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Read This to Look Cool: Essays and Overthinkings
Not yet published
Expected 12 May 26This book won't fix you, but imagine how cool you'll look carrying it around…
Maeve Dunigan has poured a lifetime of effort into seeming effortlessly chill. The results have been… mixed. Nonetheless, Maeve still believes she's one pair of leather pants, one perfect use of the word "bespoke," and one jar of expensive olives away from self-actualization. She'll never stop trying, no matter how bespoke things get. (Nailed it!)
With razor-sharp wit and unflinching honesty, Maeve shares her own misadventures—like the time she quietly and painfully endured a ruptured appendix at McDonald's so she wouldn't come off as dramatic—and explores the universal desire to belong (along with the comedic pitfalls of trying to do so). She invites readers into her world of One Direction fanfiction authorship, passive-aggressive yogurt mind games, and the everyday anxieties that come with living in the age of constant visibility.
As cringe-inducing as it is uproarious, Read This to Look Cool is a deeply relatable testament to the hilarity and vulnerability of modern life and a meditation on the everyday absurdity inherent in the constant performance of ourselves, offering a fresh perspective on self-acceptance and the true meaning of cool.
Maeve Dunigan has poured a lifetime of effort into seeming effortlessly chill. The results have been… mixed. Nonetheless, Maeve still believes she's one pair of leather pants, one perfect use of the word "bespoke," and one jar of expensive olives away from self-actualization. She'll never stop trying, no matter how bespoke things get. (Nailed it!)
With razor-sharp wit and unflinching honesty, Maeve shares her own misadventures—like the time she quietly and painfully endured a ruptured appendix at McDonald's so she wouldn't come off as dramatic—and explores the universal desire to belong (along with the comedic pitfalls of trying to do so). She invites readers into her world of One Direction fanfiction authorship, passive-aggressive yogurt mind games, and the everyday anxieties that come with living in the age of constant visibility.
As cringe-inducing as it is uproarious, Read This to Look Cool is a deeply relatable testament to the hilarity and vulnerability of modern life and a meditation on the everyday absurdity inherent in the constant performance of ourselves, offering a fresh perspective on self-acceptance and the true meaning of cool.
- GenresNonfictionEssays
288 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 12, 2026
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78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 21, 2025
Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!
So many funny stories and takes on life from Maeve. Ups, downs, and cringe worthy moments. A few of my favorite stories were walking and sleeping off her ruptured appendix and eating a weed treat at a concert. Both of these were hilarious as she thinks she can overcome the pain or uncomfortableness until her close ones have to intervene to calm her nerves and ensure she is safe. This was a quick read and the author checks in throughout, it as though you are chatting with a friend.
So many funny stories and takes on life from Maeve. Ups, downs, and cringe worthy moments. A few of my favorite stories were walking and sleeping off her ruptured appendix and eating a weed treat at a concert. Both of these were hilarious as she thinks she can overcome the pain or uncomfortableness until her close ones have to intervene to calm her nerves and ensure she is safe. This was a quick read and the author checks in throughout, it as though you are chatting with a friend.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm a fan of Maeve's writing and comedy, so I was excited to see her book on NetGalley. This was funny! I appreciated the bite-size essays in between longer pieces; I think more essay collections should do that, because it really helped pace these out. It reminded me a lot of I MIGHT REGRET THIS by Abbi Jacobson and I will be recommending to fans of humor writing, as well as funny-essay-collection fans. My favorite essays: "Victoria's Secret", "A Story About a Cat Named Mr. Cat", and "What I Think Will Happen If I Learn to Do a Backflip".
Thanks to Sourcebooks via NetGalley for the eARC.
Thanks to Sourcebooks via NetGalley for the eARC.
October 28, 2025
ahhhh anticipating this release!!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews