Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane

by Lindy West

In bestselling author Lindy West’s most ambitious book yet, she takes readers along on an uproarious cross-country road trip as she unpacks her last few tumultuous years, rediscovers herself, and reinvents her marriage in the process.

Through Shrill, the book and then the Hulu series, Lindy West became an inspiration. To this day she is stopped on the street and hailed as a beacon of empowerment by women who felt badly for not conforming to the categories deemed acceptable—thin, straight, compliant. But behind the scenes, Lindy never felt like she was the self-actualized woman fans made her out to be. When she found herself in the throes of a deep depression, with her marriage and sense of self-worth hanging in the balance, she knew she needed to make a change.
 
In ADULT BRACES, Lindy shares the story of her rock bottom, and of the solo cross-country road trip she took to claw her way out of it. With her trademark candor and sense of humor, she examines her post-Shrill emotional implosion, her shifting feelings about traditional marriage, and her search for her long-lost self. She also tracks the highs and lows of her journey, from eye-opening natural wonders and kitschy roadside attractions to lackluster excursions and campground epiphanies. The result is an engaging and laugh-out-loud narrative of becoming as Lindy transforms from a passenger into the active navigator of her own life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Essays, Biography, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 10, 2026

About the author

Lindy West is a columnist at The Guardian, a contributor to This American Life, and a freelance writer whose work focuses on feminism, social justice, humor, and body image. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vulture, Jezebel, The Stranger, and others. She is the founder of I Believe You, It's Not Your Fault, an advice blog for teens, as well as the reproductive rights destigmatization campaign #ShoutYourAbortion.

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point I’m basically only a librarian so I can get access to Lindy West ARCs.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always forget just how funny Lindy West is, and I don't know how. I've read her books and listened to her audiobooks and there are few writers who can tickle my funny bone just like she can. I would listen to her review pretty much anything. The fact that I deeply relate to so much of what she's gone through is icing on the cake.

And I can speak from experience--a road trip around the US can definitely heal you, whether or not you make it to Kokomo.

[Simone]

Review to come, maybe

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For decades, Lindy has helped me understand, in such a fundamental way, that I exist and that it’s ok to exist while being fat. But this book is a sexy little beckoning to thrive, too, to challenge ourselves to be truly alive. How often do you finish a book and feel filled with just exuberant love that you wanna take out on the world? Adult Braces is an embarrassment of riches.

I laughed and cried, sometimes at the same time. Lindy is so vulnerable and honest here, as much with her pain as with her joy. She really captures what can be so hard about experiencing fat joy -- that it feels taboo, still, to be joyful in a fat body -- and then she proceeds to say fuck that, and just lavish us with fat joy! I was so grateful to be let in on Lindy's experience of meeting herself in a little camper van as she drove back and forth across this dumb, beautiful country -- her exuberance, and hunger, and desire. It made me feel excited to allow it all, too, not just as an act of resistance but as a very simple, profound reclamation.

Also, don't worry, there are still fart jokes.

[lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

an extreme pleasure to read - contains the phrase “the vast and unforgiving un-Kokomo of life” - I gasped

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of West’s writing for a long time. I’ve enjoyed her previous books. As someone in the abyss of middle age, I was pretty confident I’d like this one too.

I love the writing. Parts make me laugh out loud, and I don’t mean that as an expression, I’m actually laughing suddenly and startling the people around me. Absolutely her best book so far. There’s an honesty that’s visceral.

Thank you Lindy West for being a breath of fresh air. Reading her books feels like having that one friend you can always count on to be able to share a crazy eyed look across the room at a party or at work when everything is batshit insane. That one person who clocks the insanity and acknowledge you’re not alone.

[Katarina Duerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adult Braces is a raw and emotional look at adapting our lives to do what feels good, right, and true to us, rather than hiding in the shadows of our routine. Not only that, but it’s fun. Lindy uses exclamation points, puns, and footnotes in a way that makes this novel feel alive and cozy, like I’m reading a text from my best friend who is going through the same shit as me.

Thank you Grand Central publishing for the ARC.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published March 10, 2026.

3.5 stars

I absolutely loved West’s SHRILL; five star read for me, reviewed it for my city’s newspaper. Thought it was one of the best books of the year of….whatever year it was released. West was both wise and relatable.

This is a different West. She is going through some stuff. A lot. And, in fact, I felt I was a witness to a minor nervous breakdown in book form as she treks from Seattle to Key West and back again, solo, in a van. But she pulls it together (by the end) and makes some tough but interesting choices.

Part travel diary, but mostly the exploration of self your enjoyment of this may depend on how much you like West and how much angst you can handle. I liked it, but being from the east coast I was surprised at how little west coaster West knew about the country east of say, Wyoming. I am very lucky to have traveled so much (all U.S. states but three, so far, and I WILL go to all fifty, short of disaster, and I thank my parents, my profession and my husband for that. And also reading…..why do I know things about the U.S.? Why do I know weird trivia? Why am I pretty good at the NYT Connections puzzle? READING!

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Eat Pray Love was written by a funny fat white woman with a polyamorous husband.

... I'm almost tempted to just leave the review there but I guess I have more to say.

First, I've always previously listened to Lindy West on audio, but when I got the opportunity to get an eARC of this one, I was so excited.

A little bit travel memoir, a whole lot of personal essay and introspection. This felt more raw and real than her others. She's very vulnerable in her writing about her insecurities and low self-esteem. She's open (ha!) about her relationship and her journey from resenting her husband's pursuit of polyamory to becoming a throuple (!!). At times this was the kind of memoir that felt too personal, like "this should be between you and your therapist and why the hell are you telling the whole world because isn't this embarrassing for you / your husband / your family / etc" but I guess what's life if we don't share it with others??

And of course, despite it all, Lindy West is still very very funny.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

(ARC out 03/10/26 via Grand Central) I have read and loved all of Lindy West’s previous books and this one is no different. This is a memoir charting her solo trip driving across the U.S., but also essays about her marriage, polyamory, falling in love, her family, and her relationship to herself. I am always so gobsmacked by writers who are willing to explore the parts of themselves and their lives that diverge from what societal conditioning has deemed “normal.” West’s writing is frequently tender, often melancholy, but also so fucking funny. She can make me cry and laugh all within a paragraph. The trip she embarks on in this is one of self-actualization and a nice reminder that you will forever be learning new parts of yourself, reshaping how you see and interact with the world, and coming to terms with life not always looking like you’d expected it to. I loved this so much.

[Amanda W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read any of Lindy West’s previous books, nor have I seen her show Shrill. Flying blind here! That being said, I think she’s a charming and funny writer, not afraid to go for gut punches of honest truth. I enjoyed reading about her physical journey across the USA and back again, although I did feel something was missing…a lot of it seemed very surface and glossed over. Learning how her personal life dramatically changed over the course of a few years, and how she not only learned to deal with parts of it but actually seemed to welcome them, was probably the most delightful part of the book. You really feel for West in these instances. You’re rooting for her to figure out her way. I will seek out more of her writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

[Cari Zuckerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her new memoir, Lindy West takes readers along on a cross-country trip from Seattle to Key West. In an effort to find herself amidst depression and marital struggles, West rented a van in 2021 and solo-tripped across the country. She faces fears, meets friends and has revelations about life along the way. The trip helps repair her marriage into something new and find herself again.

West's writing is hilarious and relatable and struck a chord with me many times as I devoured this book. She is honest and raw about living in a fat body, sex, marriage, polyamory, friendship and more. I absolutely loved this book. I hope to one day consume it again as an audiobook to hear West read her own deeply personal story.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. My Kindle opted not to show me my progress while reading. Each time I reached a new chapter I was so grateful the book wasn’t over! As a listener of the author’s podcast, I’m really looking forward to the audiobook.

[Jessica Gottstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a Lindy West stan for life. Her writing makes me laugh like no one else’s. Also now I kind of want to a soul searching van trip across the country to (metaphorical because it doesn’t actually exist) Kokomo?!

[Stroop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, charming, and vulnerable. Lindy goes on a road trip to spend some time on her own. Along the way, she ruminates on how she views herself, her marriage, and what she wants out of life.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic memoir that's really well written. West does not pull any punches to herself when diving into and analyzing her feelings. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

loveeee Lindy West, she is SO funny and this one is really moving too. ~love this journey for her (literally and figuratively)~

[shay allyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never feel more seen than I do when reading Lindy West. Adult Braces is the wise older sister to Shrill, and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you, NetGalley. ♥️