Weird but Normal

I am seriously surprised this book isn\’t getting way more love. It seems like maybe WEIRD BUT NORMAL just isn\’t reaching its target audience, which would probably consist of hip millennials who like BuzzFeed and consider Refinery29 \”peak journalism.\” And before you come after me, I fully group myself in that category. Refinery29 is awesome, btw, and it\’s so easy to fall down that rabbit hole… BUT I DIGRESS. WEIRD BUT NORMAL is a collection of essays on womanhood and millennialhood by Mia Mercado, a woman who is half-Filipino, half-white, and yes, this is also a theme to her essays, as well. The first 3/4 of this book were an easy five for me but then it was like she was running out of the ideas towards the end, because some of the topics got a little weird. Most of the essays I loved– like there\’s a really funny one about some of her usernames that she used when she was young in the early days of the internet that was so nostalgic, and I don\’t think I\’ve vibed with anything an author said about the impostor syndrome you can get with depression like this since, like, Allie Brosh. I was like, Mia Mercado, you get me. But then there would be weird essays. Like when she pretends to be a judge ruling a court case between her 2013 self getting bangs (her current self is the plaintiff, obviously). Or when she compares bringing home different types of satire to parental disappointment? And there was one where she was writing to her sister in a way that was really sweet but also felt way too personal– not in a \”yikes!\” way but in the way that reading someone else\’s inside jokes holds literally no involvement for you, the outsider in this equation. Sometimes these little gags would work and I would laugh (like when she pretended to be her dog– oh my God, comedy gold), but usually it just made me go, \”Huh, what?\” Most of these essays, though, are high key relatable and I really, really enjoyed this book. The commentary on being biracial and or struggling with impostor syndrome or inadequacy as a woman? So good. I breezed through this in just under a day and it left me feeling pretty happy, kind of like I\’d just made a new friend. You know how some memoirs just feel really personable and it\’s like you can hear that person talking to you in your ear, like she\’s your best girlfriend and you\’re chatting over wine? This book was like that. You may have thought I was joking about BuzzFeed in the beginning, but I wasn\’t. That is the demographic this book was reaching for– and if her agent/pub didn\’t reach out to BF in an attempt to get some press, they did the author a h u g e disservice. (Okay, I just checked and NOPE. #disservice) 3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

I honestly can\’t tell who this book is for. I\’m halfway through and so disappointed. I thought this was a collection of essays from different people reinforcing that we all go through weird moments but really we all feel odd at times. Instead, this is a disjointed recollection of the author\’s life at different points. When we start the book it sounds like she\’s a 20-something just out of school but later we find out she is in her 30\’s and married. The book jumps from should she have kids now to her work-life out of college, back to her college life and then forward to married life again. The time line is confusing and I can\’t tell who her audience is supposed to be? It\’s not me (late 30s, married with kids) as I really dont need her breakdown of the perfect college roommate. People in college who would appreciate that don\’t need her ramble on whether or not she should have kids. I\’m also not invested in the author (was hoping it was what the book said.. a collection of essays, not messy blog posts strung together) so I\’m just not resignation with this book. Cant decide if I will buckle down and try to finish or just give up on it.

A hilarious, honest book that turns familiar milestones and societal expectations on their heads. Mias writing is funny, relatable, and memorable. I love that theres a combination of true, memoir-styled essays in conjunction with the biting satirical voice Mia is known for. Definitely a must-read!

I am crying laughing!! I am gagging from laughing so hard. This book is perfect for any late 20s woman wanting to feel nostalgic and understood.

Everyone needs to read this book. It\’s not often that an audiobook makes me laugh out loud, its just a different reading experience, but this one had me really properly laughing whilst wearing my noise cancelling headphones! Sorry not sorry to everyone else around me! One of the great things about collections of essays like this is that you can pick them up and put them down again, reading an essay or two at a time. Another book and I might have done that but this time, I was enjoying this writer\’s voice so much, I binged this in one big gulp. This book is brutally honest which could be a jolt if you\’re not used to people speaking feelings and openly about their emotional and physical feelings but I loved every minute. I loved the brutal honesty no matter what the subject. Some of my favourite essays: My Dog Explains my Weekly Schedule Bath and Body Works is the Suburban Nonsense I Crave Attention Target Shoppers: This Store is Now Rife With Sexual Tension Treating Objects Like Women Items of Clothing, Defined I could relate to so much of this book and I am sure you will too-add this one to your wishlists now!

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