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Nobody Warned Us: The Gen X Guide to Surviving Burnout, Bad Knees and Bullsh*t
Congratulations. You’ve reached midlife.
Your prize?
Hormonal chaos.
Adult kids who ghost you.
Friends who disappear mid-text.
A metabolism slower than your Wi-Fi.
And the sudden realization that nobody warned you about any of this.
Nobody Warned Us is not a glow-up story.
It’s a sarcastic survival guide for any women over 40 who were told they could have it all, and are now expected to juggle it, smile politely, and keep functioning like it’s no big deal.
This book is for the women who are tired, funny, slightly feral, and deeply self-aware.
Inside, you’ll find short, sharp essays
• Too Young to Retire, Too Old to Give a Sh*t
• Menopause, Mayhem & Mood Swings
• Midlife Dating & Other Unsolved Mysteries
• The Friend Breakup Nobody Talks About
• Congratulations, You’re Now the Oldest Person in the Group Chat
This isn’t self-help.
It’s self-recognition.
A loud, dry laugh in the face of midlife mayhem.
A mirror held up to the women who kept everything running and are now quietly asking, “When do I get to exhale?”
You won’t find life hacks.
You won’t find toxic positivity.
You won’t be told to manifest harder.
You will
• Validation
• Humor
• Cultural truth
• And the comforting realization that you’re not broken...you’re just burned out.
If you’ve ever felt invisible, unhinged, weirdly powerful, or one group chat away from losing it, this book is for you.
Not because it will fix your life.
But because you deserve to laugh at it.
For fans of Nora Ephron, Jenny Lawson, and every woman who’s ever whispered “I’m fine” while Googling her symptoms at 2 a.m., Nobody Warned Us is your permission slip to stop pretending and start telling the truth.
Your prize?
Hormonal chaos.
Adult kids who ghost you.
Friends who disappear mid-text.
A metabolism slower than your Wi-Fi.
And the sudden realization that nobody warned you about any of this.
Nobody Warned Us is not a glow-up story.
It’s a sarcastic survival guide for any women over 40 who were told they could have it all, and are now expected to juggle it, smile politely, and keep functioning like it’s no big deal.
This book is for the women who are tired, funny, slightly feral, and deeply self-aware.
Inside, you’ll find short, sharp essays
• Too Young to Retire, Too Old to Give a Sh*t
• Menopause, Mayhem & Mood Swings
• Midlife Dating & Other Unsolved Mysteries
• The Friend Breakup Nobody Talks About
• Congratulations, You’re Now the Oldest Person in the Group Chat
This isn’t self-help.
It’s self-recognition.
A loud, dry laugh in the face of midlife mayhem.
A mirror held up to the women who kept everything running and are now quietly asking, “When do I get to exhale?”
You won’t find life hacks.
You won’t find toxic positivity.
You won’t be told to manifest harder.
You will
• Validation
• Humor
• Cultural truth
• And the comforting realization that you’re not broken...you’re just burned out.
If you’ve ever felt invisible, unhinged, weirdly powerful, or one group chat away from losing it, this book is for you.
Not because it will fix your life.
But because you deserve to laugh at it.
For fans of Nora Ephron, Jenny Lawson, and every woman who’s ever whispered “I’m fine” while Googling her symptoms at 2 a.m., Nobody Warned Us is your permission slip to stop pretending and start telling the truth.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2025
About the author
T.E. Crowe
1 bookT.E. Crowe writes for the generation that survived dial-up internet, latchkey afternoons, and bosses who still think “work-life balance” is a suggestion. A creative entrepreneur and chaos alchemist, she blends sarcasm, truth-telling, and emotional honesty into survival guides for the burned-out and chronically responsible.
Her debut, Nobody Warned Us: The Gen X Guide to Surviving Burnout, Bad Knees, and Bullsht*, is equal parts therapy, stand-up comedy, and midlife autopsy; minus the toxic positivity.
When she’s not writing under the Chaos & Cognac banner, she’s probably rewriting her boundaries, cursing at tech updates, or wondering how we all became the adults in charge.
Her debut, Nobody Warned Us: The Gen X Guide to Surviving Burnout, Bad Knees, and Bullsht*, is equal parts therapy, stand-up comedy, and midlife autopsy; minus the toxic positivity.
When she’s not writing under the Chaos & Cognac banner, she’s probably rewriting her boundaries, cursing at tech updates, or wondering how we all became the adults in charge.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 12, 2025
I am switching between tears of being seen and full belly laughs of relatability! It is sitting open in front of me as I'm writing this because I wanna get back to reading it immediately.
Visually what a title, the cover is perfect, inside the pages are warm in colour, the first section is double spaced making it easy to read for my dysexic brain...
and then we have the writing...
From the dedication to her daughter Micayla and son Will it is thoughtful, cheeky and captivating!
As the book starts it is instantly relatable, even for someone who's technically an "elder millenial"... i remember being called Ma'am for the first time 😅 reading this feels like my own thoughts written on a page, and I expect to appreciate what will no doubt be a "warning" for future life experiences I may face as the writing continues... with humor but no bs and quote-worthy statements...
The cheekiness of the writing kinda takes the edge off what might have been a tough subject, and just makes it all really enjoyable to take in.
I can not wait to read the rest of this book... I don't think I've ever said that.
T E Crowe, I know you wrote "this isn't a self-help book" but I have a feeling MANY will read this and feel seen, heard, and perhaps just that will help them let go and heal... or be more bold like you!
Who should read this: I think anyone younger than Gen X will learn something but most Millennial women and Gen X women are really gonna feel seen.
Visually what a title, the cover is perfect, inside the pages are warm in colour, the first section is double spaced making it easy to read for my dysexic brain...
and then we have the writing...
From the dedication to her daughter Micayla and son Will it is thoughtful, cheeky and captivating!
As the book starts it is instantly relatable, even for someone who's technically an "elder millenial"... i remember being called Ma'am for the first time 😅 reading this feels like my own thoughts written on a page, and I expect to appreciate what will no doubt be a "warning" for future life experiences I may face as the writing continues... with humor but no bs and quote-worthy statements...
The cheekiness of the writing kinda takes the edge off what might have been a tough subject, and just makes it all really enjoyable to take in.
I can not wait to read the rest of this book... I don't think I've ever said that.
T E Crowe, I know you wrote "this isn't a self-help book" but I have a feeling MANY will read this and feel seen, heard, and perhaps just that will help them let go and heal... or be more bold like you!
Who should read this: I think anyone younger than Gen X will learn something but most Millennial women and Gen X women are really gonna feel seen.
October 4, 2026
Read It! Fun and easy read but don’t let it fool you. It’s says everything that I’ve always thought about saying out loud! Nobody Warned Us. Reading this has helped me navigate through one of the toughest chapter of my life. So thank you!!! ♥️💔
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews