvement， and what it really means to live authentically in the online age。

In essays that revisit her cringey past and anticipate her rapidly approaching， early middle-aged future， McInerny lays bare her own chaos， inviting us to drop the facade of perfection and embrace the truth: that we are all—at best—slightly unhinged。 Socrates claimed that the unexamined life is not worth living。 Bad Vibes Only is for the people who have taken that dictum a bit too far—the overthinkers， the analyzers， the recovering Girl Bosses， and the burned-out personal brand—reminding us that a life worth living is about more than just “good vibes。”

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Reviews

Wendy W ，

Reading these essays felt like having a long conversation with a charmingly frank， dry-witted friend。 Touching on topics that range from the pressure to be beautiful and elegant and a perfect mother in a culture that prizes stylish beauty and motherhood as the pinnacles of female experience， to unlearning self-hatred in therapy， to the devastating loss of a partner， to rebuilding old friendships and creating a blended family with a new partner， Nora McInerny does it all with wonderful candor tha Reading these essays felt like having a long conversation with a charmingly frank， dry-witted friend。 Touching on topics that range from the pressure to be beautiful and elegant and a perfect mother in a culture that prizes stylish beauty and motherhood as the pinnacles of female experience， to unlearning self-hatred in therapy， to the devastating loss of a partner， to rebuilding old friendships and creating a blended family with a new partner， Nora McInerny does it all with wonderful candor that made me feel at times uncomfortably seen。 I look forward to more from her in the future， and I can' t wait to harangue people into buying this as soon as it hits shelves。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book！ 。。。more

Marian ，

Yes， I do judge a book by its cover so when I saw this title， I was immediately intrigued。 Never having read anything by Nora McInerny before， I will now。 She's witty and insightful with a very dry sense of humor。 I'm a person who tends to see the glass half empty， so a book titled Bad Vibes Only is right up my alley。 McInerny gives voice to all of those insecurities， troubling thoughts， and not-so-great life experiences that we've all had but are reluctant to share out loud to others。 Thank goo Yes， I do judge a book by its cover so when I saw this title， I was immediately intrigued。 Never having read anything by Nora McInerny before， I will now。 She's witty and insightful with a very dry sense of humor。 I'm a person who tends to see the glass half empty， so a book titled Bad Vibes Only is right up my alley。 McInerny gives voice to all of those insecurities， troubling thoughts， and not-so-great life experiences that we've all had but are reluctant to share out loud to others。 Thank goodness for Nora McInerny who isn't shy about detailing her bad vibes and holding that mirror up showcasing life's foibles。 Essay collections can run hot and cold for me， so some stories resonated with me more than others， but overall， McInerny has provided an interesting and quite informative read。 。。。more

Nora ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this title！I did not know who Nora McInerny was prior to reading this amazing collection of essays ranging from childhood antics to motherhood。 This book was filled with self- deprecating humor and raw honesty。 I recommend this book to anyone who understands that life isn't always easy。 This is my first time reading anything by Nora and I'm excited to read the rest of her work。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this title！I did not know who Nora McInerny was prior to reading this amazing collection of essays ranging from childhood antics to motherhood。 This book was filled with self- deprecating humor and raw honesty。 I recommend this book to anyone who understands that life isn't always easy。 This is my first time reading anything by Nora and I'm excited to read the rest of her work。 。。。more

Nicole W。 ，

Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 From the beginning， Nora McInerny had me hooked with a combination or beautiful prose， raw subject manner and an honest， clear voice。 She’s not afraid to expose the reality behind the perfect Christmas card photo， and I loved every second。 She tackles subjects ranging from the elegant woman she decided not to be to body image to her late first husband。 I appreciated her candor， her humor， and her intros Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 From the beginning， Nora McInerny had me hooked with a combination or beautiful prose， raw subject manner and an honest， clear voice。 She’s not afraid to expose the reality behind the perfect Christmas card photo， and I loved every second。 She tackles subjects ranging from the elegant woman she decided not to be to body image to her late first husband。 I appreciated her candor， her humor， and her introspection， and I know other personal essay fans will too。 。。。more

Kaila ，

In the intro to Bad Vibes Only， McInerny notes that this book is for people who “cannot help but put a little sprinkle of sadness on their happiest memories， or who know that life is short and still fill those waking hours with long-held grudges against former colleagues whose names they cannot recall。” From that point through the end of this collection， I felt seen—even when I didn’t want to。 What can I say， my vibes are bad！ At least I now know I’m in good company。The essays range in topic， fr In the intro to Bad Vibes Only， McInerny notes that this book is for people who “cannot help but put a little sprinkle of sadness on their happiest memories， or who know that life is short and still fill those waking hours with long-held grudges against former colleagues whose names they cannot recall。” From that point through the end of this collection， I felt seen—even when I didn’t want to。 What can I say， my vibes are bad！ At least I now know I’m in good company。The essays range in topic， from raising children in the digital age to maintaining friendships as an adult to whether getting Botox is “cheating” at aging。 （Spoiler alert: not really， but you do run the risk of some mild facial paralysis。）Tonally， the collection was a really lovely blend of humor， piercing honesty and philosophical contemplation。 And when I say piercing honesty， I mean forgetting your kid in the car， overdosing on edibles at your high school reunion， admitting to a new therapist that you hate everything about yourself kind of honesty。 It was raw and deeply relatable。4。5 stars rounded up。 I would have given it a full five， but some of the essays ended a little abruptly， making them feel inconclusive。 Overall， I would highly recommend。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy！ 。。。more

McKayla ，

Wonderfully depressing and funny like an irreverent Ecclesiastes。

Jana ，

I was lucky to recieve and advance copy of this book through GoodReads。 As a fellow millennial， I can relate to so much in this book。 I always enjoy Nora's humor in any situation as well as her understanding for the shades of gray in a world where many can only see black and white。 I was lucky to recieve and advance copy of this book through GoodReads。 As a fellow millennial， I can relate to so much in this book。 I always enjoy Nora's humor in any situation as well as her understanding for the shades of gray in a world where many can only see black and white。 。。。more

Cindy :: leavemetomybooks :: ，

Bad Vibes Only was an emotional and often hilarious collection of essays by the Terrible， Thanks for Asking podcast host。 Like most collections， it ran hot and cold; I laughed out loud a whole lot （one fave was “Bad Bosses” — I， too， had （more than one！） boss who made me type， then print her emails so we could go through multiple rounds of pencil edits to send a meeting invitation）， but also found myself skimming a few essays， like “Competitive Parenting Association” which felt forced and impers Bad Vibes Only was an emotional and often hilarious collection of essays by the Terrible， Thanks for Asking podcast host。 Like most collections， it ran hot and cold; I laughed out loud a whole lot （one fave was “Bad Bosses” — I， too， had （more than one！） boss who made me type， then print her emails so we could go through multiple rounds of pencil edits to send a meeting invitation）， but also found myself skimming a few essays， like “Competitive Parenting Association” which felt forced and impersonal。 Overall this was a smart， funny， and relatable book。* thanks to Atria Books / One Signal Publishers for the NetGalley review copy。 Bad Vibes Only publishes October 11th。 。。。more

Gina ，

This book is a treasure of truth。Nora McInerny gives us a humorous look at the world today， including the over abundance of self-help books （how did we live without them？） This is a book that will touch every single person on some level and make you look at life with a bit of a lighter outlook。 We don't need to be perfect - it's a goal that is unreachable and adds stress。 This book is a treasure of truth。Nora McInerny gives us a humorous look at the world today， including the over abundance of self-help books （how did we live without them？） This is a book that will touch every single person on some level and make you look at life with a bit of a lighter outlook。 We don't need to be perfect - it's a goal that is unreachable and adds stress。 。。。more

Ally Groff ，

I was thrilled （I mean thrilled！） to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley。 While I have never read any of Nora's past books， I am a fan of her podcast （Terrible， Thanks for Asking） and follow her on Instagram。 I feel like she's a friend - one who thinks and feels and lives her life a lot like me， which is exactly what this essay collection drove home。 Ranging from essays on grief to revisiting her （hilarious） cringey past and anticipating her rapidly approaching， early middle-aged future， I was thrilled （I mean thrilled！） to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley。 While I have never read any of Nora's past books， I am a fan of her podcast （Terrible， Thanks for Asking） and follow her on Instagram。 I feel like she's a friend - one who thinks and feels and lives her life a lot like me， which is exactly what this essay collection drove home。 Ranging from essays on grief to revisiting her （hilarious） cringey past and anticipating her rapidly approaching， early middle-aged future， Bad Vibes Only is a great reminder to readers that a life worth living is about more than just “good vibes。” Nora managed to put a lot of my feelings about motherhood， marriage and life into perspective and into words on paper。 I'm glad I read this。Thank you again to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital copy of this book。 。。。more

Shannon Elizabeth ，

There is not a book out there Nora McInerny could compose that I would not feel compelled to read。 From the moment she granted the， wildly taboo at the time， permission to stop saying we are fine when we aren't I have been captivated by her ability to write about life in a raw， vulnerable， humorous and relatable way。 Bad Vibes Only continues on her legacy。 It is a book that makes you think and feel deeply about the ways resilience is built and appreciate that we don't need sunshines and roses 24 There is not a book out there Nora McInerny could compose that I would not feel compelled to read。 From the moment she granted the， wildly taboo at the time， permission to stop saying we are fine when we aren't I have been captivated by her ability to write about life in a raw， vulnerable， humorous and relatable way。 Bad Vibes Only continues on her legacy。 It is a book that makes you think and feel deeply about the ways resilience is built and appreciate that we don't need sunshines and roses 24/7 to be worthy of existing。 Thank you so much to Netgalley， Atria Books and Nora for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 Bad Vibes Only has an anticipated pub date of October 11， 2022 and you should really go pre-order it now。 Thank me later。 。。。more

Gina Kirby ，

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC！ Nora， this is your best work。 There are truly not enough words to express how genuinely funny， real， and a plethora of other adjectives this book is。 I’ll write a more detailed review when I come down from the depression that is finishing the book and not having another of yours to immediately read。 All the stars。

Kristen Benedict ，

I really enjoyed reading this book。 It was very relatable and funny！ Nora is just saying what most of us are thinking。

Annie Hegedus ，

For full transparency - I received an ARC of this from NetGalley。 Also for full transparency - I love everything Nora writes。 Her thoughts on parenting and managing life and even on the ongoing perfectionist struggle for those of us who were shoved into “gifted and talented” programs as kids are so relatable。 She’s funny and smart and approaches complex topics with nuance which is sometimes hard to do these days。

Kaitlin Ross ，

Essay collections and memoirs are usually only as good as one's connection to the author's experience。 Aside from a couple of the essays， most of this book spoke to a lifestyle and worldview that was too far removed from my own to be enjoyable for me。 If nothing else， reading it made me want to stay off social media and my phone even more than I already do！Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC！ Essay collections and memoirs are usually only as good as one's connection to the author's experience。 Aside from a couple of the essays， most of this book spoke to a lifestyle and worldview that was too far removed from my own to be enjoyable for me。 If nothing else， reading it made me want to stay off social media and my phone even more than I already do！Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC！ 。。。more

Laura Waters ，

Real world feelings cleverly written！

Jordan Culley ，

As a new fan of Nora McInerny （because of a friend recommendation to request this book）， I can say that I will be going back and reading her other books and listening to her podcast。 While I personally did not relate to every single essay in here （for example， I'M the one in my relationship that falls asleep easily）， I loved reading every single chapter/essay of this book。 I thought I would read a chapter here and there over a few days， but loved my time with Nora so much I read the entire book As a new fan of Nora McInerny （because of a friend recommendation to request this book）， I can say that I will be going back and reading her other books and listening to her podcast。 While I personally did not relate to every single essay in here （for example， I'M the one in my relationship that falls asleep easily）， I loved reading every single chapter/essay of this book。 I thought I would read a chapter here and there over a few days， but loved my time with Nora so much I read the entire book in two sittings。 You don't need to be an existing fan of Nora's to like this book。 It's a refreshing take on life， where social media makes us think everyone else out there is happy， gorgeous， and has everything under control。 THAT message I did appreciate。 I think there's also a chapter out there for everyone。 Each essay topic might not be relevant to you， but one of them probably is （who didn't struggle at least a little bit through COVID？）。 If you're thinking about this book， it's worth the shot。 。。。more

Jennie Strobeck ，

Thank you netgalley for an ARC。 I really loved this book！ Nora McInerny is new to me （& I wish I could remember where I heard about this book）！ Her writing was delightful - I loved her dry humor， particularly around how the Oregon trail generation was parented。 The book is very raw & addresses miscarriage， eating disorders， loss of spouse， loss of parent， etc -- so if these are triggering topics， maybe hold off but I found her perspective refreshing & will follow her work moving forward！

GG ，

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 It was a book that I both did not want to put down， but did not want to read too fast， so I could pause and think at the end of each chapter。 While I am old enough to be Nora’s mom， I am also the mom to two millennials， so I could easily relate to most of the life lessons。 It did my heart good to read of other “kids” going thru what my kids have lived thru too。 I wish life lessons could be learned without the difficulty of living thru them， but at my age I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 It was a book that I both did not want to put down， but did not want to read too fast， so I could pause and think at the end of each chapter。 While I am old enough to be Nora’s mom， I am also the mom to two millennials， so I could easily relate to most of the life lessons。 It did my heart good to read of other “kids” going thru what my kids have lived thru too。 I wish life lessons could be learned without the difficulty of living thru them， but at my age I have learned that we all just need time。 The updated and improved rhyme from the Teddy Bear Room was a PERFECT ending， but please don’t read ahead to find it。 PS。 This book arrived while I was partway thru another book。 My opened the package when it arrived， found the cover interesting and read the book ahead of me。 He kept saying “you need to read this next”。 。。。more

Amanda ，

Poignant， clever， and depressingly relatable。 Are we all existentially exhausted husks， puddles of wasted potential and generalized anxiety disorder？ Here I thought I was special。 This is the first book by McInerny that I’ve read and it was generally entertaining and funny。 Not laugh out loud funny， more like， “how funny， I too hate myself”。 There’s a lot of vulnerability and honesty in this book。 It’s almost like you are part of a group therapy session， but without the copay。

Emily ，

I was first drawn to this book by its title and cover。 I enjoyed reading this book。 It was interesting to read about Nora's life， which spans from childhood until now。 It was nice to read someone else's perspective on various topics such as grief， religion， and motherhood。 I loved that she didn't simply focus on "good vibes" like many self-help/memoirs tend to do。 Some of the essays were funny， a few were sad， and there were several that I could relate to。 *Thank you Netgalley for providing an a I was first drawn to this book by its title and cover。 I enjoyed reading this book。 It was interesting to read about Nora's life， which spans from childhood until now。 It was nice to read someone else's perspective on various topics such as grief， religion， and motherhood。 I loved that she didn't simply focus on "good vibes" like many self-help/memoirs tend to do。 Some of the essays were funny， a few were sad， and there were several that I could relate to。 *Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more

Nicole ，

I received an ARC of Bad Vibes Only from a Goodreads giveaway and am so glad I did。 I went in cold to the read - drawn to the title alone - and came out the other side a big fan of McInerny’s。 Essay memoirs have been hit or miss for me lately， but this one was definitely a hit。 Incisive and honest， there wasn’t a weak essay in the bunch。 For those who struggle with anxiety and/or have had some life shit， you’ll find this book especially relatable。 A solid 4 star read。

Heidi ，

This is the 3rd Nora McInerny book I've read and I've also watched her TED Talk！ I got this book as an ARC and really enjoyed it！ This is the 3rd Nora McInerny book I've read and I've also watched her TED Talk！ I got this book as an ARC and really enjoyed it！ 。。。more

Mary Novaria ，

Nora McInerny does it again with her honesty， humor， and empathy。 In her newest memoir in essays， the author digs further into her young life before marriage and the significant losses she is known for。 She has a gift for self-deprecating storytelling and is refreshingly open about mistakes and lessons learned。 Although we are born a few decades apart， and consequently assigned to different social generations， I find McInerny extraordinarily relatable and refreshing， and always look forward to w Nora McInerny does it again with her honesty， humor， and empathy。 In her newest memoir in essays， the author digs further into her young life before marriage and the significant losses she is known for。 She has a gift for self-deprecating storytelling and is refreshingly open about mistakes and lessons learned。 Although we are born a few decades apart， and consequently assigned to different social generations， I find McInerny extraordinarily relatable and refreshing， and always look forward to what she has to say。 。。。more

Mary Lourdes ，

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book。 Nora McInerny writes truthful， humorous essays that were largely enjoyable and poignant。 She has had several traumatic experiences that she addresses with grace and humor。 I enjoyed the way she sprinkled anecdotes about extended family members and the difficulties of making and maintaining friendships as adults。 My only criticism is that I think the book may have been 2-3 essays too long， and feel it is geared toward older millennial wom Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book。 Nora McInerny writes truthful， humorous essays that were largely enjoyable and poignant。 She has had several traumatic experiences that she addresses with grace and humor。 I enjoyed the way she sprinkled anecdotes about extended family members and the difficulties of making and maintaining friendships as adults。 My only criticism is that I think the book may have been 2-3 essays too long， and feel it is geared toward older millennial women， of which I am not one （but that is ME problem）。 。。。more

Chris breeh ，

Thank you netgalley for this ARC！ I saw this cover and thought it was super cute i was not familiar with the author but i love a good essay/memoir novel so im glad i read this one and got to know the author a little more because im not a listener of podcasts but a book？ im all in！ This book had great stories and honestly good laughs i laughed throughout this book at different things and i loved how vulnerable the author was at times talking about family and grief and what she went through。 She t Thank you netgalley for this ARC！ I saw this cover and thought it was super cute i was not familiar with the author but i love a good essay/memoir novel so im glad i read this one and got to know the author a little more because im not a listener of podcasts but a book？ im all in！ This book had great stories and honestly good laughs i laughed throughout this book at different things and i loved how vulnerable the author was at times talking about family and grief and what she went through。 She talked about motherhood as well。 This book was so enjoyable i loved it to the point i finished it in 1 day and a half！ If you like essay books and such i think this book is for you it had great stories。 Overall great great book！ Easily a 5 star read！ 。。。more

Allison Pickett ，

I love Nora。 I know I don’t KNOW her or anything， and Lord know I hope this review doesn’t come back to bite me when she is accused of holding squirrels hostage in her basement or some other atrocity that gets her canceled。 But I’m not holding back！ I loved reading about Nora’s life， thoughts， and insecurities。 Her essays are written with humor and self-deprecation and also non-judgmental wisdom。 Nora’s book was fun and a delight to read。

Erica ，

I was introduced to Nora McInerny in an unlikely way - listening to her talk about early 2000s pop culture on the Gee Thanks Just Bought It's Patreon feed。 I found her funny， and witty， and shortly thereafter started following her on Instagram and devoured her published memoirs。 I was so excited to hear she had a new collection of essays coming out！Reading “Bad Vibes Only” was like slipping on a familiar sweater - cozy， and comforting。 As a fellow Minnesotan， some of her stories relating to her I was introduced to Nora McInerny in an unlikely way - listening to her talk about early 2000s pop culture on the Gee Thanks Just Bought It's Patreon feed。 I found her funny， and witty， and shortly thereafter started following her on Instagram and devoured her published memoirs。 I was so excited to hear she had a new collection of essays coming out！Reading “Bad Vibes Only” was like slipping on a familiar sweater - cozy， and comforting。 As a fellow Minnesotan， some of her stories relating to her childhood felt like they could have come from my own memories。 Essays about rekindling old friendships and family connections hit home。 While I’m not a parent， I enjoyed hearing her struggles and change-of-heart about parenting in a digital world。 And， of course， there were many laughs！While I received an ARC of Bad Vibes Only for free， this had no bearing on my rating and review。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books！ 。。。more

Stroop ，

A funny and timely collection of 19 essays on a wide range of themes including motherhood， beauty norms， friendship， childhood shenanigans， and how being online all the time is shaping our lives。 This is the first work I’ve read by the author and I was immediately drawn in by the title， cover， and description。 I will definitely seek out her other publications and podcast。 The essays had an irreverent/cheeky tone and while not all of them worked for me， they were fun to read。 I appreciated that t A funny and timely collection of 19 essays on a wide range of themes including motherhood， beauty norms， friendship， childhood shenanigans， and how being online all the time is shaping our lives。 This is the first work I’ve read by the author and I was immediately drawn in by the title， cover， and description。 I will definitely seek out her other publications and podcast。 The essays had an irreverent/cheeky tone and while not all of them worked for me， they were fun to read。 I appreciated that the essays did not try to answer or resolve the complex questions posed throughout but simply put them out there for our consideration and reflection。 A couple of my favorite essays were “It Hurts to Be Beautiful” about the author’s take on aging and our right to approach this journey however we like; and “Strongest Girl in the World” about the author’s experience growing up in the 80s and how different parenting is now。 Recommended to readers looking for a sharp and humorous take on letting bad vibes mingle with the good ones every once in a while。 3。5 stars。Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more

Natalie ，

Bad Vibes Only is a book of essays， perfect for any millennial （I'd say from age 30-45） to understand that life isn't always easy。 I related so much to Nora's stories， I almost felt like there were certain lines that I wrote！！ She is funny， insightful， and perfectly captures the weird world of adulthood。 I immediately added all of her previous writing to my "to-read" list！！ Shared on Goodreads and Storygraph， also on a instagram story @readingtomydogs Bad Vibes Only is a book of essays， perfect for any millennial （I'd say from age 30-45） to understand that life isn't always easy。 I related so much to Nora's stories， I almost felt like there were certain lines that I wrote！！ She is funny， insightful， and perfectly captures the weird world of adulthood。 I immediately added all of her previous writing to my "to-read" list！！ Shared on Goodreads and Storygraph， also on a instagram story @readingtomydogs 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0