Don’t say I didn’t warn you

I realized recently that putting the ‘not for everyone’ tag on a book review is essentially a guarantee that I will read it. (On the flip side, putting the ‘written by Jonathan Franzen’ tag guarantees I’ll avoid it.) If there’s a love it or hate it situation, I want a vote. And when I read the first line of the description of Jillian:

Megan, recently out of college and working a meaningless job as a gastroenterologist’s secretary, openly hates all of her friends for being happy and successful.

I knew that this time, not for everyone = definitely for me.

In real life I’m not especially drawn to sullen girls looking down on everyone else, but when they’re fictional?

ludgate
Yes.
coleslaw
Yes.
sawyer
Oh yes.

This book is hilarious, and kind of feels like the little sister of After Birth; both of them have bad reviews out there that just make me love them more. If you’re still not sure whether this not-for-everyone book is for you, I’ll just share my favorite part so you know what you’re getting into. After Jillian tells Megan she’ll change her mind someday about not wanting kids:

What does she think she’s saying to me? thought Megan. Megan wanted to stand up and hysterectomize herself with the letter opener while screaming and then throw her uterus at the wall above Jillian’s desk just to show Jillian how wrong she was about that.

Never change, Megan!