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Thirty: A Guide to Embracing the Wonderfully Messy Decade
Not yet published
Expected 1 Dec 26288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2026
About the author
Ariella Elovic
2 books21 followersHey there! I’m Ariella, an NYC-based illustrator and founder of @thecheekyblog: an online platform through which I seek to combat the shame so many of us feel in relation to our bodies. My work has been featured in The New Yorker, Teen Vogue, Alma, and Buzzfeed. My graphic memoir CHEEKY is available where most books are sold.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A GEM of a book. Upon finishing, I immediately ordered Ariella Elovic’s other book because this was just so lovely. Even though I’m a good seven years away from thirty, Elovic’s illustrative book made me feel incredibly seen, not to mention the laughs it got out of me.
Through broad life categories, a talking side-narrator-cat named Fran, and cheeky art, Elovic envelops you in the feeling of being thirty and adrift. She reminds you of the incredible nuances within those oh-so-broad categories while still making sense of a singular experience that will inevitably attach to yours. In this case, even if I haven’t yet lived the rest of my twenties, her book proved transcendent because of the way it made me feel. After all, thirty happens after twenty, so it almost feels like a prelude, an insight– a must-read, if you may.
I cherished this book, especially the food section, even going as far as to dog-earing some recipes that Elovic hilariously illustrates and makes excellent emphasis of through creative and visual choices. She personifies food and other objects throughout that give the book a light magical feel, while still being very much grounded in reality.
Elovic masters self-reflection as she beasts through a (broad) guide to your thirties while fully simmering you in her own experiences, her deeply-personal life. She doesn’t embellish, instead she does the Millennial Embrace: edging on self-deprecation while moving forward with a certain, adult kind of confidence. You can’t help but read on. You can’t help but love this girl.
Because this hasn’t come out yet, I read the book in its black-and-white format, but the final edition being full-color will probably result in me also buying the finished product just to enjoy these fun, meaningful, and highly playful illustrations with my own eyes. I believe it will be such an excellent gift for really anyone– those approaching their thirties, those living through it, those who’ve long left that station in life, and even those like me, who still have a push-and-a-half left to go.
I can’t find anything negative to say at all. This is an excellent book. It is as enjoyable as a fun, flirty guide to life can get. Oh! And I definitely recommend pairing this read up with a “Sex and The City” playlist, or a Led Zeppelin vinyl spinning in the background.
Through broad life categories, a talking side-narrator-cat named Fran, and cheeky art, Elovic envelops you in the feeling of being thirty and adrift. She reminds you of the incredible nuances within those oh-so-broad categories while still making sense of a singular experience that will inevitably attach to yours. In this case, even if I haven’t yet lived the rest of my twenties, her book proved transcendent because of the way it made me feel. After all, thirty happens after twenty, so it almost feels like a prelude, an insight– a must-read, if you may.
I cherished this book, especially the food section, even going as far as to dog-earing some recipes that Elovic hilariously illustrates and makes excellent emphasis of through creative and visual choices. She personifies food and other objects throughout that give the book a light magical feel, while still being very much grounded in reality.
Elovic masters self-reflection as she beasts through a (broad) guide to your thirties while fully simmering you in her own experiences, her deeply-personal life. She doesn’t embellish, instead she does the Millennial Embrace: edging on self-deprecation while moving forward with a certain, adult kind of confidence. You can’t help but read on. You can’t help but love this girl.
Because this hasn’t come out yet, I read the book in its black-and-white format, but the final edition being full-color will probably result in me also buying the finished product just to enjoy these fun, meaningful, and highly playful illustrations with my own eyes. I believe it will be such an excellent gift for really anyone– those approaching their thirties, those living through it, those who’ve long left that station in life, and even those like me, who still have a push-and-a-half left to go.
I can’t find anything negative to say at all. This is an excellent book. It is as enjoyable as a fun, flirty guide to life can get. Oh! And I definitely recommend pairing this read up with a “Sex and The City” playlist, or a Led Zeppelin vinyl spinning in the background.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ariella Elovic’s graphic memoir about embracing life-as-it-is instead of agonizing over annoying, made-up societal goalposts turns out not only to be good advice for people in their 30s, but literally just good advice for navigating the world as a human.
This is a graphic memoir written like a self-help advice book, but it’s clear it's addressed to a younger version of herself, and it’s so endearing, funny, and quirky. With story headers like “Ways to Remind Yourself of Your Inherent Value” and “Types of Friendships as Plants,” Elovic shares personal anecdotes in the form of lessons she has learned and shifts in her perspective from her 20s to her 30s.
Gift this to your favorite 30-something for the holidays, and pass it around the room so everyone on the age spectrum can enjoy it. Everyone will appreciate you for it:)
This is a graphic memoir written like a self-help advice book, but it’s clear it's addressed to a younger version of herself, and it’s so endearing, funny, and quirky. With story headers like “Ways to Remind Yourself of Your Inherent Value” and “Types of Friendships as Plants,” Elovic shares personal anecdotes in the form of lessons she has learned and shifts in her perspective from her 20s to her 30s.
Gift this to your favorite 30-something for the holidays, and pass it around the room so everyone on the age spectrum can enjoy it. Everyone will appreciate you for it:)
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
ARC received with great excitement at ALA! I super love Ariella's work (first turned onto it by Sam Irby's newsletter) and fully enjoyed this book, too. I'm fully 2 decades past being the target market, but still in love with an illustrated spread of ketchup-based fashion (can't wait to see it in color!).
Looking forward to sharing it with the 30-ish people in my life and happy for a reminder that life stress looks different for everyone.
Looking forward to sharing it with the 30-ish people in my life and happy for a reminder that life stress looks different for everyone.
August 5, 2026
A fun, relatable, and raw guide and reflection on being thirty and all the mess and beauty that comes with it. A great reminder we are all on our own paths and no one is behind in their own lives!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews