Nonfiction

Well, This is Exhausting: Essays

Well, This is Exhausting: Essays

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  • Create Date：2021-07-08 14:16:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Sophia Benoit
  • ISBN：B08LDY3D9D
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Summary

From GQ columnist and Twitter sensation， this hilarious， clever， and eye-opening memoir-in-essays explores the ins and outs of modern womanhood—from finding feminism， the power of pop culture， and how to navigate life’s constant double standards—perfect for fans of Shrill and PEN15 。

Like so many women， Benoit spent her formative years struggling to do the “right” thing—to make others comfortable， to take minimal and calculated risks， to live up to society’s expectations—only to realize that there was so little payoff to this tiresome balancing act。

Now， in Well， This Is Exhausting， she shares her journey from aspiring good girl to proud feminist， and addresses the constantly shifting goalposts of what exactly it means to be “good” in today’s world。 Including topics as varied and laugh-out-loud funny as how to be the life of the party （even when you have crippling anxiety）， navigating the disappointments of the dating world， and why no one should judge you for having an encyclopedic knowledge of reality TV stars， these essays are sure to move， motivate， and charm you。

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Reviews

Cat G | _basicbookworm ，

This memoir in essays was so entertaining。 Covering everything from body image to reality TV stars， Sophia Benoit really covered it all in these essays。 I loved how seamlessly she went from having me laughing out loud at her lists or other experiences， to how real and deep she got - especially when talking about learning to love herself。 If you are looking for a fun memoir， look no further！

Kathryn ，

It’s really weird read to read a memoir by someone who is only 15 months older than me。 Like what could someone my age possibly have to say about their life that’s going to take 300+ pages？ I did enjoy knowing all the cultural references， but it was still weird。 I do not follow Sophia on Twitter and only knew who she was because of the episode of Fated Mates she was a guest on。 I was expecting more about her job as an advise columnist rather than half of one of the essays being dedicated to that It’s really weird read to read a memoir by someone who is only 15 months older than me。 Like what could someone my age possibly have to say about their life that’s going to take 300+ pages？ I did enjoy knowing all the cultural references， but it was still weird。 I do not follow Sophia on Twitter and only knew who she was because of the episode of Fated Mates she was a guest on。 I was expecting more about her job as an advise columnist rather than half of one of the essays being dedicated to that topic。The book is a collection of essays and is frankly exhausting to read。 The book is about as long as most book that I easily read in one sitting but this took me over a month to read。 Some of the sections were absolutely delightful and I found very relatable， but others just dragged and felt like a trauma dump。 This book is only going to appeal to millennials。 The glib bordering on sarcastic tone will easily be misunderstood by older generations any based on the Goodreads reviews out there， the generational divide amongst readers is already becoming apparent。Overall I really wanted to enjoy the book more than I did。 I will say， usually I listen to memoirs rather than read them and maybe if I would have listened to this I would have enjoyed it more。 I did highlight a lot of passages， my favorite of which is， “I fancied myself quite nomadic， when really I had just seen The Lizzie McGuire Movie a few to many times and wanted to go get sexed up by a hot guy in a foreign city。” because that’s just my forever mood。Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Danielle。 ，

Truly relatable， insightful essays that make me feel like Sophia Benoit is an amalgam of me， my friends， and everything I know about surviving your young adult life。

Latisha Bechkos ，

Thank you to Simon & schuster for the ARC！ This book was so boring。 I got nothing from it。 Wish I had more to say， but I had so much trouble getting through majority of it。 Nothing was very interesting and I didn’t see the point in many of the chapters - one was essentially just her reviewing her favourite movies？？ I did enjoy the chapter that was advice to her sisters， but ended up giving up and DNFing this。

Lnichols ，

This was not a book for me。。。。Did not finish reading the whole book but did read a good portion of it to know to quit reading it。 It just wasn't my style of reading。 The book seemed to be forced， to be funny to be sad， to have colorful language， etc。 It didn't flow。 This was not a book for me。。。。Did not finish reading the whole book but did read a good portion of it to know to quit reading it。 It just wasn't my style of reading。 The book seemed to be forced， to be funny to be sad， to have colorful language， etc。 It didn't flow。 。。。more

Emma Garcia ，

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**I'll be honest， I went into this book ready to love it。 I follow Sophia on Twitter and think she's hilarious so of course， I wanted to read her book！I have only two complaints when it comes to this collection of essays: One， reading it on my phone （the easiest way for me to read my NetGalley books） made it hard for me to fully appreciate the footnotes。 There were so many of them and they were funny when I could easily navigate **I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**I'll be honest， I went into this book ready to love it。 I follow Sophia on Twitter and think she's hilarious so of course， I wanted to read her book！I have only two complaints when it comes to this collection of essays: One， reading it on my phone （the easiest way for me to read my NetGalley books） made it hard for me to fully appreciate the footnotes。 There were so many of them and they were funny when I could easily navigate from the main prose to the footnotes themselves。 But it was hard to do that all the time。Two， these essays are separated into sections and I don't feel like the sections held up very well as a whole。 Each essay was entertaining， but I feel like they could have been organized together better。Overall， this book was entertaining and a fun way for me to pass the time without feeling like there was no substance。 。。。more

Hannah Cernicky ，

I liked the cover and I liked the little blurb but I had not heard of the author， and I was not prepared。 I pride myself on not being shocked by much， having read and lived a variety of experiences however， this coming of age/adulthood memoir essential dug up any traumatic growing up memories I have that I thought were buried deep enough。Heres the straight up 🫖 : it is extremely vulgar， crass， and inappropriate， and I had second hand embarrassment reading it…。 And probably first hand embarrassme I liked the cover and I liked the little blurb but I had not heard of the author， and I was not prepared。 I pride myself on not being shocked by much， having read and lived a variety of experiences however， this coming of age/adulthood memoir essential dug up any traumatic growing up memories I have that I thought were buried deep enough。Heres the straight up 🫖 : it is extremely vulgar， crass， and inappropriate， and I had second hand embarrassment reading it…。 And probably first hand embarrassment because although as much as I wish these stories and truth she shares weren’t believable， they are and I relate too much to save my dignity at this point。If you pick this up， be extremely prepared to feel naked with some raw second day sunburn skin with an itchy tag on a shirt rubbing too much。This book reminds me how HARD growing up is。 How awkward and disappointing， reconciling what you thought growing up would be like and what its actually like。 I feel that I am still in the midst of that situation， with the scales slowly peeling off my eyeballs， and nothing is as shiny as I thought， but most things aren’t as bad either。 Except looking back to 15-21 year old experiences as now 26 year old。 That is just plain tough。 Sophia is a GQ sex column writer， which I found out shortly after starting and then upon what I immediately read in the first chapter googling what kind of psycho would right this stuff after a dedication to her parents… but something weird happened in that I couldn’t put it down…She writes with humor， sarcasm， dramatic commentary on her own writing that I find hil-ar-i-ous after an initial full body cringe。“I thought I would grow up to be the kind of adult that could go to Target and buy whatever she wanted without readjusting the budget。” Didn’t we all。 She talks explicitly about how she didn’t fit in and the ways she attempted to， and although its slightly extreme， it is so horrifyingly relatable。Actually，I think those last two words sum up the whole book。 。。。more

Hannah Cernicky ，

I got this as an e-Arc from Netgalley which makes me feel very cool and legit。 Thank you！！！I liked the cover and I liked the little blurb but I had not heard of the author， and I was not prepared。 I pride myself on not being shocked by much， having read and lived a variety of experiences however， this coming of age/adulthood memoir essential dug up any traumatic growing up memories I have that I thought were buried deep enough。Heres the straight up 🫖 :  it is extremely vulgar， crass， and inappro I got this as an e-Arc from Netgalley which makes me feel very cool and legit。 Thank you！！！I liked the cover and I liked the little blurb but I had not heard of the author， and I was not prepared。 I pride myself on not being shocked by much， having read and lived a variety of experiences however， this coming of age/adulthood memoir essential dug up any traumatic growing up memories I have that I thought were buried deep enough。Heres the straight up 🫖 :  it is extremely vulgar， crass， and inappropriate， and I had second hand embarrassment reading it…。 And probably first hand embarrassment because although as much as I wish these stories and truth she shares werent believable， they are and I relate too much to save my dignity at this point。If you pick this up， be extremely prepared to feel naked with some raw second day sunburn skin with an itchy tag on a shirt rubbing too much。This book reminds me how HARD growing up is。 How awkward and disappointing， reconciling what you thought growing up would be like and what its actually like。 I feel that I am still in the midst of that situation， with the scales slowly peeling off my eyeballs， and nothing is as shiny as I thought， but most things aren’t as bad either。 Except looking back to 15-21 year old experiences as now 26 year old。 That is just plain tough。 Sophia is a GQ sex column writer， which I found out shortly after starting and then upon what I immediately read in the first chapter googling what kind of psycho would right this stuff after a dedication to her parents… but something weird happened in that I couldn’t put it down…She writes with humor， sarcasm， dramatic commentary on her own writing that I find HILARIOUS after an initial full body cringe。“I thought I would grow up to be the kind of adult that could go to Target and buy whatever she wanted without readjusting the budget。” Didn’t we all。 She talks explicitly about how she didn’t fit in and the ways she attempted to， and although its slightly extreme， it is so horrifyingly relatable。Actually，I think those last two words sum up the whole book。 。。。more

David Dittell ，

I received a free copy of the book because I am the author's boyfriend。 Sophia asked me to tell her what I really think of the book so here I am on Goodreads， making sure her next book doesn't include a chapter on how her accursed， no-good， malicious boyfriend refused to review her first one。This is a very funny and often touching series of personal essays organized around the author's process of self-discovery。 It presents the perspective of a now-socially aware woman in her late 20s looking ba I received a free copy of the book because I am the author's boyfriend。 Sophia asked me to tell her what I really think of the book so here I am on Goodreads， making sure her next book doesn't include a chapter on how her accursed， no-good， malicious boyfriend refused to review her first one。This is a very funny and often touching series of personal essays organized around the author's process of self-discovery。 It presents the perspective of a now-socially aware woman in her late 20s looking back at her childhood， college years， and young adulthood and reflecting on the arc of her personal journeys， lacing together humorous anecdotes with more serious topics such as eating disorders， sexual assault， and racial awareness。 Even at its most serious， however， it still finds space for humor in the author's personal experiences and eccentricities （sorry babe！）。Like most boyfriends， I mainly read multi-volume history tomes， out of print adventure stories， and comic books that I insist be called "graphic novels，" so I am not the best person to place this book in relation to others of its genre （Shrill is the most common comparison I've heard）。 However， in terms of what I am familiar with， I would positively compare it to the work of David Sedaris as a self-deprecating look back at a unique-yet-relatable life so far。My main experience reading the book was， to be quite honest， of repeatedly laughing out loud， as both the language and the stories being told are rich in humor -- a nice mix of social observation， family absurdism， and millennial doom-and-gloom。 I am also not afraid to admit that there were a couple of times I cried at the more deeply personal and heart-wrenching points in later chapters。 I don't normally have such major external reactions to reading， so I'd say I was pretty satisfied！It is very possible that my knowing the author has biased me， as I may have background knowledge that deepens the stories for me compared to the average reader， but I would recommend （and have recommended） this book to anyone interested in the humorous personal essays genre， particularly those looking for stories from a young woman's point of view （sorry Sedaris！）。 I also found it a refreshing and joyful break from my normal boring boyfriend reading， so if you're looking to try something different go right ahead and steal your partner's copy when they aren't looking and have yourself a great read。 。。。more

Kelsey June ，

Sophia is so exquisitely talented in her writing。 She is hilarious， vulnerable， raw， and unapologetically herself which inspires me to be the same。 I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone and anyone because there are stories that we all can find versions of ourselves within。

Maria Vargon ，

Super fun read-it-in-a-day essays！

Katie Burgert ，

I won this book from the Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you to Gallery Books， an imprint of Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader's Edition。 Essay collections can be a hit or miss for me。 What makes a compelling collection for me is a strong voice， unique insights about familiar themes， and situational understanding。 Sophia Benoit’s voice is both honest and humorous。 A stylistic choice I enjoyed was her use of footnotes。 These short asides were where the humor hit the hardest and at times even mad I won this book from the Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you to Gallery Books， an imprint of Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader's Edition。 Essay collections can be a hit or miss for me。 What makes a compelling collection for me is a strong voice， unique insights about familiar themes， and situational understanding。 Sophia Benoit’s voice is both honest and humorous。 A stylistic choice I enjoyed was her use of footnotes。 These short asides were where the humor hit the hardest and at times even made me chuckle out loud （not necessarily laugh out loud， nothing in the book was that funny， but some lines made me do a quick exhale out of my nose and a nod of my head）。 Her observations about her personal history （fitting in， or at least trying to fit in at school， sort of dating guys in college， dealing with peer pressure， navigating her parent’s divorce） coupled with her observations about society that is patriarchal and capitalist were relatable and amusing。 Since Benoit is providing her take on life’s milestones and making meaning from those moments， it is significant that she acknowledges her social situation as a straight， white， able bodied， middle class woman and to note that those characteristics alter how she moves though and perceives the world。 Overall， a witty and fun collection that is light and easy to read。 。。。more

Anne Logan ，

I’m finding myself drawn to collections of essays more and more as I get older。 Perhaps it’s because I have less time on my hands， so reading self-contained chapters is more rewarding， or maybe it’s because I’m just curious about other people’s perspectives， and an essay is the perfect way to dive quickly into someone else’s psyche and give it a quick go。 I know I’m not the only one; celebrity-authored essays are a growing genre that many publishers are focusing on， and I recently discovered one I’m finding myself drawn to collections of essays more and more as I get older。 Perhaps it’s because I have less time on my hands， so reading self-contained chapters is more rewarding， or maybe it’s because I’m just curious about other people’s perspectives， and an essay is the perfect way to dive quickly into someone else’s psyche and give it a quick go。 I know I’m not the only one; celebrity-authored essays are a growing genre that many publishers are focusing on， and I recently discovered one of my new favourite writers， Samantha Irby through her latest book of essays。 Like Irby， Sophia Benoit has a huge following on twitter and is known for her humour， so it comes as no surprise I find her writing hilarious too Well， This is Exhausting is Benoit’s first book， but it will no doubt be her first in a long line of books， she’s got a lot to say， and I’m more than willing to listen （read）。Book SummaryBenoit’s essays generally follow a loose timeline from her childhood to present day。 I’m not sure how old she is now （I’ll guess late twenties to early thirties） but the majority of her essays focus on her time in college， which seemed to have been a formative time for her。 She limits her subject matter to experiences she herself had， or women her age have had。 She readily admits she is still learning about the different facets of feminism， and how to be a better ally for those in our society who are pushed to the margins （LGTBQ， people with disabilities， etc。） while also stating the challenges of living in the world as a white， cis， woman， arguably a position of privilege especially when living in a first world country。 While she tackles these bigger subjects， she also revels in the silliness that being a young woman offers， like putting on make-up and drinking with friends before going to a club or bar。 Some essays are quite vulnerable; she struggled with her weight growing up and fluctuated between various eating disorders as she entered college。 The way she viewed her own self-worth in relation to the male attention she received in her earlier years is heartbreaking， but it seems she has moved past this dependence on external validation。 Each essay is centered on a personal anecdote or situation， and acts as a jumping off point to her thoughts and feelings on wider society。My ThoughtsWhen I finished the first few pages of this book， I was worried I would grow tired of Benoit’s voice。 She is constantly cracking jokes， and includes lots of italicized words， exclamation marks， and asides。 Her tone is very conversational， it reads like she is telling us a story and she’s anticipating our reactions and responding to them in real time。 And yes， I am completely aware of the fact that I write in the exact same style！I’m happy to read this kind of writing in shorter spurts， but a whole book of it made me nervous。 Despite my hesitance， I kept on， and was rewarded by her thoughtful yet still entertaining observations， all mixed in with jokes about her struggles with dating and her overly-emotional family。 She is hard on herself and doesn’t hesitate to point out the toxic way of thinking that led her through her college years， but it’s clear she has done a lot of self-analysis to have the ability to recognize how self-destructive she was back then。 By the end of the book I grew to love her unique voice， and days after finishing the book her phrases are still bouncing in the back of my head， and I find myself laughing at little things I’m doing or thinking because I know it’s something Benoit would easily make a joke out of。I’m noticing a new trend that is shining through women’s non-fiction writing， and that is the explicit acknowledgement of privilege， plus the pointing out of those who do not have it。 Compared to the male writers I’ve read recently， white women seem to have no issues with identifying the systems that hold them up， while these same systems to do not benefit every single woman either。 For instance， the BIPOC population still struggle to gain the same footing we white women have enjoyed for longer （thought not as long as men， let’s be honest here）。 This is a welcome distinction for me， because while I don’t consider myself a victim， and haven’t met many women who do， I think it’s important we acknowledge how we can still improve things to create a better and more equal world for everyone。 We need to identify that things aren’t perfect before anyone makes an effort to change it， and this is exactly what Benoit is doing。 She doesn’t feel sorry for herself and and she’s making jokes about her situations more often than bemoaning the – but she also doesn’t shy away from talking about her experience of sexual assault and the fact that it’s so prevalent that women have been conditioned to question whether they encouraged it before it happened to them。 Some may find the transitions difficult to follow， but I appreciated her efforts to be funny while she discussed serious subjects， it provided a pleasing balance that made the book to fun pick up no matter which essay I was diving into next。To read the rest of my reviews， please visit my blog:https://ivereadthis。com/Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis。com/subscribe/Or follow me on social media！Facebook: https://www。facebook。com/Ivereadthis/Twitter: https://twitter。com/ivereadthisblogInstagram: https://www。instagram。com/ivereadthisYouTube: https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCD6E。。。 。。。more

Brianna ，

I’ve followed Sophia Benoit on Twitter for years and have enjoyed her sense of humor， so I was excited to get her book of essays as an ARC from NetGalley。 I resonated with the parts where she talks about the burden of being a responsible adult and a hypochondriac。 I found myself nodding in agreement as she outlines many ways women are held to ludicrous standards that men are never forced to meet。 Overall， I liked hearing more about her life and her beliefs and values as someone who feels like th I’ve followed Sophia Benoit on Twitter for years and have enjoyed her sense of humor， so I was excited to get her book of essays as an ARC from NetGalley。 I resonated with the parts where she talks about the burden of being a responsible adult and a hypochondriac。 I found myself nodding in agreement as she outlines many ways women are held to ludicrous standards that men are never forced to meet。 Overall， I liked hearing more about her life and her beliefs and values as someone who feels like they’ve been tuned in to her on Twitter for many years。 My only hiccups with the book were that it felt a bit disorganized in a way I can’t fully put my finger on， like it was trying to champion too many different causes （which I realize isn’t a great critique because we are multifaceted humans who can and should care about more than one thing）， or it could’ve just been that the writing feels sort of “stream of consciousness” and is filled with footnotes in every chapter， which was overwhelming in e-book format。 All in all， it was good。 If you’re a woman of similar age to the author， as I am， you’re sure to find at least a few chapters that you can truly resonate with， you’ll find some laughs in its pages， and you’ll find your time well spent。 。。。more

Readingcaptures ，

This is such a terrible memoir。 I don't even really know where to start。 At first I hoped because she is classified as a comedian perhaps this is a satire or laugh at myself sort of book。 It's just irksome how she dismisses casual sex， eating disorders and low self image as a right of passage for women。 I mean she talks about using bumble as a way to get sex during high school， and the guy asking and her allowing him to cum on her face。 Then goes on about how that made her feel empowered。 I shou This is such a terrible memoir。 I don't even really know where to start。 At first I hoped because she is classified as a comedian perhaps this is a satire or laugh at myself sort of book。 It's just irksome how she dismisses casual sex， eating disorders and low self image as a right of passage for women。 I mean she talks about using bumble as a way to get sex during high school， and the guy asking and her allowing him to cum on her face。 Then goes on about how that made her feel empowered。 I should of stopped reading there。 Maybe I'm getting old and this is all acceptable stuff now。 One thing to help the book is just get rid of all those footnotes at the end of the already very short chapters。 It's distracting and annoying。 You can afford to add them into the story。 。。。more

Jamie ，

Sophia Benoit’s memoir is written mostly in chronological order， in sections covering her childhood， teenage years， college and early twenties。 She writes mostly about family and relationships， both romantic ones and with friends。 Her writing is frank and funny， and while she is straightforward about knowing not everyone has the same kinds of experiences， there’s likely at least a few things you’ll relate to。 I was initially excited just reading through the names of the sections and chapters， be Sophia Benoit’s memoir is written mostly in chronological order， in sections covering her childhood， teenage years， college and early twenties。 She writes mostly about family and relationships， both romantic ones and with friends。 Her writing is frank and funny， and while she is straightforward about knowing not everyone has the same kinds of experiences， there’s likely at least a few things you’ll relate to。 I was initially excited just reading through the names of the sections and chapters， because I could tell she and I have a similar sense of humor。 The book took me a bit of time to get into， and I definitely found the middle part of the book to be the most fun to read and the most relatable （where she gets into stories about college， sex， and dating apps）。 There were a few points throughout the book that I feel were maybe reiterated a little too often， as well as places where I felt she was going out of her way to clarify/address the one or two situations where what she’s discussing DOESN’T apply。 I’m all for inclusivity， it just got to be a little much at times—as if she was worried about backlash and thus making sure to address every possible comment。 I get it， she’s used to online hate， but it’s her memoir！ I don’t feel she needed to do this in every instance。 Overall， her writing is really funny and I found many parts to be very relatable。 The footnotes took me a bit of time to get used to and are much easier to read in print than e-book， but there were some great sidebars and quips included there。 Even if you’ve never read Sophia’s writing， if you’re a writer， a twenty-something woman， on Twitter， a pop culture fan， or just someone who likes modern memoirs， you’ll probably enjoy this book！ 。。。more

Robin McCool ，

I feel like this was the perfect book to read prior to a monumental birthday。 It allows for self-acceptance and seeking the humor in life。 It was an inspiration！

Lisa Konet ，

It really was exhausting （and disappointing） reading this collection of essays。 I have never heard of Sophia Benoit before because I do not use twitter， I stopped four years ago because there was no point to it。 ANYWAYS， THIS BOOK was exhausting because it touching on important feminist issues and i did not mind mind the bad/foul language throughout，; HOWEVER， all the essays seemed like a complaint and I felt myself not caring what Benoit was writing about。 FYI TO Benoit- the reader needs to car It really was exhausting （and disappointing） reading this collection of essays。 I have never heard of Sophia Benoit before because I do not use twitter， I stopped four years ago because there was no point to it。 ANYWAYS， THIS BOOK was exhausting because it touching on important feminist issues and i did not mind mind the bad/foul language throughout，; HOWEVER， all the essays seemed like a complaint and I felt myself not caring what Benoit was writing about。 FYI TO Benoit- the reader needs to care and/or relate to what you have written。 Honestly， I read some of these and skimmed through the others。 Not what I expected and not funny。Disappointing and disappointed。 Cannot recommend and would not read from this author in the future。Thanks to Netgalley， Sophia Benoit and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 7/13/21 。。。more

Jill Elizabeth ，

It really is。。。 Exhausting， that is。 I had no idea who Sophia Benoit was before I requested this， but it sounded clever and snarky and I do enjoy essays， particularly those that tackle women's issues in the manner of Jia Tolentino and Roxane Gay， so I thought I would give this one a try。 Apparently I'm too old for this particular autho though， because from the beginning I was rolling my eyes and irritated。。。 It felt like whining。 It felt like an overabundance of crudity and vulgarity for the sak It really is。。。 Exhausting， that is。 I had no idea who Sophia Benoit was before I requested this， but it sounded clever and snarky and I do enjoy essays， particularly those that tackle women's issues in the manner of Jia Tolentino and Roxane Gay， so I thought I would give this one a try。 Apparently I'm too old for this particular autho though， because from the beginning I was rolling my eyes and irritated。。。 It felt like whining。 It felt like an overabundance of crudity and vulgarity for the sake of attention- getting and shock value。 What it didn't feel like was the type of thought- provoking， biting， social-commentary- with-soul I was hoping for。。。It is entirely probable that I am simply not her demographic， and that was the issue。 If you are， and are familiar with her already， or find the twitterverse fascinating， this book may well work for you。 But it did nothing at all for me and I gave up on it。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more

Danielle ，

I won this ARC as a goodreads giveaway！A very honest and funny set of essays。 Her topics and humor is very relatable and she is self aware of her privilege （although at times she brings it up too much）。Overall a good read from a strong writer。

Jennifer Gore ，

Just finished an ARC of this book and it's eye-opening。 I'm always happy to learn about what the younger generations think and feel and I find millennials to be more mature and more risk-averse than we were （although， in part， it's because they simply have to be）。 She insists upon consideration and treatment that I would never have thought to ask for when I was her age。 （Like the right to be a professional in the workplace without a senior partner staring openly at my boobs。 You know who you are Just finished an ARC of this book and it's eye-opening。 I'm always happy to learn about what the younger generations think and feel and I find millennials to be more mature and more risk-averse than we were （although， in part， it's because they simply have to be）。 She insists upon consideration and treatment that I would never have thought to ask for when I was her age。 （Like the right to be a professional in the workplace without a senior partner staring openly at my boobs。 You know who you are， Ken。） Some of the grammar detracted from the message （and awakened my inner gangster schoolmarm: "I" as an object pronoun？ "I wish I would have" instead of "I wish I had"？？ but there's time to fix that yet）。 Get it and read it。 。。。more

Natalie Sanchez ，

This book is a memoir， written by the GQ advise columnist and Twitter personality Sophia Benoit。 I’m not much of a magazine reader， nor do I have a Twitter。 But， the description of this book really intrigued me！ Sophia writes about the struggle to do the “right” thing—to make others comfortable， to take minimal and calculated risks， to live up to society’s expectations—only to realize that there was so little payoff。 She talks about her journey from being a good girl， to a proud feminist。 She sp This book is a memoir， written by the GQ advise columnist and Twitter personality Sophia Benoit。 I’m not much of a magazine reader， nor do I have a Twitter。 But， the description of this book really intrigued me！ Sophia writes about the struggle to do the “right” thing—to make others comfortable， to take minimal and calculated risks， to live up to society’s expectations—only to realize that there was so little payoff。 She talks about her journey from being a good girl， to a proud feminist。 She speaks with no filter （which I can appreciate）， she lays everything bare for you， the good and the bad decisions she’s made throughout her life。 Sophia’s memoir is HILARIOUS， raw， and relatable and I loved it！ I’ve lost count of how many times she mentions the word titties。 This might be the funniest book I’ve read in a loooong time， considering I tend to gravitate towards books with sad and depressing tropes。 Honestly， she is me and I was her growing up and transitioning into adulthood。 A few things I didn’t find enjoyable was the footnotes and annotations。。 I ended up just skipping them altogether。 I loved all her side remarks and comments， I just wish she would have put them in the chapter instead of adding them into the footnotes。 Other than that I completely enjoyed this book， I would recommend it to all of my friends who would benefit from some funny feminist thought。 。。。more

Lauren ，

Sophia Benoit’s Well， This is Exhausting is bright， effervescent， and full of wit。 Benoit is young， yes， but she’s lived an interesting life and has a lot of self-awareness and maturity。 She’s refreshingly open and honest about herself， and doesn’t shy away from discussing weightier issues involving sexism， abuse， racism， privilege， and classism。 She’s also quite hilarious， as well as an adept writer。 I love how frankly she discusses sex， desire， expectations， and realities。 Her writing is real， Sophia Benoit’s Well， This is Exhausting is bright， effervescent， and full of wit。 Benoit is young， yes， but she’s lived an interesting life and has a lot of self-awareness and maturity。 She’s refreshingly open and honest about herself， and doesn’t shy away from discussing weightier issues involving sexism， abuse， racism， privilege， and classism。 She’s also quite hilarious， as well as an adept writer。 I love how frankly she discusses sex， desire， expectations， and realities。 Her writing is real， raw， clever， and thoroughly entertaining。 If you’re looking for something that is as thought-provoking as it is hilarious， ‘Well， This is Exhausting’ is the book for you。 Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Amanda ，

Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy！Sophia shares many different personal essays about her life experiences。 I was not familiar with her social media or GQ account， but I appreciated her honesty in admitting that she wasn't always right or didn't always do the right thing。 We learn about her teen years and struggles， her funny college experiences and her adult life。 There are serious topics such as her struggle with food relationships， how she let men treat her， and how at times she didn' Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy！Sophia shares many different personal essays about her life experiences。 I was not familiar with her social media or GQ account， but I appreciated her honesty in admitting that she wasn't always right or didn't always do the right thing。 We learn about her teen years and struggles， her funny college experiences and her adult life。 There are serious topics such as her struggle with food relationships， how she let men treat her， and how at times she didn't put herself or her needs as a priority。 She often makes jokes out of the situations and tries to illustrate them as learning experiences。 。。。more

Jessika ，

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。I enjoyed a lot of these essays （and their really delightful titles）。 Benoit has some excellent ones on youth and family， and navigating relationships while figuring still yourself out。 I got some aromantic vibes--not that Benoit claims that label--in the essays where she talks about wanting to have sex but not feeling the "normal" romantic/emotional pulls， so that was a welcome angle to read。 I will probably be in the minority here， ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。I enjoyed a lot of these essays （and their really delightful titles）。 Benoit has some excellent ones on youth and family， and navigating relationships while figuring still yourself out。 I got some aromantic vibes--not that Benoit claims that label--in the essays where she talks about wanting to have sex but not feeling the "normal" romantic/emotional pulls， so that was a welcome angle to read。 I will probably be in the minority here， but on a personal level I connected the least with those essays where Benoit talks about getting validation from interactions with men/sexual encounters。 The essays themselves were well written and humorous， if heavy handed， but not my bag。This isn't a particularly ~deep~ collection--and a few essays overlapped subjects/content a bit too much and so some areas felt repetitive--but I think the places where Benoit does acknowledge her privilege and how she's grown and educated herself felt authentic and not self-serving or like cop-outs。 This essay collection isn't going to change your life， but it was written with humor and heart and felt like a really good night in with one's girlfriends and wine and a whole lot of pizza。 。。。more

Jenn （burlingtonbibliophagist） ，

BOOK REVIEWWell， This is Exhausting by Sophia BenoitThank you to @simonandschusterca for my early copy in return for an honest reviewI am usually not one for memoirs， but I am finding I really enjoy essay styled books such as this one。 A book I can read at a slower pace full of chapters I can read out of order。Let me start by saying I did not know who Sophia Benoit was when I started reading this。 I chose this book solely on the cover， the title and the description。 I was looking for a read full BOOK REVIEWWell， This is Exhausting by Sophia BenoitThank you to @simonandschusterca for my early copy in return for an honest reviewI am usually not one for memoirs， but I am finding I really enjoy essay styled books such as this one。 A book I can read at a slower pace full of chapters I can read out of order。Let me start by saying I did not know who Sophia Benoit was when I started reading this。 I chose this book solely on the cover， the title and the description。 I was looking for a read full of humour， witty anecdotes， embarrassing childhood memories， sex and self discovery。 This book checked all the boxes。 Full of laugh out loud moments I was swept away into Sophia’s life。 I now understand why she is such a popular comedienne and writer。 Chapter titles such as “Sorry Dove， I am Never Going to Learn to Love my Body” and “No， I amNot Doing Zumba With You” grabbed my attention…。 Seducing me into reading further to find out why and how it fit？Highly recommend for a lighter read。 。。。more

B。 ，

I won an ARC of this one in a goodreads giveaway - unfortunately。 What's "exhausting" is trying to read this book。 Let's start with the audience alienation in the introduction - book readers aren't losers， honey， they're your target audience。 Second off - holy crap is this woman abrasive， vile， and crass。 If the author talks the same way she writes essays？ This is the type of person I would feign sickness to get out of talking to。 And if that didn't work？ I'd make myself puke on her shoes just t I won an ARC of this one in a goodreads giveaway - unfortunately。 What's "exhausting" is trying to read this book。 Let's start with the audience alienation in the introduction - book readers aren't losers， honey， they're your target audience。 Second off - holy crap is this woman abrasive， vile， and crass。 If the author talks the same way she writes essays？ This is the type of person I would feign sickness to get out of talking to。 And if that didn't work？ I'd make myself puke on her shoes just to get away from her。 That's right - self-initiated vomiting would be better than talking to someone who talks the way these essays are written。 This is nothing to be proud of and there's nothing here worth reading。 。。。more

Bryce ，

DNF。

Amanda ，

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 Look， there's off-color humor， and then there's just plain offensive trash， and this book leans very much toward the latter。 I felt like I was reading the script for a bad stand-up comedy routine and absolutely everything about it put me off immediately。 I made it through the first five or six essays before dumping this in the recycle bin where it belongs。 I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 Look， there's off-color humor， and then there's just plain offensive trash， and this book leans very much toward the latter。 I felt like I was reading the script for a bad stand-up comedy routine and absolutely everything about it put me off immediately。 I made it through the first five or six essays before dumping this in the recycle bin where it belongs。 。。。more

Katherine ，

This was such a fun collection of essays for me to read。 Sophia Benoit had an upbringing that sounds comparable to my own， not identical of course， but similar enough for me to see myself in her words more often than not when it came to issues of boys， body image， （lack of） popularity， media consumption， and having an it's-complicated relationship with food。 She didn't set out to validate the reasons I am who I am as an almost-30 something， but instead extends permission for me and everyone else This was such a fun collection of essays for me to read。 Sophia Benoit had an upbringing that sounds comparable to my own， not identical of course， but similar enough for me to see myself in her words more often than not when it came to issues of boys， body image， （lack of） popularity， media consumption， and having an it's-complicated relationship with food。 She didn't set out to validate the reasons I am who I am as an almost-30 something， but instead extends permission for me and everyone else who reads （or doesn't read！） this book to not be confined by what she proclaims as the antagonist of her entire life: wealthy， white， straight， cis-gendered men。 She does this with slicing humor， cringey stories， and limitless delightful references。Thank you to NetGalley and Sophia Benoit for providing me with the ARC for my truthful review！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Well, This is Exhausting: Essays

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Well, This is Exhausting: Essays&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Well, This is Exhausting: Essays&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0