What do you think?
Rate this book
Awkward.: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe?A Survival Guide
No One Is Safe from Awkward!
Ending a first date that falls flat. Drunk-texting your boss. Walking in when your roommate is getting it on. Running into the person you just dumped . . . in the grocery store, an hour after it went down.
Awkward bombs can drop anytime, anywhere, and with anyone—people you don’t know, people you see occasionally, and people you see every day. They can sneak up on you and explode in the most unexpected of places, so they’re basically impossible to avoid.
The vast majority of us don’t have the wherewithal to gracefully handle the truly and totally awkward as it unfolds. We only realize what we should have said after the fact—when the damage has already been done and we’re a hot mess of embarrassment, red ears, and nervous sweat stains. But author Sam Scholfield has survived more than two decades of embarrassing encounters—and now, in an act of extreme generosity, has set down a wealth of witty comebacks, surefire distraction techniques, and suave evasion strategies so that future generations may take heed and dodge the Awkward Monster before it strikes!
So how do you avoid the epic cluster of drama that can result when awkward situations are handled badly? You read this book.
Ending a first date that falls flat. Drunk-texting your boss. Walking in when your roommate is getting it on. Running into the person you just dumped . . . in the grocery store, an hour after it went down.
Awkward bombs can drop anytime, anywhere, and with anyone—people you don’t know, people you see occasionally, and people you see every day. They can sneak up on you and explode in the most unexpected of places, so they’re basically impossible to avoid.
The vast majority of us don’t have the wherewithal to gracefully handle the truly and totally awkward as it unfolds. We only realize what we should have said after the fact—when the damage has already been done and we’re a hot mess of embarrassment, red ears, and nervous sweat stains. But author Sam Scholfield has survived more than two decades of embarrassing encounters—and now, in an act of extreme generosity, has set down a wealth of witty comebacks, surefire distraction techniques, and suave evasion strategies so that future generations may take heed and dodge the Awkward Monster before it strikes!
So how do you avoid the epic cluster of drama that can result when awkward situations are handled badly? You read this book.
- GenresNonfictionSelf Help
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
9 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 22, 2012
I am by nature a very awkward person, so I was beyond excited to win an ARC of this through First Reads. And it's full of useful advice! For example:
* What to do if you change your Facebook relationship status and your new flame doesn't.
* How to handle the STD talk--I have one, I just found out I have one, you gave me one.
* When you say something snarky about a friend/coworker/family member and that person overhears it.
* How to handle communal fridge wars (this is one I particularly appreciated, since human decency seems to completely break down in the face of a shared refrigerator).
* When you are dating two or more girls at once and at #1's office holiday party you guys meet up with #2 (favorite hypothetical scenario: Neither girl cares, so "propose a threesome immediately. Opportunities like this don't come around every day.")
* How to let someone down on a first or second date when you realize there's no way it'll work out.
* What to do when you spill pinot on your girlfriend's parents' new white suede couch during your first Thanksgiving at their house ("look up 'how to remove red wine from a white suede couch' on your phone. Contemplate, while the answer is loading, whether or not you should be concerned that your girlfriend's parents just bought a white suede couch").
* What to do when someone confesses their love for you and says they'll hurt themselves if you don't reciprocate.
Scholfield also shares humorous awkward stories from herself and others. It was a fun read that had me laughing out loud quite a few times. Though she does make some tongue-in-cheek suggestions on how to deal with awkward situations, there are also many realistic and truly helpful ones and I imagine I'll be referencing this book many times in the years to come.
* What to do if you change your Facebook relationship status and your new flame doesn't.
* How to handle the STD talk--I have one, I just found out I have one, you gave me one.
* When you say something snarky about a friend/coworker/family member and that person overhears it.
* How to handle communal fridge wars (this is one I particularly appreciated, since human decency seems to completely break down in the face of a shared refrigerator).
* When you are dating two or more girls at once and at #1's office holiday party you guys meet up with #2 (favorite hypothetical scenario: Neither girl cares, so "propose a threesome immediately. Opportunities like this don't come around every day.")
* How to let someone down on a first or second date when you realize there's no way it'll work out.
* What to do when you spill pinot on your girlfriend's parents' new white suede couch during your first Thanksgiving at their house ("look up 'how to remove red wine from a white suede couch' on your phone. Contemplate, while the answer is loading, whether or not you should be concerned that your girlfriend's parents just bought a white suede couch").
* What to do when someone confesses their love for you and says they'll hurt themselves if you don't reciprocate.
Scholfield also shares humorous awkward stories from herself and others. It was a fun read that had me laughing out loud quite a few times. Though she does make some tongue-in-cheek suggestions on how to deal with awkward situations, there are also many realistic and truly helpful ones and I imagine I'll be referencing this book many times in the years to come.
November 8, 2012
Easily one of the funniest books I've read in awhile. Not only is it funny, but it has good, practical advice. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves in a lot of awkward moments or anyone who needs a good laugh.
May 24, 2019
Fun, but yes, cringey. After a while it got to be too much.
July 16, 2012
I received this book as part of the Good Reads First Reads program. Although some of the situations were directed for men, I felt the intended audience was primarily female. This came essentially from the language used and the majority of the situations didn't apply. I felt the author was trying too hard to be funny. I thought the book would have focused on real-life examples, but that was not the case -- that is not to say the situations posed were unrealistic. Sorry, just didn't resonate with me.
August 6, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I would rate this book 3 1/2 stars, but I'm not sure I would give it 4. It was amusing to read the situations and the non-recommended options for handling them.
My review disappeared when I tried to save it, so I'll see if this one stays and re-type a review later if it does.
My review disappeared when I tried to save it, so I'll see if this one stays and re-type a review later if it does.
April 11, 2015
Had the privilege of doing the illustrations for this wonderful book.
August 5, 2016
I especially liked the life stories.
December 6, 2014
Not a good read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews