I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are
2020 • 5 pages
Ratings15
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings15
Average rating3.8
'One of the funniest books of the year' - Guardian A collection of hilarious personal essays, poems and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more from the charming and wickedly funny creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. "It's nice to know someone as talented as Rachel is also pretty weird. If you're like me and love Rachel Bloom, this hilarious, personal book will make you love her even more." - Mindy Kaling "Rachel is one of the funniest, bravest people of our generation and this book blew me away." - Amy Schumer Rachel Bloom has felt abnormal and out of place her whole life. In this exploration of what she thinks makes her 'different', she's come to realise that a lot of people also feel this way; even people who she otherwise thought were 'normal'. In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star, Rachel writes about everything from her love of Disney, OCD and depression, weirdness, and female friendships to the story of how she didn't poop in the toilet until she was four years old. It's a hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable collection (except for the pooping thing). Readers love I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are 'I adore Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and this book was exactly what I needed it to be. Would highly recommend.' 5* 'Rachel's voice is loud and clear from the first lines of the book. I've been missing it since Crazy Ex-Girlfriend . . . this time she's talking right to me, in my head, and it is like being part of this newfound Friendtopia.' 5* 'Heartfelt. Honest. Genuine. And funny as hell . . . Rachel writes about the things that could have broken her, but didn't, in a very funny and raw way, and she doesn't hold back.' 5* 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a hilarious and honest show which does not hold back when confronting the truth of sex, love, mental illness and life. This same comedic and chaotic energy is channelled in Bloom's wonderful book which I would highly recommend, whether you are a previous fan of hers or not.' 5*
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 If you're reading this as her fan, I recommend the audio because you're getting a full Broadway musical number that can't possibly translate in the book. Not every piece was vital but I enjoyed her company for a few hours.
This was so good. I highly recommend the audiobook since it's narrated by Rachel Bloom herself, full of singing and fun voices and everything. I bet the physical book is fun too though, since there were things she'd try and describe in the audio. I don't know about any physical versions, but this also had a Covid afterward that was really touching in a few ways. Anyhoo.
This was alternatingly hilarious and rough. She talks about bullying and her OCD, narrates her bad love life as if she's a princess under a curse, has fake resumes and LinkedIn profiles. There are songs and a theme park. It's all so great and funny.
If you like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend you'll love it. A lot of her struggles will be familiar from the show, but there's also some universality to it all too. This was really enjoyable.
I wanted to love this a lot. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend spoke to me in a way that's hard to explain: I didn't really identify with the main character, and it was a little too cringey for me, and a little to explicit for me, but it still kind of made me feel seen somehow. So I expected the same from this. And in so many ways it was just like Crazy Ex: good, but a little cringey and a little explicit and I didn't really identify, but somehow the magic wasn't there. Some of the essays got very close (especially the one at the end, where Rachel talks about shapewear & the upfronts). Some of the essays were even further. Overall, funny, but it didn't really come together into something bigger.
+Some of her affectation is challenging. I was hoping she'd be more real.
+She portrays herself as being completely unsure of herself and doomed in love, but she met her husband at 21 and was a writer for TV at 23. But realizing that a lot of the book was her own insecurity talking was charming?
I love Rachel Bloom, and I loved Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. When you're a woman and you find a creator who is funny, feminist, and as weird as you are, it's amazing. If you haven't watched Crazy Ex, do it! If you're wondering whether to read or listen to this book, do that too!
Library borrow.
