My friend received this book as a “gift" she didn’t want, so you can bet I was extremely excited to read it. We poured ourselves a few glasses of wine and dug into THE instructional guide of our time.
First, do you need instructions to take walks? Because you're going to learn how to... twice. That's right, this book has instructions for taking a spring AND fall walk. This is information we all truly need.
As I was thumbing through though, the thing that struck me the most was that about fourteen different bloggers should probably be suing to get a part of this book, because there are verbatim crafts directly from Pinterest, several times. The Halloween section in particular seemed to be the part where the author just gave up and copy pasted. At least she took her own pictures though.
Let’s talk about the garlands - did you know the only thing your party needs to be a success is a garland? Paper bunnies on a string, second grade paper rings, all the obvious things that you wouldn't think someone could stretch into a four page instructional guide with a dozen accompanying pictures to pad the length, but no, somehow, the author found a way to do it.
Did you guys know you should consider your budget before throwing a party? The amount of guests? Did you know you should send thank you cards to people who invite you to their houses, or that you should bring a present? Did you know that to be a good guest, you shouldn't arrive too early or stay too late? Truly, no one has ever thought of theses things before.
Oh, did you need some ideas for games? She's got you covered. No, not instructions for fun games, just lists of games you could play. She divides it up by the type of parties you're having (dinner party games, small friend groups, big parties) but it's just a list. You could google it and save yourself some money.
And now for some crafts. You can make a chalkboard sign... by taking a chalkboard and writing on it with a chalk marker. Get a black Halloween pumpkin with gold dots... by painting a pumpkin black and then putting gold dots on it. You can plant a herb garden... by buying pots and herbs from the grocery store and then putting the herbs IN THE POTS. It's revolutionary.
This book is the most obvious thing I have ever read. There are no meaningful tips, or helpful tricks - it's all the basics you could learn from speaking to a person who has thrown a party. I cannot stress this enough - it's not like you're getting expert level tips. The section about having a "Cereal Party" in particular is among the worst ideas I have ever seen, and the guide is essentially just a list of things you could eat for breakfast. Seriously, she lists a bunch of cereals, fruits, seeds, and milks you could have. It read like a grocery store aisle. Party, right?
After going through three quarters of the book, I flipped back to the cover. Zoe Sugg. That name seemed so familiar. So I googled, and remembered that she's a Youtuber - not only that, but the one that was embroiled in a ghost writing scandal a few years ago, where she tricked her young fans into buying a book loosely based on her life, that she claimed to write, and didn't. In a way, Cordially Invited feels like a direct response to this - I can almost hear her, pacing around her house, thinking "I can't write a book, they say - ha! I'll show them... I'll write about something I know - like being a Youtuber! Oh wait, I tried that already, and it was so bad, they had to hire someone to do it in my name. Well... how about non-fiction?"
Now, onto what I did like. The design is beautiful - I have to hand it to Zoe Sugg, she knows how to take a pretty picture, even if they've already been used in thumbnails for her videos and blog, but that's splitting hairs. I guess I'm of the opinion that if I'm spending money on a thing, I'd prefer if it be dedicated to the project, but that's just me. The colours are nice, the typography is clean, and it's a beautiful looking book. But that's all it is - beautiful *looking.*
TLDR: Overall, I would suggest that you make a Pinterest account for free, rather than spend your money on this book, unless you are truly clueless and need your hand held through the smallest of tasks. But it is fun to read with a friend and a glass of pinot.