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Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress

Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26

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5 days and 09:25:28

25 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
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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.

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 3, 2026

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About the author

Cazzie David

2 books138 followers
Cazzie 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Abigail Franklin.
350 reviews3 followers
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.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
Author 1 book59 followers
Read
December 10, 2025
This 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.
Profile Image for Jill Elizabeth.
1,994 reviews50 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
December 23, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Brice Montgomery.
392 reviews40 followers
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.
Profile Image for J Earl.
2,344 reviews113 followers
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.
Profile Image for thePAGEMASTA.
47 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Sarah Luna.
28 reviews1 follower
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.
Profile Image for Read_with_Beans.
108 reviews1 follower
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
January 23, 2026
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.
Profile Image for Camille .
48 reviews1 follower
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
January 23, 2026
Cazzie's self deprecating sense of humor is laugh out loud funny. Her writing style is witty and smart and I was engaged the whole time. Almost written as a "coming of age" series of essays (about turning 30) she writes with a sense of authority on all things body dysmorphia, "everyone being a rat or a mouse" (this one really stuck with me, and changes how I now see people), and also about attempting to encourage her dads healthy eating habits in his aging years. Cazzie's humility, candor and vulnerability are seen throughout--I hope this book gets the hype and publicity it deserves, she is a once in a lifetime writer. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Profile Image for Amanda.
733 reviews10 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
January 5, 2026
Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

So many interesting essays and enjoyed her thought process of reflections of her experiences. So many of her thoughts can relate to so many people, including myself. I enjoyed her sarcastic and dark approaches at times to the story, but still had the humorous tone as she navigates young adulthood, particularly 29-30 years old. I appreciated her reflections around being a "nepo baby" but not letting that rule her life and she still had struggles finding her own way.
78 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
January 14, 2026
2.5 stars rounded up - I don't think I was the right audience for this book. I wasn't super familiar with David before reading, and maybe if I had more background on her (or listened via audiobook) I would've gotten her tone more, but it didn't land for me. This book felt very 'LA' and very online, which was interesting and will appeal to many readers, but wasn't for me personally.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Nicole Newell.
48 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2025
Cazzie David writes what we are all thinking going into our thirties and the feelings that come with this new decade. I could relate to the stories and anxieties entering a new decade of life and feeling behind or not enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Orianna Borrelli.
29 reviews
December 14, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a free copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this set of essays, and was afraid of how much I related to a lot of these stories. There were stories were I laughed out loud or sighed in sympathy and frustration. The ending was great, LOL.
542 reviews
Read
January 21, 2026
I would give it 3.5 stars. I would be exhausted living in her mind. I felt sad for her because it seems so hard for her to just be happy and live in the moment. I know it is suppose to be humorous but it just showed me how series mental health issues can be for someone to live with all the time.
Profile Image for Roxane Dumontheil.
163 reviews6 followers
November 26, 2025
3.5, feeling generous because i am not plagued by the same mental illnessses as Cazzie David, who is nonetheless a talented & funny writer
Profile Image for Serena Mancini.
189 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2025
A book for the chronically online girlies who are constantly seeking external validation. If that’s not you, this book will make you feel entirely sane.
Profile Image for DJ.
72 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
January 8, 2026
Won a copy in exchange for honest review

I found Cazzie's writing style approachable.

The thing about reading about someone else's life is the acceptance that you'll agree with some personal opinions while not others.

The body dysmorphia adventure quiz lost my interest due to the options being to one extreme or the other. I understood where she was coming from in this mini game halfway through the book.

I'm glad I read Delusions, and recommend it to people especially in the 25 - 35 age range.
Profile Image for Leia McNeely.
27 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2026
In this collection of essays, the blunt and self-aware Cazzie David (daughter of Larry David) explores the irony of leaving youth behind and transitioning to a adult in her 30s. While I could relate to some of Cazzie's experiences and found humor in her words, she tends to ramble here, and I had a difficult time staying engaged. In all fairness, I am a southern lady in my 40s. Had I grown up in her generation or in the way that she did, I would probably find her experiences more relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC and provide my honest feedback. While I didn't particularly care for this book, I'm sure others will truly enjoy it and will find it worthwhile!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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