Full disclosure: I finished Ali Wong’s Dear Girls about three weeks ago. I have also had a few glasses of wine tonight. Finally, the world is crazy and I can barely string two coherent thoughts together, let along write a poignant and thoughtful book review (my husband and I regularly have conversations that go like this: Me: “Did you, um, wait, when, um, did they, um, what’s the, um… do you know what I mean?” Him: “Yeah, but, if we, well.” and so on) . But here goes!

I loved Dear Girls. It was a perfect and much-needed break from the reality we are living right now. At times it was touching, at times it was thoughtful, but mostly, it was just true and relatable, and hilarious. Even when the stories were so far from my own personal experience that I couldn’t even fathom their reality, it was relatable. And that’s a feat.

At times I thought there is definitely a specific audience for this book. Like, maybe you need to be a mother, or a wife, or Asian, or a comedian, etc. etc. But the longer I spend away from the book, the more I realize you just need to have a sense of humor and be interested in people and their unique and shared experiences. Even if you have nothing in common with her, you can find a way to understand and appreciate Ali’s work. That being said, if you enjoy her stand-up, you will definitely enjoy the book. If you decidedly did NOT enjoy her stand-up, then why are you even reading the book or this review?

I walked away thinking I was glad that I write letters to each of my kids on their birthdays. But those letters are mostly about how amazing they are and the things they have accomplished in this year of life and what they are currently like as small people. Maybe I should write more letters that give them actual practical advice on how to handle life in your mid-30s, as a wife, as a mother, as a working mother, etc. That way, they can read them when they’re relevant and it won’t be coming from their out of touch old mom, but instead from the hip young woman who flawlessly balanced home and career and raised two perfect children while modeling for the world’s best wife trophy.

The bottom line is: Give it a shot, you’ll probably like it! I certainly did (though unsurprisingly so because I absolutely adored her comedy specials).