Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually
- Downloads：9089
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-22 07:56:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Meichi Ng
- ISBN：0062945599
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the creator of Barely Functional Adult， a painfully relatable webcomic with over 125k followers on Instagram， comes a hilariously poignant collection of beautifully illustrated short stories that chronicle the ever-evolving perspectives of your twenties on work， therapy， identity， heartbreak， friendship， and more。
Wielding her trademark balance of artful humor， levity， and heartbreaking introspection， Meichi Ng’s indisputably relatable collection of short stories holds a mirror to our past， present， and future selves。
Featuring a swaddled， gender-neutral， Barely Functional Adult as its protagonist， who says all the things we think but cannot say， this book is equal parts humorous and heartbreaking as it spans a spectrum of topics including imposter syndrome， therapy， friendships， first loves， letting go of exes， and just trying to find your purpose in the world。 Prepare to excitedly shove this book in your friend’s face with little decorum as you shout， “THIS IS SO US！”
In this beautiful， four-color collection compiled completely of never-before-seen content， Meichi perfectly captures the best and worst of us in every short story， allowing us to weep with pleasure at our own fallibility。 Hilarious， relatable， and heart-wrenchingly honest， Barely Functional Adult will have you laughing and crying in the same breath， and taking solace in the fact that we’re anything but alone in this world
Wielding her trademark balance of artful humor， levity， and heartbreaking introspection， Meichi Ng’s indisputably relatable collection of short stories holds a mirror to our past， present， and future selves。
Featuring a swaddled， gender-neutral， Barely Functional Adult as its protagonist， who says all the things we think but cannot say， this book is equal parts humorous and heartbreaking as it spans a spectrum of topics including imposter syndrome， therapy， friendships， first loves， letting go of exes， and just trying to find your purpose in the world。 Prepare to excitedly shove this book in your friend’s face with little decorum as you shout， “THIS IS SO US！”
In this beautiful， four-color collection compiled completely of never-before-seen content， Meichi perfectly captures the best and worst of us in every short story， allowing us to weep with pleasure at our own fallibility。 Hilarious， relatable， and heart-wrenchingly honest， Barely Functional Adult will have you laughing and crying in the same breath， and taking solace in the fact that we’re anything but alone in this world
Reviews
Marilyn
，
3。5 Interesting blend of comics and great writing。
Anne
，
No other book has called me to accept my experience of adulthood like this one。 Closest a book has previously come was Generation X by Douglas Coupland， but this really captures the 30-something millennial experience of navigating what I think we are all told is adulthood。 And I’ll be pretty honest: I’d hesitate to call myself a “barely functional adult” as I do have a well-paying job I like， a partner， a cat， house， all the markers of a fully functional adulthood （except the kids）。 But this aut No other book has called me to accept my experience of adulthood like this one。 Closest a book has previously come was Generation X by Douglas Coupland， but this really captures the 30-something millennial experience of navigating what I think we are all told is adulthood。 And I’ll be pretty honest: I’d hesitate to call myself a “barely functional adult” as I do have a well-paying job I like， a partner， a cat， house， all the markers of a fully functional adulthood （except the kids）。 But this author has a BOOK， and had （has？） a job at GOOGLE。 And that’s why I loved this book。 I know a lot of millennials in different places in life， but we all compare ourselves against this arbitrary markerpost of a Boomer adulthood that we’ve been taught to glorify since childhood， and I think that’s why we all feel barely functional。This book is an anthology of essays， illustrated with the adorable humanoid bubble that Ng became famous for online。 The essays， while framed around stories of her own life， are written to be applicable to anybody reading the stories。 They are lessons she learned and are now sharing so that we can all learn our own lessons from them。 Also， each essay is a perfect length。 They aren’t short nor long， but a great length for tucking into here and there， long enough to unwind， but short enough to fit into busy， barely functional adult lives。 This is a book you can pick up and put down over and over again。Whether it was a story about impostor syndrome， making friends as an adult （and introvert）， going to therapy， getting a job， or changing jobs， I connected with Meichi’s stories。 I found myself laughing， groaning， and staring into space as I wrestled with the understanding that “its not just me？？？”。 There’s no reason not to read this book。 Whether you are a boomer， Gen X， millennial， or Gen Z， you will find this book funny。 The stories are just the right length for readers of all types， and packed with self-aware comedy aimed at the sad little rat race we’ve put ourselves through， and what it means to think we are losing when everybody else is as lost in the maze as we are， even if we are in different places in it。 。。。more
K Taylor
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Funny， relatable， easy read。
Marina
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3。5*read too fast but a bop
Corina
，
So relatable！ I feel so seen。 Meichi Ng has created a perfect blend of comics with text， a balance of hilariously goofy story with poignant self-discovery/philosophy， a memoir but also a reflection of what so many of us are feeling these days （if memes are anything to go by）。 These 8 illustrated short stories somehow cover everything from therapy， imposter syndrome， making friends as an adult， anxiety， stress， getting over past relationships， us being a sum of our childhood/young selves， finding So relatable！ I feel so seen。 Meichi Ng has created a perfect blend of comics with text， a balance of hilariously goofy story with poignant self-discovery/philosophy， a memoir but also a reflection of what so many of us are feeling these days （if memes are anything to go by）。 These 8 illustrated short stories somehow cover everything from therapy， imposter syndrome， making friends as an adult， anxiety， stress， getting over past relationships， us being a sum of our childhood/young selves， finding purpose in life， choosing a career， etc。 etc。 etc。 This book is quick and poignant， but also hilarious。 Fans of Allie Brosh （Hyperbole and a Half）， people who feel like they are adults-but-faking-it （this is everyone right？）， and folks who enjoy goofy-yet-relatable comics will likely all love this。 Absolutely recommend。 One by one， my friends became unrecognizable monsters as they evolved from their beautiful， barely functional selves into deplorably responsible humans。Maybe feeling lost is what pushes us to keep exploring。 It's the ethereal song that awakens our curiosities and drives us to follow cows， discover hidden coves， and find remnants of good in a world that so often feels too dark and broken。 Maybe feeling lost is just the prerequisite of adventure-the first chapter of any good story。 。。。more
Michelle
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Such an amazing book！ I want to be friends with Meichi！ She is hilarious and honest and so incredibly relatable。 I was amazed at how beautifully she wove the chapters together and how each one had a metaphor and other side story to help her expose the true lesson。 If you like memoirs， humor， graphic novels， or all of the above， this book is for you！
Apollos
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Barely Functional Adult is an enjoyable book of cute comics that highlights the perennial problems we all face as we become responsible adults。 This journey of adulting is not a process that occurs within a night， but over many days and years of questioning our existence and choices。As a reader in my early twenties， I found the book super relevant and important， as it showcases how we are all not alone in this tumultuous journey。 We will all get lost in our lives at least once。 What we need is t Barely Functional Adult is an enjoyable book of cute comics that highlights the perennial problems we all face as we become responsible adults。 This journey of adulting is not a process that occurs within a night， but over many days and years of questioning our existence and choices。As a reader in my early twenties， I found the book super relevant and important， as it showcases how we are all not alone in this tumultuous journey。 We will all get lost in our lives at least once。 What we need is the aid of time and reflection to recalibrate our perspectives and relook for the meaning in what we do。 Yes， we might be clueless about this as of now， but I believe it’ll all make sense eventually。5/5 。。。more
Brittany
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I particularly liked this graphic novel memoir because it's not just a jumble of comics。 Meichi Ng takes time to unpack each different theme/topic， which made me enjoy this on a deeper level。 Even if I couldn't directly relate to all the things， it was still funny and interesting to read her thoughts from her perspective。 I particularly liked this graphic novel memoir because it's not just a jumble of comics。 Meichi Ng takes time to unpack each different theme/topic， which made me enjoy this on a deeper level。 Even if I couldn't directly relate to all the things， it was still funny and interesting to read her thoughts from her perspective。 。。。more
Marsha
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This book is sort of a memoir， but more of a reflection and perspective on different events in the author's life， wherein she uses comics， text， lots of humor， and analogies to illustrate her point。 She writes about aging and yes， you can still buy mixed drinks and not "grown-up drinks" even though you are not in your 20s anymore。 She writes about therapy and opening the jars to see what is inside。 She writes about making new friends and how it is not that easy。 She writes about her pet fish and This book is sort of a memoir， but more of a reflection and perspective on different events in the author's life， wherein she uses comics， text， lots of humor， and analogies to illustrate her point。 She writes about aging and yes， you can still buy mixed drinks and not "grown-up drinks" even though you are not in your 20s anymore。 She writes about therapy and opening the jars to see what is inside。 She writes about making new friends and how it is not that easy。 She writes about her pet fish and then her pet frog。 Yes， not the usual dog， nor cat。 She writes about jobs， about moving from Canada to America， about an addiction to an ex-boyfriend， about finding purpose in life。 Things to think about。 But not too much。 Just have fun。 。。。more
Joanna
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A lot of things that are really funny or powerful on the Internet just don't work in book form。 Meichi Ng makes the transition really well。 Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually reads smoothly， without the too-muchness that you sometimes get from compilations of Internet material。 It's charming and funny and relatable， and the final section is surprisingly moving。 It's a great summer book。 A lot of things that are really funny or powerful on the Internet just don't work in book form。 Meichi Ng makes the transition really well。 Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually reads smoothly， without the too-muchness that you sometimes get from compilations of Internet material。 It's charming and funny and relatable， and the final section is surprisingly moving。 It's a great summer book。 。。。more
Connie （hoot reads books）
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This was a quick read。 Before picking this up I thought it was a collection of her webcomics like Sarah Scribbles but it was a non fiction story about the artist herself and the obstacles and personal experiences she went through as an adult。 There were some parts that I could relate to like social anxieties and future insecurities and yet she is more ambitious as I am from securing her dream job at google and living in her own apartment。 Those are 2 things that I still haven't done and I'm in m This was a quick read。 Before picking this up I thought it was a collection of her webcomics like Sarah Scribbles but it was a non fiction story about the artist herself and the obstacles and personal experiences she went through as an adult。 There were some parts that I could relate to like social anxieties and future insecurities and yet she is more ambitious as I am from securing her dream job at google and living in her own apartment。 Those are 2 things that I still haven't done and I'm in my 30s。 But that's not the reason I'm giving this 2 stars。 I just expected to see more of her webcomics in here。 。。。more
Chelsea
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Every person aged 18 and on， should read this book。 Any person who's ever questioned where they were in their life， what they were going to do， or what they wanted to do with their life should read this book。 A wonderful collection of heart-touching and breakthrough-inducing short stories with quirky， clever comics mixed in。 Meichi Ng presents all the conundrums that are present in so many of our lives。 It's a sort of comfort seeing it from someone else's perspective， that you're not alone in fe Every person aged 18 and on， should read this book。 Any person who's ever questioned where they were in their life， what they were going to do， or what they wanted to do with their life should read this book。 A wonderful collection of heart-touching and breakthrough-inducing short stories with quirky， clever comics mixed in。 Meichi Ng presents all the conundrums that are present in so many of our lives。 It's a sort of comfort seeing it from someone else's perspective， that you're not alone in feeling a certain way or having a similar experience。 I managed to read this beauty in its entirety in one sitting， I devoured it。 Had multiple breakthroughs about certain things I had been struggling with and then proceeded to force a copy on everyone I was working with that night。 If you have an opportunity to read this one， I highly highly recommend you pick it up。 The break up of the text with the comics plus photos in certain stories makes it feel manageable in a day and age where all of our time is so valuable and so scarce。 。。。more
Anne
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Read it。 Some of it just rang so very true。 Chapters started with a seemingly small random memory， but then the author related it to a big scary adult worry。 Very much worth reading -- a mini therapy almost！
Bobbie Jo
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I loved every single page of this book。 The art panels were hilarious。 I mean laugh out loud and force other people to look at them hilarious。 The stories， anecdotes and emotional struggles included were， at times， so relatable it felt like reading my own story。
Elizabeth
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So funny and cute illustrations。
Emily
，
This reminded me a lot of Hyperbole and a Half。 It has a similar artistic style—the drawings even simpler， I think—and Ng has the same ability to convey lots of emotion with a few lines and a bit of color。 The combination of prose and art works well， and the stories of her life are relatable， even to someone （me） from a different generation。 This book， although less laugh-out-loud funny than Alli Brosh’s work， would be a good fit for Hyperbole fans， and vice-versa。
Sean Loughran
，
Once I opened this book， I knew I had made the right decision in purchasing it。 Within pages， I found it incredibly relatable， and downright hilarious。 I felt like Meichi was peeping inside my head and writing down my thoughts， but they were actually her thoughts， and we were just feeling the same things， which just gave me comfort in a time of need。 Barely Functional Adult took a massive weight off my shoulders knowing that someone else， and probably tens of thousands of other people are feelin Once I opened this book， I knew I had made the right decision in purchasing it。 Within pages， I found it incredibly relatable， and downright hilarious。 I felt like Meichi was peeping inside my head and writing down my thoughts， but they were actually her thoughts， and we were just feeling the same things， which just gave me comfort in a time of need。 Barely Functional Adult took a massive weight off my shoulders knowing that someone else， and probably tens of thousands of other people are feeling exactly what I'm feeling。 And that just made me feel less。。。 weird？ And less alone with my thoughts。 I felt myself really resonating with the Glory of Quitting chapter。 The struggle of not always knowing what your next professional move is going to be or the initial excitement of new jobs only to find yourself bored a few months to a year later unsure what you're doing or why you're still there。 Meichi put it perfectly when she said "Work became so much more tolerable when I decided to resign。 I would later learn one of the most liberating decisions one can make in life is to quit a job they hate。" Barely Functional Adult was everything I wanted it to be and more。 I found it incredibly relatable， and really enjoyed the comic books throughout。 I haven't read much humour， but I'm making a commitment to add more to my bookshelf after reading this since it really brightened my mood， lifted my anxiety， and made me laugh。 There's already so many people that I want to recommend or gift this book to。 It was truly wonderful。 Avocado Diaries 。。。more
Dora Prieto
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Adorable， funny， relatable， and super well-executed comic-novel concept。 Ugh， so good。
Lisa Chan
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It’s like， short stories with comics within the stories？ Not sure how to explain it， but I loved the illustrations and I totally vibed with the main character。 Highly recommend if you need a good laugh and to know you’re not alone on this struggle bus of adulting。
Keen
，
3。5 Stars！This is yet another one of those books that I picked up on a total whim， knowing nothing about the author or the subject and I have to say I really enjoyed this。 The drawing is simple yet highly effective and the nice， bold colours work really well and there were many times when I thought this was either funny， clever or engaging。 My favourite scene has to be the one with the cows。 Oh how I loved that。 This is a nice little collection that had just the right mix of warmth， darkness and 3。5 Stars！This is yet another one of those books that I picked up on a total whim， knowing nothing about the author or the subject and I have to say I really enjoyed this。 The drawing is simple yet highly effective and the nice， bold colours work really well and there were many times when I thought this was either funny， clever or engaging。 My favourite scene has to be the one with the cows。 Oh how I loved that。 This is a nice little collection that had just the right mix of warmth， darkness and humour to hit all the right spots。 。。。more
goodreads
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So fucking pleasurable book。 I can relate to all。
Carmen
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I find this book highly relatable， I see， it'll all make sense eventually 😂 I find this book highly relatable， I see， it'll all make sense eventually 😂 。。。more
Sadie-jane （Say-dee-Jane） Nunis
，
This author shows me what it is like for a person to always not feel satisfied or second guess herself and her life。 I know the way I'm phrasing this makes it sound like i think I'm better than her。I do not。 What I'm saying is i now get what it means when someone tells me they just cannot make sense of their life or what they are doing or just cannot feel happy when everything is going great。Where i "always look at the bright side of life"， people like the author do not and now i understand thin This author shows me what it is like for a person to always not feel satisfied or second guess herself and her life。 I know the way I'm phrasing this makes it sound like i think I'm better than her。I do not。 What I'm saying is i now get what it means when someone tells me they just cannot make sense of their life or what they are doing or just cannot feel happy when everything is going great。Where i "always look at the bright side of life"， people like the author do not and now i understand things from their perspective。 。。。more
Cheyenne Lord
，
This book reminds me of something I read in college whose title is now escaping me， except this one was so much easier to get through， with its combination of comics and text。 This was a collection of autobiographical stories that provided a fast， easy， fairly relatable read。。。 and a great reminder that while we're not navigating ALL of the same things in life， our emotions are similar enough that other people can still understand what you're going through。4。5 stars This book reminds me of something I read in college whose title is now escaping me， except this one was so much easier to get through， with its combination of comics and text。 This was a collection of autobiographical stories that provided a fast， easy， fairly relatable read。。。 and a great reminder that while we're not navigating ALL of the same things in life， our emotions are similar enough that other people can still understand what you're going through。4。5 stars 。。。more
Chris
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Barely Functional Adult was funny and calming at the same time。 A nice read。
Taran Sikka
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A hilarious take on adulthood。 Every bit relatable。
Tamilyn White
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The section on therapy saved this one for me。 Let’s hear it for odd kids and unusual， introverted adults！
Tracy
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Whimsical and leisurely read - I was captivated by the sprinkles of artwork and the storytelling。 I found myself chuckling or smiling as I flipped through this “non-sensical” yet down-to-earth book。 Personally I found myself relating to a lot of the events illustrated in the book。
Kuster
，
So relatable and hilarious - sometimes combining those aspects in such a perfect balance to become painfully accurate， but no matter - I’m still laughing！
Kat
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