You’re Gonna Die Alone

by Devrie Donalson

A refreshingly honest, wonderfully humorous, and entirely inspiring exploration of change, fear, and what it really means to be alone from everyone’s favorite TikTok oracle, Devrie Donalson. With a following of over 800,000 across social media—who share with her as much as she shares with them—Devrie has learned that everyone can be scared to feel alone. Anyone can struggle with and question who they are or feel the sudden hunger to start over and become someone new. Through her TikTok videos she has shared a small part of her own journey—including leaving her unsatisfying life behind and flying to Scotland—but in her first book Devrie shares some of the deeper insight her followers have been looking for. Through a collection of stories and reflections, this book paints a portrait of a person who has tried, failed, and tried again, and creates a map for readers as they make their own journey towards finding home within themselves. With her signature wit and humor, Devrie is vulnerable and honest about some pretty gritty stuff—like accepting the rejection of others even when you don’t understand the reasons, reconciling feminism and Brazilian bikini waxes, being a twenty-nine year old virgin, and losing your religion. There’s also a true ghost story, emo teenage poetry, and even footnotes, but only about important stuff like Beanie Babies and the disappointing lack of showmanship from the billionaire class. So, you know, something for everyone. Perfect for fans of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Jenny Lawson, You’re Gonna Die Alone (& Other Excellent News) is for anyone who wants to build a life they are proud of, but might be afraid of what it takes to get there. In these pages readers will find a little laughter, a little healing, and (hopefully) the courage to reimagine what it means to be alone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Humor, Memoir, Poetry, Self Help, Biography

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

EVERYONE GO READ THIS PLEASE. Thank you, you won’t regret it.
Every chapter had some relevance to me. I was gut punched constantly. I smiled, I laughed, I grimaced, I sympathised.

It is feminist, proud, inclusive, aware, reflective. This is like a self-help book that isn’t really, but I learnt more from this than any manual.

I did it by audiobook, and I wish I could have highlighted quotes!

I did not know the author was well-known on TikTok prior to this, but now I need this book to get more recognition and hype.

I was not a huuuuge fan of the Christianity and religious bashing, but I am very aware that everyone has different experiences and communities. I could see the toxicity of her own, yet taking such a broad perspective caused complicated feelings for me.

If you like Roxanne Gay, John Greene, Rupi Kaur, Emily Austin… try this!

Bookstagram
Tiktok

[Grace Pappas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like when you first get drinks with someone who becomes a best friend. There are so many “oh my god me too”s and “that’s such a good way of describing it”s and “oh my god yes remember that???”s. It balances searing vulnerability and quick humor in all the ways best friendships do, where you go from crying to laughing to crying and back again because you know you’re with somebody who gets it and makes feeling it all okay. Without an ounce of preachiness or self-help bullshit, this book made me want to be a better friend to the world, and also to myself.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU'RE GONNA DIE ALONE (& OTHER EXCELLENT NEWS) spoke directly to my soul. I deeply connected and saw myself in the author is so many ways that I lost count of how many. I feel like calling it a book doesn't do it justice, as not only does it happen to have humor, essays, poetry, and self-help (there's a much better word out there to use than this one), but I found it very therapeutic, empowering and transformative to read. I love how the author demystifies so many limiting beliefs young women and women have about themselves, life, relationships, sex, gender, etc.

I believe this should be a mandatory reading for girls in school. It's profound, spiritual, and beautiful all at once. I so appreciate all the gold and wisdom the author freely shares with the world how to live in a peaceful, loving, and trusting way. Just a few messages to share (you'll just have to read the book to learn the rest) are how important it is to stop hiding ourselves in our fear, what others think of us in none of our business, and to start betting on ourselves.

I can't wait until this book comes out so I can buy a physical copy and the circle and highlight and star the shit out of this book. Thank you so much to the author for letting me into your world at a time when I needed to learn from you most. Much, much gratitude to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ I didn’t like it very much but it has some killer quotes. that’s kinda the redeeming quality of it. other than that it felt a little too “boss babe” for my personal taste. a lot of it made me cringe or roll my eyes. It was a bit exhausting and overdone. I felt like the proverbial dead horse being beaten over and over and over again.

if your title is “you’re gonna die alone” then I want the content to make it worth naming that. I don’t think this was and that annoys me.

[Kaylee Conover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Devrie is a good writer. This book just wasn't for me. I feel like writing this book was probably therapeutic for her, as if she were writing it for her younger self. I just didn't get much out of it. She gave lots of lessons she's learned without the stories behind them. She teases at lots of stories and I kept waiting for the funny or interesting anecdotes and tales of how she came to learn these lessons, but most of the time they were missing from the book. I think it would have made it more relatable if she told a story from her life first and then relayed what she learned from her experience. It also would have made for a more enjoyable read.

[Sam Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

STOP. This was so funny. I am so thankful to Blackstone Publishing, Devrie Donalson, and Libor.fm for granting me access to this hilariously crafted collection of prose, essays, and poetry that detail the unfortunate misgivings of being an awkward, likely neurodivergent woman, growing up and battling loss, growth, global pandemics, poverty, and other rites of passage.

[Amanda Belcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, like many others, discovered Devrie on tiktok mid-pandemic and her humor and storytelling made scrolling through her videos a bright part of my day. And many of them I would send to all the women I knew because she *got it*. So, I was hesitant to pick this one up because you know when you like a celebrity or influencer or comedian and then they write a book and you dislike it and it kinda ruins everything for you? I was afraid of that. I shouldn’t have been.

Devrie is every ounce as funny and wise in this book as the emotional support tiktokker I followed a few years ago. So many relatable things and funny stories, along with a lot of vulnerability and meditation on society and emotional growth. What a great book to start my year with.

[Joanna Amores · Rating 2 out of 5]

picked this up as a palette cleanser and the “fun” book of the month to juxtapose the philosophical/classical/anthropological line-up of books i tend to navigate through— overall, this book fell flat for me.

the synopsis was hopeful and promised some quirky anecdotes and chapters of lessons learned from the mid-twenties ‘coming-of-age’ era, and although, i found myself giggling at some pages while feeling sentimentality hit in some corners, the book dragged on for a bit (as in i put it down for a couple months out of boredom), abundant with repetition of well-intended sage wisdom bordering into cheesy territory. maybe if i read this in my preteen years, it would have been enjoyable at least. mais voilà

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This one blew me away. I identify with so many ideas, experiences, and feelings in this book, it’s almost like we share a heart. I’ve never felt that way while reading a book before. I will hold this one close for a long time to come.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

10,000 stars

[heather | booksbyheath]

I will probably never think about this book again

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the essays were long, and in my opinion would be more poinet a little shorter. Most of the poems WERE good. But it's relatable and charming.

[Emz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, I sobbed, felt incredibly seen and even inspired. An absolute delight of a book and I loved it from start to finish.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an old Gen X woman who is probably gonna die alone. I am in fact happy to be fabulously single. For real, have you looked around at most of the Gen X pickings. By now most of us have seen the Barbie movie. Until there really is a Black Woman president I don't see myself changing my outlook anytime soon.

With that out of the way I feel that I am not the right audience for this book. It's a little too whingey for me at times and I find the excessive use of footnotes annoying. I get that they are suppose to be fun but they would have been just as funny or interesting as part of the narrative.

This collection of short stories which range from quirky to emotional family drama will appeal to a younger generation than me. Especially people that are familiar with the author via her social media channel. For me it was mostly average.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're Gonna Die Alone (& Other Excellent News) by Devrie Donalson sends a call to a millennial audience that clearly states: you are not alone. Donalson gathers her readers ‘round to tell us stories that we were convinced only happened to us. From Beanie Babies, studying abroad, losing a grandparent to losing foundational friendships, Donalson conversationally and intimately writes in such a way that you could imagine each shouted from the rooftops or whispered to you at a party. The poems and essays are confessional, funny, and warm and all echo: omg, me too!


Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an e-ARC of this book!

[Alyssa Scheunemann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so disappointed because I wanted to love this book but it fell flat for me. The attempts at humor were just an over abundance of random analogies that eventually distracted from the point the author was trying to make. Also so many of the “let’s make the world a better place” felt more like let’s put down one group of people to make another one feel good or just regurgitate what everyone else says on the internet. But it’s okay cause I’m ~different~.

It would’ve been one star if not for the poetry which I enjoyed and a couple of chapters that I actually liked.

[Suzette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not the target audience. I would have entitled the book "The Essence of Narcissism," especially since the author is so entitled. I particularly like the illuminating exclamation "If I had known then what I know now." It will be interesting to see her take on that when she's in her 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s as I am. I'm sure that some Gen Z/Millennials will enjoy and benefit from the insights of their cohort.

[Gigi Ropp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a relatable read, but the humor felt overdone and too much in the newly popular “hey girl” type of humor.

[is there blood? · Rating 1 out of 5]

no blood. tl;dr a typical white woman who thinks she has something unique and important to say, when all she has is slop.

this is what i imagine when someone says memoirs arent interesting. its a white woman, dressing up her white guilt, in a cute little collection of stories and essays, spewing the most superficial "allyship" by name-dropping without any of the experience, hard work, or even scholarship to flesh it out well. its a joke to her. she cracks jokes at the most inopportune moments. she purports supporting women of color and "other" marginalized identities, but consistently falls short in her analysis.

poc and queer folk are constantly relegated to her footnotes so she can give herself a pass for whatever gender bioessentialist bullshit she's about to spew, all while unironically blasting terfs for a similar mindset. on the other side, acts as if men who are bothering her are simply a joke. never stopping to ask hersekf why she can laugh at him, all together omitting movements like MMIWC, which illustrates they are extremely dangerous to the rest of us. its abundantly clear, 40% into this book she doesnt have any personal friendships with the people in her footnotes. the people in her stories are presumably white or cis, and she gets to clock points with the ethereal "minority population" she doesnt actually interact with or give a shit about.

but thats ok right? she mentioned she had shortcomings of her own because she was raised more privileged than others at the very beginning, remember? she's just human, right folks? at the end of the day, she paints the walls landlord white using her "comedic" personality as a scapegoat. well, if youre gonna crack jokes, at least make them funny.

[Kelli Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my head, Devrie and I are friends. That’s how it feels after reading this book. So many relatable stories, so many motivating stories that just feel like your friend is hyping you up, or is giving you wisdom without realizing it. This book was a wonderful soul hug filled with what felt like a perfect amount of humor. Will definitely read again someday.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this!! This was so validating for the experience of being in your 20s! Some of the essays really gave me a new perspective and some were on topics I was already more familiar with. One thing this book excelled at is that it was laugh out loud funny which is really hard to do in a book!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this so badly but it fell flat for me. Too repetitive.

[Michalla]

Filled with relatable, witty, funny, and emotional essays. Like most with this format, you take what you need and leave what you don’t. There were a handful I really enjoyed, including the poem ”Unremarkable”

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 Such a gem collection of poetry, raw and relatable reflections, and sprinkles of humor. Her storytelling feels like a hug from a friend.

[Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels more like a long mutually therapeutic talk with a good friend than a book—in the best way. Oh, and Justice for pigeons.

[Amanda Renslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated Donalson's honesty, and several of her stories made me literally laugh out loud. Thanks to Libro.fm and their ALC program for the great listen!

[Holly Shacklett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. Lots of light. Lots of dark. Lots of giggles. Lots of really on point truth and wisdom.

[Jordan Sippel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like a gift, a hug, a therapy session, and a comedy show all in one. It’s undoubtably scary to share so much of yourself with the world, and DBD does it so incredibly well.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays & poems in I was crying with laughter a dash of sadness. Devrie immediately captured my attention with her storytelling. When someone can be vulnerable and then make it comedic… that’s where my humor enjoyment piques. I don’t even know if that makes sense but I really appreciate all that she shares and was completely invested in all the topics… I mean come on Furbies and Beanie Babies… yes please.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Devrie Brynn Donalson, although I now know that she has a huge social media following. I hadn’t been pining away for her book. I simply downloaded it because it was an ALC option for me from Libro.fm and it sounded like something I might enjoy. Then I promptly forgot about it.

This month, I was desperately searching for a book with an author with 3 names to fit a prompt on my BookishFirst bingo board. That was going to help me complete a line. Not wanting to add to my physical stack, I scrolled through my audiobook selection and stumbled upon this. That’s a good enough reason to start a book, isn’t it? Sure it is. That’s why I like doing these bingo boards. They always lead me to things I had overlooked for too long.

I really enjoyed You’re Gonna Die Alone (and Other Excellent News). I wouldn’t call it hilarious, but I did find it entertaining. I felt Donalson made a lot of interesting and thoughtful points in her essays. I may not agree with every single thing she shared, but I think I mostly did, and she succeeded in giving me a great deal to consider. Sometimes she even managed to make me tear up.

I will confess that the poetry wasn’t my favorite, though. I did not hate it but, early on in the book, Donalson made a big deal about how poetry haters have liked her poetry, and perhaps that created the wrong expectations in me. I thought that they were beautifully written, and I am definitely not a poetry hater. (I am a poetry writer so it would be weird for me to hate it.) I just gravitate toward poetry that hits hard emotionally. Unfortunately, hers did not do that for me.

So, Donalson is now one of my favorite essayists, but not one of my favorite poets, and that is okay.

I am immensely grateful to Libro.fm, Blackstone Publishing, and Devrie Brynn Donalson for my copy. All opinions are my own.