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I Ain't Doin' It: Unfiltered Thoughts from a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart

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Social media comedian Heather Land uses her trademark sassy, laugh-out-loud humor to remind us of the many ways that real life can be really funny.Heather Land has something to say about almost everything in life--the unbelievable, inconceivable, and downright frustrating--and why she "ain't doin' it." In her first book, Heather shines a light on the (occasional) ridiculousness of life through a series of hilarious essays, dishing on everything from Walmart and ex-husbands to Southern beauty pageants and unfortunate trips to the gynecologist. I Ain't Doin' It reminds us that when it comes to life's messy moments, it's all about perspective--and that we too can say, I ain't doin' it! Perfect for fans of Jim Gaffigan, Anjelah Johnson, and Brian Regan, I Ain't Doin' It is a fun, breezy read for anyone who appreciates someone who tells it like it is and wants to embrace the lighter side of life.

Audio CD

Published May 7, 2019

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Heather Land

12 books18 followers

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5 stars
235 (31%)
4 stars
252 (33%)
3 stars
202 (26%)
2 stars
52 (6%)
1 star
14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Kelly (and the Book Boar).
2,819 reviews9,511 followers
May 20, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Before anyone gets it twisted and starts throwing the term “hater” at me or saying (once again) that I suck turtles, let’s get something real clear. I am the target demographic for this woman’s viral videos, can relate to allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll of them and have been pushing her on my friends for years. When I heard she was branching out into an actual traveling stand-up show I couldn’t have been happier and I was also the one who forced the library into buying this audio book for my listening pleasure. That being said, I checked this out believing it would be a (welcome) extension of Heather Land’s fifteen minutes of fame. I would not have been disappointed if it was simply a regurge of all of her videos from hating pumpkin spice to people in PJs at the Wal-Mart – just minus the Snapchat filter, of course. At minimum I thought this would be hilarious. What I didn’t sign up for was some sort of mutant inspirational, motivational speaker type mumbo jumbo with nary even a chuckle to be found. To that I say . . . .


Profile Image for Ashley.
560 reviews253 followers
May 4, 2019
Thank you to Simon & Schuster/Howard Books and Netgalley for the chance to read I Ain't Doin' It: Unfiltered Thoughts from a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart by Heather Land.

Humor is 100% subjective and I often have a hard time finding "funny books" humorous, but luckily Heather Land's wit is right up my alley. I tend to enjoy visual humor more, with funny lines accompanying a person's body language - that's what gets me rolling. I enjoy Heather Land's humor for that reason, her eye rolls, accent, and Snapchat filter just adds to the hilarity of her words. I think that is particularly what made this book enjoyable for me. As I read, I was able to imagine how she'd be saying the words on the page.

This was the perfect quick read to add a little cheer to my days. I appreciated the insight into Heather's life and the redemptive story of her accidental rise to fame. I thought it was refreshing how she was able to add humor to her lowest lows while also incorporating her faith into this book. It was the perfect mix of seriousness and humor. Just when things were getting heavy, she would throw an unexpected joke in, catching me off guard and cackling loud enough for my husband to question my sanity. The part in the story about her massage gone awry had me in hysterics. I had to stop and read many of the lines to my husband so he could share in the fun. ;)

I think this will be a great audiobook, especially if it's narrated by Heather herself. It will certainly add to the hilarity and will be a must listen for anyone looking for a little extra laughter in their life. 

Pick up your copy on May 7th!
Profile Image for Stacie.
1,895 reviews120 followers
June 27, 2019
I hadn’t heard of Heather Land until I was offered a copy of her book. So, I started following her on social media. The short videos that she posts on Instagram and Facebook using the wide-mouthed filter made me laugh every time. Land verbalized the thoughts I was having about whatever particular dilemma or issue that I was frustrated or annoyed with…usually to do with parenting or running into people out in the world. At the end of every post, she says, “I ain’t doin’ it.”

After following Heather Land on social media for a few months, I was anxious to check out her book. Going through a divorce made her stop and reflect a bit on life. In her book, she offers life lessons with wit and a whole lot of sarcasm. All the way through the book, she backs up her sarcasm with her strong faith in God. It isn’t overwhelming, she just shares her faith and trust in God as part of her journey.

I laughed a lot during her chapter on the people of Walmart. It’s a guarantee I will see someone in pajama pants no matter what time of day I go. Her story on the checkout clerk commenting on every item she bought is why I love self-checkout!

Her chapter on social media was pretty spot on. She talks about chain mails, where if you share this post with ten of your friends, your prayers will be answered. You know we all hate those! Then she brings up over-posting and vaguebooking. You know those people who write things like “worst day ever but I can’t talk about it” but then everyone asks what’s wrong and they end up talking about it anyway. I could relate to her frustrations.

Her book doesn’t offer anything earth-shattering, but she does share a few light-bulb moments and lots of witty banter about the odd things we come across in life. Many of these things have happened during her travels for her comedy tour.

If you are fans of realistic comedy or are looking for a light, funny read, this book would fit the bill.
Profile Image for Julie Graves.
976 reviews38 followers
May 19, 2019
I've been following Heather Land's video's for several months now and she has provided me with many laughs! So I was quite intrigued to see that she had a book coming out. I love to learn about authors that I have read or have seen on video's. I love Heather Land's sarcastic humor and her book is filled with that type of humor. Each chapter is filled with humor from her life experiences. One of my favorite things about the book though is that she ends each chapter with a faith talk filled with encouragement and spiritual truths she has gleaned through the years.

If you haven't seen Heather's video's then I suggest you watch one of those before reading the book. Because honestly y'all she is too funny and when you read the book you can just hear her voice throughout the pages! I enjoyed it very much and look forward to many more video's and maybe another book and who knows, maybe someday I might even catch one of her shows!
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,075 reviews51 followers
January 11, 2019
A cute book, much like her videos, with life lessons mixed in with humor. It's a not too serious look at some serious issues that can hurt but she makes it better. Laughter is truly one of the great healers!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Meredith.
5 reviews
May 19, 2019
I expected this book to be funny, I did not expect it to be as sweet and wise and poignant as it was. Well done, Heather...keep it up!
Profile Image for Nicki Hinkle.
344 reviews
April 28, 2020
This was a great book. It had the comedy we've come to know and love from our favorite "big mouth" filtered Snapchatter, a little bit of advice, a lot of personal stories and memories and it's all wrapped in a "Jesus bow."
I am not nearly as religious as Heather, but I don't find that her commitment to religion takes away from her comedy in any way. Remember, one of her most popular videos was the "Jesus is taking me in a cocktail dress...not my danskin shorts..." one.
I would love to see her in person. I bet her stand up is hilarious! Keep at it, Heather! We love it!
Profile Image for Alexa.
105 reviews
January 22, 2020
Heather’s humor cracks me up all the time, but this book had a fair share of her classic humor as well as inspiration. It was written with truth and raw vulnerability with laughter and Jesus built in. Loved it.
Profile Image for Kristin Marie.
448 reviews4 followers
June 16, 2019
An odd combination of humor faux-pas and autobiography. I think either would have been successful stand alone; however, I didn’t get enough of either.
Profile Image for Carol.
185 reviews
June 5, 2019
10 wordsummary: Southern clichés, trite sermonizing, and self-indulgent navel gazing abounds.

#blessherheart #sheisnoRickBragg

🦔🦔 I'm conflicted. Some good. Some bad. Some meh.
Profile Image for April Forker.
95 reviews33 followers
May 6, 2019
I received a copy of "I Ain't Doin' It" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley! I LOVE Heather Land. I have been a fan of hers for a very long time. I have seen her live once and am seeing her live again in June. I was so excited to see that she had written a book! This book did not disappoint. Of course this book is laugh out loud funny. She writes EXACTLY like she talks and I love it! I also love how she can take serious subjects and add some comedy to them. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes Heather Land!
Profile Image for Sarah Wiley.
120 reviews6 followers
July 15, 2019
There were times I was almost crying from laughing so hard and others from the depths of what the author was sharing about what her struggles had taught her or even more important how she had learned to love Jesus through them. You may not agree with all of her humor but you can’t mess with this woman’s testimony!
Profile Image for Jill.
8 reviews
July 25, 2019
Super preachy and not that funny. I don't think I cracked a single smile while reading this and caught myself rolling my eyes more than once.
Profile Image for Candice.
546 reviews
August 2, 2019
I like this author’s YouTube clips but a dose this large... I ain’t doin’ it (again).
Profile Image for Sherri.
2,124 reviews37 followers
Read
February 13, 2022
I enjoy Heather Land’s short videos as they have wit and humor and often make me laugh. I’m about 30% through listening to her audiobook version of this and it doesn’t even make me smile. I give up.
Profile Image for Richard Propes.
Author 2 books191 followers
February 5, 2020
I will admit that I knew almost nothing about Heather Land when I discovered her book on the shelf at my local library branch.

The premise sounded promising - a sarcastic Southern sweetheart who seemingly found a path to success using a gimmicky social media concept that went viral with a catch phrase - "I Ain't Doin' It" - that people found both funny and appealing. As I've been stuck at home for a few weeks recovering from a serious health issue, I've needed more than a little funny to keep me going and I was certainly hoping that this collection would fit the bill.

It didn't.

Land sounds like a delightful human being. I'm thrilled that she's found a path to success via a comedy gig that seems to have turned into a semi-inspirational gig. This review is certainly not a reflection of any view of her as I've never seen her act, never met her, and wish her all the success in the world.

About 1/4 of the way through reading "I Ain't Doin' It," I actually went over to Youtube to check out some of Land's videos. I knew I wasn't connecting with the book and I wanted to see if I could figure out why. The first issue was that, at least for me, her sassy humor simply wasn't translating to the written page. In the videos, she has a freshness and spontaneity - while I'm sure she "rehearses" to a degree, most comics do, she's got a fresh spirit that is at least reasonably fun to watch. That spirit just didn't come to life for me in the writing. The writing felt way too intentional, overly processed, and devoid of personality.

"I Ain't Doin' It" didn't feel "unfiltered." It felt very filtered.

"I Ain't Doin' It" felt like someone trying really hard to write a book that would please her fan base while also trying to say something that matters. The words are there. Sometimes, they do matter. I have zero doubt that aspects of this book will certainly resonate with Land's target demographic. For those outside Land's demographic, however, it's hard to imagine that "I Ain't Doin' It" will truly manage to connect.

I think the wild variation in ratings/reviews is a solid example of this being true. Those who love it seem so really love "I Ain't Doin' It." Those who hate it, well, really hate it.

Then, there's folks like me. I certainly didn't love "I Ain't Doin' It," though that's probably evident from my 2-star rating. I didn't even like it. I also didn't hate it. I found it to have more than a little potential and desperately in need of an editor who would have said "Oh honey, this entire section makes little sense!" or "Do we really need this entire reflection that has no humor in it and basically does nothing to preach AT people?"

A better editor could have made Land look a whole lot better here.

I never laughed during "I Ain't Doin' It." I smiled once. In case you're wondering, I seem to recall the smile came during chapter 15, a bit of spark came through that felt like something someone would actually say and it was delightful. I never connected with Land's faux inspirations, a weird mix of gravel road Southern sweetheart meets flawed Jesus freak - when you consider the inexplicable success of some faith-based writers, there's no doubt this approach will work for some. It didn't work for me - not because it came from a place of faith, but because all too often Land couldn't successfully weave humor into her faith. She either wrote faith or she wrote humor - the two seldom peacefully co-existed.

I am a professional critic by trade. As a professional, we don't avoid bad films. We review everything - good or bad, Oscar caliber or Razzie quality. That's my approach to film criticism. However, I don't intentionally pick up books I don't think will be high quality or that I don't believe I'll connect with in some way. I read because I enjoy it and the reviews I write here are simply because I enjoy writing and offering feedback. As a professional writer, I despise the idea of simply bashing another writer. I don't give 5-star reviews easily, because "I loved it" is not nearly enough to reflect actual top-notch quality, and 1-star reviews are even more rare because writing is hard work and I prefer to encourage folks.

"I Ain't Doin' It" has potential, but it doesn't feel like Land was entirely comfortable with her voice here. She was trying too hard to do too many things and she ended up not doing any of them incredibly well. The book is never as funny as you'd expect it to be, while the attempts to be inspirational feel flat and forced. There was something there - I liked Heather Land. I wanted to feel the real Heather Land in this book and "I Ain't Doin' it" just didn't do it for me.
Profile Image for Regina Belmer.
873 reviews
November 2, 2019
I went into this book blind, just on a recommendation from a friend of the author's, in an online book club I belong to. It was EXACTLY what I needed. The only knowledge I had going in was that it was a comedy (which should be obvious from the title), but little did I know that it was also uplifting, encouraging, real, and irreverent. I consider myself to be spiritual and not religious, and yes, she has a message under all her snark and sarcasm, and yes, it's a Christian message, but it is so expertly done, so softly written in, that for some reason, it never felt preachy to me, like some other very popular books of this type did. Honestly, I want to now go watch all her videos, go to all her shows, hang out with her, have coffee and massages with her, live with her.... oh wait, I'm sounding stalkerish. I digress. But seriously, if you haven't checked this book out for an uplifting, snarky romp with a message, DO IT! I am a 51 year old with grown children and grandchildren, and I could relate and find joy and laughter in every chapter. Did I mention I peed my pants from laughing so hard? TWICE! And that's not a lie. Brittany's Toybox and the massage scene. Enough said.
Profile Image for Erica Zulauf.
141 reviews11 followers
August 19, 2019
I thoroughly loved this book. Being a divorcee myself trying to pick your self up from rock bottom is hard and 'takes a village'. I read some comments on this book that say they were let down by this book because God is all up and through it or it wasn't as funny as they hoped. I wasn't disappointed...god was her rock, her faith gave her strength and courage to continue on. Gave her the courage to start doing her stand up shows...if she were a superhero this would be her origin story...its not all funny because not all life is fun and games there are serious points and you take those too. I loved it and am going to buy a copy for my personal library because it wasn't just the hilarious stories that touched me it was the serious parts too. Just keep on keep'n on...can't wait to read the next if there should be one.
Profile Image for Heather Fox.
330 reviews6 followers
September 21, 2019
Oh, I hate writing negative reviews, especially to people I respect. I love Heather’s I ain’t doin it videos. I bought the audio expecting essentially her comedy act that I was curious about. Unfortunately, what I got was a pretty boring account of her southern upbringing. It skimmed any issues that may have been interesting, such as her divorce, or the real struggles of parenting- and single parenting. Everything had a sweet overtone with no grit that I look for in a memoir. I enjoyed the chapter of social media, but I eventually threw in the towel- DNF 3 quarters of the way through. It is essentially a pretty boring memoir, some observations of life with a little humor and sweet moral of the story ends of each chapter. The life of church going , small town living definitely did not deserve the several chapters it received. It was just boring. And not funny. Bummer. I ain’t doin it.
Profile Image for Nancy.
936 reviews
August 19, 2019
Apparently, Heather Land's weird-face-filter "I Ain't Doing It" videos are massively popular. I hadn't heard of them, but this book looked like it might have potential.

I liked it and found it immensely entertaining and humorous on occasion. I laughed out loud many times as she shared her observations on mundane experiences and her own unique take/opinion on them. I live in the deep South but am not originally from here, and I felt so validated when she talked about some of the curiosities of southern women and their behavior/interests, etc. (Monogram decals on vehicles? Why??)

This was a light, fun read, though inconsistent. I appreciate her sarcasm though I am always trying to tone mine down, but she sometimes comes across as unkind and mean towards others.

Recommended.
Profile Image for Katie.
253 reviews
March 31, 2020
I think Heather Land is hilarious. I saw her live in Indy last summer, and she was a delight. I just feel like this book wasn’t what it claims to be. The subtitle is “Unfiltered Thoughts from a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart”. I really thought it would be more comedy-based than self-reflective. I chose to read this because I had just finished a really sad book and wanted something lighthearted and silly. This book focused a lot on her personal journey and how God worked through her trials for good to come from them. And I support that wholeheartedly. However, when I’m looking for laughs and whimsy and leave with introspective self-help, I feel a bit let down. Expectation vs reality, I suppose.
Profile Image for Amy Walton.
79 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2021
What a gem of a book!

I follow Heather on social media, and I was blown away by her from the first "I Ain't Doin' It!" video I watched. What a smart and funny gal!

I took this short read with me on my recent vacation, and it was just what I needed. It made me laugh out loud at times! I feel a connection to her because we are both only children who grew up in small southern towns, and we share a Christian faith. We also share a knack for sarcasm!

In the middle of all the poking fun she does in this book, she write about her early life, is open about her divorce and being a single parent, and is unashamed of her faith.

If you are a Land fan or just looking for a short and frequently sarcastic read, grab this book. You won't regret it!
Profile Image for Janice Glassford.
14 reviews
July 28, 2020
If you want to laugh your ass off for hours this book is for you and every human being on the planet‼️
Heather Land Your southern Christian humor made me laugh during my darkest moments in my darkest hours
I literally listen to this book in three days and I could not stop laughing even now on the inside I was crying 😢 In pain and grief and just pure 2020 hell 🔥
Thank you for sharing your stories thank you for reminding us that God 🙏 is in control of our lives every step of the way, because as I fighting for the hardest battle of my life right now you gave me some HOPE and for that I will be eternally grateful 🙌🙌🙌
Signed,
I Am Doin It 🥰🥰
Profile Image for Kristy.
598 reviews3 followers
June 3, 2021
Tried this book out because of a friend's suggestion. So glad I did. First of all, Heather Land is hilarious. Boy did she have me laughing. I especially loved listening to her narrate her book because the comedy just wouldn't have been as funny without the southern accent. Really. Second, I appreciate her realness. That might not even be a word, but that is what I liked about her. I loved her ties to family, friends and her acknowledgment that God is at the center of her growth.

Loved this book and would recommend it to....everyone.
Profile Image for Jeanenne.
437 reviews
January 3, 2020
Cute book... author mixes true life stories and her faith. We've all been in most of these situations... and she shows us how to laugh at them...use faith to survive them.... OR do both at the same time.

This is the perfect book for when you really only have time for a chapter or two. Each chapter is a stand alone story that can be enjoyed on its own... or as a whole with the rest of the book.
Profile Image for Heather.
307 reviews28 followers
February 20, 2024
I expected this book to be funny but I did not expect this book to be so relatable.

Heather Land uses her trademark sassy humor to take real life experiences and put them into perspective. She shows us that like her, we can just say "I ain't doin' it!" She weaves her faith into her humor and it is so very refreshing. Heather's authenticity made me like her even more than I already did.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick fun read!
Profile Image for Emily.
92 reviews
November 27, 2024
I highly recommend listening to her read the audio, it would've been boring in my own voice. I laughed, I cried, and laughed some more. Yes, lots of Jesus in this book. Not sure why people are always surprised when people that love Jesus talk about Him. This book is funny stories about real life, just like Heather shares online. But some raw and real stuff too. Again, listen to the audio because her voice makes it so much better.
Profile Image for Sarah.
432 reviews23 followers
June 20, 2019
If you haven't seen her short snapchat videos, then you are missing out. She is hilarious! And expresses those inner thoughts we are probably all thinking. Her book is just as funny, it does touch on some serious stuff as well, but I think it shows her character and how she came to be who she is today. I really enjoyed her book (I listened to it, which might make it even better)!
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