I Love(ish) New York: Tales of City Life

by Ali Solomon

A humorous and relatable look into the joys and pitfalls of living in New York City.

There is no city quite like New York City, for better or worse. I Love(ish) New York is a hilarious relatable collection of essays, illustrations, and cartoons about the always interesting, sometimes frustrating, and endlessly entertaining quirks of living in the Big Apple.

Despite the notorious six-floor walk-ups and unrequited love found in all the wrong dive bars, the city's unique charm and irresistible allure keeps millions of residents—and starry-eyed millions more on their way—walking fast and talking faster. New Yorker magazine contributor Ali Solomon offers an absurdist's eye and a satirist's pen, crafting a love letter to the greatest (or great-ish?) city in the world. I Love(ish) New York is the perfect gift for anyone who lives, left, loved, or dreamed of living in New York City.

A PERFECT GIFT: This is great gift or self-purchase for anyone who lives in, has left, or is moving to New York City. Whether given as a graduation, housewarming, or moving present, I Love(ish) New York is a relatable laugh for the millions who love (and love to hate) New York.

EVERGREEN TOPIC: New York will always be absurd and wonderful to those who live or who have lived there. This book will resonate with its millions of residents.
A LOVE LETTER TO NYC: Ali Solomon shares the ups and downs of living in New York as only a lifelong New Yorker can. From finding your first apartment to landing a job, romantic partner, and then facing the decision to hang tough or flee to the suburbs, Ali tackles the full lifecycle of the city dweller with heart and wit. New Yorkers of all ages and stages will be able to relate.

Perfect for:

New Yorkers, past and present, and transplants
Recent college graduates

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, New York, Travel, Comics

200 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Thelibrarythief · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is funny and the first thing that came to my mind was: this would be perfect as a gift!

i didn’t expect this book to be AS LONG as it was but like it said—it’s a collection of all sorts of things new york, so you’ve got your quizzes, anecdotes, quirky poems and funny illustrations.

i would buy this book to give to a friend as a going away gift or as a holiday gift!

it is strangely personalized yet relatable to anyone who might consider themself a new yorker!

4/5 stars

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny-ish look at life in NYC. There’s a lot here for NYers to recognize, “Ohhh the trains are all messed up..again..”, but I didn’t get the cutting, hilarious NYC vibes like with a Lebowitz, Seinfeld or Sedaris peek at the city.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fascination with NYC has been a long time in the making, but has peaked in the last two years with our son attending college at CCNY and now working for the UNF in Manhattan. That has come with countless trips to Manhattan while helping him choose between incredibly vibrant universities, moving into and out of the chosen one, and then moving home for a month before getting the amazing phone call his dream job hired him. So back we went with another loaded jeep stopped repeatedly on the GW bridge before being perilously parked on 124th st. This book captures that magic and madness and mayhem and everything I love about NYC. Our travels to NYC has included taking the subway to a Target and Trader Joe’s and awkwardly carrying armfuls of supplies down city streets. But it’s also come with unsuspecting amazing street performers, getting a completely flat tire in the Lincoln Tunnel, finding the best restaurant (Da Nico’s) in Little Italy, discovering the cutest turtles in Central Park, finding just the right dumplings in ChinaTown that you watch your son eat on the sidewalk in the snowstorm, leaving one subway car hysterically laughing after being shouted at just to get on the one behind it and being shouted at again, trying out ALL the amazing coffee shops together, walking across the majestic Brooklyn Bridge in the rain and encountering the nicest people on the planet. Everything in this book is so relatable once you’ve pushed past Times Square and stayed longer than a weekend! And I’m glad to know I’m not the only one looking endlessly on the streets for an impromptu scene being filmed for Law and Order. Loved this book, your wit, cartoon style and narratives, and now I’m hoping your husband writes a book from a guy’s perspective!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smorgasbord of fun and quirky NYC content that’ll be relatable to anyone whoever lived there, or whoever wanted to. Want lots of New Yorker type cartoons, how-to’s, and listicles? This book has got’ham! 😜

[Dianne Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, tongue in cheek look at life in New York. I enjoyed it.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun memoir/love letter to New York City in lists and cartoons. If you've lived in the city for even a short time, you'll recognize yourself or your neighbors here.

[Randi A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute - quick read, more of a coffee table book. I could see this being a good gift for newcomers to the city.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristen Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, however, feels targeted to a very specific audience.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me an advanced readers copy (ARC) of “I Love(ish) NYC” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read to this story and leave my review voluntarily.

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has such a fun concept! I appreciate the attempt at humour, and it definitely describes lots of New York culture. I am not sure that it is quite as funny or insightful as the synopsis indicates. Some of the stories are a bit over the top and I wasn't enjoying the book as much as I had hoped. It might be funnier for those who know the author well.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps one needs to have visited or lived in the Big Apple to fully enjoy this book? Some funny comics but the rest needed context of experience I guess.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a clever and hilarious love letter to New York City (the real one, not the gentrified/transplant one) and I really enjoyed it. It’s an excellent commentary on how New York is portrayed in media, how it looks to visitors, and what it’s like to actually live here. We get insight into crappy apartments, weird roommates, dive bars that may suck but are still cultural staples, and why we would never wanna give these things up even if they may leave much to be desired.

Solomon’s writing is funny and sarcastic and it’s interspersed with her New Yorker-esque cartoons and the two go quite nicely together. The book consists of comics, essays, quizzes, and a lot of listicles, so this one is for the Buzzfeed girlies and anyone who’s ever eaten a baconeggandcheese, one word (turkey bacon is also acceptable). If you know someone thinking about moving to New York City, but who’s still on the fence, send them a copy of this book and if they think it’s 100% literal then they must be physically prevented from entering. I don’t make the rules I just carry them out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I Love(ish) New York City is currently available for preorder and will be available at libraries and major book retailers on October 25th, 2022.

[Charty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, it’s hard to see the appeal. This book will probably only gain traction with people who live in, or have lived, in NYC (which admittedly is a lot of people) but still, it’s very niche.

I have a good friend who lived in Brooklyn for a number of years, I’ve visited quite a bit and pet-sat for someone for 10 days so I was able to get some of the references but I can’t see the majority of readers bothering. Also, there were a lot of lists and it definitely felt like an idea that ended up needing some serious padding to make it into a book. There are cartoons sprinkled throughout which I didn’t hate but I guess I didn’t find it very funny, either.

True confession: I picked this up on a whim in order to try and make my reading goal for the year. Two books down, two to go.

[Happylove618 · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I must confess, I love New York. I mean, if I could afford to I would pack up and move there in half a second. So of course this book caught my eye. And I have zero regrets!

This book is a fun, sarcastic love (hate?) — no, definitely love letter to NYC. I loved the cartoons and variety of writing styles in this book. There’s hilarious explanations of dating in NYC, finding an apartment, restaurants, and much more. I think my favorite was the parody of the Thanksgiving parade. This book is everything I’d hoped it would be. I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it’s released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced copy to enjoy.

[Jayne]

I got an ARC of this book on the day it was published and hadn't gotten around to it until a few days ago. As someone who visits New York City enough to be familiar with the neighbourhoods and the five boroughs, trains, and both tourist and local attractions, I found this book to be on the line of having enough inside jokes for people who live in NYC and those who dream of going. The book is filled with short essays in list form and satirical cartoons reminiscent of The New Yorker.

I would recommend this book as a stocking stuffer or a fun little gift to give to your cousin who lives in New York City and never lets you forget it.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is also obsessed with New York City, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to read this book. This book is a love/hate letter to NYC told through lists, pictures, and short stand alone paragraphs covering all things NYC including the various living, dating, and social situations that you will inevitably find yourself in while living in the city, Although this book does discuss my biggest fear (the suburbs) the book was a quick and entertaining read and I would recommend it to anybody living here.


Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced copy to enjoy

[Betty Conway erb · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book that made me laugh out loud. I was born in NY, worked in the city (yes, Manhattan lol) for 10 years and now live out of state. Ms. Solomon's book brought me back to a fun time in my life along with some of the quirky things only a true New Yorker would know and understand. I loved her New York sarcasm peppered throughout but I would have loved more experiences that are New York specific. So many parts of the book are spot on! A fun book especially for gift giving.

[Jocelyn Jane Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FUNNY. It would make a perfect read (or gift!) for anyone who lives in NYC, escaped NYC, or resides near NYC. It’s a unique place and Ali Solomon captures so many of the best and worst parts. I love the drawings in this book and also the humor pieces. Some of my favorite sections are: Apartment Optical Illusions, Your Upstairs Neighbor’s Daily Itinerary, Service Changes on Every Train Line This Weekend and City Dining Math Problems. Ha! Good, clever stuff.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought the book with the intention of delving into the essence of the city in an enjoyable manner. Some comics were indeed quite amusing. However, I found the book overly focused on personal anecdotes and minutiae, lacking in its exploration of broader issues that we could all connect too. I struggled to connect with or comprehend a lot of its content. Some of the places referenced in the book don’t seem to exist..

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a clever and fun book with comics. Having lived in NYC for 18 years this is the perfect guide for anyone moving there or who lived in the city for awhile. My favorite stories and tips happen to be around bugs, the subway and also typical being mom in NYC comments. Love the checklist for Newbies. Highly recommend for lovers of the real NYC.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. As someone who is from NYC, I knew I had to read this book. I loved the writing style. There were lists, illustrations and captions, short essays, and mini stories. It has a little bit of everything and it was pure perfection.

*Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has a strong appreciation for sarcasm and has always dreamed of what it would be like to live in New York City, I enjoyed this book. It's funny and cute and quirky and I found it entertaining. I think some of it was a little weird to me because I'm not a New Yorker; but overall I liked this book and think it would be a great gift.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, this book would have encapsulated all the wonderful reasons I wanted to live in NYC, for at least 6-12 months straight. Today, as a middle-aged suburban woman, I can appreciate things appealing to younger people, but identify more with the horror of grime, noise, no personal space, etc.!

[Sara Hosseini · Rating 5 out of 5]

My intern gave me this book as a thank you gift and annotated little inside jokes throughout. 🥺such a good gift for someone who moved to the city

At first glance looks like one of those shitty NYC coffee table books you pick up at Times Square but this was actually so good??? the jokes, the artwork the stories, all of it. It was so creative and witty I enjoyed every second of it

[Julie Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever and relatable collection of humor pieces and cartoons about life in NYC. I lived in NYC for a few years and could relate to a lot of this! This would be a good gift book for anyone who lives (or has lived) in NYC.

[Destiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF... Honestly, the book was more of the same squabble you read on the internet regarding NYC. DAE know rent is EXPENSIVE? DAE love/hate the SUBWAY? Felt like I could've had the same experience reading a listicle on some poppy website but it'd be more entertaining because at least there'd be GIFs.

[Leiba · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

[Raghav Batra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny if you've lived in the city

[Iza Van Zoeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a simple written book, but it’s funny and unfiltered. It’s a (somewhat exaggerated) look on how true New Yorkers live.

[Maryana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the NYC version of ‘The Giving Tree’ but everything else felt overly stereotyped/cynical

[Lori Zuppinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't what I expected. I think you have to be a New Yorker to get most of it.