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Dear Humans
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Expected 1 Jun 26300 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thanks to the publisher for the e-arc
i don't know if it's just because it was the last one in the set, but out of the thirteen short stories written, i enjoyed "How to Survive."
read full review here
i don't know if it's just because it was the last one in the set, but out of the thirteen short stories written, i enjoyed "How to Survive."
read full review here
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This collection is definitely a wild ride! In this book, Hollie Adams uses her dry wit to give us 13 stories that zigzag between absurdity and mundanity. Short stories are often hit or miss for me, which can make short story collections a little difficult to rate, but this collection is obviously quite the labor of love. It’s also quite the commentary on our modern age — I particularly enjoyed her bit on the current job market requiring a bachelor’s degree to change urinal cakes… she’s not wrong. What really made the book for me was Hollie’s use of language. Every story had multiple sentences that stood out to me for being hilarious, beautiful, or poignant. It felt utterly human. Again, often weird and absurd, but very human. I strangely adore reading about unlikable characters, of which there were many in this book.
There were three standout stories for me in this collection, which I’ll give short summaries of below:
Eyebrow - the story of a cat named eyebrow and a woman who spontaneously grows a unicorn horn
Liking It - a commentary on our social media focused world and the ways that we lose our identities to create an online identity that’s palatable to the masses or portrays us the way that we want to be seen - but also, how that can become our identity. Delivered to us in a letter to her ex she’s been directed to write by her therapist, of course.
How to Survive - A story which switches perspectives between a mother and daughter, the mother‘s perspective counting up by months after her diagnosis with cancer, the daughter‘s perspective counting down by years through both global and personal tragedies
Sometimes the stories bounced around a little bit or rambled on, but with the nature of her stories’ content it honestly made sense and enhanced the reading experience in a lot of ways. The main reason why this gets a 4 star review instead of a 5 was that while I enjoyed many of the stories, there were also some that simply didn’t hit. I don’t think that this book will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m certainly glad that I picked it up.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
There were three standout stories for me in this collection, which I’ll give short summaries of below:
Eyebrow - the story of a cat named eyebrow and a woman who spontaneously grows a unicorn horn
Liking It - a commentary on our social media focused world and the ways that we lose our identities to create an online identity that’s palatable to the masses or portrays us the way that we want to be seen - but also, how that can become our identity. Delivered to us in a letter to her ex she’s been directed to write by her therapist, of course.
How to Survive - A story which switches perspectives between a mother and daughter, the mother‘s perspective counting up by months after her diagnosis with cancer, the daughter‘s perspective counting down by years through both global and personal tragedies
Sometimes the stories bounced around a little bit or rambled on, but with the nature of her stories’ content it honestly made sense and enhanced the reading experience in a lot of ways. The main reason why this gets a 4 star review instead of a 5 was that while I enjoyed many of the stories, there were also some that simply didn’t hit. I don’t think that this book will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m certainly glad that I picked it up.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
With a few exceptions (for me specifically How to Survive, Eyebrow and Not Dead Yet) the stories in this collection are okay, but nothing amazing. I enjoyed reading it and would read more from Hollie Adams. 3.5/5 overall
The Other Portland: Alex and Margot are moving from Portland Oregon to Bangor Maine, about two and a half hours north of Portland Maine, because Margot has been offered a tenure-track position after years of limited appointments at other colleges. Alex is not excited about the move, though he hasn't mentioned this to Margot, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As the two settle into their new home, Alex must decide what matters most to him and what he is willing to give up. 3.5/5
Eyebrow: Dr. Mary Watkins is a professor, archeologist, cinephile and a bit of an introvert. When she watches her colleague Ben's cat when he is away, she bonds with Eyebrow and is happy to accept another opportunity to watch the cat. She begins experiencing some health concerns, and wonders what it could mean, especially when it seems to have an effect on Ben as well. 4/5
Like That but Times a Million: Sarah is young, and her friend and neighbor Robbie's father recently died. He had cirrhosis and kept drinking until he died, Sarah has pieced this information together through overheard conversations with her parents. The story is entirely from Sarah's point of view, reminiscent of a first brush with death. 3.5/5
The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Years: Weirdest one so far. A group of friends are supposedly making a sasquatch documentary but come to realize it has simply documented their lives. 3.5/5
Safe Topics: Shawn and Libby have been best friends since they were children, with a typical close encounter of a romantic nature in their past. Libby just had her first child with her husband Luke, and Shawn goes to see her in the hospital. 4/5
The Meek: A family in everyday crisis. 3/5
Liking It: A woman lives her life solely for the validation of her Instagram followers. 3.5/5
The Charges: Dealing with mentally ill family members is never easy. 4/5
The Sessional Years: Britney is twenty-seven and teaches at a college, she lives in a studio apartment and sparingly returns to the two hours away city she used to live in that still houses her friends and ex-boyfriend. A student takes an interest in Britney. 3.5/5
Not Dead Yet: Clementine lives with her best friend Brilla, the two are both PhD candidates sharing a bedroom working minimum wage jobs. When a new coworker Quin moves in to help with rent, the dynamic changes. 4/5
Pavones: Leda is going on a surf retreat in Costa Rica despite not knowing how to surf. She is dealing with the recent death of a friend and a sense of being unmoored in her own life. 3.5/5
Trial Separation: Turk and Tank are twins, but Tank is dead and Turk (real name Teddy) finds himself at a Christian summer camp with his sister Tink (real name Christina), as their parents attempt a trial separation. Turk must deal with the loss of his twin and the potential dissolution of his family. 3/5
How to Survive: Lillian is diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Her daughter Sarah has an alternating POV, working from her life in 2012 backwards. This is the same Sarah from the story "Like That but Times a Million". 5/5
The Other Portland: Alex and Margot are moving from Portland Oregon to Bangor Maine, about two and a half hours north of Portland Maine, because Margot has been offered a tenure-track position after years of limited appointments at other colleges. Alex is not excited about the move, though he hasn't mentioned this to Margot, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As the two settle into their new home, Alex must decide what matters most to him and what he is willing to give up. 3.5/5
Eyebrow: Dr. Mary Watkins is a professor, archeologist, cinephile and a bit of an introvert. When she watches her colleague Ben's cat when he is away, she bonds with Eyebrow and is happy to accept another opportunity to watch the cat. She begins experiencing some health concerns, and wonders what it could mean, especially when it seems to have an effect on Ben as well. 4/5
Like That but Times a Million: Sarah is young, and her friend and neighbor Robbie's father recently died. He had cirrhosis and kept drinking until he died, Sarah has pieced this information together through overheard conversations with her parents. The story is entirely from Sarah's point of view, reminiscent of a first brush with death. 3.5/5
The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Years: Weirdest one so far. A group of friends are supposedly making a sasquatch documentary but come to realize it has simply documented their lives. 3.5/5
Safe Topics: Shawn and Libby have been best friends since they were children, with a typical close encounter of a romantic nature in their past. Libby just had her first child with her husband Luke, and Shawn goes to see her in the hospital. 4/5
The Meek: A family in everyday crisis. 3/5
Liking It: A woman lives her life solely for the validation of her Instagram followers. 3.5/5
The Charges: Dealing with mentally ill family members is never easy. 4/5
The Sessional Years: Britney is twenty-seven and teaches at a college, she lives in a studio apartment and sparingly returns to the two hours away city she used to live in that still houses her friends and ex-boyfriend. A student takes an interest in Britney. 3.5/5
Not Dead Yet: Clementine lives with her best friend Brilla, the two are both PhD candidates sharing a bedroom working minimum wage jobs. When a new coworker Quin moves in to help with rent, the dynamic changes. 4/5
Pavones: Leda is going on a surf retreat in Costa Rica despite not knowing how to surf. She is dealing with the recent death of a friend and a sense of being unmoored in her own life. 3.5/5
Trial Separation: Turk and Tank are twins, but Tank is dead and Turk (real name Teddy) finds himself at a Christian summer camp with his sister Tink (real name Christina), as their parents attempt a trial separation. Turk must deal with the loss of his twin and the potential dissolution of his family. 3/5
How to Survive: Lillian is diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Her daughter Sarah has an alternating POV, working from her life in 2012 backwards. This is the same Sarah from the story "Like That but Times a Million". 5/5
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews