Solutions and Other Problems

Brosh examines a lot of the things that she doesn't seem to like about herself along with things that have happened in her life. The brutal honesty and pain represented in this book shockingly contrasts with some of the most pure and honest laughter I've experienced this year. Allie reminds me to see the pure absurdity of the world and know how funny it is. If her previous book was about a journey back from depression this book was a journey back from existentialism and self loathing. The stories are strung together in a sort of stream of consciousness way, if the conciousness you're streaming is anxious to give you all the pieces to put together the puzzle has been Brosh's life during her absence from the public view. I recognize the way her mind seems to bounce from idea to idea, pausing in the middle of a story to add related information, and returning when the pieces add up.

Funny stories, the kind you read with your hand over your mouth so you don't wake up your wife snickering. Then sad stories, so same thing, but crying. And sometimes the stories are pointless, but so is everything.

Allie Brosh has a way of looking at life that just blows me away. She tells stories that have you laughing out loud at maximum volume, sighing thoughtfully, or simply breaking down in tears. And alongside those stories, her quirky drawings make them come to life even more vividly, with visceral emotional intensity. Strangely enough, her book fits, with startling accuracy and appropriateness, the isolation, loneliness, and fears of our times. Brosh tackles some really hard topics in this book where life has become overwhelmed with problems and where solutions sometimes lead to more. But even while she deals with the fact that life is not fair, bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people, she demonstrates the human capacity to keep fighting, to keep going just one more step. Solutions and Other Problems is a unique perspective that helps us all relate to and sympathize with ourselves and others. We may all be weird in our own way and we may rail against the human condition, but we all have that tiny spark inside of us somewhere that keeps us going. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended.

It's been a while since Allie Brosh has shown up on my radar, and I didn't realize how terribly I missed her until I was half way through the first chapter in which she tells the story of her three year old self getting completely trapped in a bucket. Multiple times. If the book was just that one story, I would have called it a good value for my money. I'm fully confident that the remaining stories in this surprisingly girthy 500+ page book are not going to disappoint, so I'm just going to leave my five star review now so I'm not tempted to leave a review after every chapter.

I hope things get better for you, and if/when this book comes out i'm sure it will be amazing. So sure that I already gave this book five stars!!!

We've waited SO LONG for this book, we Allie fans, but we realize you can't just crank out something that comes from a source this deep and troubling. And, yes! It was worth the wait. This is a BIG book and it's not quite the same as her previous work. This has longer pieces, though it touches on the same topics (childhood, depression, family, and, of course, dogs). It's more thought-out and more like a book, vs a collection of strips. It's just as hilarious, and just as likely to slap you upside the head with stunning sadness at times. The point is: If you loved Hyperbole and a Half, you MUST MUST MUST get this for yourself and anyone you care about, or anyone who's having a hard time and you want to reach out to, or just anyone who appreciates true art that comes from the soul.

Unbelievably heartbreaking. Hyperbole and a hallf was by far the funniest book I've ever read, so I have been on the waitlist for this book as soon as it was possible. It had a couple funny stories, but mostly was just heart breakingly sad. I truly feel so sorry for Allie. But I feel like I paid for a comedy show and they played a video of a dog dying. Most of the book is telling us how she and her husband divorced, her parents divorced, her sister killed herself and super sad stories of dogs dying. If this had been a biography or something like that, it would be different, but this was supposed to be a sequel to the funniest book on the planet, and now I've felt extremely sad and depressed for two days.

Wow. WOW. I am so glad Allie has written another book. She has been through it, and she is going to tell you all about it. This book is hilarious, and devastating. And you'll cry. And then it's weird, but then after that it's laugh-out-loud hysterical and then you're like "wait, how did she get into my head?" and then it's nice and but then it gets a little weird again and then you laugh so hard you scare your cat and she runs away into the other room, and then you're sad it's all over. It's alot (um, that was intentional). I don't want to give anything about it away because I don't like ruining things. But prepare yourself because you are gonna feel some STUFF whether you want to, or not. Lots of it. And you'll be glad that you did, and that this is in your life. 100%, definitely, worth the wait. And also I identify with so so so much of what she says. She once again has this magical ability to simply explain situations in a way that I can't (but then I have follow up questions but I can't ask them as this is just a book and as of yet, books don't answer me back). What do I think? I think you need to buy the book. Or borrow it from someone. Or ask someone to buy it for you. Just figure out how to get your hands on it, and then read it. This is one of the greatest things to have happened this year.

I don't know if it's that the editors were fine with the book as-is, if the book lacked traditional editing altogether, or if the editors were worried that asking for edits would delay the book even further and they simply wanted to get the book out to rake in the oodles of money for an extremely anticipated book that was sure to (and is) sell like hotcakes. Whatever the case... this book is, in my opinion, a disjointed mess that rarely worked for me. It is clear that the author has gone through what sounds like an endless train of negative experiences in between Hyperbole and a Half and the much-delayed release of this book. Death in the family, divorce, family upheavals, depression, uprooting her life, and so on. Whereas the author was able to turn her experiences with depression into poignant, memorable and incredibly reflective strips in Hyperbole and a Half... here, there is very little insight, wit, or comprehension to be found. Not every story in Hyperbole and a Half was a gut-buster or tear-jerker, but they were always coherent narratives with a point. It seems to me that the writing process present for Hyperbole and a Half was non-existent or at least radically altered for Solutions and Other Problems. Whereas the stories in Hyperbole and a Half had excellent pacing, carefully and sparsely chosen illustrations, and great timing (comic or otherwise)--the stories in Solutions and Other Problems are the complete opposite. None of the stories have the sharp pacing of the chapters found in Hyperbole and a Half. Almost all of them go on for far too long, sometimes pages and pages and pages too long, with repetitive drawings that no longer have that distinctive characterization that they had in the first book. Of the more serious chapters, only one or two (notably, the chapter on the author's experiences regarding her sister's death) felt as carefully thought-out, edited, and polished as the strips/chapters from Hyperbole and a Half. Even the lighter chapters typically fell into this same pitfall: many of them are rambling and far too bloated. They sometimes trail off with no ending or simply make the same point multiple times before abruptly ending. A few of them were, quite frankly, incoherent no matter how many times I tried to make sense of them. In regards to the tone... I feel it's almost misleading for the book to be marketed as the sequel or successor to Hyperbole and a Half. Yes, Hyperbole and a Half touched on some serious issues and wasn't just about silly, funny or ridiculous things. And I can't blame the author for having her work reflect her life, nor do I have any problem with the book wanting to address death, feelings of grief and loss, depression, nihilism or other serious topics. What I do find issue with is how many of these serious topics are presented as almost... unaware disturbing rambling anecdotes that at times made me concerned for the author. Rather than an insightful chapter on how depression makes the author feel or how other people's interaction with depression made her feel it's just... "Hey! I did something weird or bizarre!" with no acknowledgement of how some of that weird behavior is concerning on multiple levels. Was the chapter where she talks about obsessing over a specific grocery store employee for years, following him around the store and obsessing over his personal habits and imagining a personal life for him, supposed to be anything but concerning? Because while the book tries to present this as quirky or fun, it's really shocking. Imagine finding out that a customer obsesses over you like this. The same goes for the chapter in which Brosh presents a drug-binge as some sort of stylistic night-time wandering, ending with her talking in her drugged-up state to a five year old neighbor. I love the first book. And I feel for the author, as someone who has had similarly negative experiences almost on top of one another. But this book was definitely not what I hoped it would be, nor did I derive the same sort of insight and enjoyment and reflection that I got after reading Hyperbole and a Half.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for years, and it didn’t disappoint me at all. In fact, it blew me away, just like I thought it would. Life is so frequently disappointing - but Allie Brody never does that to us. This book describes the human need to vent, to explain, to get the bad stuff OUT and explain it to others - and does it in a way that’s so freaking TRUE it feels like a gut punch. I can’t recommend the book enough. Also, knitting. I’m still giggling.

Brosh examines a lot of the things that she doesn't seem to like about herself along with things that have happened in her life. The brutal honesty and pain represented in this book shockingly contrasts with some of the most pure and honest laughter I've experienced this year. Allie reminds me to see the pure absurdity of the world and know how funny it is. If her previous book was about a journey back from depression this book was a journey back from existentialism and self loathing. The stories are strung together in a sort of stream of consciousness way, if the conciousness you're streaming is anxious to give you all the pieces to put together the puzzle has been Brosh's life during her absence from the public view. I recognize the way her mind seems to bounce from idea to idea, pausing in the middle of a story to add related information, and returning when the pieces add up.

Funny stories, the kind you read with your hand over your mouth so you don't wake up your wife snickering. Then sad stories, so same thing, but crying. And sometimes the stories are pointless, but so is everything.

Allie Brosh has a way of looking at life that just blows me away. She tells stories that have you laughing out loud at maximum volume, sighing thoughtfully, or simply breaking down in tears. And alongside those stories, her quirky drawings make them come to life even more vividly, with visceral emotional intensity. Strangely enough, her book fits, with startling accuracy and appropriateness, the isolation, loneliness, and fears of our times. Brosh tackles some really hard topics in this book where life has become overwhelmed with problems and where solutions sometimes lead to more. But even while she deals with the fact that life is not fair, bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people, she demonstrates the human capacity to keep fighting, to keep going just one more step. Solutions and Other Problems is a unique perspective that helps us all relate to and sympathize with ourselves and others. We may all be weird in our own way and we may rail against the human condition, but we all have that tiny spark inside of us somewhere that keeps us going. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended.

It's been a while since Allie Brosh has shown up on my radar, and I didn't realize how terribly I missed her until I was half way through the first chapter in which she tells the story of her three year old self getting completely trapped in a bucket. Multiple times. If the book was just that one story, I would have called it a good value for my money. I'm fully confident that the remaining stories in this surprisingly girthy 500+ page book are not going to disappoint, so I'm just going to leave my five star review now so I'm not tempted to leave a review after every chapter.

I hope things get better for you, and if/when this book comes out i'm sure it will be amazing. So sure that I already gave this book five stars!!!

We've waited SO LONG for this book, we Allie fans, but we realize you can't just crank out something that comes from a source this deep and troubling. And, yes! It was worth the wait. This is a BIG book and it's not quite the same as her previous work. This has longer pieces, though it touches on the same topics (childhood, depression, family, and, of course, dogs). It's more thought-out and more like a book, vs a collection of strips. It's just as hilarious, and just as likely to slap you upside the head with stunning sadness at times. The point is: If you loved Hyperbole and a Half, you MUST MUST MUST get this for yourself and anyone you care about, or anyone who's having a hard time and you want to reach out to, or just anyone who appreciates true art that comes from the soul.

Unbelievably heartbreaking. Hyperbole and a hallf was by far the funniest book I've ever read, so I have been on the waitlist for this book as soon as it was possible. It had a couple funny stories, but mostly was just heart breakingly sad. I truly feel so sorry for Allie. But I feel like I paid for a comedy show and they played a video of a dog dying. Most of the book is telling us how she and her husband divorced, her parents divorced, her sister killed herself and super sad stories of dogs dying. If this had been a biography or something like that, it would be different, but this was supposed to be a sequel to the funniest book on the planet, and now I've felt extremely sad and depressed for two days.

Wow. WOW. I am so glad Allie has written another book. She has been through it, and she is going to tell you all about it. This book is hilarious, and devastating. And you'll cry. And then it's weird, but then after that it's laugh-out-loud hysterical and then you're like "wait, how did she get into my head?" and then it's nice and but then it gets a little weird again and then you laugh so hard you scare your cat and she runs away into the other room, and then you're sad it's all over. It's alot (um, that was intentional). I don't want to give anything about it away because I don't like ruining things. But prepare yourself because you are gonna feel some STUFF whether you want to, or not. Lots of it. And you'll be glad that you did, and that this is in your life. 100%, definitely, worth the wait. And also I identify with so so so much of what she says. She once again has this magical ability to simply explain situations in a way that I can't (but then I have follow up questions but I can't ask them as this is just a book and as of yet, books don't answer me back). What do I think? I think you need to buy the book. Or borrow it from someone. Or ask someone to buy it for you. Just figure out how to get your hands on it, and then read it. This is one of the greatest things to have happened this year.

I don't know if it's that the editors were fine with the book as-is, if the book lacked traditional editing altogether, or if the editors were worried that asking for edits would delay the book even further and they simply wanted to get the book out to rake in the oodles of money for an extremely anticipated book that was sure to (and is) sell like hotcakes. Whatever the case... this book is, in my opinion, a disjointed mess that rarely worked for me. It is clear that the author has gone through what sounds like an endless train of negative experiences in between Hyperbole and a Half and the much-delayed release of this book. Death in the family, divorce, family upheavals, depression, uprooting her life, and so on. Whereas the author was able to turn her experiences with depression into poignant, memorable and incredibly reflective strips in Hyperbole and a Half... here, there is very little insight, wit, or comprehension to be found. Not every story in Hyperbole and a Half was a gut-buster or tear-jerker, but they were always coherent narratives with a point. It seems to me that the writing process present for Hyperbole and a Half was non-existent or at least radically altered for Solutions and Other Problems. Whereas the stories in Hyperbole and a Half had excellent pacing, carefully and sparsely chosen illustrations, and great timing (comic or otherwise)--the stories in Solutions and Other Problems are the complete opposite. None of the stories have the sharp pacing of the chapters found in Hyperbole and a Half. Almost all of them go on for far too long, sometimes pages and pages and pages too long, with repetitive drawings that no longer have that distinctive characterization that they had in the first book. Of the more serious chapters, only one or two (notably, the chapter on the author's experiences regarding her sister's death) felt as carefully thought-out, edited, and polished as the strips/chapters from Hyperbole and a Half. Even the lighter chapters typically fell into this same pitfall: many of them are rambling and far too bloated. They sometimes trail off with no ending or simply make the same point multiple times before abruptly ending. A few of them were, quite frankly, incoherent no matter how many times I tried to make sense of them. In regards to the tone... I feel it's almost misleading for the book to be marketed as the sequel or successor to Hyperbole and a Half. Yes, Hyperbole and a Half touched on some serious issues and wasn't just about silly, funny or ridiculous things. And I can't blame the author for having her work reflect her life, nor do I have any problem with the book wanting to address death, feelings of grief and loss, depression, nihilism or other serious topics. What I do find issue with is how many of these serious topics are presented as almost... unaware disturbing rambling anecdotes that at times made me concerned for the author. Rather than an insightful chapter on how depression makes the author feel or how other people's interaction with depression made her feel it's just... "Hey! I did something weird or bizarre!" with no acknowledgement of how some of that weird behavior is concerning on multiple levels. Was the chapter where she talks about obsessing over a specific grocery store employee for years, following him around the store and obsessing over his personal habits and imagining a personal life for him, supposed to be anything but concerning? Because while the book tries to present this as quirky or fun, it's really shocking. Imagine finding out that a customer obsesses over you like this. The same goes for the chapter in which Brosh presents a drug-binge as some sort of stylistic night-time wandering, ending with her talking in her drugged-up state to a five year old neighbor. I love the first book. And I feel for the author, as someone who has had similarly negative experiences almost on top of one another. But this book was definitely not what I hoped it would be, nor did I derive the same sort of insight and enjoyment and reflection that I got after reading Hyperbole and a Half.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for years, and it didn’t disappoint me at all. In fact, it blew me away, just like I thought it would. Life is so frequently disappointing - but Allie Brody never does that to us. This book describes the human need to vent, to explain, to get the bad stuff OUT and explain it to others - and does it in a way that’s so freaking TRUE it feels like a gut punch. I can’t recommend the book enough. Also, knitting. I’m still giggling.

I received and read this book all in one day. Sometimes you just get the thing you need in the moment you need it, you know? There is comfort in knowing you aren't the only one who struggles with feeling alone and empty in the same way Allie Brosh does in her writing. Of being weird in a way that's just as off putting and alienating as it can be funny and relatable. And make no mistake, this book is completely laugh out loud hilarious for the most part. But it's also thoughtful. It's human. It has stories of her life and where she has been for the last few years that are difficult to read. I cried in the middle for her. And then I cried at the end for myself, because that section is what I needed to hear. Overall, she tells the story of a kind of person we don't get to read about a lot. The inherently lonely person, the recluse, someone prone to nihilism, the result of having too much time to think big thoughts. I feel like, as this person myself, I feel reminded of my own value within these hard times. Of the value of living a small life in general. Of just making it through the day. Because she isn't afraid to talk about the struggles of everyday, what it takes to get through. On more technical notes, I will also say her art is as charming as it ever was, though it looks even more confident and polished than ever. Her style is still 100% her own and she remains a master of facial expressions and body language. I'm in awe of her ability to convey such a range of emotion and comedic timing within such deceptively simple drawings. Often, just the pictures themselves were enough to make me burst out laughing. Her style has only grown more self assured-her themes, color story, and panel choices all flow together perfectly, feel deliberate and well thought out, and not one single panel feels unnecessary to any story she's telling. Likewise, the writing itself is crisp, to the point, and always smart. She has a gift for word choice and playful expression. But it's also amazing, like in the more serious chapters, how concisely yet clearly she is able to convey complex thoughts, philosophies, emotions, and even long series of events. (Something I admire as it's clearly not my strong suit, lol.) I think this book is a beautiful work of genius, truly. (Eat it, Einstein!) Her fan base is devoted in an odd and sometimes invasive way, but I can't help but admit it too, all the same: I also missed this complete stranger, who I never have never, and never will, meet or know in my entire life. Thank you for making this book, even though the weight of other people's expectations is so heavy a burden to carry.

Her first book was a thing of wonder, every page and word a thing of hilarity. This is tedious. Really tedious. It's a view into a woman's mind who is mentally ill and not in a good way. It's draining and not pleasant and reminds me of the toxic people I've crossed paths with. I don't really know what the point of this is, and if she hadn't already been commissioned to write a sequel to her first book I doubt this would have ever been published.

Hyperbole and a Half was, by turns, poignant, clever, insightful, and gut-bustingly funny. Some of the best sections involved the author discussing her battle with depression. While painful to read, there was a stunning clarity to the work. Through anecdotes and analogies, Brosh painted a comprehensible picture of a land which, thank God, I've never had to visit. It's fairly clear, from the content of Solutions and Other Problems, that Brosh's life has taken a downward spiral since the publication of the first book. Some of this is due to external events; much of it appears to be due to the intensification of her condition. I fear that she's slipping away from us. And one of the things that I have to say, with great regret, is that as she slips away, I think she's losing her ability to explain her condition to people who don't share it. There are great big sections of this book which are, to me, entirely incoherent--chapters without endings, deep dives into the author's psyche in which we start down a path that sort of spirals away into nothing. There are also lengthy anecdotes which _are_ told in a coherent way, but which evoke horror as opposed to any kind of insight--the chapter recounting Brosh's drug-addled interactions with an Uber driver and a neighbor's child falls into this category. Brosh returns repeatedly to a central moral--that existence has no real meaning and that we have to impose one upon it to stay sane. That's not a concept that's unworthy of exploration; a lot of authors have done good work with it. But I don't find that this book does much with that idea except to make it explicit. There are moments where we see flashes of the same observational genius who gave us Hyperbole and a Half--Ugly Duckling 2 springs to mind--but from my perspective, they're relatively few. Most of the stories feel more like the echoing, garbled cries of someone trapped at the bottom of a well. Also, the dogs are less funny in this one. I hope Allie gets better.

I've battled with depression and being dealt crappy hands in life, and have always used comedy and humor as a release so I thought this would be a fun book. The pictures are kind of cute, but the actual "stories" are incredibly boring. I made it half way through a much-too-long story about babysitting a kid that was really afraid of fuzzy dandelions. It's just not that shocking, odd, funny or interesting that a kid freaked out about them and no one warned her first. I flipped through the next story about who picks the bananas and I'm done. Almost every story goes on and on about random details and thoughts and then it ends. It's not clever or moving and never cracked me up. I pondered whether I accidentally ordered a book for children, but there are random f-bombs dropped throughout, not in edgy thought provoking ways, just as a means of exclamation. I just don't get it and I can't force myself to read another page (only made it to 148 of 514). I guess I am not the intended audience.

Hyperbole and a Half was long one of my favorite blogs. I teach communications and always make my students create their own "ALOTs" (and as a result, I've had them bake ALOT cakes, take ALOT pictures, etc.). I've also referred people countless times to the two-part Depression strips in book 1, as they describe that experience better than I ever could convey myself. So I've been waiting eagerly -- and like many, worried about Ms. Brosh -- for years for the second book. It does not disappoint! Once again, I found myself gasping with laughter, or wiping away tears, as Allie Brosh captures the REALNESS of complicated, happy, hard, joyous, miserable life through her delightful illustrations. When my book arrived, I made myself a latte, put on my coziest socks, and hoodie, and curled up with my favorite blanket and pillow. I couldn't put the book down. Until I had to stop for some family thing or other like dinner. I now have about 30 pages left, and I haven't gone back to it in weeks. Why? Because I don't want it to be OVER. As long as I don't finish it, I still have more. Once that's done, how long do I have to wait next? It's a real crisis to figure out what to do. (Similarly to the Pride Oreos that I received as part of a Proud Parent promotion -- I plan to give them to my daughter, as I was chosen in part based on a picture of us at her first Pride March in 2019. But then do we open the package and eat them? Or do we save it as a Special Thing?) Maybe when I've decided, I'll update this post. For now, I'd just add that everyone should read all of Allie Brosh's work. She's brilliant, talented, and has the biggest heart ever.

This book arrived at my doorstep and I almost couldn’t believe it. It’s real? Like, for real real? Because, like other lovers of the hilarious graphic memoir “Hyperbole and a Half,” I had abandoned any hope of a sophmore book years ago. But then I discovered “Solutions and Other Problems” the day before publication and 24 hours later was chuckling along once again with Allie Brosh, in awe that this moment had come. I’d forgotten how much I’d missed her work. I don’t think this book was as good as “Hyperbole and a Half.” Specifically, I didn’t find it as humorous (and I’m exempting the parts that are not supposed to be funny— Brosh has been through some stuff). But there is still excellent material here that her fans will enjoy. I will never not love tales from her weird-kid childhood. You will also learn about how life is pointless, and you will feel oddly comforted by it. Brosh is an incredibly likable personality— you can’t help but root for her and that pink blob girl with the yellow horn.

In a horrible year, reading this book felt like reconnecting with a friend I once knew very well and hadn't heard from in a while. Allie's signature humor is all over this book, and there were light moments that made me laugh so hard I cried (the description of her cat, Squirrel, and his deep relationship with his mouse toy was particularly hilarious to me) but there were also moments where I cried until I laughed again. This book deals with some hard issues, because Brosh has not had an easy time of it. She does not shy away from addressing her experiences, but she does so in a way that manages to be insightful and yet protective of the privacy of those in her personal life. You can't imagine anyone in this book objecting to how they're characterized, and that was nice to read. I wish her all the best, and everyone should buy this book.

This book is a masterpiece. I love Allie Brosh and hope she gets all the good things in the world. I laughed so hard in just the first 30 pages that I scared both my cats and some innocent neighbors walking outside my apartment.

An image appears, portraying a lonely country road with signs in the distance. The colours are dusty and muted, and handwritten atop is a simple truth. "The main conflicts in life are: food; power; what to do about the unavoidable realization that nothing is fair or means anything. I don't know what to do about these. I just wanted to tell you." Another image appears. In it, a half-cartoon, half-stick-figure woman hunches over in maniacal fashion, holding a banana with a face drawn on it. In the sky is a handwritten message: "If you can't win, start playing a different game and score just as many points." What do these things have in common? They're examples of how humour and honest exasperation with the world blend to create an entertaining and relatable experience in the form of a book that's half blog and half comic with a bit of novella sprinkled atop. This book is just... it's good. I could come up with a more elaborate term and try to be a pretentious book reviewer for this one, but it's 2020 and I'm exhausted. I don't need to sound pretentious. I just need to say: I absolutely love this book. It's brilliant. It's fun. It's heartbreaking. It's relatable. It made me smile and laugh so hard my ribs hurt... and then it made me want to reach out and hug Allie (the author) because I felt as if I were reading the confessions of an estranged friend. She has been through so much in life, some of which I can relate to and some of which I luckily can't, and reading this book made me feel less alone. For a brief time, I escaped the real world and entered a world populated by delightfully simple drawings which managed to convey paragraphs worth of exposition with things as simple as posture. Even the sad bits weren't overwhelming, as there were still threads of humour in the darkness. I know this isn't a very elaborate review. You'll probably find some better ones elsewhere. And that's okay. Just know that I love this book so much that I'm proud to have pre-ordered it on a friend's recommendation. My literal only complaint is that the kindle edition is somewhat clunky and unattractively laid out, often requiring zooming on images to read them. I think that's a limitation of the format more than an oversight, so I'm not penalizing the rating. If you're looking for a way to escape the world without completely leaving reality behind - a way to find humour in even the darkest of places and feel less alone - then I highly recommend this book.

Just like everyone else, I waited seven years for this book to come out, and I read it in a few hours. I laughed a lot, a couple times hysterically. I really did enjoy the reading experience and I'm very glad to be able to hold this book in my hands, especially after all the author has been through. That said, and this is only my opinion, Solutions and Other Problems is not as strong as Brosh's first book. There are a few stories that hit really hard that make up for a lot of the meh ones (Richard the neighbor and the pile dog story come to mind), but I'd say a good third of this book is filler in one way or another. A lot of the stories are very short, or kind of meandering and lacking any narrative payoff, or both. That does not mean this book isn't worth buying. If you liked Hyperbole and a Half, you will still like this book-- it has a lot of the same magic still, even if it's not as strong a dose. When I closed this book, my first thought was that I wanted to reread HaaH. Make of that what you will.

I was so excited for this book because of Hyperbole and a Half so I preordered it as soon as I heard about it, and dove in the day it arrived. I wanted to love it, but it was vastly disappointing. I know Allie went through a lot the past 7 years and I feel badly for her, but the mental health issues and the drug use clearly show in the writing of this book, and besides being mostly nonsensical it was also boring. I dozed off multiple times and took a month to get through it because I simply had no interest. The only worthwhile story (more like the caliber of her last book) was the Richard story that had been shared online for publicity before publication--you're better off saving your money and just reading that. Also, it arrived dirty--there are marks on the cover that can't be cleaned. If it had been a gift, that would not have been acceptable.

This book has wonderful true-to-life representations of how non-neurotypical minds process information and try to gain understanding of the things that make up our worlds, from a self-deprecating perspective that is hilarious, while also managing to hide some deeply insightful epiphanic commentary. The way Allie Brosh manages to juggle both sadness and humor is unique. This book made me both laugh and cry, and then laugh again. Despite having immeasurably high expectations, it exceeded them and makes me feel correct for waiting almost 5 years for its publication. I highly suggest purchasing both this book and her first novelization, Hyperbole and a Half. Thank you for making me feel both highs and lows when I thought I had become numb to life, Allie.

Got it and immediately read the whole thing thru out the night! I loved the blog. I loved the first book. And I loved the second book now too! I didn’t know about Allies surgery, divorce or the loss of her sister even tho I follow her socials, very sad to hear. But yeah, it’s a mix of childhood stories, ramblings and the aforementioned sad stuff. Relatable as always! I hope Allie never stops telling us about her life, past, present and future. 🖤🐾🖤🐾🖤 Love you Allie!

I love it. I love how weird she is. Because that means it's okay that I'm a weirdo, too. And the thoughts in my head aren't the absolute weirdest thoughts ever, because I might not be able to compete with Allie's thoughts. I loved the weirdness in this book and I loved the hardness in this book, too. Have you ever seen something you like so much, and identify with so much and want to keep that feeling with you always so you think you should get it literally tattooed on your body but don't want to do that unless you have the creator's permission and pay them for the images that will permanently on your body until you are cremated some day? I'm sure many have felt this, I just wanted to say this in the form of a question to convey how impactful the words and images and feelings in this book have been to me.

The minute my pre-order copy arrived yesterday, I opened up the package and started reading. And aside from a brief spell when my husband insisted that I stop to have dinner, I did not - could not - put it down until I finished. This book is similar to Brosh's first in that it swings from laugh-out-loud-funny to tear-inducing, but it also shows the huge measure of emotional growth that she has gone through in the interim years (having unfortunately gone through damn near all of life's major traumas one after another).

I have loved Allie Brosh since her Hyperbole and a Half blog days, through her first wonderful book, and now this glorious offering. She remains (at a safe and considerable distance) a person I can relate to very much in her work, and who can make me cry and then laugh till I pee myself (only a little) within a few pages of writing. This book was worth every cent, and I look forward to reading it many times and finding new tears and laughs with every repeat. I love you (platonically at a safe distance) so much Allie. Thank you for this effort! I hope so much that you will continue to work. I will remain a subscriber to your blog till the internet dies in the heat death of the universe. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Allie Brosh is one of my favorite bloggers, her posts always full of humor and emotion. She can have me laughing until I cry one moment, and just plain crying the next. I loved her blog and her first book, both named "Hyperbole and a Half," and was sorely disappointed to learn that her second book had been cancelled by its publisher... so it made my 2020 so much better to learn that her book was finally seeing the light of day. It was worth the wait -- just as funny, and just as deeply emotional, as the first book. Allie's not afraid to speak frankly about her own experiences, both the funny incidents of her childhood and her real-world struggles with depression and just plain trying to be an adult and love herself. Whether she's sharing funny stories about her childhood -- getting stuck in a bucket repeatedly, her weird obsession with their next-door neighbor, her younger sister and her weird relationship with her best friend, etc. -- or stories and experiences from adulthood -- the "pile dog" belonging to one of her roommates, the ridiculous fight she had with her ex-husband over bananas, etc. -- she's able to find humor in the most bizarre circumstances. But she also shares rawer, more serious experiences, such as the death of her sister and her struggles to love herself despite the flaws she sees in herself. The book switched between humor and heartbreak so quickly at one point I got emotional whiplash, but it was still a deeply heartfelt read. Allie's drawings, crude but expressive, add plenty of charm and hilarity to her writing. She draws in a quirky "MS Paint" style, and while some of her drawings are rough and cartoony but quite good, others are hilarious stick-like people who are nonetheless quite expressive and fun to look at. "Solutions and Other Problems" was the perfect read to lift me out of a 2020 funk, and a fantastic follow-up to "Hyperbole and a Half." I wish Allie Brosh all the best, and hope she's able to keep writing... and able to love herself along the way.

It's been a rough week. I ordered the book and immediately forgot about ordering. Either because immediately after I did so my dog was diagnosed with cancer or my water heater went out. I don't remember. Either way this book showed up the day after both of those things when my husband had that dreaded man cold that I somehow managed to catch a whiff of and I was still trying to do a work for the job thing that's going to pay for both my dogs treatment and the new water heater, but also we needed to eat but I had a meeting in four minutes and still hadn't texted the water heater people pictures because I wasn't letting anyone in the house until I picked one because of a global pande- Listen, there was a lot going on and it all built up and I needed this is what I'm saying. I'm so grateful to past me for ordering this book that she thought was going to be only funny but in a sardonically twisted way and instead got a treatise on loss and humanity told with enough humor that present me could make it through yesterday and feel sort of ok even though she won't get to shower for a few days yet. Thank you Allie. Past me wouldn't have been able to do that if you hadn't taken the time to put yourself in those pages. So thank you.

I adore Allie Brosh and have followed her for years, as a person with mental illness I really respect and adore her, and was so worried about her these years. Nothing has made me happier than reading this incredibly hilarious and brilliant book.

I have been a follower of Allies work from her first blogs. They brightened up the day. I'm not a victim of depression myself, but my sister is. As difficult and miserable a thing it is for those who are, it's also wearing and frustrating to those who love them. This book was mostly heartbreaking. I wish you well Allie and hope you can find a glimmer of light in this world.

I really really really wanted to like this book. I was so excited for Allie’s return. This is the first book I have ever preordered. I expected sad parts and humorous parts. Unfortunately, large parts of book were rambling and nonsensical.

I laughed, I cried, I embarrassed myself in public. Allies writing is so absurdly relatable that all I can do is screamgiggle. All three of my roommates demanded to know what I was cackling about at 9am, I sent them the book link. My mom still hasn’t gotten through the first book because she refuses to read it in public, because of how loud she guffaws. What’s really lovely is getting to see how much has changed for Allie, how she’s still powering through the really tough stuff, and making the benign stuff amazing. Writers share a lot (alot) of themselves, but Allie sits your ass down and force feeds you pieces of herself with the intensity and determination of a toddler sharing their gummy goldfish crackers. And unlike the reaction my nieces sticky fingers receive, I eagerly gobble Allies stories up.

I loved her blog, before her first book. For some reason I never got the first book. I think at the time I thought if I was going to get a book and call it a book, it had to be a traditionally proper book. With a coherent storyline and a linear progression and a sense of closure at the end. This felt instead like a long journal entry. This reads kind of like my journals. Some things are spelled out more because it's someone else's mind and they're trying to bring me into it.....vs it being my own mind. But the flow felt the same. Very familiar and much easier to step into as something to just accept. Without trying to find a point or coherence to it. It just is. There's a good bit of heavy stuff the author's hashing through in this book. Whatever her reasons are for sharing her life and her thoughts about her life with the world, I'm glad that she chose to do it again. I expected some laughs, no question the author's got a flair for humor. And the not funny stuff....like yeah she's selling this book....but it's her life. You know? It's her dealing with her life in words and pictures. She's at where she's at. This book's documenting a life over a long period of time. It's got all the randomness and sweetness and unanswered questions and sudden tragedies that life gives. It's authentic. It's something real at a time when alot seems surreal. And that was very comforting for me to experience. This author has been through A LOT and whether she did it for the world or for herself she's created something touching and timeless in this book in response to all of that. I can't remember the last time I've felt so powerfully the grief over a lost loved one as I did from the drawings of her memories In this book. The way the author talks about herself to herself may seem brutal and sad to some. Anyone who's been there knows what a fight it is on the inside to live day to day in the way she ends this book. It takes a lot of love and hope to be in that place and tell everyone, including yourself, to keep going. Yeah. I think that's what's touched me to the point of crying long after I finished reading. This book has alot of earnest lighthearted laughs, and some deeply cynical self-loathing laughs, and some unequivocally heartbreaking events. I don't know that it's meant to have a formal point/message. But I hope if you give this book a shot you can take away from it that the author is actively and intentionally appreciating herself for who she is while encouraging us all to do the same with ourselves. That's what I took from the ending, and that's motivational. Don't know if you read comments but on the off chance you do and on the even more off chance you see this review - thank you for publishing this book, Allie Brosh.

Read through the more negative reviews for this book and had to chime in. While Hyperbole and a Half had all the packaging, editing and novelty of a first go at a book - this one does not - nor did it ever promise to. Folks who take issue with the nihilism and the absurdity of life should not look to books for answers and anyone that accuses an author/illustrator of being mentally ill, but "not in a good way" needs to reprioritize what they use the art and writing of others for. Perhaps someone should commodify their grief in a better package for those folks, if so - there's a whole series of "Chicken Soups" all for them. Yes, Allie takes us on a disjointed ride with this - but I suspect that's because that's just how it's been. And that feels...real. And if you can't take a little absurdity with your nihilism, it's not up to anyone else to fix it for you. This book encompasses a lot - answers little and shares more. If anyone is uncomfortable with that - then choose another and leave those who are brave enough to be raw and real alone. Thanks, Allie.

A waste of time. No humor, pathos, etc that I could find. Pages and pages of self-indulgent poorly-rendered drawings interspersed with not-memorable writing and observations about “stuff.” OK: so the first 10 minutes with this “book” I did find entertaining. But this is a 528 page book weighing two and three quarters pounds, and after 10 minutes it had left me cold. I returned to it three or four more times over the next few days to see if I was missing something, but no, the same-old same-old for page after page after page after page after page after page. As Porky the Pig says: “ibidy.....ibidy....ibidy....ibidy.....That’s all folks.”

I'm a senior citizen, and only this year discovered the many comics that web intelligent people have been enjoying on sites like Instagram. Not having ventured much further than the occasional Youtube "How To" video, I meant to catch up with the many hilarious bubble shaped characters that cleverly skewered our antagonistic online behaviors that revealed a world heated to a low medium burn that in and of itself was funny considering where we find ourselves since the beginning of the 21st century. I eventually landed in Allie's lap, and had my own negativistic cynicism turned on its head by her intelligent and mature take on humanity's (and dogs') still prevalent attachment to the ridiculous as well as the sublime. This second book's existence, considering the author's personal trials, is nothing short of heroic. And it offers the same level of gut busting hilarity, as well as introspection, as the first. It's clear that the author and her publisher and editor had some very big challenges in weighting her second book with the same amount of humor and pathos as her first, given the seriousness of her personal experiences that took place before this second piece of work was released. Good gracious, what a lot of pressure, and I must say, what a great job dealing with it. The price paid for this book was worth the hilarity surrounding the handling of the neighbor girl-child wanting to show Allie her room in the most persistent manner imaginable. Having suffered the attentions of two such mini-girl-children, one three year old who repeatedly screamed "HEY WOMAN WHERE'S YOUR MAN" at me every time I entered or exited my own home, and another in the place I escaped to then belting out in a deep throated man-voice "WHO ARE YOU WHAT'S YOUR NAME WHERE ARE YOU GOING" every time I entered or exited my home, I have nothing but admiration for Brosh's almost accidental but still genius handling of the situation that did not involve actually moving out of her home to escape this 'you can't believe it until it happens to you' torture. There's lots more of Brosh's reminisences and musings that left me a permanent fan.

Allie can bring to light some of the weirder aspects of being human that we all refuse to talk about - and it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in all this. My copy came f***** up from amazon, and initially I was upset but then was like - that’s probably the most on point thing to happen, considering the contents of the book. Some poor warehouse shmuck who didn’t dream of working in a warehouse- with a slew of their own problems- threw it haphazardly in a box - only for me to be expecting a crisp, freshly minted copy only to receive this mangled edition. I wonder if that person had a bad day. I hope that person would read this book and maybe have a laugh. After finishing hyperbole and a half, all I wanted was MORE, so thanks to the author for doing ALL THE THINGS and sharing with us

I am not ashamed to admit that more than one chapter in this book made me cry. Allie is so relatable even when she's failing to be relatable. I'm so proud of what she's accomplished with this book and with her life... loving oneself isn't easy but she's figuring it out, despite everything. Keep following the program, kid. We, your fans, love you.

I was excited to get this book and start reading...but once I got it, I found myself flipping through some of the stories to get to a better one. I probably flipped through a third of the book. I liked the ones about the bucket, the bananas, the dandelions, and a few others, but overall sections of the book just felt forced. What the author is known for is stories of her childhood and stories about her dogs, etc. Eventually, a person is going to run out of stories. Some of them, such as the one where she gets high, just weren't that good and went on for too long. I won't say that I hated this book, but I was disappointed. I think this is an example of an author who has initial success but then struggles to find new material in the same vein of what made them initially popular.

If you've ever enjoyed the website "Hyperbole and a Half", by Allie Brosh, you know how utterly delightfully she writes. Her second book, "Solutions and Other Problems" just came out, and, like the first one, wracks me with paroxysms of laughter. Anyone whose response to, in a short span, getting divorced, getting riddled with tumors, and her sister passing is making other people laugh quite a bit is someone to whom you should give your hard-earned. Heartwarming, poignant, inspiring, uplifting, and bittersweet, this book eclipses her first. I heartily recommend it. Note: I wrote this review before reading chapter 25, which hit painfully close to home. Now I wish I could give it even more stars.

What is there to really say that hasn't already been said? I was barely 20 pages into 'Hyperbole and a Half' and knew that I'd, from that point on, read basically anything Allie Brosh decided to publish. I richly enjoyed 'Hyperbole and a Half' and I loved 'Solutions and Other Problems' as well. Part of what makes Brosh's reads so inviting to me is that she knows how to transition from a lighter/humorous tone to a heavier/serious one without any kind of weird/confusing jump in between. I'm grateful that there are books out there, like this one, that openly speaks about the depths of depression/grief and how sometimes there's no way to really cope but to just barely exist for however long that's needed. I don't like books/articles/movies/shows that teeter on the "aesthetic" of mental illness (really shouldn't be an aesthetic for it but that's for a different day). I like when the messy parts are shown and I feel like Brosh did this well in her first book as well as this follow-up. I also appreciated the different art styles and illustrations that were included this time around which was a nice touch. Overall: I knew I would enjoy this the minute I bought it so it was nice to look forward to. Rating: 5/5 stars

Day 284 of 2020. I'm crying and I can't breathe. Anxiety? Virus? Murder Hornet? Death of family, friends, democracy? While all of these are a distinct possibility, no. Allie's new book Solutions and Other Problems arrived recently and I finally have a moment to sit and read. I am in Chapter 2, laughing so hard tears are streaming down my face, my husband can't understand what I'm trying to say, and the cat looks annoyed. 2020 needed a bright spot and this is it. Allie, ever the consummate storyteller, takes us on a ride-along of memorable events complete with helpful diagrams and big-eyed self portraits that include her signature shark fin/ponytail. As I read, I find Allie's stories are also my own. I'm transported to warm family reunions where we laugh uproariously at the same old memories told every year. I no longer feel broken and out of place as Allie puts words and images to situations and emotions in which I previously felt alone. How I can feel such affinity and comraderie with a woman I've never met, I'm not sure. I do know that I've appreciated Allie's stories and humor time and time again. She's certainly saved me hundreds of dollars in therapy. Thank you Allie, once again for bringing me into the recesses of your mind! Now excuse me while I go lock the cat door.

CW for suicide, mental health issues, and physical health trauma. So, like other popular web-comics (Sarah's Scribbles, Catana Comics, Strange Planet, etc.) -- if you're not already a fan, it's very unlikely that this collection is going to win you over. Hyperbole and a Half isn't for everyone, so if you didn't like the last book, you probably won't like this one, either. That said, this one took me on a wild ride of emotion. Some pages I was giggling madly... And then I hit the 40% mark (I don't know what that equates to in the physical book) and I felt like my heart got body slammed then kicked in the jimmy jams. It's one of the most accurate depictions I've ever seen of both the aftermath of suicide, and a sister-relationship that isn't what you want it to be. This book is alternately absurd & poignant, with very little in-between. There literally wasn't a page where I felt ambivalent. I liked it a lot, but I'm also a big fan of Allie Brosch's work (ALLIE SOLIDARITY!!) & I related to a lot of the subject matter in the book, & it's kind of gallows humor about many dark things, but ultimately I found it life-affirming. Embrace the absurd, y'all, because we're only here for a little bit of time.

Today I want to talk about Solutions and Other Problems, the newest book by Allie Brosh. She is the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book Hyperbole and a Half. I first pre-ordered the book sometime in 2016 and I didn't even know it was coming back out because Amazon did something to my listing on the pre-order and they created another listing so that I know it was released until too late. There are a couple of things to know about the book. The first is that it is printed on a thick stock and there's a lot of paper that is heavy. The other thing to note is that a lot of the stories are very very funny. I would be reading them, and I would be laughing and my wife, who goes to sleep earlier I do would be next to me in bed and she'll be mad because I was laughing out loud at the stories. She actually told me I wasn’t allowed to read in bed because of that. But it is not just funny stories that are intermingled with all sorts of personal tragedy from the author, they really kind of go together with the funny parts and highlight both the tragedy and comedy of life it's a pretty amazing book and I think you should read it.

Weaving her life stories through the lens of her life philosophy, the book is masterpiece. She spends a good deal of time explaining how meaningless life is, but ends up in a place of hope. It's quite lovely. And weirdly hilarious.

The chapter about animals and how they don’t understand why we do what we do made me laugh until I cried. I found out this book was coming out by accident. I went to the Hyperbole and a Half blog to show someone the pain scale cartoon (I’m a nurse and it is my favorite pain scale ever. I wish I was allowed to actually use it) and I was like “What is this magic???” because for years and years I checked the blog and there was nothing and I eventually gave up and then BOOM new book. It was a happy day. It’s one of the few good things to come out of this awful year (even though it also made me a little sad.)

This book is the best book. From dust jacket to dust jacket I didn't stop laughing or darkly empathizing with our intrepid author. Okay, maybe "intrepid" is the exact wrong word... But you know why you're here. I salute her for marching through her anxieties to produce this incredible entertainment for us to laugh at. Relatable and unbelievable. The art is always so expressive yet simple and accessible. I have a platonic crush. I just want to be her friend. Get this book. Don't let anyone borrow it, make them get their own. You know they won't return it anyway.

I've loved Brosh's way with words and drawing since her blog days, and it's good to see those things back. There's definitely more nihilism than there was in 2012, but that's understandable. I enjoyed reading this and will probably read it again sometimes.

I really fell in love with the first book because of the Motivation and Why I'll Never be an Adult chapters. I was really excited for those types of stories, but I didn't really feel there was anything comparable in this book. The bananas story and chapter about the car stereo were funny; I really longed for some more of that type of wit in this book. Most all of the chapters were about dogs and childhood anecdotes, there was a lot of that in the first book but much more I feel in the second. In chapter 10 she talks a bit about her health, her sister's death and mentions her divorce in passing, but that's about it.

I read it in one sitting. To be honest, I didn't understand everything (probably because I've never gone through a prolonged existential crisis or lost such a close family member or lived with depression), but she gave me more understanding of certain experiences than I ever have before. The part the really, REALLY got me was the picture memories of her and her sister. I may have had to put the book down for a minute. But I also laughed out loud, repeatedly and from the belly. I also love that she, the profoundly weird neighbor kid to Richard, now HAS a profoundly weird neighbor kid.

It has been seven long years since Allie Brosh last entertained us with her book, Hyperbole and a Half. Named after her blog, it was brilliant and so, so funny. Then, Brosh’s life went to heck. And, although it was sad, I figured she’d never return to pen this second book. Thankfully, I was wrong. This book has big laughs (see Sister), and it also has many poignant moments. The artwork has also improved a bit, but it’s still deceptively simple. All in all, it’s not the same book that had The God or Cake in it, but that’s okay. It’s seven years later and could never have been the same. This is a book that’s for our current times, and it’s exactly what we needed.

I was planning on getting the paperback version, but there was an amazing deal to get the hardcover at ~$10 less than the paperback, so I went for it. Pretty sure you could knock someone out with this thing! Anyway, I love Allie's work. I have her first book, the pink paperback, and used to follow her comic online. Now I follow her on Facebook and she's posting cool pictures of what she has seen in the past 7 years while MIA. Love her art, her insights, and her sense of humor. Love this book. Definitely using it as a paperweight or doorstop when I'm not reading it. 💙

This book has all the great stuff that we enjoyed in Hyperbole and a Half. Many, many belly laughs, great art. (Seriously, though the characters intentionally look like a kid's drawing, look at the backgrounds, the camera angles, the light. Allie can draw ANYthing.) I did feel like this book was a little more of a downer than Hyperbole and A Half. H&H ended with Allie discovering some unpleasant stuff about her own character, after an ill-advised jaunt into her subconscious. That may sound like a downer to you, but often after people discover their own shortcomings, they are ready for a deliverer. So I found it implicitly hopeful. This book ends with a similar kind of sequence, but there seems to be less sense of direction and no hints of possible redemption.

I love the first book, and I love this one too. Funny, good, and nice pictures. Good job Allie, I really like your art and I'm glad you had rats

I adore Allie Brosh's humor. Imagine if an overactive child drank a Venti cold brew with extra sugar, then attempted to draw their life on MS Paint. This is Hyperbole and a Half. Allie's adventures trying to navigate life are hysterical, and even though they are stranger than anything you can imagine, even on LSD, somehow relatable. I had to take several breaks from reading because it hurt to laugh that hard. Very goog.

I've been a big fan of Allie Brosh ever since the early days of her blog. The Internet has felt quiet without her, so of course I was super excited to see this sophomore release hitting shelves! Solutions And Other Problems is as poignant, thoughtful, and charming as its predecessor. It is funny and heartbreaking, beautifully silly, and an all-around great read - probably my favorite of 2020. Allie has a way of putting difficult, complex, often painful emotions into words in a way that feels so simple. Like "yes! yes that's exactly the feeling I've always had but never knew how to describe!" If you haven't yet, I'd highly recommend checking out the Hyperbole and A Half Facebook page; her posts around the release of this book act almost as a supplement, adding context and depth and connecting the dots between this book and her first. So glad she's back!

Allie Brosh is a comedic genius. I started reading her blog back in 2010, and I was thrilled to see she was back with another book. It's 500 pages of pure gold. No, better than gold. What's better than gold? Unicorns? It's 500 pages of unicorns. I laughed, I cried, I chortled, I wept, I guffawed, and I mournfully sighed when it was done. Her comics cover topics from the absurd to the existential, and I think we can all relate to some part of each tale. She also addresses mental health and tragedy in an unexpected way, when those things are often so ineffable. Allie, thank you for once again sharing your stories with us. I think it's the book we all need in 2020, just so we know we are not so alone.

I am definitely at least as fond of this book as I was of the original "Hyperbole and a Half", but for those expecting it to lean mostly toward comedy, this may not be the book for you. This one takes on a lot more serious topics, and feels a lot more like the tone of the "depression" chapter from the first book. There is a lot more about grief and that sort of lost and empty feeling that goes with it, and I finished the book feeling a little bit of an ache. It's good, it's effective, but I feel like it's important to know going in that this is very much NOT the same as the first book in overall tone. If you're prepared for that, I highly recommend it. It deserves its place on my shelf.

I remember being crushed when I had my pre order refunded years ago but I can’t overstate how much this book was worth the wait. I laughed, I cried, I texted my sister. This is a book about loss and loving the weird greedy useless creature that is yourself. I hope simple dog is happy wherever he is.

I'm rewriting my review. This took me entirely too long to read, but that will happen when you're going back to school and helping raise a person, living through a pandemic, working, looking for work, etc. With that said, I finally finished the book today, like 8 months after the started it. How do you even begin to describe this book. Allie Brosh is brilliant, her honestly and willingness to open up about her life is inspiring. I went from laughing to crying to laughing. At one point I had to close the book, put it down, and just sit with myself emotions for a bit before being able to continue. She is raw and relatable and honestly, her ending is perfect and sums up the biggest and most valuable lesson anyone could ever learn. 5828467292/5 stars. Everyone needs to read this book.

Have you ever felt sad? Or happy? Or defeated or overjoyed? Or accused or suspicious or less than or tired or curious or ornery or slow or TOO fast or powerful or weird? Or maybe all of those at the same time? Allie Brosh is your soul mate. Read the book. Understand life a bit more. This narrative consoles the inexplicable feelings we as humans all have. I am eternally grateful to whatever stars aligned to let Allie express the things so many of us tried to but couldn't. We missed you. We all understand, but we missed you anyway. The world is better for you. Thanks.

If I could read a book or essay or blog post or post it note or a scribble on a public toilet door every day from Allie that would make life worth it. She is brilliant in an unexpected way. I’ve been a fan of hers since I started reading her blog 10 years ago and I’m consuming this book so fast I’m scared I’ll have to wait for more but I don’t care. Totally worth skipping school, work or your best friends wedding to read front to back.

Allie has an amazing way of telling stories hilariously, with a bit of vulgar, and yet still very eloquently. I really admire her way to add humor into matters that are sad as well. It’s not the “look on the bright side!” kind of bs optimism that isn’t always applicable - it’s just real. She turns simple memories into hilarious escapades and can make complex or difficult topics completely digestible. It’s one of those books you get through quick because it’s so enjoyable to read! Amazing followup to her first!

Brosh's talent is in using simple, expressive art to make her stories incredibly accessible and relatable. Even if you didn't do the same stupid stuff as her, you totally get it and can't help laughing. Usually laughing, at least. Brosh has always talked (and drawn) about her depression and other mental issues, too. And SAOP goes harder there, because she had some bad times since the last book. Some stories end up being a (very natural) mix of heartbreaking and heartwarming, still incredibly relatable even if I didn't go through quite what she did. This is an incredible book and I can't recommend it enough.

Recently, a woman I used to work with launched a YouTube channel in the hopes of becoming a YouTube star. Yup - just her, a web cam, and 30 minutes of nonsense. Her drinking coffee. Her talking about nothing. Her foam rolling with her crotch RIGHT on the camera. We're talking OBGYN views. And you know what? She's probably going to get some sort of endorsement deal for shorts that keep your beaver from falling out and this will lead to more deals and she'll become a millionaire. All for having a rambling vagina. It's not fair and makes zero sense, and that's the point. Nothing is fair and nothing makes sense. All of those Instagram quotes that give you hope, that make you feel better about your horrible boss or cheating significant other - yeah they don't mean anything. Sometimes things just are the way they are and it's up to you to figure it out. Over the years I've learned this, and so has Allie Brosh. Except her way of explaining it is way more entertaining because she uses drawings. I've been waiting for Problems and Other Solutions to drop for years and the wait was well worth it. It's not been an easy few years for Allie but if anyone can explain the complexities of tragedy, loss, and the human emotions behind them in a humorous, engrossing way, she can. In her follow up to Hyperbole and a Half, Allie details her journey that kept her off of the internet for 7 years, leaving us all to anxiously await her return. While on her hiatus, Allie experienced in a short time what some experience over a lifetime: mental and physical health issues, a divorce, and the untimely passing of her younger sister. And yet, despite having to endure these hardships all at once, she manages to tell her story with humor, strength, and her signature cartoons we all love - over 500 pages of them, to be exact. If there's been anything good about 2020, it's the return of Allie Brosh and her book, Problems and Other Solutions. Welcome back, Allie!

I've been waiting so long for this book to come out! Allie's ability to talk about all things funny, serious, heartbreaking, childlike, and wonderful is unparalleled. In her drawings, she captures the exact emotions of each of her characters perfectly, in a way that seems impossible to do with such apparently simple line drawings. This is the type of book you have to read in the room with someone else; as I read it, every two minutes I felt the urge to run over to someone and make them read a section because it's just too good not to share. About halfway through, the book will rip your heart out, but you'll keep reading because it's worth it. I hope Allie's doing well! I could read a million books written/illustrated by her, and I'll keep re-reading this one and the last one over again forever because they never get old. Truly, these books have a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart.

Allie Brosh is life. She distills so many real life experiences that we have all had - or had similar enough experiences to relate to hers - to simple drawings and plain text that speaks to me. From a young child trying to learn about her next door neighbor, to dealing with a roommate's dog, to living with a younger sibling and all the fun and frustration that entails, I hope she speaks to you, too. I could gush for paragraphs but none of it would be as clean and as pure as her writing. Just go read it, you'll be glad that you did. This is a must read of 2020, or any year.

I loved this book. I annoyed my husband by laughing in bed for hours while he was trying to sleep. When I wasn't giggling, I was bawling like a baby. I relate to Allie so much and love the way her brain works. I'm so glad she gave us this book. Thank you, Allie! Life may have no point, but I'm glad you're in it.

Like so very many here, I too have waited to hear from you again, and hoped that you are well and doing better. The best parts of your book to me are the parts about your sister Kaiti. There are so many relatable instances for me personally as I too went through hell starting in 2013 and culminating in 2016, where I literally “left it all behind” and relocated 3000 miles...here to Oregon(I lived in 🇵🇦 Panama before). And your art is just as lovingly and quirkily rendered. I am an introspective person as well, and can relate to your reclusive behavior especially now on lockdown. Your book is funny, wrenching and ultimately cathartic. In my opinion you are a national treasure Allie. You tell it as you see it, no holds barred; no pink cloud to obscure the bracingly devastating yet still somehow poignant and interesting view of Reality that you still keep walking forwards into. Never stop, Allie, never stop. Thank you for this book!

Allie is hard to describe. Somehow in being weird she comes all the way around back to being relatable and lovely. This book will make you laugh, get serious for a bit, and convince you life is pointless, but it's kind of okay

I have followed Allie on her Blog for years and was very concerned when she stopped updating . Then Hyperbole and a Half came out and I was delighted to purchase it and enjoyed it very much. I was so happy to see a new Book available and bought it like a shot. I love and support Allie in her constant search for an explanation of life. She is a fighter and a person worthy of respect as she attempts to deal with tragedy and the troubles of daily life. Her artwork is delightful and she can illustrate so much expression in her stick like figures. Allie Brown is a good person and I wish her peace and healing and all the caring friends in the world.

I am only a quarter of the way through, but once again I am addicted to the mind of Allie Brosh. Her illustrations will make you crack up, and the stories are weirdly relatable. This is my go to happy book. I read Hyperbole and Half, and I am looking forward to continuing this book when I need those laughs. Thank you Allie for taking life and making it hilarious. If we can't laugh about it, them what's the point!

There aren’t many books that make me feel such strong emotions that span the whole spectrum within a few pages. This one had me laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe in one chapter then crying in the next one. Allie Brosh has deeply touched my heart once again. Opening up in a book that everybody can see must be hard but I’m thankful that she had the strength to do this because it made me feel heard. Life is difficult and horrible things happen to you but when you know that somebody else is going through it too, things can become a lot more bearable. I felt many emotions while reading this but then was suddenly laughing over crab basketball and the pile dog trying to get carrots by telepathy. Read this, it’ll be good for your soul.

Allie Brosh covers life with her usual mix of humor and bleak honesty accompanied by cute illustrations. The tone of this work is a bit darker than some of her other material, but readers will appreciate the truths examined. While some material may be too much for the casual reader, most will welcome the honesty and know that for every uncomfortable moment, there will be a moment of levity associated with it, or at the very least a few pages later. Despite being over 500 pages, it is a very quick read and Ms. Brosh packs a lot in that time.

11/10. The first book by Allie has been just about the ONLY book recommendation I have given to friends and family over the last several years. I highly anticipated the release of the second, and remained hopeful even when the release date was pushed back to infinity and beyond. I’m so excited to finally get to add a second book to my list of recommendations. (Literally. I traveled shortly after its release&the passenger next to me on my flight, peaked over to see why I couldn’t stop giggling before we even took off. After a short summary, I watched as he immediately went and purchased BOTH books from Amazon and said “my wife would LOVE those books”) She addresses the mundane (and also extremely bizarre) existence of just your average human. Discusses deep and dark topics, yet simultaneously brings light to it by using her personal accounts to share hilarious storytelling, and top-notch (yet also somehow mediocre?) but self-portraits. Don’t consider buying it. JUST BUY IT

Allie's art and story telling are deeply unique; unlike her previous book this one has some tough subjects, but it's all in her absolutely authentic and lived voice. I continue to delight in her truly ridiculous drawing style which just puts a smile on my face. This book feels like an exercise in radical empathy with herself, and I deeply admire her letting us in on the less pretty side. I've laughed, I've cried, I've had to put it down many times because it's wonderfully long! (Like the last few cookies, I don't want to rush through to the end because I don't want it to be over)

It's tough to put stars on a book, especially one like this that's art and story and real life. I love Brosh's memories of her childhood. She doesn't have starry clouded memories, but instead has a firm grasp on the absurdities and truth of being a child. As I read, I laughed out loud many times. I also gasped and felt for her too. This book isn't just humor, it's very real. It covers depression, divorce, and death too. Sometimes I didn't know what to feel, just like in real life. It's candid and brilliant.

I rarely return books, but I'm returning this one, because I can't think of anyone I would want to give it away to. It was incredibly nihilistic--the main theme is that there is no point to anything. The stories are rambling, sometimes incoherent, and generally very dark. Allie Brosh is still very talented, and I am sorry about the problems she has faced in her life. However, there's nothing redeeming about this book.

It's been a while since Allie Brosh released her first book. This one doesn't disappoint. I love her real look at hard topics and her honesty about the mistakes she's made and her regrets twisted around with plenty of light and dark humor. Reading about the hard things she's been through since Hyperbole and a Half made me cry...a lot. In part, because I could relate, but also because she made such a positive impact on me through her first book that I felt a friend had been gone too long and I had no idea why... and then you find out why and it's heartbreaking. The book's ending helped, reading about the growth she experienced becoming her own friend. Great read. I hope her life is filled with lots of good things and love until her next release.

Fabulous! Great 2nd book! She has a great way of looking at life's struggles! Realistic, funny, straight from the heart. She is brutally honest about the hysterical aspects of her life right down to the most painful moments she has struggled through. She is an inspiration for anyone struggling with anxiety, depression or any other of our daily issues. She shows that you can deal with anything and find light at the end of the tunnel! Bless you Allie for sharing your journey and your beautiful self with the world. So glad to have you back!

Allie Brosh is back you guys!! I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a hard time finishing books, so I have to really be into it for that to happen. I love Allie Brosh and her unique style. She tells these stories in such an easy to imagine way. I couldn’t put this book down. I look forward to possible future books.

I got this book right after I had open heart surgery. I had to stop reading for two weeks because my breast bone made weird creaking noises from all the laughing. If you would enjoy a book funny enough to make you stop reading for your continued survival, this is the book I would recommend.

After Allie disappeared for a few years I was really worried about her wellbeing and boy did she go through a lot, but she comes out as funny and witty as ever with this book. This is truly a worthy follow up to Hyperbole and A Half. It made me cry laughing more than once, it made me really sad in several parts; it truly covers the full gamut of emotions and she writes and illustrates everything fantastically. Her first book was 80% funny stories and 20% heavy stuff (depression and such), this book is more 60-40 or 50-50, so that is something to be prepared for going in. This is a story of her life, and she is simply telling her story in this book, so that is not a criticism, just an observation. Despite being a more 'heavy' book (both in subject matter and mass, the book is over 500 pages!) she manages to find a great balance between funny and sad that keeps it readable even in the most sad parts. I'm so glad that this book is out and that she is doing better and writing again! I cannot recommend this book enough and I can't wait for her next book!

I have read exactly 34 pages of this book. Did you know that the title page, dedication, and Table of Contents no longer count toward the number of pages in the book? I didn't, but for thoroughness, I counted. I've been through 44 pages, but only 34 are numbered. (Thus ends my attempt to capture Allie's writing style. I have read 34 pages of this book and have laughed so hard I cried. Three times. I've also made those hissing sounds people make when they're laughing so hard they've run out of air. I loved Allie's blog and first book and I'm so happy to have the second. I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that this is the best thing to come out of 2020.

If you loved Hyperbole and a Half, you’ll love this one too. I’m only partway through it but I love it, the family cat loves it, and my best friend is going to love it too. I already bought two copies and might buy a couple more as gifts. I plan to share this one with people I care about the same way I shared hyperbole. Glad to see Allie is back!

I preordered as soon as I heard about the book and just received it and read through the first few stories and I can’t stop laughing! I was so surprised with how big the book was and that it was hardcover. I’d highly recommend if you loved the previous book and webcomics and I’d also recommend as a fun gift for others!

This came yesterday and I'm already halfway through it (and it's a 513 page book). Hilarious, insightful, and wildly creative, just like I'd hoped and expected. I can already tell this is going to be a go-to gift over the years for many people in my life. I'm gonna end up buying so many copies.

THANK YOU, ALLIE!!! I LOVE YOU!!! This? This is the stuff, right here, to be frank—and the work you put into this monster is greatly appreciated. I’m on page 85 and cracking up!!! I can simply just tell this is worth 5 stars already, and I’m 100% confident in it. I’m 20 years old now— I read Hyperbole and a Half at age 15 (and having frequent episodes of apathy and depression, it was the only thing guaranteed to make me laugh) and this book was WELL WORTH THE WAIT. These are seriously the only books I read. The gratitude I feel is immense right now. So damn thankful to have this incredible book in my hands.

I did read the book before reviewing it. Part of the book left me howling with laughter; part of it left me wanting to send the author a hug, or maybe some ice cream. Both parts are well worth reading. Welcome back, Allie!

-relatable -hilarious -confronts mortality, but how dark can it be when it’s so adorably illustrated? i don’t think i’ve laughed so hard at anything ever in my life. i sat on my sofa, put the book down and laughed hysterically with tears running down my face for *minutes*. sure, 2020 is wearing on me. it’s wearing on us all. so maybe i just needed a laugh, but i did the same thing years ago when i read HAAH. i think these might legitimately be my favorite books, which i am too much of a book snob to admit in real life to a real person.

Let me start out by saying I love this book. This was a great read, and Allie did a fantastic job of exploring heavy topics with a touch of levity. The book itself gets 5/5 stars. My issue with this book was the way it was physically handled before I received it. When I unpackaged the book, there were fingerprint smudges all over the cover that I couldn't rub off — I had to buy a special paper cleaner to remove these. There are also multiple smudges on pages within the book. If you care for your books and want to make sure you receive them in a pristine state, I recommend not buying them through Amazon.

I loved Allie's first book and celebrated like crazy when I realized she had published another. Her work is so funny, the pictures help tell the story rather than overwhelm it and the shenanigans are endless. Don't let the humor fool you, Allie writes from her heart and it is reflected in the parts of her book where humor takes a temporary back seat and she discuses mental health and her personal struggles. This book is a true pleasure to read!

I gifted myself this book as an early Christmas gift.("It's my... present to me! I'm so happy!" -Cusco) I had to restrain myself from reading it all in one evening (in part because it is comprised mostly of comics and pretty easy to get through). I laughed and cried and laughed some more. I dont agree with some of her conclusions but I absolutely loved reading this. If you'd like a unique insight to the psyche of someone struggling with depression and anxiety, and you also like laughing at strange humor, read it.

I have no idea what it is, but if you read that book or blog in the past you know what "it" is. Allie Brosh's work has been making me feel like less of a freak for around a decade now (I have ADHD and I don't know if she does but I relate a lot to what she writes). I've never laughed so much while examining existential depression. I have a lot of the same thoughts and reading this didn't solve any of my nihilism, but it made me feel less alone. I'm really glad the author was able to write this- it is clear she's been having a very hard time. Hope things look up from here.

This book, like this this author, does the unthinkable. It makes you laugh while breaking your heart and then...beyond reason, it gives you hope. Tonight, I feel a little less like the only listless weirdo in the world, and that feels nice.

This book made me feel emotions I haven't felt since the beginning of quarantine. Here lately the loneliness set in and a lack of human interaction really sucked, but this book made this all bearable again. I loved Hyperbole and a Half and this one is simply just as good if not even better. Can't reccomend enough whether your falling off the edge, are perfectly fine, or are somewhere in between; this book will make you feel. It's funny, it's sad, and it's witty, in my opinion the best attributes to any book. If you haven't already, I cant suggest more you buy this book!

Brosh is a darn genius. This book is even better yet just as relatable than her last, which I thought would be hard to top. The dogs, childhood stories, relationships, introspective self analysis, dandelions, horse poop, death, cats, tragedy, drugs, family. She covers it all and played on every single one of my emotions, but mostly humor. I laughed out loud. Great illustrations. I will read this one again and again. I hope to read more from her in the future. Well done, Allie. *standing slow clap*

I can see why somebody may not love this book. But if you are a certain type of weird, it's pretty refreshing to know there is somebody even weirder out there just living life and trying to get by. And drawing childish cartoons that are somehow way more profound than most supposedly mature people who like to tahink they are profound could even dream of. also it's funny. I usually don't laugh out loud at books. Honestly I don't think I've really laughed reading a book since her first book. Something about the unapologetic silliness and commitment just gets me.

...not that I don’t have like 20 others I bought on Kindle since March. But buying and reading this book allowed me to DOUBLE the number of books I actually finished during the pandemic, and has extended my personal books-finished-during-pandemic record. I am honestly hoping that I will not need to break this record, but hope is not a plan, so off I go to read Book Three. About the book...it is amazing. I suspect that both the Pile Dog chapters and the Hans Christian Andersen bit are well on their way to becoming classics that should never be shared with children.

Opened this book to a random page - something to do with buying bananas. I laughed so hard, half and hour later I was still giggling. Immediately bought her other book. One word of warning; the paperback is hard to read - it's stiff and awkward. I prefer the paperback version that arrived of the other book. But either way, five stars for the amazing content and fun giggles. What an honest, adorable writer. I'm dazed and amazed.

The long awaited publication of this book is the single good thing about 2020. On page 4, I decided I needed to buy a copy for my sister. Now I’m on page 30, and my sides hurt from laughing so hard for so long. I keep thinking I’ve reached the comedy climax of the story only to turn the page and read the next ridiculous layer. Thank you Allie! This was so worth waiting for (and at over 500 pages, I understand the wait!) Edit: it should be noted that about halfway through, this book gets incredibly heavy. So much so, that I got worried that the sister I got this for because she needed a laugh after losing her cat to therapy-resistant epilepsy would be made more depressed. Luckily, she felt seen and it helped with the grieving process. So, just know that while still hysterically funny, this is by no means light-hearted. And that’s ok - good comedy makes you examine yourself and the world around you. Just know your audience if you give this as a gift. And know what you’re getting in for when you choose to read it. Allie does warn us when things are about to turn dark - believe her and make sure you’re in the headspace for that when you read those chapters.

I almost pooped a literal brick when I saw Allie announce a new book. I feel like I've stalked her website forever waiting for an update. This book is worth it. I love you Allie! The stories are so relatable and human, describing things and emotions that most people are too afraid to describe. It makes me laugh, it makes me sad, but all in all it comforts me. I hope you continue to create, Allie. Everything you make is wonderful.

This book is unsettlingly funny, but in a holy-shit-you-chokeslammed-my-psyche-in-3-sentences-HOWWWWW kind of way. Shades of Vonnegut. No, seriously. From the nonlinear storytelling and jumping, to the self-effacing mind dives, to the exploration of what lies outside humankind, to the shortcomings of human communication, to the deeply deceiving simplicity of every sketch and symbol and sentence. This picture is a 21st century Vonnegut asterisk. God bless you, Allie Brosh.

The long awaited sequel to Hyperbole and a half is totally worth it. Her stories are relatable, absurd, touching, and genuinely laugh out loud funny. My favorites are Dandelions and Cat, but I like every chapter. I would probably even like chapter 3 if it existed. Do yourself a favor and buy this. We all need to laugh this year.

This was the saddest funny book I've ever read. I hope the author finds some happiness somewhere. Being weird doesn't mean you have to be an outcast. I'm so sorry about your sister. I lost my younger sister in 2006. I think about what I'd say to her everyday.

As a longtime fan of the Hyperbole and a Half blog/webcomic/whatever it was, I have been eagerly awaiting another book from Brosh for several years now and was excited to see that this was finally available. While it isn’t as laugh-out-loud funny as the first book, it is touching and very relatable if you also struggle with mental illness. Don’t get me wrong, there are still lots of laughs. But it is also very bittersweet. Basically, you should read this if you want to feel something—just don’t expect it to be only mirth.

Reading this book brightens my day. Perhaps I feel a kinship. I enjoy the cartoons/drawings and the storytelling is amazing. I was very sad when i finished reading the book but realized I can read it again. I think this book is probably best for people with maybe a bit darker view of life and comedy. Anyway, I cannot adequately express how much I enjoyed this book. My thanks to Allie Brosh.

There was a book. It was read. Laughter filled the room. We feel like we know this woman, and her family, through her beautiful stories. Pictures are always good too. Come and join this journey with Allie and her family. The ride is worth it.

This book made me laugh so hard I cried...and then a few chapters later it made me cry for real...and then more pages later it made me laugh again...and then have an existential crisis. I had been waiting for this book to come out for ages, and I bought it for my son as soon as it came out, but held off reading it for myself until just the other night. It's heartbreaking and funny and a lot of it I feel I need to go back and reread because I don't know that I understand it, but I want to. Thank you for sharing your humor and your pain with us, Allie. That had to be so hard.

I'm just one chapter in, and I've already laughed out loud more than from any other book I've ever read, and even most comedies I've watched on video. Her storytelling is embellished with delightful illustrations that fit so well. I hope Allie becomes to humor books what Stephen King has become to horror. She is a comedic genius.

If you know her work, this is classic Allie. Fun through and through. Some of the stories aren't as laugh-a-minute as her first book, some feels like they are filler stories that she just picked and illustrated for the heck of it, but similar to the first, there is enough gut laughs and heart string tugs to make it all worth it. Allie is amazing, and I hope she keeps creating forever.

If you are a fan of Allie Brosh, you'll definitely want to pick up this book. She does a great job of telling her stories with her own unique flair and brand of humor, while also shining a little light into the inner darkness she's faced. There is a chapter of the book available on her website, so if you want a sneak preview of a fun chapter you can check it out there.

It started out kind of funny but got sad and serious. I can identify with it though because that’s where I’m at but I’m 70. I hope you work through everything Allie, I really do, and learn to enjoy life.

I love Allie Brosch and her hilarious artwork. I read her first book via Kindle on a plane to Hawaii from Georgia to visit my first, newborn grandchild and I probably woke people with my laughter outbursts. As I got this book today, I've so far had equal enjoyment, but can only give a four rating because of one drawback. In every contraction, of which there are many, the apostrophe is replaced with a series of symbols, and the same for double quotes. Very distracting to the reader and needs to be corrected. I can't duplicate the exact symbols but imagine this: I&%@ve been where you^%$ve been.

The book itself is hilarious, as expected. That said, I’m really beginning to consistently regret purchasing new books from Amazon. I literally had to check to make sure I hadn’t purchased a used copy because it looks like someone dragged this one across a dirty floor and then read it while eating a bloomin’ onion or something. It’s beyond me how you could

Allie Brosh is one of those authors whose fans eagerly anticipate new content, and Solutions and Other Problems does not disappoint. It had me laughing and crying and I could not put it down. It does not matter to me that there are long gaps between books because when Allie delivers, she delivers strong and true. The book is funny, heartbreaking, and incredibly honest. It was a wonderful salve to read this in our current day. Thank you, Allie.

I have never laughed so hard as when I read Allie's misadventures. They are hilarious and the drawings perfectly compliment these incredible stories. Can't wait to share this book with friends and family. There is nothing quite like Allie's writing and any one who can't appreciate the ridiculousness of this book is living in a very sad world indeed!

I love this book, as well as the previous one. Just like with the Jenny Lawson books, I purchased the physical copies, as well as the digital, so I can have them with me at all times. The author is so real and honest, there's no way to not love their work. The book was sad and hilarious and one of the most relatable things I've ever read.

I could not get behind some of the terms and jokes used in this book. Making fun of amputees and using the word “tard” in 2020 is not acceptable to me. I was ready for dark humor bordering on macabre, but this was just tasteless.

I love "Hyperbole and A Half" and have been awaiting this second book for years. Allie Brosh fans already know. If you haven't read any of her stuff, get the first book first and you won't have to wait years to move on to the second. A brave and honest soul who has made millions of suffering people know they are not alone. And yet, funny.

I loved this. This cuts a little deeper than Allie's first book, with stories that are incredibly emotional and even a lot of the funnier stories have a dark vein running through. I cried, I laughed so hard I cried, and I felt like she was in my head telling my own stories for a lot of it. Allie Brosh has a way of just being so incredibly relatable it's mind blowing.

I wish I could say I loved this if only for the personal tragedy explored in it. I loved the first book, loved her blog, but this felt very flat and disconnected and rambling...honestly it felt like she was as disinterested in the stories as I ended up being. The first book was lightning in a bottle and maybe Brosh will recapture that or find peace.

Hyperbole and a Half was such a fave that my bestest friends (all both) have a copy on their shelf. This next book from Ms B is so long awaited. If you like Allie you should try Jenny Lawson (particularly Furiously Happy). These writers paint depth and nuance to this monster so those that cannot imagine - can. And somehow made a way for the rest of us to laugh and cope with the monster we live with.

This is my type of humor right here. Ally's first book was amazing. It touched on the weirdness of anxiety and depression without every talking about anxiety or depression. The way the book is set up is you could go to any chapter and read it and that story is going to make sense and be funny. You can read it in order and it will do the same. This 2nd book is mildly set up like that. Her stories of her childhood are just belly ache funny. Love this book and hope to see more from her in the future.

I've missed Ali Brosh since she went quiet after Hyperbole and a Half was released 7 years ago. She apparently spent at least some of that time working on this book. It's just as weird and wonderful and personal and universal as the first. I just hope it doesn't take waiting another 7 years for the next installment to emerge.

Seriously. If you’re curious about whether you’ll like the style of this book, go to the Hyperbole and a Half site and read everything there. I tried to pick a favorite post but they’re all excellent. Allie, if you ever read random book reviews, thank you. Your ability to illustrate feelings has helped me understand and cope with some difficult times in my life. I am so thankful to you for sharing your stories.

So good. I got it last night and read it solely while ny toddler was sleeping. It it 7:12 PM and it is done. I feel happier for having read it but sad that it is over.

Ms. Brosh did it again. Balancing absurdist comedy with unique self-examination during a slew of hardships. Allie's sails are battered by the worst and she stays conscious and witty through it all, even if she couldn't make sense of things at the time. I will always buy her books the day they hit the shelves and read them as soon as they arrive at my door.

life is full of hilarious moments. people are willing to share those freely but rarely do we get such a raw and honest look at someones personal life as we have here. the laughs are there but so is the part that we humans so often ignore and try not to see. while the timeline in the book may be a bit jumbled, we get a full circle ride on this one.

Would actually give this book 3.5 stars. Compared to Hyperbole and a Half, for me this book fell short. There were still many stories that were funny and touching but most were simply not up to par. I laughed and sometimes cried my way through Hyperbole but found myself having little reaction too much of the time.

Hoo, boy, Allie Brosh has been though ALOT in the past 8 years. And you can see the shift in the undertone of this book. Halfway through, I got sincerely worried about her. Then I reached the last chapter & thought: brilliant! This is what so many people need to know! Art-wise, she’s added more dimension, such as the shadows & out-of-focus parts, and that helps tell the story without more words. One final thought: I hope she finds the healing she needs; it certainly seems like she’s headed in that direction.

Alie is one of my heros. Not for nothing, this is a beautiful book. Well-made, thick pages, beautiful illustrations. And the content is one-of-a-kind. Especially suited for former dinosaurs!

This book is not a story, it’s an experience. I can’t quite explain what this book is really. I just know that it was wonderful and I loved it. It’s so different in its writing style. I have never read anything written like this. I think that’s why it captivated me. I know it sounds a little cliche but it really spoke to me and it was meaningful. Buy this book. You will laugh, you will cry and you will love the author.

It was almost impossible to reach the heights of “Hyperbole and a Half” again but so many of us cared about Allie Brosh after that book that I thank her for letting us know how life unraveled after that. I found this book to be as insightful as her previous work, yet, this time sadness prevailed and tragic randomness seemed more inevitable than laughable. Reading this felt like hearing out an old friend: I occasionally laughed with her about her misfortunes but mainly wanted to comfort her for having been through so much hardship and congratulate her for coming out mostly human on the other side.

This is the book 2020 needed! It is so hilarious, but it also digs deep. One chapter is heartbreakingly sad, and yet funny at the same time. Also, the part about sleeping on the floor because the only thing is the flashing light at the top of the building? I get it. I completely understand.

I am so utterly grateful Allie blessed us with another book. I laughed, I cried, heck I even laughed so hard that I cried. I would have waited 7 more years to be able to enjoy this book. Allie, I’m sure you know by now that you have an amazing fan base that supports you no matter what. I look forward to any other books or work that we may get in the future. But I will certainly be content to read this a few more times through. ❤️

I’ve read for only 20 mins so far and I feel like I have a deeper understanding of my 3 yr olds train of thought 🤣😂 This author is insanely funny and yet also really insightful. I adore her for sharing her perceptions on life , then and now 🥰

Solutions and Other Problems is a great followup to Hyperbole and a Half. Once again, I have surprised my husband by suddenly laughing out loud while quietly reading. Allie's writing is full of humor, and also full of childhood confusion and love. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book.

Not nearly as funny as her last one. Super dark and hopeless. Made me reconsider if I’m still a fan.

Simple, wholesome, incredibly funny childhood stories, written in smart, explosive prose and using an unremittingly aureate vocabulary. My nerdy kids were drawn in by the meme based illustration style and the voice of the author, and I think they learned a lot of new words. I enjoyed it, too!

Sorry, not nearly as good as hyperbole and a half, her first book. This is amusing. Her first book makes me laugh out loud just thinking about it.

This book was extremely relatable and comforting -- even during the heartbreaking parts. It brought me a smile and a laugh when I very much needed them, and that's not an easy thing to do, so thank you for that, Allow.

I dont know her, but I feel like I know her. That's the kind of writing this is: personal, vulnerable, and real. I loved it. I don't even know what else to say.

I love her. She really should be given an honorary Ph.D. in something, because she captures expression and feelings so viscerally and relatably. Her drawings are spot on! And her writing rings so true ... well, all I can say is I want to give her a hug and a wonderful cake.

This is such a thick book but it could have been longer and I wouldn't have minded. I had tears in my eyes from laughter and ... well, readers will know why else. I'm going to read it again as soon as my spouse is done reading it. Please write and draw more, Allie.

Funny and enjoyable to read. Also really enjoyed the art. I really like Allie’s books. I am glad she is making it through.

I waited for YEARS for her sequel as i really connected with her first book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but i was not as entertained by this book as i am by her old content. I'll still probably buy whatever she comes out with next but this book wasn't my jam.

If you love Hyperbole And A Half, I have great news - Allie Brosh is every bit as hilarious, brutally honest, and relatable as the first time around, and for twice as much book. I laughed so hard I cried, and I cried for real, loved the whole thing. Worth the wait and the purchase.

The one good thing about having to wear a mask at work is that it at least muffles the snort laughter.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted out of an Allie Brosh book in 2020. I wasn’t sure i wanted an Allie Brosh book. It felt and feels weirdly presumptuous to want something from a stranger, especially someone who has already given us a book as perfect as Hyperbole and a Half. But somehow, this is exactly the book I wanted. It made me laugh and cry at a ratio of about 5 to 1, and I needed the laugh tears and the cry tears in exactly those measurements right now. Allie, you beautiful weirdo. This one is perfect, too. Thank you.

If you are a narcissist, skip this book. If you've ever felt lost, lonely, sad, or just plain odd, it will resonate with a million little moments of your life and remind you that you aren't the only one.

Allie Brosh has a unique illustrating and writing style that catches my interest. After reading Hyperbole and a Half I eagerly looked forward to this second book, and though it took awhile, I'm so glad she shared it with the world. It's a bit darker than her first book, but gives great insight to the workings of her mind, relating to many others, I'm sure.

This is more bittersweet and introspective than her first book, but it is no less hilarious for it. She has a knack for describing heart wrenching situations in ways that make you laugh and cry at the same time. It both made me laugh until I had problems breathing, and also has made me think long and hard about what it means to be a good friend to others... and to yourself. Would give six stars if the option was available.

I'd forgotten how much I loved the writings and art of Allie Brosh and certainly had not expected another book from her. But I am well satisfied with this adventure. There was much laugh out enjoyments as well as some empathetic sadness and relatability and I'll probably read it again. Maybe even soon.

Waited 6-7 years for this book. Worth the wait. If you enjoy the first book or the blog, this book is perfect for you. Ms. Brosh is as funny as ever, but there are some heavy HEAVY subjects/stories in this book. I liked it. If anything, it feels like an update on the author's life and that may be all fans wanted.

Full of Allie's trademark wit and approach to explaining life's various situations in a hilarious manner. But also much darker than her previous offering, as she explores her soul and the events of her life with us while holding nothing back. At times you almost feel bad for laughing with her, but that just makes the book all the better.

Absolutely brilliant. Worth the wait, worth the laughter, worth the tears. The art is better, and this book hurt and gave me hope in a year where everything has fallen apart. I love her. I want her to get everything she could ever dream of having.

I convulsed in tears Reading Ms. Brosh’s new book. Sometimes it was because I was laughing so hard (really — I got trapped in a cramping laughing jag several times), and sometimes because I was weeping to discover that someone else feels grief and loss like that too. I am so grateful for her. ❤️

I didn't think that another book could possibly be funnier than Allie's previous book, Hyperbole and a Half, but I was wrong. Solutions and Other Problems was absolutely hilarious. I could not put it down and was so sad when I finished reading it in record time. I'll have to patiently wait for her next book.

Everything she does is wonderful, and this is the one shining thing to come out of the year 2020.

this was one of the best books I have ever read. One second I'm laughing the next crying. It was so full of emotion and character It was so perfectly awesome. I think this goes into some really deep and hard subjects and the way she wrote about them was both incredible and sad. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is an empath, trust me you will REALLY feel everything she is trying to portray. FIVE STAR RATING I LOVED THIS BOOK SO HECKING MUCH :]

I laughed so hard I cried. My tween came to check on me, read over my shoulder, and laughed so hard he cried. Excellent book, great bonding time with my kiddo.

describes many things very vividly. relatable enough to feel understood, different enough to be hilarious, unique, and fresh

It's like a graphic novel mental health masterpiece. So is Brosh's first book. Real, relatable and utterly hilarious.

It is a funny book with nice pictures. Some stories are hilarious, others are touching and thought provoking. Compared to the previous book of the same author, I liked this one less but still had lots of fun

very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very really really really reeally reeeally reeeeally reeeeeeally good

Okay, our entire family loves the works of Ms. Allie Brosh. We want everyone who is good to read her work. And being an artist myself know she is a great artist who can paint anything, she does awesomely crude drawings in books just because.

I was so happy that there was a new book out! It's a little different from Hyperbole and a Half, but it gives you a lot more backstory. My friends and I try to read the stories out loud when we're hanging out to have a good laugh.

So glad to have discovered Allie Brosh’s latest on Kindle. No one does awkward funny like she does. Here is hoping for less time between missives. This was much-needed laughter and cringing during the pandemic election.

Book arrived and cover is dirty! Lots of smudges/dirt marks :( Disappointed and will be buying from Barnes and Noble.

I do not know how Allie Brosh does it, but, she manages to make tragedy hilarious, and you feel uncomfortable laughing, but,it's absolutely worth it. This book was the big bowl of ice cream I needed to get through 2021, and, I'm trying my best to not feel guilty for indulging.

It's so good to see Allie Brosh writing again. As a long-time follower of her blog Hyperbole and A Half, I have laughed and cried along with her stories and drawings for years. Her first book was ridiculously funny. This, her follow up second book, is still hilarious but also very personal. During her hiatus many of us fans worried she would not return to us and I am happy to say welcome back and you're still great at what you do.

This was the Ally Brosh we'd all missed. Hilarious drawings and stories from her own life. But in this long awaited book we didn't know was coming we learn why she's been so quiet for so long. The reasons are heartbreaking and awful, but Brosh talks about them in her inimitable style that made so many of us fall in love with her when we first read her blog ,Hyperbole and a half and then her first book by the same name. Welcome back A!!ie. We're all rooting for you.

I'm so happy to see Allie back. As someone who lost their only sibling i deeply empathize with the ruin it deals to your life and mind. Huge props for sharing your journey with us. My favorite was the drunk watching whales chapter. So very funny.

The stories she tells about her life are hilarious (and sometimes sad). Her drawings really add to the story. I love to laugh until I cry and this is one of those books. Since 2020 sucks, we all need a little humor in our lives.

The content is awesome, of course. But I have yet to find a way to relay to Amazon and Simon & Schuster that the ebook does not render correctly on the Kindle Paperwhite or in the Kindle app on my phone.

I buy from Amazon all the time and this is the first review I have ever written. This book, and her previous, Hyperbole and a Half, are the funniest books I have ever read. I do not generally buy funny books but heard a review or interview on NPR on her first book, so I bought it. It is a “laugh out loud” book throughout. If you need something to make you laugh in these not so bright days, pick up a copy of this hilarious book. This is the second copy I have purchased and I am sending to my daughter. Another great job, Allie.

If you loved Hyperbole and a Half, you will not be disappointed with the long-awaited second book by Allie Brosh. It might even be better... Anecdotes from childhood and stories from the recent past had me laughing, cry-laughing and, frankly, crying. Also, dogs. I find myself wishing her all good things and thankful that she has shared herself with us.

Loved Hyperbole and a Half and this is the extension of Allie's craft. Every thing I loved about HaaH is here, plus refinement and deeper insights into herself and her reader. In addition to being insightful, this book was so funny I had to stop reading it to try to fall asleep because I was keeping my partner up with my snorting and snickering. Highly recommend.

Another outstanding book from Allie Brosh! I’ve been a fan for years, I was a regular reader of her blog, and when I found out there was another book coming- bam!- I hit that preorder button!

Hilarious. Real. Heart wrenching. This book is fantastic. Her stories are fantastic and it makes you realize you’re not always alone in the way that you’re feeling. Highly highly recommend.

Here I thought this book would be funny, and it was, but it was also deeply existential. I am surprised at how much I thought about these stories and their meaning after reading each one.

Chicken Soup for the Weird Kid-trying not to fall into (or perhaps learn to climb out of) feelings of nihilistic depression's- Soul. I loved Hyperbole and a Half and am glad to see more from Allie Brosh again. I'm so sorry about your sister. It sounds like you're figuring out how to love yourself despite everything, and thats something I've been working on too. I enjoyed this book a lot and it certainly hit home for me.