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Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress
In this sharp and darkly funny new essay collection from the New York Times bestselling author, Cazzie David explores the irony and existential crises of leaving youth behind.
Beginning with her 29th birthday and ending with her 30th, Cazzie tries to mature in the span of one year. Along the way, she reflects on the delusions that laid waste to her twenties and reckons with their consequences now that the specter of a new decade is looming. Touching on everything from the pressure to find the "right" partner, dealing with the relentless grip of social media, and navigating body dysmorphic spirals, Delusions cuts through the noise, offering personal anecdotes, sharp cultural criticism, and witty, honest contemplations on the chaos of contemporary adulthood.
Beginning with her 29th birthday and ending with her 30th, Cazzie tries to mature in the span of one year. Along the way, she reflects on the delusions that laid waste to her twenties and reckons with their consequences now that the specter of a new decade is looming. Touching on everything from the pressure to find the "right" partner, dealing with the relentless grip of social media, and navigating body dysmorphic spirals, Delusions cuts through the noise, offering personal anecdotes, sharp cultural criticism, and witty, honest contemplations on the chaos of contemporary adulthood.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published March 3, 2026
145 people are currently reading
8900 people want to read
About the author
Cazzie David
2 books149 followersCazzie David is an American writer, actress and director, known for her work on Half-Empty (2019), CollegeHumor Originals (2006), and the web series Eighty-Sixed (2017). She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
November 13, 2025
ARC review—
I had no idea who Cazzie David was before picking up this book, and given that a blurb on the back references her father, decided not to learn until after reading and reviewing. Which is to say: perhaps knowing who Cazzie David is would change the reading experience, because I didn’t find this book particularly interesting. A surface-level retelling of the last year of her twenties, a year she spent depressed and not trying particularly hard not to be, so self-deprecating that it made me wonder why bother writing a book in the first place if you don’t think your reader should listen to you. Not an all-together *bad* book, just one that says nothing new in a not-too-distinctive narrative voice.
I had no idea who Cazzie David was before picking up this book, and given that a blurb on the back references her father, decided not to learn until after reading and reviewing. Which is to say: perhaps knowing who Cazzie David is would change the reading experience, because I didn’t find this book particularly interesting. A surface-level retelling of the last year of her twenties, a year she spent depressed and not trying particularly hard not to be, so self-deprecating that it made me wonder why bother writing a book in the first place if you don’t think your reader should listen to you. Not an all-together *bad* book, just one that says nothing new in a not-too-distinctive narrative voice.
March 9, 2026
a guilty pleasure read for those so privileged that the worst it gets for them is neurosis. as one, I loved it.
February 16, 2026
As someone who turns 30 this year, this book caught my eye. Cazzie David shares essays about leading up to the last year of her 30s and the last year of her 30s. Though we live different lives and are at different stages in our lives, the feeling of 30 can be fun, but overwhelming, so some of her thoughts were relatable! I thought that she narrates leading up to turning 30 in a very funny but natural way. Whether you're trying all of the wellness trends (rice hair masks, not using your phone as soon as you wake up, red light therapy, etc.) or having an existential crisis that you're going to die with all of the toxins in the world, this book of essays really dives into this. I know essays aren't always for everyone, but I really enjoyed this one. I'd deff look into her other book of essays, too.
Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!
Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!
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December 10, 2025This was a fascinating read for me as a so-called "elder Millennial" because David seems to represent the voice of my generation's youngest. The Millennial generation feels like two sides of a coin, with half of us graduating college before we got our first smartphone and the other half entering high school in the early days of social media. Much of David's writing is a reflection of this ingrained obsession with the world inside her phone.
It's also a reflection of what it means to have come of age post-2008. I think a lot of readers who entered the adult world before this will roll their eyes at David's neuroses, her compulsion to overthink her life and choices, her struggles to come into her own despite (or maybe in part because of) the immense privilege she has. This eyeroll reflex is what inspired me to pick up Delusions, as someone who was already married with a child by David's age (29). What does the world look like through the eyes of someone who took more time, who had to figure out less at a young age but who now holds themselves to a standard of Someone Who Should Be Able to Figure Things Out?
David is unflinchingly self-aware and vulnerable on the page, often sharing a version of herself she knows is unflattering. While older people may indeed roll their eyes, this kind of confessional writing style also draws the reader in. I couldn't help but root for her and hope she succeeded in setting down her phone and seeing how many people love her for the messy human she is IRL. Also, unsurprisingly, David has a knack for making life's messes *funny*.
My favorite parts of this book were David's interactions with her sister, Romy. Readers learn perhaps the most about a character by watching them interact with others. Romy and Cazzie are very different people, and this gives ample opportunity for comedy but also for grounding in reality. I have a sister myself and it's interesting to observe the neuroses we have in common -- and thus can blame on our family or genetics or surroundings -- versus the ways in which we differ, which says something about us as individuals outside of our family system. Likewise, Romy gives us a foil. Seeing her and Cazzie together allows us to decide how reliable we feel Cazzie is as a narrator, and how much we should or shouldn't let her off the hook.
This effect is likewise strong at the end of the book, where we see Cazzie's experience of her thirtieth birthday party but also hear what others say about how they remember the same party. In a way this feels reassuring: yes, it's easy to get way deep in our own heads, but reality is probably kinder than we think.
It's also a reflection of what it means to have come of age post-2008. I think a lot of readers who entered the adult world before this will roll their eyes at David's neuroses, her compulsion to overthink her life and choices, her struggles to come into her own despite (or maybe in part because of) the immense privilege she has. This eyeroll reflex is what inspired me to pick up Delusions, as someone who was already married with a child by David's age (29). What does the world look like through the eyes of someone who took more time, who had to figure out less at a young age but who now holds themselves to a standard of Someone Who Should Be Able to Figure Things Out?
David is unflinchingly self-aware and vulnerable on the page, often sharing a version of herself she knows is unflattering. While older people may indeed roll their eyes, this kind of confessional writing style also draws the reader in. I couldn't help but root for her and hope she succeeded in setting down her phone and seeing how many people love her for the messy human she is IRL. Also, unsurprisingly, David has a knack for making life's messes *funny*.
My favorite parts of this book were David's interactions with her sister, Romy. Readers learn perhaps the most about a character by watching them interact with others. Romy and Cazzie are very different people, and this gives ample opportunity for comedy but also for grounding in reality. I have a sister myself and it's interesting to observe the neuroses we have in common -- and thus can blame on our family or genetics or surroundings -- versus the ways in which we differ, which says something about us as individuals outside of our family system. Likewise, Romy gives us a foil. Seeing her and Cazzie together allows us to decide how reliable we feel Cazzie is as a narrator, and how much we should or shouldn't let her off the hook.
This effect is likewise strong at the end of the book, where we see Cazzie's experience of her thirtieth birthday party but also hear what others say about how they remember the same party. In a way this feels reassuring: yes, it's easy to get way deep in our own heads, but reality is probably kinder than we think.
March 7, 2026
Between this and Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA, I’ve never been happier to be an elder millennial and not whatever insufferable personality seems to be a prerequisite for the younger millennial influencers.
Giving this 2 stars for the sheer fact it made me delete TikTok so I can further avoid this type of person.
Giving this 2 stars for the sheer fact it made me delete TikTok so I can further avoid this type of person.
March 3, 2026
Thank you Goodreads for selecting me as one of the winners to read this book before its release…however my opinion of this book is that it shouldn’t be released. The storyline actually made me dizzy & unsettled.
March 3, 2026
There are some relatable parts to this book, and some very un-relatable parts. Cazzie suffers from a myriad of mental health issues, which she talks about throughout the book. There's depression, panic attacks, anxiety, and they're all laid out pretty bare. Her descriptions can be relatable for anyone who has suffered from any of these. The problem is, she doesn't seem to want to do anything about it.
The book mainly focuses on the year before her 30th birthday and all the anxiety this brings. She struggles with entering a new decade while feeling she has nothing to show for it, and feels like the clock is ticking. This part I get - I recently turned 40 and have felt a lot of the same. I don't have a lot of the typical things to show for my life, like a husband and kids, but I do have other things. It's getting over that societal expectation that can be hard. You feel like people wonder why you don't have these things and what's wrong with you that you don't. You have to realize that life isn't the same for everyone and there isn't a certain age at which you have to attain certain things.
Here's where the problem lies - while I had those struggles with expectations, along with some depression, I actively worked to overcome them. It feels like Cazzie never really tries to work through her issues, nor does she want to. It's a constant stream of doom and gloom with no light at the end of the tunnel, with a side of privilege. I don't think she flaunts her privilege a ton, but it is definitely still there. You can see this on display as she talks about the depression she has over a guy she only sees during the summer, which happens to be on Martha's Vineyard, where there is nothing going on except dinner parties and lounging around. It is hard to relate to someone who has had everything handed to them on a silver platter, though I feel she is more relatable than some. Those parts come through when she is talking about the more mundane parts, like the interactions with her sister or the dread she feels over being thrown a birthday party. The other problem is the repetition. There is so much of it that it's easy to feel your attention drifting. It's like random diary entries were thrown in with no editing at all. While this can make it feel more real, it can also be distracting,
I do think this was mostly enjoyable, mainly because I could connect with the anxieties over age and societal norms. Other people, especially women about to enter a new decade, will probably relate to these same things.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The book mainly focuses on the year before her 30th birthday and all the anxiety this brings. She struggles with entering a new decade while feeling she has nothing to show for it, and feels like the clock is ticking. This part I get - I recently turned 40 and have felt a lot of the same. I don't have a lot of the typical things to show for my life, like a husband and kids, but I do have other things. It's getting over that societal expectation that can be hard. You feel like people wonder why you don't have these things and what's wrong with you that you don't. You have to realize that life isn't the same for everyone and there isn't a certain age at which you have to attain certain things.
Here's where the problem lies - while I had those struggles with expectations, along with some depression, I actively worked to overcome them. It feels like Cazzie never really tries to work through her issues, nor does she want to. It's a constant stream of doom and gloom with no light at the end of the tunnel, with a side of privilege. I don't think she flaunts her privilege a ton, but it is definitely still there. You can see this on display as she talks about the depression she has over a guy she only sees during the summer, which happens to be on Martha's Vineyard, where there is nothing going on except dinner parties and lounging around. It is hard to relate to someone who has had everything handed to them on a silver platter, though I feel she is more relatable than some. Those parts come through when she is talking about the more mundane parts, like the interactions with her sister or the dread she feels over being thrown a birthday party. The other problem is the repetition. There is so much of it that it's easy to feel your attention drifting. It's like random diary entries were thrown in with no editing at all. While this can make it feel more real, it can also be distracting,
I do think this was mostly enjoyable, mainly because I could connect with the anxieties over age and societal norms. Other people, especially women about to enter a new decade, will probably relate to these same things.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2026
An insightful and lightly humorous collection of introspective essays from the talented Cazzie David.
As an elder millennial I was surprised to see so much awareness of mortality and trepidation about aging from someone about to turn 30. These things didn’t much occur to me at that age despite being fairly introspective myself. I’m left wondering if there has been a generational shift in thinking in this way, or if it’s just where David’s mind is specifically.
She’s consistently funny without ever being too much, and deeply self-deprecating in a way that feels humble if not entirely honest. Me thinks the lady doth protest too much at times, and my lone gripe with this was the too-common tendency to represent normal if strong and deep emotions as mental illness.
Still, she raises a lot of interesting points (especially about the consequences of living inside one’s phone), and though I expect she might (somewhat disingenuously) demur, she’s a pleasure to spend time with.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
As an elder millennial I was surprised to see so much awareness of mortality and trepidation about aging from someone about to turn 30. These things didn’t much occur to me at that age despite being fairly introspective myself. I’m left wondering if there has been a generational shift in thinking in this way, or if it’s just where David’s mind is specifically.
She’s consistently funny without ever being too much, and deeply self-deprecating in a way that feels humble if not entirely honest. Me thinks the lady doth protest too much at times, and my lone gripe with this was the too-common tendency to represent normal if strong and deep emotions as mental illness.
Still, she raises a lot of interesting points (especially about the consequences of living inside one’s phone), and though I expect she might (somewhat disingenuously) demur, she’s a pleasure to spend time with.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
March 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Cazzie David for giving me access to this eARC!
Should I admit that this was an extremely relatable book for me? Well I'm going to. This collection of essays enters the mind of Cazzie David as she advances towards her 30th birthday. She tackles subjects such as body dysmorphia, ending relationships (and maintaining doomed situationships), throwing parties as a depressed introvert, and her dad's mortality. I think it must be said, these are ALL things I have faced as a now 34 year old woman with a severe (medicated) anxiety disorder. Her neuroses felt so akin to mine, at times it felt like reading my own thoughts. I think so many of us write and say what we think other people want to hear and so when we read something really honest and self-deprecating, our first thought is to scoff it off. I love the honest though, I want to know that there are people out there who feel the way I do (or worse) and that we haven't fully become filler-laden robots. I just loved David's stream of consciousness. I would love to pick up another collection that details her journey to 40 because I am sure it will be just as funny and real.
For me, a four star read and can't wait for more!
Should I admit that this was an extremely relatable book for me? Well I'm going to. This collection of essays enters the mind of Cazzie David as she advances towards her 30th birthday. She tackles subjects such as body dysmorphia, ending relationships (and maintaining doomed situationships), throwing parties as a depressed introvert, and her dad's mortality. I think it must be said, these are ALL things I have faced as a now 34 year old woman with a severe (medicated) anxiety disorder. Her neuroses felt so akin to mine, at times it felt like reading my own thoughts. I think so many of us write and say what we think other people want to hear and so when we read something really honest and self-deprecating, our first thought is to scoff it off. I love the honest though, I want to know that there are people out there who feel the way I do (or worse) and that we haven't fully become filler-laden robots. I just loved David's stream of consciousness. I would love to pick up another collection that details her journey to 40 because I am sure it will be just as funny and real.
For me, a four star read and can't wait for more!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I wasn't familiar with David prior to this, but the description and cover caught my eye and despite the fact that I am resoundingly older than her target demographic (and can barely remember turning 30 from the lofty vantage point of two decades plus later), the brief blurbs I sampled from her previous book led me to think that I would enjoy her essays and perspectives the same way I did those of Jia Tolentino. While I don't get everything the 20-somethings talk about, having grown up in a very different world, clever writing and insightful observations are generally relatable so I went in with cautious optimism.
Unfortunately, I probably should have stuck with the blurb and excerpt reading rather than trying the entire book, because what I found enjoyable in short bursts was slightly less so over the long haul. I found the repeated use of multiple exclamation marks and abundance of capitalization to feel like I was being yelled at - and often about fairly banal things that I couldn't relate to. I also felt like the writing was pretty repetitive. There were insightful observations and there was clever writing - unfortunately they felt layered on top of one another, as well as on top of less insightful and less clever tidbits, and navigating those layers wore me down.
At the end of the day this one just wasn't for me...
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Unfortunately, I probably should have stuck with the blurb and excerpt reading rather than trying the entire book, because what I found enjoyable in short bursts was slightly less so over the long haul. I found the repeated use of multiple exclamation marks and abundance of capitalization to feel like I was being yelled at - and often about fairly banal things that I couldn't relate to. I also felt like the writing was pretty repetitive. There were insightful observations and there was clever writing - unfortunately they felt layered on top of one another, as well as on top of less insightful and less clever tidbits, and navigating those layers wore me down.
At the end of the day this one just wasn't for me...
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
January 28, 2026
Delusions by Cazzie David worked for me largely because I could relate to her self-deprecating, overly analytical sense of humor. She makes the kind of comical and anxiety-filled observations that mostly stay in your head while you smile on the outside because you’re a people pleaser. There were many moments that made me feel genuinely seen.
I am in my late 30s now, well past the 25–30 phase where dating, body image, and romantic uncertainty feel all-consuming. Still, I could clearly remember those emotions from that time in my life, which made her experiences resonate. I think her reflections will especially connect with women navigating a quarter-life crisis or the feeling of falling behind while everyone else seems to be moving forward.
The only point where the narrative dragged for me was in the middle, when she goes into extensive detail about her obsession with beauty products and beauty practices. That section felt a bit alienating, particularly as a non-celebrity reader without access to these types of self-care practices.
That said, she had me laughing throughout, and the book left me curious to pick up her first memoir. As Cazzie explains in the introduction, this book isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. She’s aware that she can come off as unhinged, but that’s the point. The writing style mirrors the mental spirals that come from feeling left behind as the people around you fall in love, get married, and have children.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
I am in my late 30s now, well past the 25–30 phase where dating, body image, and romantic uncertainty feel all-consuming. Still, I could clearly remember those emotions from that time in my life, which made her experiences resonate. I think her reflections will especially connect with women navigating a quarter-life crisis or the feeling of falling behind while everyone else seems to be moving forward.
The only point where the narrative dragged for me was in the middle, when she goes into extensive detail about her obsession with beauty products and beauty practices. That section felt a bit alienating, particularly as a non-celebrity reader without access to these types of self-care practices.
That said, she had me laughing throughout, and the book left me curious to pick up her first memoir. As Cazzie explains in the introduction, this book isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. She’s aware that she can come off as unhinged, but that’s the point. The writing style mirrors the mental spirals that come from feeling left behind as the people around you fall in love, get married, and have children.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Reading Delusions feels like being trapped in a group chat with one friend who can’t stop doom-spiraling about turning 30, except that friend is whip-smart, weirdly hot, and somehow still relatable even while spiraling in a literal mansion. Cazzie David is back, baby, and she brought her usual trifecta of anxiety, self-loathing, and that extremely specific brand of millennial dread that smells like leftover Sweetgreen and screen time guilt. And listen, I like Cazzie. I wanted to love this. But about halfway through, I realized I was holding my breath waiting for the punchline... and then it never really landed.
This book is peak “I’m self-aware about my privilege, but let me keep talking about it just in case you forgot how self-aware I am.” Which is fine! I will absolutely listen to a pretty, privileged, deeply anxious woman dissect her childhood trauma through the lens of her nose job and overactive Notes app. It’s just that sometimes, reading this felt like scrolling through someone’s very clever Instagram caption that kept going for 13 paragraphs. Like yes, queen, I do fear being alone forever and also think everyone hates me, but do we need to circle the airport for this long before landing?
There are real gems in here, moments that cracked me up and then sucker-punched me with unexpected sincerity. Her relationship with her sister Romy? Hilarious and grounded and deeply human. Her take on being a “nepo baby” with actual clinical depression? Oddly refreshing. Her birthday party anxiety spiral? Been there, cried in the bathroom during that. Cazzie is at her best when she’s bouncing her neuroses off the real people in her life instead of just speed-running through her inner monologue like a voice memo no one asked for.
But the structure? Oof. Imagine a really well-written diary entry that no one edited and someone just put a cute cover on. There were entire essays where I genuinely could not remember if I’d already read that story earlier in the book or if my brain was short-circuiting from how many times we revisited her nose trauma. I GET IT. Your mirror is a war zone. Same. But I needed someone to Marie Kondo this content, because the repetition started to feel less “relatable chaos” and more “is this just anxiety in paragraph form?”
Still, there’s a reason I gave this three stars instead of rage-quitting around essay five. Cazzie is funny. She nails that millennial existential panic in a way that’s both eye-roll inducing and painfully accurate. And when she lets herself soften, just a little, there’s something really moving underneath all the performative overthinking. You can tell she’s trying, really trying, to turn all this self-obsession into connection. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it reads like a Tumblr post with a better vocabulary. But I didn’t regret the read.
Would I recommend this to someone spiraling about turning 30? Absolutely. Would I read her next book? Probably, because I hate myself a little and love watching someone else dissect their flaws with a scalpel and a punchline. Just maybe with a drink in hand and a low bar for structure.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to spiral alongside a much cooler neurotic mess than I’ll ever be.
This book is peak “I’m self-aware about my privilege, but let me keep talking about it just in case you forgot how self-aware I am.” Which is fine! I will absolutely listen to a pretty, privileged, deeply anxious woman dissect her childhood trauma through the lens of her nose job and overactive Notes app. It’s just that sometimes, reading this felt like scrolling through someone’s very clever Instagram caption that kept going for 13 paragraphs. Like yes, queen, I do fear being alone forever and also think everyone hates me, but do we need to circle the airport for this long before landing?
There are real gems in here, moments that cracked me up and then sucker-punched me with unexpected sincerity. Her relationship with her sister Romy? Hilarious and grounded and deeply human. Her take on being a “nepo baby” with actual clinical depression? Oddly refreshing. Her birthday party anxiety spiral? Been there, cried in the bathroom during that. Cazzie is at her best when she’s bouncing her neuroses off the real people in her life instead of just speed-running through her inner monologue like a voice memo no one asked for.
But the structure? Oof. Imagine a really well-written diary entry that no one edited and someone just put a cute cover on. There were entire essays where I genuinely could not remember if I’d already read that story earlier in the book or if my brain was short-circuiting from how many times we revisited her nose trauma. I GET IT. Your mirror is a war zone. Same. But I needed someone to Marie Kondo this content, because the repetition started to feel less “relatable chaos” and more “is this just anxiety in paragraph form?”
Still, there’s a reason I gave this three stars instead of rage-quitting around essay five. Cazzie is funny. She nails that millennial existential panic in a way that’s both eye-roll inducing and painfully accurate. And when she lets herself soften, just a little, there’s something really moving underneath all the performative overthinking. You can tell she’s trying, really trying, to turn all this self-obsession into connection. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it reads like a Tumblr post with a better vocabulary. But I didn’t regret the read.
Would I recommend this to someone spiraling about turning 30? Absolutely. Would I read her next book? Probably, because I hate myself a little and love watching someone else dissect their flaws with a scalpel and a punchline. Just maybe with a drink in hand and a low bar for structure.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to spiral alongside a much cooler neurotic mess than I’ll ever be.
December 5, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Cazzie David’s Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress is a sophomore shrug of a book, completely disinterested in being anything other than overwrought, overwritten, and overwhelming.
Maybe it’s because many of David’s delusions are my own, and we are exactly the same age, but I think this reflection on aging is quite good, even though almost every possible critique of it seems fair. It’s filled with deeply insular writing that’s guaranteed to frustrate anybody outside of David’s immediate demographic. For those in it, however, we might have a new patron saint.
Delusions is aggressively millennial, and that makes it a fascinating read. So much of what the author explores here is a product of the extended adolescence that our generation stumbles through—trying to fit new experiences into the antiquated categories of our parents and grandparents. She often sounds very privileged, but mostly in the way that all millennials are privileged. We were given all the resources to prepare for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. As such, David seems frustrated above all else, and if the writing feels circuitous, it’s only because there’s nowhere for her feelings to go.
Even though I like the book as a whole, it does overstay its welcome. Delusions is written like your best friend’s blog, but it isn’t as fun to read the gossipy, turned-up-to-eleven freneticism when it comes from a stranger. There are too many meaningless details and digressions, and while those would be endearing in “real life” contexts (or in an audiobook), they start to feel grating by the last essay. David might be well-read and thoughtful, but she is perhaps too adherent to Nora Ephron’s idea that it’s better to make a fool of yourself than let somebody else do it for you. Unfortunately, it often reads like another figure from the millennial canon:
Overall, though, Delusions is solid. It’s a lot smarter than many essay collections, and Cazzie David writes like a writer, not like a celebrity who wants to publish something. I personally wish the book had a tighter edit, but I think its excess is a feature as much as a frustration. There’s something cathartic about seeing my millennial lexicon be exercised and exorcised in equal measure, and I have a lot of respect for an author so committed to the bit.
Cazzie David’s Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress is a sophomore shrug of a book, completely disinterested in being anything other than overwrought, overwritten, and overwhelming.
Maybe it’s because many of David’s delusions are my own, and we are exactly the same age, but I think this reflection on aging is quite good, even though almost every possible critique of it seems fair. It’s filled with deeply insular writing that’s guaranteed to frustrate anybody outside of David’s immediate demographic. For those in it, however, we might have a new patron saint.
Delusions is aggressively millennial, and that makes it a fascinating read. So much of what the author explores here is a product of the extended adolescence that our generation stumbles through—trying to fit new experiences into the antiquated categories of our parents and grandparents. She often sounds very privileged, but mostly in the way that all millennials are privileged. We were given all the resources to prepare for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. As such, David seems frustrated above all else, and if the writing feels circuitous, it’s only because there’s nowhere for her feelings to go.
Even though I like the book as a whole, it does overstay its welcome. Delusions is written like your best friend’s blog, but it isn’t as fun to read the gossipy, turned-up-to-eleven freneticism when it comes from a stranger. There are too many meaningless details and digressions, and while those would be endearing in “real life” contexts (or in an audiobook), they start to feel grating by the last essay. David might be well-read and thoughtful, but she is perhaps too adherent to Nora Ephron’s idea that it’s better to make a fool of yourself than let somebody else do it for you. Unfortunately, it often reads like another figure from the millennial canon:
Overall, though, Delusions is solid. It’s a lot smarter than many essay collections, and Cazzie David writes like a writer, not like a celebrity who wants to publish something. I personally wish the book had a tighter edit, but I think its excess is a feature as much as a frustration. There’s something cathartic about seeing my millennial lexicon be exercised and exorcised in equal measure, and I have a lot of respect for an author so committed to the bit.
December 22, 2025
Delusions, by Cazzie David, is another collection of essays about her depression and anxiety, this time centered around turning 30.
Like her last collection of essays, this one is very hit or miss for me. Usually, when talking about a collection of essays, hit or miss would mean that some of them worked for me and some didn't. This one is a little different. Each essay had some interesting and relatable observations and feelings (yes, for those of you who have to claim some generation to wear as a badge of honor, even an old person can relate to much of what is here), what brings it down for me is that it just went on and on, finding various ways to try to milk the same point.
On the topic of relatability, unless you seriously believe any generation is somehow more or less human, it isn't limited to a generation. News flash: we're all human beings and the anxieties and especially the depression (I speak from experience on this one) have commonalities across generations. My issue isn't with relating to the human writing the book and living these experiences, it is with the unnecessary padding of most of the essays. The point was often both humorous and poignant, often through the first few ways she expresses it in the essay, but it just goes on and on, new ways of saying the same thing. Tighten up the writing and this would have been a lot more appealing to me.
The relatability as well as the authorial voice help to keep this in the positive for me, and I'm sure there will be plenty of readers who like the aspects I found less appealing. I won't limit who I think will enjoy this book to just some imaginary group of people who happen to have been born around the same time. Yes, they will likely relate to some of the specifics David talks about, but the human aspect crosses these so-called generational lines. So don't let the preening and prancing of the "target readership" keep you from reading the book if you happen to be older or younger. If you're capable of empathy and have perhaps experienced periods of anxiety or, like me, lifelong depression, you will find plenty to appreciate here.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Like her last collection of essays, this one is very hit or miss for me. Usually, when talking about a collection of essays, hit or miss would mean that some of them worked for me and some didn't. This one is a little different. Each essay had some interesting and relatable observations and feelings (yes, for those of you who have to claim some generation to wear as a badge of honor, even an old person can relate to much of what is here), what brings it down for me is that it just went on and on, finding various ways to try to milk the same point.
On the topic of relatability, unless you seriously believe any generation is somehow more or less human, it isn't limited to a generation. News flash: we're all human beings and the anxieties and especially the depression (I speak from experience on this one) have commonalities across generations. My issue isn't with relating to the human writing the book and living these experiences, it is with the unnecessary padding of most of the essays. The point was often both humorous and poignant, often through the first few ways she expresses it in the essay, but it just goes on and on, new ways of saying the same thing. Tighten up the writing and this would have been a lot more appealing to me.
The relatability as well as the authorial voice help to keep this in the positive for me, and I'm sure there will be plenty of readers who like the aspects I found less appealing. I won't limit who I think will enjoy this book to just some imaginary group of people who happen to have been born around the same time. Yes, they will likely relate to some of the specifics David talks about, but the human aspect crosses these so-called generational lines. So don't let the preening and prancing of the "target readership" keep you from reading the book if you happen to be older or younger. If you're capable of empathy and have perhaps experienced periods of anxiety or, like me, lifelong depression, you will find plenty to appreciate here.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
February 14, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Delusions, dripping in self-indulgent white woman malaise. There, I fixed the title.
Someone please rip the phone out of this woman’s hand. Cazzie, if you’re reading this, and you seem like the type of author who reads reviews, put the phone down.
I wanted to like this book. But like the author’s ex-boyfriend allegedly said, it’s hard to feel bad for a privileged white woman.
She keeps reminding the reader she’s rich. I had to look her up. She’s the daughter of an actor I kind of know.
“I’m sad, but at least I’m rich” is the underlying sentiment of these essays.
Each essay reads like a master class for white women in their late twenties and early thirties on how to mine sadness and distress out of extreme privilege.
I understand that she’s “delusional,” and that the book is supposed to be dark humor mixed with satire. It misses the mark. It’s not even in the stadium. It’s in the coffee shop down the street staring out the window, forgetting the game is happening. The mark is the furthest thing from this book’s theoretical mind.
I wanted to shake the writer and tell her to get a grip. She needed TikTok banned, time in the sun, and an education on actual issues in society. It felt like listening to any white woman over thirty who still treats her depression like a personality trait.
Normally, I hate making a book about the author. But this is a collection of personal essays.
Who do I recommend this for? The self-indulgent rich set. Nepo babies who lost their anti-anxiety meds. Hailey Bieber. Taylor Swift. Any Swiftie who thinks Life Is a Showgirl is a good album. Drake fans. Haters.
One star. I do not recommend this book.
Delusions, dripping in self-indulgent white woman malaise. There, I fixed the title.
Someone please rip the phone out of this woman’s hand. Cazzie, if you’re reading this, and you seem like the type of author who reads reviews, put the phone down.
I wanted to like this book. But like the author’s ex-boyfriend allegedly said, it’s hard to feel bad for a privileged white woman.
She keeps reminding the reader she’s rich. I had to look her up. She’s the daughter of an actor I kind of know.
“I’m sad, but at least I’m rich” is the underlying sentiment of these essays.
Each essay reads like a master class for white women in their late twenties and early thirties on how to mine sadness and distress out of extreme privilege.
I understand that she’s “delusional,” and that the book is supposed to be dark humor mixed with satire. It misses the mark. It’s not even in the stadium. It’s in the coffee shop down the street staring out the window, forgetting the game is happening. The mark is the furthest thing from this book’s theoretical mind.
I wanted to shake the writer and tell her to get a grip. She needed TikTok banned, time in the sun, and an education on actual issues in society. It felt like listening to any white woman over thirty who still treats her depression like a personality trait.
Normally, I hate making a book about the author. But this is a collection of personal essays.
Who do I recommend this for? The self-indulgent rich set. Nepo babies who lost their anti-anxiety meds. Hailey Bieber. Taylor Swift. Any Swiftie who thinks Life Is a Showgirl is a good album. Drake fans. Haters.
One star. I do not recommend this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really loved this. I definitely think this is one for the girls, and men may not get it. As women and girls, we are told through various forms of media that turning 30 is bad, it's something to be afraid of, and we should dread it because that's when we begin to expire.
For many women, life doesn't even start until after 30, but so many women are afraid to age. This obsession with having to look young in order to feel young, and defying the natural process of aging, is crazy. From skincare to diets to complete facelifts and way too much botox, women are constantly chasing the fountain of youth instead of just accepting that aging is part of life and we should spend less time trying to escape it and we should just embrace it and chase youth through our minds and actions rather than our faces. This book really painted that picture for me. We have the power to change the narrative. After all, what good is a facelift going to do at 60 of you have the liver of an alcoholic and the heart and lungs of a chainsmoker?
Also, Cazzie brings up the ever-changing diets and fads that are constantly proven to be unhealthy or not as healthy as something else, so we drop one and move to the next trend. Everything we put into our bodies is going to be unhealthy to some degree, whether large or miniscule. The air we breathe and the water we drink are already not completely safe. Why waste so much of your life worrying about it when it's just going to drive you insane and consume your mental health?
We're all guilty, to some extent, of developing compulsions that make us check ingredients, count calories, jump on the latest health and beauty trends... We need to spend more time enjoying life and not trying to chase perfection.
For many women, life doesn't even start until after 30, but so many women are afraid to age. This obsession with having to look young in order to feel young, and defying the natural process of aging, is crazy. From skincare to diets to complete facelifts and way too much botox, women are constantly chasing the fountain of youth instead of just accepting that aging is part of life and we should spend less time trying to escape it and we should just embrace it and chase youth through our minds and actions rather than our faces. This book really painted that picture for me. We have the power to change the narrative. After all, what good is a facelift going to do at 60 of you have the liver of an alcoholic and the heart and lungs of a chainsmoker?
Also, Cazzie brings up the ever-changing diets and fads that are constantly proven to be unhealthy or not as healthy as something else, so we drop one and move to the next trend. Everything we put into our bodies is going to be unhealthy to some degree, whether large or miniscule. The air we breathe and the water we drink are already not completely safe. Why waste so much of your life worrying about it when it's just going to drive you insane and consume your mental health?
We're all guilty, to some extent, of developing compulsions that make us check ingredients, count calories, jump on the latest health and beauty trends... We need to spend more time enjoying life and not trying to chase perfection.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was so shockingly bad. It further emphasizes that I should NOT be impulse-requesting books on NetGalley based on the blurb.
I don't know who Cazzie David is. I don't care. I'm 26 and thought it could be interesting to read a collection of essays about frantically trying to get your shit together in the last year of your 20s. I thought it would be funny, maybe with some good insights, but at least a good time. Boy was I wrong. The entire book is just nonstop whining, oh my god. I needed her to pull her head out of her ass and just get it together for five minutes. I knew things weren't gonna be good when she used Google AI as a source. (As the kids say nowadays, we are well and truly cooked.) Look, I am neurotic. I get self-conscious and anxious. But this book is filled with a stream-of-consciousness style of writing that paints SUCH an unflattering picture of the author. She hates her friends, she hates her family, she hates her partners, she hates herself, she hates EVERYTHING, but she never does anything about any of it. Also if you have any body dysmorphia or ED triggers, DEFINITELY skip this one. There is one chapter in particular where I started to feel so self-conscious about my body that I had to put it down. I understand it was all to prove a point about how we can start spiraling and comparing based on arbitrary parts of our appearance we didn't even know to care about until someone on the internet told us to, but you didn't have to make your own audience feel that way to illustrate the point. Overall, this just pissed me off with how bad it was and how I had to sink so much time into it. I would have DNF'd if I wasn't reading it for NetGalley.
**I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I don't know who Cazzie David is. I don't care. I'm 26 and thought it could be interesting to read a collection of essays about frantically trying to get your shit together in the last year of your 20s. I thought it would be funny, maybe with some good insights, but at least a good time. Boy was I wrong. The entire book is just nonstop whining, oh my god. I needed her to pull her head out of her ass and just get it together for five minutes. I knew things weren't gonna be good when she used Google AI as a source. (As the kids say nowadays, we are well and truly cooked.) Look, I am neurotic. I get self-conscious and anxious. But this book is filled with a stream-of-consciousness style of writing that paints SUCH an unflattering picture of the author. She hates her friends, she hates her family, she hates her partners, she hates herself, she hates EVERYTHING, but she never does anything about any of it. Also if you have any body dysmorphia or ED triggers, DEFINITELY skip this one. There is one chapter in particular where I started to feel so self-conscious about my body that I had to put it down. I understand it was all to prove a point about how we can start spiraling and comparing based on arbitrary parts of our appearance we didn't even know to care about until someone on the internet told us to, but you didn't have to make your own audience feel that way to illustrate the point. Overall, this just pissed me off with how bad it was and how I had to sink so much time into it. I would have DNF'd if I wasn't reading it for NetGalley.
**I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book was made for the 8+ hour a day screentime girlies who form unhealthy attachments to the birds they feed outside, have emetophobia, are made up of 93% anxiety, and whose brain sends them into spiral-mode as easily as breathing.
Cazzie David is our modern-day Carrie Bradshaw (but powered by Prozac and Xanax) and reading DELUSIONS felt like you were at an all-bets-are-off brunch with your closest friend sharing tea and incriminating evidence. It was vulnerable, but laugh out loud hilarious, and relatable as hell. Cazzie breathed life into my most feared and deepest internal thoughts as I, too, stare down 30 and practice deep breathing exercises that never actually work. It felt like no coincidence that this book pubs two days before my dreaded birthday, as if the universe threw the book into my face at rapid speed and found me precisely at my most vulnerable time and said READ ME. Cazzie pulled many of the thoughts about entering a new decade of life or other equally relatable anecdotes about stumbling through adulthood right out of my brain and put it onto paper.
I’ve found myself reading the ingredients in my foods now after reading this book and being freaked out that simple things have 15+ ingredients in them and that it’s impossible NOT to funnel microplastics into my body and even if I try to eat healthy my blueberries are lab grown?? So, thank you for that. The influencer gym segment was hilarious because we all know exactly what gym this is without naming. The thoughts around social media itched my brain just right and the segment about kids made me feel seen.
Thanks @stmartinspress for the book copy! This couldn't have found me at a better time.
Cazzie David is our modern-day Carrie Bradshaw (but powered by Prozac and Xanax) and reading DELUSIONS felt like you were at an all-bets-are-off brunch with your closest friend sharing tea and incriminating evidence. It was vulnerable, but laugh out loud hilarious, and relatable as hell. Cazzie breathed life into my most feared and deepest internal thoughts as I, too, stare down 30 and practice deep breathing exercises that never actually work. It felt like no coincidence that this book pubs two days before my dreaded birthday, as if the universe threw the book into my face at rapid speed and found me precisely at my most vulnerable time and said READ ME. Cazzie pulled many of the thoughts about entering a new decade of life or other equally relatable anecdotes about stumbling through adulthood right out of my brain and put it onto paper.
I’ve found myself reading the ingredients in my foods now after reading this book and being freaked out that simple things have 15+ ingredients in them and that it’s impossible NOT to funnel microplastics into my body and even if I try to eat healthy my blueberries are lab grown?? So, thank you for that. The influencer gym segment was hilarious because we all know exactly what gym this is without naming. The thoughts around social media itched my brain just right and the segment about kids made me feel seen.
Thanks @stmartinspress for the book copy! This couldn't have found me at a better time.
January 18, 2026
⭐️⭐️.✨ (2.5/5) | *Delusions* by Cazzie David
Wtf did I even just read? I liked it tho, kinda.. a little bit I think. 🤔 the girl was sorta annoying… wait, what even was her name again? Her Dads like famous right?… okay no but seriously
After finishing this book, I set it down, puzzled about my feelings: Did I enjoy that, or am I just stressed? Cazzie David’s voice is unapologetically blunt and often funny, though at times a bit circular. I found myself irritated, only to wonder if that was part of the experience.
Centered around her looming 30th, David explores the emotional baggage of her 20s. She dives into modern anxieties—dating, social media comparisons, body image struggles, & the disheartening truth that adulthood often feels like a performance, not a revelation.
The essays resemble conversations with a smart, anxious friend who is just self-aware enough to recognize her spirals. There’s something refreshing about her ability to mock her own delusions while acknowledging their reality.
However, the book's presentation is both a strength & a weakness. Many essays feel like raw, unedited deadjounral diary entries — immediate & stream-of-consciousness, yet occasionally scattered. This can detract from her sharper insights. At times, I felt disconnected, questioning if that reaction was intentional. The repetitive & grating moments contribute to its honesty.
It’s not a polished memoir or self-help guide but rather a relatable glimpse into modern adulthood and the mental loops many of us navigated in our 20s. Uneven & occasionally frustrating, yet undeniably honest.
Wtf did I even just read? I liked it tho, kinda.. a little bit I think. 🤔 the girl was sorta annoying… wait, what even was her name again? Her Dads like famous right?… okay no but seriously
After finishing this book, I set it down, puzzled about my feelings: Did I enjoy that, or am I just stressed? Cazzie David’s voice is unapologetically blunt and often funny, though at times a bit circular. I found myself irritated, only to wonder if that was part of the experience.
Centered around her looming 30th, David explores the emotional baggage of her 20s. She dives into modern anxieties—dating, social media comparisons, body image struggles, & the disheartening truth that adulthood often feels like a performance, not a revelation.
The essays resemble conversations with a smart, anxious friend who is just self-aware enough to recognize her spirals. There’s something refreshing about her ability to mock her own delusions while acknowledging their reality.
However, the book's presentation is both a strength & a weakness. Many essays feel like raw, unedited deadjounral diary entries — immediate & stream-of-consciousness, yet occasionally scattered. This can detract from her sharper insights. At times, I felt disconnected, questioning if that reaction was intentional. The repetitive & grating moments contribute to its honesty.
It’s not a polished memoir or self-help guide but rather a relatable glimpse into modern adulthood and the mental loops many of us navigated in our 20s. Uneven & occasionally frustrating, yet undeniably honest.
February 25, 2026
𝘏𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
I picked this up because I love when someone can put the exact feelings rattling around in my brain into actual words. This was basically her spiraling from 29 to 30 and trying to "mature" in one year, which as someone in their 30's I now feel is overrated.
The essays dig into all the pressure you feel in your late 20's, It’s a lot and honestly some of it was painfully relatable while some of it was depressing. There are stretches where you’re just sitting there like wow, girl are you okay? The body image stuff, the insecurity, the pressure to have your life figured out was pretty heartbreaking and relatable. But then she’ll say something so sharp and so accurate that I actually laughed out loud. The hater chapter was my absolute fave BTW so if you're going to read any of the essays, please choose that one.
What makes this work for me is that she is at least self aware. She knows she’s being ridiculous and she calls herself out constantly. If anything, she’s dragging herself first and inviting you to join which is one of my favorite things to do as well. And yes, she has famous parents but I actually thought that added something interesting. It’s a perspective most of us don’t have, but it weirdly makes her insecurities feel even more human. Like cool, even with all that, your brain can still be your worst enemy. I love that for us.
This wasn’t anything groundbreaking or life changing, but it was entertaining. I felt a little too seen at times which feels illegal when the world already has me feeling 87 emotions a day.
I picked this up because I love when someone can put the exact feelings rattling around in my brain into actual words. This was basically her spiraling from 29 to 30 and trying to "mature" in one year, which as someone in their 30's I now feel is overrated.
The essays dig into all the pressure you feel in your late 20's, It’s a lot and honestly some of it was painfully relatable while some of it was depressing. There are stretches where you’re just sitting there like wow, girl are you okay? The body image stuff, the insecurity, the pressure to have your life figured out was pretty heartbreaking and relatable. But then she’ll say something so sharp and so accurate that I actually laughed out loud. The hater chapter was my absolute fave BTW so if you're going to read any of the essays, please choose that one.
What makes this work for me is that she is at least self aware. She knows she’s being ridiculous and she calls herself out constantly. If anything, she’s dragging herself first and inviting you to join which is one of my favorite things to do as well. And yes, she has famous parents but I actually thought that added something interesting. It’s a perspective most of us don’t have, but it weirdly makes her insecurities feel even more human. Like cool, even with all that, your brain can still be your worst enemy. I love that for us.
This wasn’t anything groundbreaking or life changing, but it was entertaining. I felt a little too seen at times which feels illegal when the world already has me feeling 87 emotions a day.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I think a lot of people will find this book relatable, but I found it a bit exhausting at times with little to no breathing room. It reminded me of the Mean Girls scene where the Plastics critique themselves in the mirror, and Cady says: “I used to think there was just fat and skinny. Apparently, there's a lot of things that can be wrong on your body.” That’s exactly how reading this felt: back-to-back chapters exploring the pressures and panic of your late 20s and early 30s(some of which I hadn’t even considered) but often without much relief or nuance. If you’re spiraling about this stage of life, you might find it comforting rather than eye-opening.
There’s a part where she recounts going on a podcast and being labeled bitter or a hater, which leaves her feeling misunderstood. Her boyfriend tells her that people just don’t like hearing someone with privilege complain. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. I knew Cazzie’s background before reading, and I don’t believe her struggles are diminished by her privilege. At the same time, the book can feel hollow—more a catalogue of anxiety and complaint than thoughtful essays on this stage of life. It was compelling at points, but overall it felt intense and relentless: honest, but exhausting.
There’s a part where she recounts going on a podcast and being labeled bitter or a hater, which leaves her feeling misunderstood. Her boyfriend tells her that people just don’t like hearing someone with privilege complain. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. I knew Cazzie’s background before reading, and I don’t believe her struggles are diminished by her privilege. At the same time, the book can feel hollow—more a catalogue of anxiety and complaint than thoughtful essays on this stage of life. It was compelling at points, but overall it felt intense and relentless: honest, but exhausting.
November 29, 2025
I feel compelled to applaud Cazzie for the transparency around her anxiety/depression issues in a way that doesn’t try to make them a trendy attention grabber nor a crutch for bad behavior. She seems fully self-aware of the ways in which they effect her life in spite of her privilege and conversely, how much her nepo baby privilege mitigates those effects.
That said, you have to hold some amount of suspended belief to buy into that idea that this is a girl who had ever truly experienced legitimate rejection and awkwardness in the external world. It would also be easier to understand the neuroses around her body/appearance if she wasn’t both gorgeous AND legitimately a strong, smart writer with a sharp, self-deprecating wit — you’re a full package deal girlfriend, just shout STFU to your insecurity monster already. I’d give this book three stars if she hadn’t managed to pepper in some truly laugh out loud moments and if she weren’t so darn relatable, particularly the fears around not having children while grappling with her own aging, stubborn parents.
That said, you have to hold some amount of suspended belief to buy into that idea that this is a girl who had ever truly experienced legitimate rejection and awkwardness in the external world. It would also be easier to understand the neuroses around her body/appearance if she wasn’t both gorgeous AND legitimately a strong, smart writer with a sharp, self-deprecating wit — you’re a full package deal girlfriend, just shout STFU to your insecurity monster already. I’d give this book three stars if she hadn’t managed to pepper in some truly laugh out loud moments and if she weren’t so darn relatable, particularly the fears around not having children while grappling with her own aging, stubborn parents.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Book Report: Delusions by Cazzie David
The way I screamed when this ARC showed up on my doorstep. If you loved No One’s Asked for This…consider this its equally unhinged…slightly more existential older sister.
In Delusions…Cazzie David takes stock of the wreckage of her twenties as thirty looms. Examining bad relationships…social media brain rot…body image spirals and the very real panic of realizing you are in fact no longer “young.” Her essays are vulnerable…darkly comedic…raw and wildly self-aware. Blending personal anecdotes with sharp cultural commentary that cuts a little too close to home.
PLEASE have a solid sense of humor before picking this up. It’s bleak…biting and laugh out loud funny in a “wow I should unpack that in therapy” way. I truly wish I’d had this in my hands during my 29th year…come for the relatability…stay for the hilariously brutal observations about modern adulthood.
Thank you St. Martins Press for making my day with the ARC!
Releases 3/3
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
The way I screamed when this ARC showed up on my doorstep. If you loved No One’s Asked for This…consider this its equally unhinged…slightly more existential older sister.
In Delusions…Cazzie David takes stock of the wreckage of her twenties as thirty looms. Examining bad relationships…social media brain rot…body image spirals and the very real panic of realizing you are in fact no longer “young.” Her essays are vulnerable…darkly comedic…raw and wildly self-aware. Blending personal anecdotes with sharp cultural commentary that cuts a little too close to home.
PLEASE have a solid sense of humor before picking this up. It’s bleak…biting and laugh out loud funny in a “wow I should unpack that in therapy” way. I truly wish I’d had this in my hands during my 29th year…come for the relatability…stay for the hilariously brutal observations about modern adulthood.
Thank you St. Martins Press for making my day with the ARC!
Releases 3/3
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
March 4, 2026
This literally feels like a guilty pleasure gossip session with a friend you haven’t seen in months combined with chaotic anxiety spirals that are so characteristic of the mid-late 20’s.
If I had read this ten years ago I would have found it cynical. If I were to read it ten years from now I imagine I would find it dramatic. But 25 year old me? I found it to be absolutely hilarious.
Do I agree with all of the takes in this? Not at all. Is somebody smarter than me probably going to find something problematic in it? I wouldn’t be surprised. Even after reading her most intimate personal stories, I still don’t really know who Cazzie David is but I had fun reading her book.
If you are on the more sensitive side, or are brought down by overtly negative things I would skip this one. But if you like a good yap with your overly honest, honestly kind of mean friend who has a good heart underneath the spikes I think you’ll enjoy this!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. Opinions in this review are entirely my own.
If I had read this ten years ago I would have found it cynical. If I were to read it ten years from now I imagine I would find it dramatic. But 25 year old me? I found it to be absolutely hilarious.
Do I agree with all of the takes in this? Not at all. Is somebody smarter than me probably going to find something problematic in it? I wouldn’t be surprised. Even after reading her most intimate personal stories, I still don’t really know who Cazzie David is but I had fun reading her book.
If you are on the more sensitive side, or are brought down by overtly negative things I would skip this one. But if you like a good yap with your overly honest, honestly kind of mean friend who has a good heart underneath the spikes I think you’ll enjoy this!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. Opinions in this review are entirely my own.
March 8, 2026
ARC review - thank you St. Martin’s Press! I loved Cazzie’s first book and identified deeply with this new book of essays. A few quotes that stuck with me:
“The eternal dilemma: whether to go on my phone and be upset or put my phone down and be… upset in a different way. It’s like a very real, very depressing Would You Rather question.”
“Despite everything, there’s this nagging part of me that truly believes I might miss out on the fundamental experience of life if I don’t have kids. That I’ll wind up painfully lonely and bored in my final years, and on top of having to deal with the loneliness and boredom, I’ll also be plagued by regret.”
“Even though I still had the same friends I’d always had and are all still the same physical age, our metaphysical ages had become vastly different. Metaphysically, I was now sixty. My best friend was twenty-four. I had a friend who was forty-five. And another who was ninety.”
“As a young teen, I often felt that I was not so much a human being but rather a vessel through which a Mischa Barton or Sophia Bush would one day manifest.”
““I know that I know nothing,” said Socrates. And if Socrates didn’t know, do you really think you know, Jessica, from Westchester?”
“The eternal dilemma: whether to go on my phone and be upset or put my phone down and be… upset in a different way. It’s like a very real, very depressing Would You Rather question.”
“Despite everything, there’s this nagging part of me that truly believes I might miss out on the fundamental experience of life if I don’t have kids. That I’ll wind up painfully lonely and bored in my final years, and on top of having to deal with the loneliness and boredom, I’ll also be plagued by regret.”
“Even though I still had the same friends I’d always had and are all still the same physical age, our metaphysical ages had become vastly different. Metaphysically, I was now sixty. My best friend was twenty-four. I had a friend who was forty-five. And another who was ninety.”
“As a young teen, I often felt that I was not so much a human being but rather a vessel through which a Mischa Barton or Sophia Bush would one day manifest.”
““I know that I know nothing,” said Socrates. And if Socrates didn’t know, do you really think you know, Jessica, from Westchester?”
March 9, 2026
Every once and awhile you come across a book that makes you go, “Phew, I may be a self-centered mess, but at least I’m not THAT MUCH of a self-centered mess.” In that regard, Delusions delivers.
Look, the truth is, I’m both too old and too Midwestern to really connect with all of the essays in this book. Bemoaning the end of your 20s? Been there, done that, have the Wellbutrin prescription to show for it. Mostly, I'm left feeling deeply sad for David, while I had to grow up in the hellscape of the early 2000s diet culture, life has gotten progressively harder since, and I don't begrudge her general feelings about how turning 30 feels like the end of your youth.
It's not all bad, not at all. David is an excellent writer. When Delusions is good, it's great. On Being a Hater made me laugh and felt seen and there are other pockets throughout that I loved. It's just that, on the whole, it feels a bit navel gaze-y.
* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *
Look, the truth is, I’m both too old and too Midwestern to really connect with all of the essays in this book. Bemoaning the end of your 20s? Been there, done that, have the Wellbutrin prescription to show for it. Mostly, I'm left feeling deeply sad for David, while I had to grow up in the hellscape of the early 2000s diet culture, life has gotten progressively harder since, and I don't begrudge her general feelings about how turning 30 feels like the end of your youth.
It's not all bad, not at all. David is an excellent writer. When Delusions is good, it's great. On Being a Hater made me laugh and felt seen and there are other pockets throughout that I loved. It's just that, on the whole, it feels a bit navel gaze-y.
* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing an ARC of, Delusions - Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress by Cazzie David.
I only knew of Cazzie David from the tabloids as was curious to see what her books of essays had to offer the world. I can say that I was thoroughly impressed not only with her writing style, but her depth and sharp humor when reflecting on life as she approaches 30. I find authors sometimes struggle to find cohesion among books of essays in the similar manner a fashion designs struggles to find cohesion in their newest collection. That was not the case with Cazzie David, as her essays not only made sense and were highly poignant and entertaining on their own, but even stronger as a book of essays.
I would recommend this book to those who are approaching 30 and those who have it in their own rearview mirror but aren’t far enough removed to appreciate the humor and honesty found within the essays of this book.
I only knew of Cazzie David from the tabloids as was curious to see what her books of essays had to offer the world. I can say that I was thoroughly impressed not only with her writing style, but her depth and sharp humor when reflecting on life as she approaches 30. I find authors sometimes struggle to find cohesion among books of essays in the similar manner a fashion designs struggles to find cohesion in their newest collection. That was not the case with Cazzie David, as her essays not only made sense and were highly poignant and entertaining on their own, but even stronger as a book of essays.
I would recommend this book to those who are approaching 30 and those who have it in their own rearview mirror but aren’t far enough removed to appreciate the humor and honesty found within the essays of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3 stars (generously)
This narrative initially starts off very doom and gloom, to the point I was almost considering putting it down. While it does not wane much on this front, I feel like as the audiobook went on, the more it felt slightly justified. David's complaints about life are understandable.
This book will likely be highly relatable to anyone going through a hard time. Approaching this age range myself, it makes me feel a bit better about where I am in life. I know I found a lot of moments I could connect with. This was nice to see from a celebrity.
I will say, I am pretty unfamiliar with David's career, only knowing that she is a nepo baby. As such, I feel like her complaints are such small potatoes in the world we are in now. I may have gotten even more value from this book if I did know a bit more about her backstory.
Thank you to the Macmillan Audio Early Listeners program for the ALC. My review is honest and voluntary.
This narrative initially starts off very doom and gloom, to the point I was almost considering putting it down. While it does not wane much on this front, I feel like as the audiobook went on, the more it felt slightly justified. David's complaints about life are understandable.
This book will likely be highly relatable to anyone going through a hard time. Approaching this age range myself, it makes me feel a bit better about where I am in life. I know I found a lot of moments I could connect with. This was nice to see from a celebrity.
I will say, I am pretty unfamiliar with David's career, only knowing that she is a nepo baby. As such, I feel like her complaints are such small potatoes in the world we are in now. I may have gotten even more value from this book if I did know a bit more about her backstory.
Thank you to the Macmillan Audio Early Listeners program for the ALC. My review is honest and voluntary.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I didn’t read Cazzie David’s first book, and I went into this one not knowing much about her, however, she had me out of the gate when I learned she watches Gilmore Girls to fall asleep. As a former Rory who has aged into Lorelai, I felt that in my bones and was on board for more relatable content. Parts of this were not relatable- in a shock to no one, Cazzie and I lead very different lives. Still, there were reflections here that articulated real feelings I GOT but don’t typically put into words. I laughed out loud a few times, and listen- know what you’re getting into- she’s not solving world hunger or curing any diseases- but I think any honest memoir is a brave thing to put out there, and this one shared one (very privileged) person’s perspective in a way that comes across as authentic to the reader .
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ALC.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ALC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A collection of personal essays from a nepo baby. This was a slog to get through. I think the reason why I disliked this so much is that although I did get the impression that she cared for some things, I never got the impression that she liked anything. Her friends, herself, her life, her ex, her father. In her essay about filming something, she seemed somewhat passionate, but still spent the better part of the essay complaining.
I think this book is supposed to have a sort of dry humor that I just didn't read well because it just read like complaining to me with some attempts at lamp shading. Most of it was fairly bland. There were some parts that weren't horrible, but I have read better essays on body dysphoria, anxiety, and the like. Perhaps if you enjoy the "I don't like anything" kind of humor or have a fondness for her, you might like this
ARC provided by Netgalley
I think this book is supposed to have a sort of dry humor that I just didn't read well because it just read like complaining to me with some attempts at lamp shading. Most of it was fairly bland. There were some parts that weren't horrible, but I have read better essays on body dysphoria, anxiety, and the like. Perhaps if you enjoy the "I don't like anything" kind of humor or have a fondness for her, you might like this
ARC provided by Netgalley
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