Scrappy Little Nobody

I love Anna and based on her tweets alone I expected her book to be hilarious. Honestly, it was kind of boring. I thought the funniest part was the discussion questions she created at the end. It seems like a lot of people liked it though so maybe it's just me! It also might have been better as an audiobook, so maybe try that.

This book was awesome! Tons of laugh out loud moments. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading autobiographical/memoir books. I didn't think it was possible for there to be anyone out there that had my same irrational fears. When I got to the chapter "The World's Most Reluctant Adult" my jaw was on the floor. I definitely feel less alone now. And I think that was her biggest goal with writing this book. It's a chance to see through her eyes into the world of Hollywood. I'll be reading this book again very soon.

When I read someone's autobiography, I really have to like them. I chose to read Anna's because I enjoy her movies and I think she's hilarious! 

She did not disappoint in her book. This of course is her story in how she got started from theater to the big screen. But she is also hilarious! 

If your a fan of Anna's, read this. If your not a fan, read this and you'll be fan

This is unfailingly honest. I know exactly what she's talking about because I have had those feelings also.! Social awkwardness, feeling like an imposter in adulthood, always worried about something!! But, she is also amazingly talented and funny, enjoyed the book very much.

When I thought I couldn't love her more....Scrappy Little Nobody comes out. I didn't want to put it down once I started reading but there is a couple of things called sleep and work. Nonetheless I finished her book in two nights. It's well written and humorous.

Scrappy Little Nobody is an alright book. Anna Kendrick definitely has a talent with words and humor but this book feels extremely restrained when comparing it to her twitter feed. Granted, this book does not have to be like her twitter feed but if you're looking for entertainment you would have a much better time looking at her best of twitter sub-reddit. I feel when she is less under the pressure of getting another acting gig that she'll have a lot more to say. With this book, it's alright.

This book is Anna Kendrick to a T. It's wild and all over the place, but organized and professional. Think Office Depot meets Forever 21.
I finished this little number in about a week (I'm also binge watching Sons of Anarchy, so... that's why it took a week).

I'm most interested in knowing the following things after reading this book:
1. When will Anna and I connect on a friendship app?
2. Will she lend me that shirt/jacket combo?
3. (Couldn't think of a joke question... leave me alone!)

The common theme here seemed to be "I am sooooo weird. I don't fit in. I'm not like everyone else." Honestly, you are kind of average. Granted, the new popular thing to do is to proclaim how weird you are, but it grows tiresome in book format.

Her writing style is just like her verbal style, and if you want you can pick up her audio reading to get full on experience of Anna. I liked the book, though it's more anecdotal than anything. Good quick reading.

I was very excited to begin reading this book. What a disappointment! She talks often about smoking pot and acts like her personal life is a total mess. I'm sorry I read the book as I respected her much more when I knew less.

Anna Kendrick is a breath of fresh air in her new book ... quick witted and fast paced with a sense of not only sentiment but sarcasm anna will leave you laughing and crying with relatable life moments. The book is a mere glimpse into not only the talent in anna but the talent anna feels we all have inside of us .. leaving you inspired, owning your weirdness and motivating you to take life by the balls..

Not bad. Very cute, very funny. Sort of boring in a few places (I'm looking at you, essays about fictional parties she would throw.) Felt like she was a little obsessed with reminding the readers that she is small and thin and shaped like a child. Sort of weird.

Anna Kendrick comes across as down to earth, and fantastically witty. She writes the way I think. I read this in half a day, I couldn't put it down. I always worry that reading an autobiography will make me like someone less, but as a person who was already a fan, I only like her more after reading. I hope she writes more in the future.

When I ordered this book a couple weeks ago, I couldn't wait to get started on it because I was curious to know more about Anna Kendrick. Wait, you don't know who Anna Kendrick is? That's okay because prior to seeing the Pitch Perfect movies, I really didn't know who she was either. After seeing the first Pitch Perfect movie, I looked her up because she looked familiar and found out she had also played a supporting role in the Twilight movies as Bella Swan's friend. It probably depends on who you ask but for me, I think the Pitch Perfect movies really thrust Ms. Kendrick into the spotlight, especially if you are a fan of those movies. She also voiced the character of Poppy in the new movie Trolls. Because I love the Pitch Perfect movies and watch them frequently, I was extremely excited to buy this book.

"But the crazy wants out. Let's do this."

When I read these words, I laughed! I like people who are so confident and comfortable with themselves that they can admit they have a bit of a wild side without the fear of judgment from others. Anna Kendrick is just that. "Scrappy Little Nobody" is an autobiography that spans from when she was in kindergarten through present day. Even from a young age, she has always been small and looked younger than she actually is. That hasn't stopped her from making up for it with her sarcasm and feisty attitude. In fact, Anna Kendrick would make a formidable opponent so no one in their right mind would want to pick a fight with her, despite the fact that she's small, which takes care of the "little" part. We've already discussed the "scrappy" part. She calls herself a "nobody" because not many people know who she is and she actually prefers it that way. To me, her personality seems similar to her character of Beca Mitchell from the Pitch Perfect movies but there are some differences of course.

I love that she is so real and, in spite of being talented in the arts, she could be just like you or me. She hasn't let fame go to her head and seems to like living a normal life, at least as much as she can while still starring in popular movies. Anna Kendrick loves sweatpants (because who doesn't????) and being lazy. She just happens to have a phenomenal voice and great acting abilities.

I would like to add some words of caution if you are considering buying this book. Because Anna Kendrick is so vocal and doesn't hold much back, this comes across in her writing style as well. There is quite a bit of profanity in this book, which may bother some readers, and there are some situations involving substances so I would recommend this book for mature audiences. Also, if you are looking for details on what happened while she was filming movies, this isn't the book for you. There are some details mentioned but, since this book is an autobiography, it's more about Anna Kendrick's life and why she is the way she is.

In summary, I'm so happy I bought this book because I learned a lot more about someone who is very talented. This book is sarcastic and very real. There are also several black-and-white photos of her throughout the years as well as a reading guide at the end, which is just hilarious! If you are a fan of Anna Kendrick and would like to know more about her, I recommend purchasing this book. It's entertaining and I look forward to her future movies!

The sample was funny so I bought it but I can barely get through the first few chapters. She should do a personal blog for friends of her family or something. It's just retelling her life stories. I think she's an amazing actress and beautiful and funny but I can see now the lack of self esteem she has that she turns into a constant joke and it makes me sad that someone so accomplished and beautiful focuses on her faults all the time.

This isn't a bad book, but it wasn't as funny as I hoped it would be. She didn't dwell on her movie star status or history, and some of those stories have to be entertaining. I also wouldn't recommend it to my teenage daughter. Lots of sexual commentary.

The book was fine but towards the end I skimmed read it since I was losing interest. If you are looking for a story about her life, this is not it. The humor is a bit extreme and off the wall. It leaves the reading wondering what is true and what is false. I like Anna Kendrick but felt she could have did a better job writing the book. .

Used to.

Those are the key words right there.

I've heard it said that this book makes you feel like you're "chatting with your closest friend." And it's true. I got flashbacks to those dinners with the girl who was my closest, and only, friend at the time, and is now the girl who haunts my dreams.

What they don't say is that not everyone has had a good experience with that close friend.

I've adopted the 50% rule for this book, about 10% too late. I'm 60% into the book, and I won't be reading anymore. It’s basically just “locker room” talk for girls, complete with heavy doses of irreverence and sexual entitlement. She does backpeddle a bit and admit that she did some crazy stuff but seems to shrug it off, choosing to blame society, “bad guys,” her naivete and the messed up state of the world when things don’t go her way rather than to examine the way she may be coming across to those not living in her skin.

The part about her first lover ticked me off the most. Basically, she straight out admitted that she was using him more than anything and acts like she’s doing him some big favor by sleeping with him. And when he calls her on it, she decides to humiliate him in her catty, passive-aggressive way, taking an almost gleeful pleasure in it that I find completely disturbing. All the while playing the victim, but cleverly acting like she’s bigger than that. She says she knows she's right. Of course she would. She lives in a very black and white world where men can't have conflicting views about sex. And in her mind, when a man is turned off by a sexually aggressive woman, she immediately interprets his intention as slightly rape-ish, assuming he wants to be the one to "convince" her. Yet the irony is that she openly brags about having to convince him as that is apparently normal, respectable female behavior. Her views of reality and relationships come across as completely warped by the media and extreme feminism.

I'm sorry to the people who like her, but I don't get it.

You know, it may just be an act. And it probably is since she seems to vacillate between "virginal, good girl" to "porn goddess" to "confused, desperate young woman" way too fluidly. It's like she's taken on several female roles in one book. For all I know, none of them are the real her. And she could be the sweetest person in the world. I'm from Maine, so everyone I talk to seems to either know her or know someone who knows her. I've heard that my good friend from childhood was well-acquainted with, right before she up and left for L.A. My grandmother was in that production of Annie she talks about early on in the book. So I feel like I can't be too hard on her.

The fact is, she's an actress. And she's good at playing roles. My ex-friend played roles as well. And if I wanted to listen to a girl go on and on about her sex life, and how ugly she is, and how all the guys treat her like crap (when you know she's still sleeping with them anyway), I'd go to a bar, not spend money on a book.

To be fair, she can be very witty and genuinely endearing at times. She doesn't need to overdo all the other stuff. It may be "real," but it's the aspects of reality that many of us spend our lives trying to get away from. Not all of us find it refreshing.

And by the way, joking that your boyfriend beats you (when he doesn't, and is, in your words, too "basic" to do so) is NOT funny!

That's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm about half way through and it's witty and entertaining and painfully awkwardly relatable. She's self deprecating enough to compare her size to that of "an eight year old fetus" which is one of the best phrases I've ever read. She's worked hard for her success but she still gets star struck. I hope she continues to write. I'm enjoying the $&@! out of this book

I enjoy her comments on Twitter and assumed a book with be written with the same fun sarcasm she has in interviews. Instead I learned she like smoking marijuana and day drinking. It had its moments and is well written, but the book fell flat to me.

Oh Anna. Anna is funny and odd, which is the only reason I read this book after watching her pitch the book on almost every talk show in the universe. Of course, she over-analyzes every moment and interaction like most hyper introverts, but she misses a few self-aware opportunities. She claims not to be a bully or mean girl but she's actually a bully and mean girl when she tells a popular girl that this boy is weird on the bus and when a new girl moves into her clique, she spreads rumors to everyone that the new girl is mean. That's bullying. Or when she says she loves rules and structure but then engages in all sorts of delinquent rule-breaking behavior from shoplifting to underage drinking and drugs. Loves them rules, just the ones that she feels worth following. I think she has this bifurcated self-image, one that is constantly trying to fit in and just be normal and one that loves the attention and stardom, so the one that tries to fit in is always downplaying the stardom and name-dropping in order to not make her appear like a total unaware douche celebrity. The funny thing is that she always wants to fit in and not be alone, and she achieves this as a struggling, unemployed actor, but then when she becomes famous, she doesn't have time for friends, and she doesn't fit in anywhere like jury duty because she's famous so she winds up once again being lonely and alienated. It's like the kid who gets beat up and then grows up and gets in fights all the time. We seem both repulsed by and drawn toward the things we hated as a kid. In the end, behind the curtain of humor, you get the sense that she's a poor, sad, lonely kid who never fit in and still is.

You need an editor, and this book was not worthy of you, I would say I love you in real life or so I thought yet not in the book, even if I may have been a name, somewhere in it.
All the same, you could make this something more, I believe in you- as the one that called you on the phone, and your mom- AKA gram gave you hell, and yes I got your number not anymore, but I did AKA (the boy from the gas-station.)
-Do you remember-

Scrappy Little Nobody should really be titled: The dangerous effects of pop culture on a young impressionable mind. Seriously, if you made a drinking game out of the amount of times a movie or TV show is referenced in this book, you would die of alcohol poisoning.

For Anna Kendrick’s debut novel, it is plain as day that this woman is wicked intelligent and possesses an amount of bravery that left me envious of my own lack of chutzpah. The book is written like a hamster on speed. It's fast, fun, all over the place, but engaging. However, it’s not flawless prose. It is written as a stream of consciousness, a train of thought, and sometimes it was difficult to identify who or what Kendrick was talking about and I couldn't stop her and say, "Wait, are you still talking about the bully from middle school?" Still, for a newbie author, it's a well written debut novel.

So what is it about? Basically, Scrappy Little Nobody is a book about the unique and interesting life of Anna Kendrick. Judging from what was written, I’d guess she’d say something along the lines of, “It’s not that interesting.” Well if it wasn’t that interesting then why write a book about it? So it is interesting in a lot of different ways. This book is about the non-linear way a little nobody from Maine went on to becoming a very successful actress who, in my opinion, has yet to explore the bright future ahead of her.

You will learn the behind the scenes of the Hollywood machine, how being a recluse strangely keeps her from going down the Hollywood spiral of ineptitude and narcissism, and whether you like it or not, you’ll learn a little bit about her sex life. No, it's not graphic, but there's enough details that I found myself detecting a little bit of hypocrisy.

What do I mean? Well for starters, Kendrick states that she does not want to do nude scenes for a movie because her body is hers and she wants it to stay that way. However, when you include descriptions of fuzzy handcuffs, sexy lingerie, and compare sexual encounters to movies and TV shows, these details ironically leave her more naked and vulnerable than if it were a nude photo.

As they always say, the book is better than the movie and no doubt these descriptions may conjure a naked author being pleasured in all sorts of lascivious ways. Well, for anyone who fancies the female sex or finds the author attractive, which she is, even though she repeatedly states she’s not. Allow me to cue an eye roll for that and to slap away the fishing rod from her hands. I would never cast her as "the ugly one" and the repeated references to calling herself hideous sets off my low self-esteem warning alarms.

Moving on.

Because the book is written as a well-edited stream of consciousness, there were some chapters near the end which completely lost my interest. The boat adventures and the planning of imaginary parties didn’t really seem to connect with me. It almost felt like filler due to the simple fact that the author is still quite young and therefore, used up all her good stories at the beginning. Or as she said on twitter, "That's when I really started phoning it in." For shame if that's true.

Although this book was written as a comedy, and though I did find her crass but honest humor funny, this book punched me in the gut and knocked the wind out of me. At a certain point, as I was reading all about her accomplishments, I did something no one should do. I started comparing my life to hers.

At twenty one she was living in LA, going on adventures, putting in the work to get cast in movies.

At twenty one I still didn't even have my driver's license and was studying television production in college with dreams of being a filmmaker.

Anna Kendrick’s bold decision to pursue her dreams was both inspirational and agonizing to read. The more successful she became with each chapter, the more I felt like a failure for not shirking my own safety net. She achieved where I had given up and that was a painful pill to swallow. Reading this book made me feel like I hadn’t tried hard enough, that I wasted my life, that I could never hope to match her success. It made me wonder if I had made the right decisions in my own life.

She knew she wanted to become an actress and she went and did it.

I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker and yet . . . I never made the move to follow it.

That’s weird right? Getting an existential crisis from a book intended as a comedy? And this is no joke, I legit struggled to finish this book because it made me feel that I wasn't good enough. And I think that's the destructive power of books isn't it? Even though the author wanted everyone to have a good time and laugh, you cannot control how it will make someone else feel. It's not her fault though. It's not like she intended to write it in a way to elicit these emotions. All she was doing was being herself and telling stories about what she had been through and I’m the only knucklehead crying in the corner because I wished I had the courage she had.

Those of you who are struggling with finding your place in the world or feel unsatisfied with not having achieved certain goals, this book might not be a good match. Depends on where you are in your life really. If you feel like you didn't jump when you should have, this book might sting a little bit.

Reading how she commuted from Maine to New York to do theater, moving to Los Angeles with barely any money and not knowing what the hell she was doing, that took guts. But then I look in the mirror and ask myself, "Wait, so where did I do wrong?"

Isn't that the ultimate flaw of humanity? No matter how much we achieve on a local or national level, we are perpetually unsatisfied. Prior to reading this book I thought my life was going according to plan. Then I see how a little nobody who is the same age as me went out and did her thing and I'm still sitting at the starting line not realizing that the gun went off. So much time has passed that there wasn't even dust for me to choke on.

Wow, that got dark real quick didn’t it? Alas, that’s how it is with books. They make you laugh, they make you cry, and sometimes they force you to look in the mirror. I think Kendrick is an extremely talented woman who should probably consider writing fiction. I know I wouldn’t mind having her as one of my novel critique partners. I mean, she says she can’t resist sharing her opinion, I’d certainly invite it.

SO! Should you read this damn book?

If you’re curious about the behind the scenes of Hollywood, want to know what you’re signing yourself up for, love or respect Anna Kendrick as a creative talent, then yes, definitely. However, if you hate Anna Kendrick make sure she never finds out. You may find yourself haunted by a passive aggressive voodoo curse that calls you mean names behind your back.

I shouldn’t give this book four stars considering how crummy it made me feel, but if a book could make me reassess the direction my life was going, then maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Scrappy Little Nobody was such a great relief from the terrible Monday - one week post 2016 election, Gwen Ifill died, a heinous incident with a smelly towel- I was having when it magically arrived in my Kindle that I almost cried. Luckily, however, the Effexor and Xanax did its job, and I just grinned a little and completely abandoned the Important Thoughtful Book I was reading for work.
Kendrick's straightforward narrative of her life since deciding she was destined to be an actor at the age of 8 is a breath of fresh air and plenty feisty. Kendrick touts herself as an anxiety-ridden, somewhat bumbling, always skeptical misanthrope, but rather than coming off as affected or bitchy, the tone works. She really DOES seem like a frothy little ball of prickles, an existence with which I can quite readily identify (and with which most who know me will agree - just ask my kids, husband, family members, students and friends). I love her for this. I love her for being able to share some poignant moments (like the death of her gramma) without becoming maudlin or overwrought, and I love how she owns up to drinking vodka and smoking pot. It's refreshing after sifting through all the Gwyneth Paltrow type perfectionista stars. Instead of launching a lifestyle brand, Kendrick creates imaginary parties in her head and freaks out about the possibility of having to make small talk with the neighbors.
Although there were points at which I wondered briefly whether the whole self-deprecating approach was a bit too much, and although I know she can't possibly still have an ikea twin bed in a rundown apartment that has grilles on the windows, I couldn't help setting those concerns aside. All in all, I appreciated Kendrick's throwing open the drapes, at least in one room, on her shortcomings and fears of not fitting in; I also appreciated that she made lists for herself to remind herself of what she should be doing in order to be seen as normal.
Don't even sink to normal, Anna! Always be the rattled little ferret with her back against the wall that we know you to be. And also, I hope you really are already seeing a therapist, cuz there's a lot going on over there in that miniature skull of yours.

I used to love Anna Kendrick. Then, I read her book. Then, I found some very distasteful photos of her. The book was HORRIBLE.
It's really a shame - she should have accepted her success with being an actress - not a writer. THIS IS THE WORST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ !!!

4.5 stars (increased to 5 stars for this site)

Before I listened to this audiobook I guess you could say that I was an Anna Kendrick fan. I enjoy the Pitch Perfect movies and have seen her in the Twilight movies and Into The Woods but it's her sense of humour and the feeling that she's just a regular gal that have always drawn her to me.

With this group of essays Anna brings her readers on a journey through her normal childhood to her time acting on Broadway stages as a tween, to paying her dues in smaller films and eventually being in blockbusters like the Twilight and Pitch Perfect franchises. Along the way, she shares some of her personal moments, fears, awkward encounters, joys and everything in between.

I'm glad I decided to listen to this book because Anna's personality shines through. I'm sure she's equally funny on paper but having her read the book to me was the icing on the proverbial cake. She is witty, sassy and wonderfully smart assy. She swears a lot but she's also a charming, self-proclaimed dork who shares her big life moments with her readers. Whether they're cool, funny or awkward you know that Anna will be candid.

Her personal observations are regularly served alongside some great self-deprecating humour (of which I adore and personally partake in regularly). She is definitely funny but also inspiring and quite on the money with many of her observations involving relationships, friendships, sex, work, not taking life too seriously. I particularly appreciated her more feminist views on slut-shaming, double standards of the sexes, and women being empowered to be who they want to be.

While she remains a fairly private person, readers will still get a feel for who she is. She can be laugh-out-loud funny, let her snark fly, isn't afraid to speak her mind and doesn't take herself too seriously. Yup, she's a normal gal who happens to have a cool job. The fact that she hasn't let Hollywood change her makes her all the more appealing. In a nutshell, she's a relatable and candid hoot who is intelligent, not always nice and unapologetically herself.

How can you not love that?

For those of us who are scrappy little nobodies ourselves Anna is our Queen. If you have lived through awkward break-ups, held a grudge for years, often feel anxious and hide behind a great sense of humour then I highly suggest you pick up this book and pay homage to her majesty.

Eh, I've read better books like this.

Sure, I laughed at parts. But the devil-may-care attitude felt forced in places. And I'm all for leaning into your personal brand of crazy but I felt like I was being beaten over the head with hers. It was too much. It was as if she thought "what will be the most shocking thing to say here?" and then went beyond that. It stopped being surprising or comical very early on.

One part I absolutely adored and completed agree with is her plan for a New Year's Eve party. I love the idea of an anti-NYE party; in fact, I've had one myself. It was all sweatpants and puzzles and seltzer and a general avoidance of other people. So good to know we have that in common.

Overall, though, the stories were not all that interesting. I finished reading it because I kept hoping it would get better but I was disappointed. I wouldn't recommend this book.

I went into Scrappy Little Nobody really hoping to love it because I am a big fan of Anna Kendrick’s. I think she’s a great actress and I also love her wry sense of humor in interviews and on social media. Overall, I have to say I liked it well enough, but didn’t love it. The book is structured as a collection of humorous autobiographical essays on a variety of random topics, ranging from her childhood days to her entry into show business, her early attempts at romantic relationships, attending award shows, and even a random essay about themed parties she would love to throw. It was all very random, quirky, and still somehow pretty insightful and therefore made for a fun read overall.

LIKES
As I mentioned, I love Anna’s sense of humor so that was probably the biggest plus for me as I was reading. She is effortlessly humorous and each essay is filled with colorful anecdotes to show just how much of a “scrappy little nobody” she really is.
I especially enjoyed the stories from early on in her career, seeing how she got her start on Broadway while still in middle school, and then what it was like for her to move from the East Coast out to L.A. and into her first very modest apartment.
And of course, any mention of her films that I’m familiar with like Up in the Air, Into the Woods, and especially Pitch Perfect were highlights.
I also liked that even though the series of essays is seemingly quite random, they still move forward in a somewhat chronological manner – with a few detours – and show Anna figuring out how to live and function as a young, independent, professional woman even if she does she feel like a clueless kid.

DISLIKES/ISSUES
My biggest issue with Scrappy Little Nobody was that I wanted a lot more behind-the-scenes looks at Anna’s most well known films, in particular, Pitch Perfect. While there were a few nuggets here and there, her more recent works seem to be largely ignored so that was a bummer for me.
I also had a few issues where I had difficulty gauging Anna’s tone. Is she being funny here since most of this is meant to be humorous, or is she trying to be more serious? I think my issue was because I was reading the print version of the book and for that reason I wish I had done the audio version instead. I think hearing Anna tell her stories and share her insights would have helped a lot because there would have been no guesswork as far as what’s meant to be funny and what’s meant to be taken more seriously.
One final issue I had was that sometimes it felt like Anna was trying a little too hard to prove that she’s just like us regular folks even though she’s a famous movie star. Most of the time I thought the stories about her being awkward and not knowing what to do were cute and relatable, but after a few of them, I got to the point where I was like “Okay, I get it. You’re awkward. Let’s move on to a new topic.” It’s probably not something that would bother too many people, but I tend to get irritated if I feel like someone’s hammering home a point too hard.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Even though I had a few issues with Scrappy Little Nobody, I still think it’s a solid and entertaining read overall. I think Anna Kendrick fans will certainly enjoy getting a little more insight into her personality. I definitely recommend trying to get the audio version if possible though. I think hearing Anna’s words will give you the most optimal reading experience.

RATING: 3 STARS

There’s been a recent rise in comedian autobiographies in the past few years and they have also become increasingly popular to read. Usually, biographies aren’t a universal genre that people all read because they can be slow or uninteresting but comedian biographies seem to bring everyone together because they give everyone the insight into the world of a celebrity/someone you admire but they also happen to be frigging hilarious and relatable. The best comedian bio I’ve ever read is definitely Yes Please by Amy Poehler but this book gets 2nd place in my heart because this felt like she was really giving a part of herself to each reader.

She has an uncaring attitude when it comes to keeping secrets about herself because she lays out a lot of her history and inner thoughts in this book. I was surprised with just how much I found out about her and I’m so happy I read this book because now I have so much more love for her. It’s crazy that she was working so hard all week doing live shows and living in New York at such a young age but it shows she clearly has enough to fill her book by the age of thirty. What I love most about this book is that she just talks about herself. She talks about her start in acting, her youth, relationships, self-doubt, traumatic events, cool stuff she’s done and it’s all about her! I even liked that she didn’t really talk too much about the movies and mostly talked about the work that everyone did behind that.

What I love most about this book is that she just talks about herself. She talks about her start in acting, her youth, relationships, self-doubt, traumatic events, cool stuff she’s done and it’s all about her! I even liked that she didn’t really talk too much about the movies and mostly talked about the work that everyone did behind that. Although when she did talk about movie stuff it was also super awesome and I don’t mind more of that.

Kendrick also talks a lot about her relationships and sex life. She went through the common phase of feeling you had to bend over backwards for a boy and agree to their opinion but she also has this incredible knowledge that she matters and she comes first as well. She shames the men that have tried to slut-shame her and make her feel bad for wanting an active sex life or not wanting to play their games and I commend her to the moon and back for that. She’s empowering as she seems to grab you with her hands thrust from the pages and to your shoulders screaming that you deserve to feel wanted and needed and get your sexual gratification! So I do hope that people or anyone that needs that message take it seriously because she does address that wonderfully.

I would recommend this to women and even teenagers because while she does talk about some bad stuff she’s done she also expresses so much confidence in some aspects of her life that I think are really important for all women to express confidence in your own self-worth and body in the face of men who try to keep women down. Then, on the other hand, she has so many hilarious anecdotes and behind the scenes information about award shows and movies she has worked on. She probably didn’t plan on making it such a touching book but I think it was the perfect balance of crazy, funny and meaningful. I hope she writes another one in five or ten years and becomes the queen of autobiographies with more books about herself than Stephen Fry!

***second try with language clean up***
My only disappointment is that she didn’t discuss my favorite movie and how I discovered her. Mr Right. I am saddened by this. Clearly it means she hated everyone, the movie, and the experience(and not because this book and the movie came out about the same time). This makes me sad because I really wanted another but that would mean unbearable torture for her... luckily I’ve read her book and now know that that’s what acting is about and so I don’t give a shoot and I’m just going to be a selfish asphalt and hope for part two. Also... go see mr right and fall in love with it and be crazy fans clamoring for more. As much as I’d personally love to see it... I don’t care that much but I’d love it if others did so I could reap the reward with zero effort.

Anyway, I liked the book. She seems like a human being. A crazy human being, but most of us are and I like her crazy. At least from a distance. Crazy can be different in person, so who knows. But I respect real and she felt real including about needing to lie about being real.

Also... the writing didn’t turn me away like the first two paragraphs of 50 shades of grey that I read which prevented me from reading what I had hoped would be... blank blank colorful metaphors... fun. But Omg the... blank blank... writing!!! So what I’m saying is that I could stand anna’s and I liked it. Hopefully you will too.

Ps

Her first movie is everything she said it was. I started checking out some of her movies, as she mentioned them, because I liked her style of nuts. I don’t regret it but I’m unlikely to watch it again too.

In "Scrappy Little Nobody," Anna Kendrick sets out to entertain and “ma[k[e you feel less alone,” since, as she puts it: “I have no advice. I do have a truckload of opinions, which I will happily prattle on about to anyone who gives me an opening.” Readers with affinity for Kendrick’s “personal brand of awkward, sarcastic schmooze” will enjoy what is essentially a monologue riffing on her life. Others should take a pass as the book includes very little behind the scenes dishing (“I figured I should be diplomatic since I’d like to continue working for at least a few more months. I’ll write another book when I’m seventy”) and isn’t particularly well-crafted or enlightening.

The chapter on parties Kendrick would like to throw, as well as lines like “I hate making the bed so much” felt like filler, and the story of her grandmother’s funeral ought to have been cut. Continuously breaking the fourth wall—“I’m forced to push a button on a clicker to enter my motor vehicle ... like some pleb. (We’ve been hanging out long enough that it’s cool for me to make jokes like that, right?)”—got old fast.

But otherwise most of what Kendrick discusses satisfies a baseline interestingness and/or relatability requirement, and she impresses with perceptive zingers like the following:

“I think she could have yelled a bit less for the sensitive types like me who need to be told they are wonderful every half hour to accomplish anything ….”

“[M]y family’s emotional range spanned from composed to stoic…. The only time I’ve ever seen [my dad] cry was when he described the plot of the film Rudy to me. The unnerving thing was that I didn’t even realize he was crying for ten minutes. At first, it just seemed like he had allergies or he’d eaten some spicy food. Aside from the tears, there was no other indication that he was emotional.”

“I watched all the films from my category, some of which were not easy to track down…. I assumed my fellow emerging artists would have done their research as well. I guess they were busy effortlessly fitting in.”

“‘Why isn’t anyone dancing?’ I shouted. If this had been the TV version of my life, a character would have explained that you don’t dance, you just stand around looking cool. Unfortunately, people don’t explain things like that in real life ....”

“I realized that modern flirting was essentially just being mean while smiling.”

“If I ever direct something I’m going to hire one crazy person so that everyone else gets along.”

“A group of hungry actresses (a.k.a. actresses) will talk about food with the kind of fervor and specificity normally found in Star Trek fan fiction.”

“Every surface was covered in clear plastic sheets. It was like something a serial killer would save on Pinterest under ‘Dream Office.’”

“Fame doesn’t change much else. It doesn’t change how you feel about your high school “nemesis” or how your passive-aggressive uncle treats you (it just shifted from ‘Maybe if you got a real job you could afford a car that doesn’t break down every week’ to ‘Well, we can’t all be Hollywood actresses who eat gold and poop caviar’).”

“Ninety percent of the people I’ve worked with who are disruptive or lazy or unskilled or addicts or likely to throw a tantrum are men. Ninety percent of the ones who get called ‘difficult’ are women.”

“You know that feeling when you see a pretty girl and you immediately hate her because you assume she’d never talk to you (this metaphor works if you’re a girl or a guy), but then she smiles and introduces herself and you’re like, how could I have misjudged you, you are clearly the best person alive! That feeling is intensified tenfold with movie stars. Ugh, look at Kate Beckinsale across the room with her perfect hair and her perfect laugh and I’ll bet she’s an ice queen bit…— Oh god, she’s coming over here. She gives you a compliment and tells you one dirty joke and you are ready to blindly pledge your life to her service. Long live the queen!”

“I get that it’s not a money issue or a time issue .... I think I need to become perfect all at once, so I keep getting overwhelmed and putting it off.”

If you love Kendrick’s style and want to hangout with her for a few hours, this is the book for you. If not, eh, look elsewhere.

Very average. The style is like her tweets -- hilarious and offbeat -- but there isn't enough content to write about. She talks about her start as a child theater actor in New York, going to Hollywood, living like all new actresses do, being starstruck by fame, yucky guys she met, and so on. The big thing is that she suffered no obstacles on her road to stardom. No ill effects. Amy Poehler spent years struggling in improv, Tina Fey was responsible for bringing SNL out of the lean years of Norm MacDonald and heralded the coming of the SNL Women (Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, etc), and then THE maker for a nine-season TV show. Lindsey Stirling failed America's Got Talent, had an eating disorder, and tours the world without a major label backing. Felicia Day was homeschooled, addicted to WoW, and became an actress after graduating college at 18 as a classical violinist. But nothing bad ever happened to Anna Kendrick (besides the standard new-to-Los-Angeles-living-hand-to-mouth stuff) because she was cute and spunky. And Hollywood loves cute and spunky. She's never been rejected -- she got handpicked for the biggest money-maker of the decade (Twilight) PLUS the most critically-acclaimed (Up In the Air).

I had a hard time deciding how many stars to give this one. Two means it doesn't make it to my desert island (where I don't bring anything I wouldn't read again, but no limit on the number I can bring), but three feels like too much. It's got great humor, but she's too young for even a memoir. You got to have SOMETHING interesting in your life, something with CONFLICT, before you should consider committing pen to paper (or fingers to keys). I would love to see a book by her about something other than herself (like Aziz Ansari did for Modern Romance). But in this one, the stakes are no bigger than unwashed hair.

I like Anna Kendrick as an actress. She's smart, funny, pretty, seems pretty nice, and is a talented actress to boot. She is NOT a good writer. I did not enjoy the book.

First off, the organization. It feels completely out of order. It jumps all over her life. One chapter she's talking about her grade school days, then she's in junior high, then she's a 20 something living in LA, then she's back in her early teens, then back to LA. It makes it hard to keep track of an autobiography that is basically traveling back and forth through time.

Secondly, the delivery. Everything is a sarcastic, self deprecating joke. That's sort of thing is like spice. It's fine when you use it here and there to punctuate serious moments, but it is just one quip after another after another, and most of them don't land. Instead of being funny, they just come off as annoying

Lastly, it all feels so phony. It seems like Anna Kendrick is trying to sell this narrative of "Oh I'm just a socially awkward, insecure, regular Jane like all you!" But she's not and I don't buy it. She's an Oscar nominated movie star, and was acting on Broadway since before adolescence. Even her personal stories unrelated to her acting career betray this premise. She talks about losing her virginity at age 19, and acts as though she was some sort of socially outcast late bloomer. Which is just nonsense. It reminds me of a girl I knew in real life, who acted like she was some weirdo outcast, but had fashion model looks and was married with kids by age 24. I just don't buy the premise.

Lousy premise, lousy delivery, lousy jokes. Avoid. Or at least avoid the audiobook.

About four-and-a-half years ago I had a kidney transplant. A few days after the surgery, while I was still in ICU, a friend came by and brought me a copy of the movie 50/50, a drama/comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in which Gordon-Levitt’s character, Adam, receives a bleak cancer diagnosis. Adam begins to see a young, relatively inexperienced therapist named Katherine, played by Anna Kendrick. When I saw 50/50, it was my first remembered experience watching Kendrick act. I was instantly a fan; she always seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable, and I could really empathize with that. I have followed her career ever since.

Needless to say, I was psyched to learn that Kendrick was writing a book, even going so far as to request to review it two months in advance of its release. SCRAPPY LITTLE NOBODY did not disappoint. Sure, it’s not going to win a Pulitzer or National Book Award, and there are several essays that could’ve been omitted without detriment, but it was funny, welcoming and well-written. It also felt accessible, more so than other celebrity memoirs I’ve read, and made the Tony and Academy award nominee feel more like a regular crazy person rather than a famous crazy person.

Kendrick’s gift in SCRAPPY LITTLE NOBODY is that she doesn’t take herself or her career too seriously. She grazes over the fact that she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 12 and that the role for which she won the nomination was her first on Broadway, instead focusing on how she really didn’t hit puberty until she was 16. With painstaking and embarrassing detail, she relates the tales of her dating follies and sexual misadventures, about how her small size and youthful looks were a social hindrance growing up in Maine.

She does, of course, write about her career. There is an essay dedicated to her role in the Twilight films, and Up in the Air is referenced throughout. She shares the triumph and struggle of acting in independent films at the start of a career, and the thrill of contributing to a project that carries something personal for the actor and earning nearly nothing for it when nearly nothing was all that was had before.

What’s great about SCRAPPY LITTLE NOBODY is that it sounds like Anna Kendrick. The way she writes is the way she talks. Her voice leaps from the page as if she’s reading it to you. She also doesn’t try to hide that she’s a bit of a natural mess. Her essays speak a lot to the magic of movie making and how a person can be whomever they’re supposed to be on screen, which in no way is a reflection of who they are in real life.

Towards the end of the book, Kendrick writes of her grandmother’s death and how she was in the middle of filming Pitch Perfect when she received the news. She went to the set and filmed scenes any fan of the movie knows are key to the story, while wearing waterproof mascara and sporting sunglasses between takes so as not to show the emotion she was feeling. Did any of this show on screen? No. But to read about it, you can feel the sadness and sense of duty she harbored that week on set, keeping it together while being aca-awkward.

One of my favorite anecdotes is Kendrick’s first Oscar experience, the year she was nominated for Up in the Air. The Academy Awards are Hollywood’s most glamorous night. After she attended the event, wearing an Elie Saab Haute Couture gown and sitting next to George Clooney during the ceremony, she returned home to her crappy apartment in Los Angeles, the one that had tar stains on the living room carpet, and went to bed. Oscar nomination or not, she was still just a loud, tiny girl with frizzy hair and questionable social skills. A scrappy little nobody like the rest of us.

Reviewed by Sarah Jackman

I loved this book. And to be fair, I took forever to finish it, which is not my normal modus operandi when I love a book. Those of you who read my reviews know that I usually devour books I love. But this one I savoured ... like a fine wine.

Okay, straight up, for the last year-and-a-half this has been my bathroom book. Not just for sitting on the toilet but also bubble baths and hiding in there when I'm entertaining people I need a break from. I pre-ordered this book and started reading it as soon as it came but immediately recognized it as a collection of wonderful vignettes that I wanted to enjoy slowly. In the toilet. (And I'm SURE I had many guests who saw the book sitting on the counter and helped themselves to some Anna humour).

Anna is hilarious and REAL. She's one of those famous people who you want to meet not to ask for an autograph but to hang out with just to ask her about how weird it is to be famous.

I first saw her in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and for years afterward thought she was sooo cool and I was really proud she was a Canadian actress (yeah, she's not Canadian ... but she's cool enough to be Canadian). And I didn't first see her in Scott Pilgrim ... I kinda forgot she was in Twilight (sorry, Anna). Beyond learning that she is indeed an American actress, I loved hearing about feisty young Anna going for her dreams.

And she includes lots of fun extras in this book. I particularly loved her special afterward for book clubs. And her About the Author page (I also am shorter in real life).

I could go on and on about how much I adored Anna's voice in this book but I'll start to be repetitive. Just go and get it (you know you need a bathroom book). Now I have an empty spot on the vanity in the bathroom ...

I loved Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect and find her Twitter quite amusing, so I was excited to start her memoir Scrappy Little Nobody. The book goes into her life as a child actor, the way theatre and Hollywood shaped her experiences as a child, as a teen, as an adult, and how being an outsider to the process, she was constantly surprised by the things she kept on figuring out.

Her tone is a little self-deprecating, a little what-is-going-on-here, and a little this-is-crazy-but-I-love-it. If you like her humor, you will definitely like reading the book. However, I’m not really a reader of non-fiction, and I like to have a good narrative thread to what I read. While her anecdotes and stories are hilarious on their own, when strung together, they feel very disjointed and abrupt. I would have probably been better off reading this slowly, part by part over a long period of time but that’s not how I read, soooo *shrugs*

Overall, all I can say that is that it is entertaining and humorous to be sure, but still not a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading. She is awesome at making any story sound intriguing but this could have been edited better to flow well.

I'm aiming this year to read six non-fiction books; combined with the fact a friend offered me a copy of the book, this is mostly why I read it. It's the second non-fic book I've finished, so I need to speed up a little with that challenge.

The book starts at the beginning of Anna's life, with some funny stories about her personality during primary school, before moving to look at how she got involved in professional musical theatre in her early teens. Once it gets to her living in LA, things start to jump around a bit more and become more topical, with stories about learning to live alone, dating, sex, and learning about fashion. She throws in lots of little anecdotes involving famous people she's worked with, which were fun to read.

I found the first section of the book really interesting; I always like to hear about how someone ended up in their career. I did get a little bored in the middle though - I felt like, there are better places to get dating advice, and at this point, a lot of this advice is kind of too late for me, I've learned the lessons myself and am doing ok now, really. I didn't care about the awkward dating experiences she had in high school, those stories just weren't particularly interesting to me.

I did find the book more enjoyable towards the end. I liked the funny stories of things that had happened while filming various movies, and at events like the Oscars. I think if you like celebrity autobiographies, you will probably enjoy this one as well, or if you're interested in an acting career. For me, it slowed down a lot in the middle and I had to push myself to keep going. I don't think I'll be looking at more autobiographies from people this age any time soon. Overall, I'll give Scrappy Little Nobody 6 out of 10.

This is a surprisingly good book that could have been great if the star would get off the weed, get some counseling, and give herself a few more years to mature. Kendrick has a blunt, take-no-prisoners attitude that is charming and makes for fun reading. She doesn't hold back as she talks about her family, friends, famous people, and her faults. However, she isn't mature enough to have learned many lessons yet. She tells us throughout the book how often she does weed--and based on the non-stop rambling on these pages it would be wise for her to get a healthier habit.

One of the major problems is that she thinks she is "normal," yet her childhood was anything but normal. She was drinking, doing drugs, and shoplifting by age 14. She was nominated for a Tony Award as a child and was taking a bus by herself to New York City from Maine for auditions when she was only in 6th grade. (Were her parents crazy?) She says that just was just an average teen but she obviously had serious rebellion issues, led by an older brother that exposed her to a variety of bad things. Of course she continues to adore him. While she portrays herself as somewhat sweet, loves to follow rules, and "only 10%" rebel, she is truly one rebellious chick who won't take crap from anybody. And demands to have things done her way.

She is effective in pulling back the curtain on the celebrity life. It was shocking to read that when she was nominated for an Oscar she was paid less for the film than were the makeup people who got her ready for the ceremony, and that she was still living in a dumpy apartment where she could barely afford food. There were, however, a number of unanswered questions and things not mentioned. She claims to have lived over a year in L.A. without getting a job--where did the money come from? How did she afford all the alcohol and weed she was consuming? She never tells us.

There are a few stories about her film work but not anywhere near enough. She conveys that they are all pretty boring to work on. Come on, she spent weeks with Clooney and she has almost nothing to say about it? She's in a movie with Orlando Bloom and won't even mention his name?
And if you're looking for Pitch Perfect stories, forget it--almost nothing here except that the producers were unsympathetic about her grandmother's funeral.

She does talk about a few sexual experiences but mostly in a self-deprecating way. She seems repulsed by guys that come on to her but longs for someone to care for her. She talks about all the crazy women around her, yet she has a bit of crazy in herself.

Near the end she seems to be writing filler--like she had a quota of pages she had to reach. There are whole chapters near the end that are worthless, include one in which she imagines what ideal holidays would be like. Huh? Who cares? And then after writing the whole book in past tense she suddenly takes an experience where she gets seasick going to Catalina Island (seriously) and puts it in the present tense. That makes no sense. And there's a "funny" two pages afterward that are for "book club" questions. We should have been given content, not creative writing fluff.

Anna has done a service by revealing the truth to those that think they can make it in Hollywood, that it's not only difficult but when you get famous none of the problems really get better. She's still that insecure little girl who is always afraid of failing and never getting a next job. She's no longer a nobody, but she's still scrappy and little.

What I Liked:

Everything. :D I did not expect to connect on so many levels with Anna Kendrick. However, she reminded me of my own experiences and personality on many levels. I connected with how she is constantly thought be younger than she is, and her issues with anxiety.

I hope that she writes more about her experiences in Hollywood because she brings a sense of normal to a career and life that tends to be viewed as otherworldly. Kendrick does a great job of grounding herself and I loved reading about her life/opinions.

Humor. I really loved Kendrick's humor (on the screen as well) and found myself laughing a lot. I'm hoping to pick up the audiobook that Anna Kendrick reads herself because I bet it would convey more of the dry humor.

The Message. I was not expecting to resonate with the issues that Kendrick brings up, most of all with gender expectations and double standards.

Writing. Kendrick did a great job with the style of the memoir and I enjoyed her tone/voice. She touches on a lot of topics but does it in a way that does not confuse the reader.

What I Did Not Like:

I had little to no problems with this novel (which is something these days), and I even spread out this 304 page novel because I did not want it to end. The only chapter that was hard to follow was one about partying on buccaneers day but it did have an overall good message about maturing.

The main thing downside was the length, I needed more of Kendrick's humor and great writing style.

I recommend checking out this amazing and hilarious memoir! :)

I listened to the audiobook version of Scrappy Little Nobody, and I highly recommend it if you are an Anna Kendrick fan. The narrator sounds just like her (you know, because it is her.) I would not recommend listening to it around young children, however, unless you do so with headphones. Kendrick talks about many things you may not want to have to explain to your kids just yet, or ever really.

I've got to admit that I have not always been a Kendrick fan, in fact I was rather the opposite for a while when my only exposure to her was in Twilight. I did not like the character she played at all (in the books or the movies) and while I realize that not liking Kendrick because of her character in Twilight is absurd, it is what it is. And it's very possible that I would appreciate her portrayal of Jessica more now that I've read this book, so that's kind of a win I think.

As I listened to Scrappy Little Nobody, I came to the realization that Anna Kendrick is basically my spirit animal. I desperately want to be best friends with her, not because she's a celebrity, but because we seem to have a similar sense of humor and she appreciates Harry Potter (the movies at least). Also, she just seems like a really cool chick. At one point she describes various types of potential parties she has planned, and I legit want to attend all of them because they just sound like so much fun. I'm certainly left feeling like I really know Kendrick personally now, and I like her in all her glorious awkwardness, and I'm even going to give her another chance in Twilight.

I am quickly coming to the conclusion that celebrity memoirs are best listened to rather than read, as long as the celebrity is the one doing the narrating (and I have yet to encounter a celebrity memoir where that is not the case). I'm even coming to the conclusion that I really like listening to celebrity memoirs, and I used to think that I just hated audiobooks in general. But honestly, if you're going to read a book about a celebrity, you may as well have them read it to you. So I definitely recommend springing for the audiobook here.

Overall I give Scrappy Little Nobody 5 out of 5 stars because it was thoroughly entertaining.

Actually, I wasn't even a big Anna Kendrick fan before reading this book, but now- I love her! After page one of reading a kindle sample, I was hooked. Her childhood - her way with words- her anxiety and love for acting- I feel like someone finally put into words the book I wanted to write myself! This book is really funny and honest; not just for Anna Kendrick fans, but for anyone with anxiety or who just never felt like they fit in with the "kool" kids ;) she has a great memory and imagination just like I remember having thoughts growing up. I ended up listening to this on Audible, hearing Anna Kendrick narrate was good. I am a fan of hers now- she is humble and honest- funny and quirky. It's fun to follow her journey.

I actually put this book on my to-be-read list on a whim after seeing it on an end-cap in Target. I enjoy reading memoirs from all different kinds of people as I believe memoirs give us an insight into how others experience their lives and how their thoughts and feelings compare to our own. I have also enjoyed Anna Kendrick's work in the past and wanted to read something from her perspective. Kendrick is a film actress (Pitch Perfect was a popular movie that she starred in) who began as a child working in Broadway plays. Kendrick recounts how she traveled back and forth from her hometown of Maine to New York City to work and then her eventual move to Los Angeles to continue her career. Kendrick had many years of waiting for her big break but her strong work ethic has led her to be a well-known and well-compensated actress. As I was reading this, it struck me how self-aware Kendrick is. She comes off as very down-to-earth and likeable. The writing is not to be compared with highbrow literature, but it didn't need to be. It was engaging, there were a few funny parts and it was a quick read. This is a great book for just relaxing with light reading material. It wasn't exiting all the way through and there were a few slow parts but most of the book was interesting for a memoir. The book is written in essay format and doesn't necessarily follow strict chronological order but there is a pattern to it. Kendrick was very honest and easy to relate to. Overall, I enjoyed this book and think that others who enjoy light reading or memoirs would also enjoy it.

Scrappy Little Nobody is a collection of essays by Anna Kendrick. The topics range from early childhood recollections, life as a penniless actor, and Hollywood stardom. I'm usually not big on celebrity memoirs, but I thought I'd give this one a shot since I enjoyed some of her movies. I think the first movie I saw her in was Twilight. However, the movie that made me a fan was Pitch Perfect. I didn't really know much about Kendrick's life before listening to this audiobook. I had no idea she was a child actor or that she performed on Broadway. She even won a Tony. As you can tell, I was totally in the dark as far as Anna Kendrick was concerned.

Kendrick is the narrator of her book and she does a superb job. It has a casual tone that makes you feel like it's just the two of you in a conversation. Scrappy Little Nobody has the same edgy snarkiness that Kendrick's characters often portray in movies. I often wondered if it's her actual personality or if she's giving the people what they want--so to speak. But despite my misgivings, the audiobook was interesting and entertaining. It does feel as if she's being mostly honest with her readers. She doesn't gloss over the bumpy road to stardom or make it sound easy.

Scrappy Little Nobody is must for Anna Kendrick fans who want to get to know her better.

By Melissa Amster

In 2003, I saw the movie Camp, as I am into musical theater and it looked like something I’d enjoy. In the middle of the film, a character named Fritzi both literally and figuratively steals the show. From that moment on, she’s the one to watch. I made note of the actress’ name, not knowing if I’d see her in anything again. Many years later, a movie called Up in the Air is nominated for an Oscar, and I learned that this same actress is in a featured role. I soon learn that she’s not going to disappear from the movie scene anytime soon, especially after her starring performance in Pitch Perfect and later in Into the Woods, amongst many other films where she keeps popping up. Yes, I’m obviously talking about Anna Kendrick. Who else?!?

When I first heard about Anna’s book, I was curious to check it out. I’ve been on a celebrity memoir kick when it comes to audio books, so I decided to listen to Scrappy Little Nobody this way too. I’m so glad I did. Anna is a lot of fun to listen to. Even though she’s quite a bit younger than I am, I can still relate to a lot of her stresses and anxieties from her preteen and teen years (as well as now). Being rejected by friends in junior high still hurts, even if you become famous as an adult. And you can still feel self-conscious about a designer dress if someone has the audacity to make a passive-aggressive dig about it. Anna has a great sense of humor and is not afraid to admit that she is flawed. She had some funny and interesting stories from growing up and even what happens once you become famous. Her memoir was an enjoyable distraction from all the drama going on in real life these days.

The only thing I wish was that she had talked about The Last Five Years. She was great in that movie and it would have been fun to hear what filming that was like. (Really, I just wanted to live vicariously through her getting to perform with Jeremy Jordan.) However, I’m glad she talked about Camp a lot.

Overall, I recommend checking this book out. I do want to warn that it has some mature language, so do not listen with kids around.

I first picked up this book back in December, a friend had bought me a copy and I sneaked a peak at the first chapter. I immediately loved the tone of the book, it feels like listening to Kendrick talking in an interview, and I knew that I would need to grab myself a copy. When I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of my own I promised I'd read only a chapter or two at a time, but I found myself enjoying it so much I couldn't put it down.

In this collection of essays Anna talks about her life growing up, her various acting jobs (both on stage and on film), and about her experiences dating and all that comes with it.

I don't often add quotes from the book in my reviews, but this piece has stuck in my head since reading it, never before have I related so much to a piece of writing.
It's not that deep down I want someone to 'take care of me', it's that I'm exhausted and occasionally overwhelmed by self-doubt. I'm steering the ship, but I don't know what I'm doing. None of us do. But it would be so nice to believe that someone out there did, and that maybe they could take the wheel for a little while. It's a seductive feeling. It would be great if it were real. But I guess I've got to count on myself. Which is not great news.
As a fan of The Twilight Saga and Pitch Perfect I was a little disappointed that these didn't feature a little more in the book, but all in it was a great read.

When I saw that Anna had a book coming out I quickly checked to see if it was going to be Audible and I was relieved. I love listening to memoirs read by the author. Especially if the author is an actor or a comedian. There is something there in the audiobook that you can’t get from reading it.

Scrappy Little Nobody was no different. Anna’s narration really made this book in my opinion. I’m sure that reading it on your own you could have enjoyed it just as much — but hearing her actual reactions to things she wrote on top of hearing her tell you stories that were funny and sometimes embarrassing really put this book over the top.

I started this book on a day where I wasn’t having a good morning (are there such a thing as a good morning?) And within the first few minutes of my drive I was already laughing and smiling like an idiot during my commute. The rest of the book kept me smiling and laughing.

Anna’s story was really well thought out and I’m glad (and a little amazed) that she was able to get as much intimacy onto the page and into the audiobook.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a good laugh, especially if you like a slightly cynical and real celebrity.

I loved listening to this book on audio recording. Listening to Anna Kendrick read her own writing made me feel like I was listening to her having a conversation with me. She put real emotion and feeling behind every word and I was completely and hopelessly drawn into her world and into her stories.

I have read several other memoirs and truly felt like they were too over done trying to stick that shock factor into the writing... Now, I don't know if the shock factor was there to actually shock the readers or..... if it really wasn't a shock factor after all but actual speak of the writer.... regardless it felt fake and unreal in those other books. Reading Anna Kendrick's book felt REAL.... She felt REAL..... there were those occasional cuss words or digs, but they were appropriately placed with great humor.

Speaking of humor.... I really like Anna Kendrick's sense of humor.... She is actually FUNNY! What a concept. I guess, I have a very weird sense of humor and many folks just don't make me laugh..... Anna Kendrick, however, is completely on the other end of the spectrum. I laughed.... I laughed a lot. I really enjoyed her stories and her "down to earth" approach to life and self depiction. It was awesome to see the real side of the "glamorous" life of an actress...

Anyway.... Read this book... Just READ IT! It is awesome. Great all the way around and I completely enjoyed every minute of it.

Happy Reading.

Anna Kendrick is honest and open about her thoughts and opinions. She refuses to hide what she thinks. She takes us into her mind and shows us the difficulty of trying to keep the crazy in! :P

She highlights the journey towards becoming an actor and reaching where she is today. In her rather quirky, different way she gives us glimpses into various incidents in her life. She extols the world of cinema as well as theater and throws the doors open to us. She takes us into her world and shows us how that world is. It's not all easy and she effortlessly brings out the differences to us.

From starting off with theater and auditioning for them to landing a role in small films and working her way up to larger films, Anna tells us what it was like to struggle and the determination and perseverance it took. I appreciate her humility and sincerity in openly stating that sometimes fame can get to the head or at times one may feel like giving up, but she keeps a photo of her 3 year old self as a reminder to trudge on.

Anna gives us a glimpse into the film fraternity and shares with us, through anecdotes and humorous thoughts, the behind the scenes. The feeling of walking down the red carpet, of presenting an award, of acting with some of the bigger stars. It's all there for us to read. Throw in a few photographs of some life events and she has us hooked.

Without giving away too much about the content of this book, I think this is worth a read. It will open the eyes of the reader to some form of reality with respect to the film fraternity as well as leave us in splits.

Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody was a beautiful genuine read. She brings herself to you and then drops off real-life events like you were or should have been right there. Some are extremely personal and make you feel bad for digging into this person’s life, other accounts are revealing and you are happy to learn a little more about Anna. I felt like she would be a sincerely nice person to hang out with. I believe she understands and conveys throughout the book what this memoir means to her and her career. She tells the story of going to an awards show very ill and at the end she says we do not have to Google a picture of her high on the red carpet, because she has provided it along with your book purchase. In this moment, I truly felt connected to her story telling. Maybe it’s my personal nerd like tendencies but in the exact moment of my reading I was doing just that, Googling her picture. She depicts her life as unbalanced and at times questionable. Her choice to not “hide the crazy” is impressive to me. She expresses her fears and true appreciation of her celebrity status; that is the best part of her stories. I read this book on accident and was so surprised and inspired by that fact that I liked it. I am a true fantasy fiction type of girl, but this book surprised me so much that I wrote a full blog about it and my new found joy for non-fiction. I learned so much about her as a person, and even more about myself. Thank you, AUTHOR,  Anna Kendrick, for the fabulous read.

I don't read a great deal of nonfiction, but anyone who knows me well knows of my girl crush on Anna Kendrick. It started in the movie Twilight when she stole every scene she was in, probably because she was the only actor in the film who could actually act. ?

You may not know that Anna was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in an excellent movie called Up in the Air. There actually were other professional actors in that film, including George Clooney, but Anna is the brightest star.

And of course if you haven't seen the Pitch Perfect movies, I'm not sure we can communicate on any real level. ?

If you follow Anna on Twitter or have read/seen any of her interviews, you already know how freakin hilarious she is. This book gave me the giggles & an even bigger crush. Highly recommend.

I think I finally found my spirit animal and it's Anna Kendrick. I strive to be as weird and witty as she is. Her level of sarcasm is incredible and I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I love the way it was written and listening to her read it (on the audio book) I enjoyed it that much more.

One thing that stuck with me was her definition of being a 'nice' person and a 'good' person. A 'nice' person in the show business is a woman who goes along with everything and never gets to speak her mind. A 'good' person is a woman who will speak her mind and not tiptoe around something, but also able to listen to direction. The 'good' woman most times ends up getting called a b*tch because she actually uses her brain and isn't there to please everyone.

I liked listening to her experiences on movie sets and how she first got interested in acting. It's also interesting to hear that even to this day she's still star struck by celebrities in general and doesn't think that highly of herself. She's someone I would love to meet if I ever got the chance.

The Audiobook:

I enjoyed Anna Kendrick narrating the novel. Her intonation was on point and made the story that much better.

This was... fine? Maybe I would've found it more endearing if I had been a bigger fan of Anna Kendrick. As it stands, I tend to enjoy her in movies and find her Twitter feed humorous, but I'm less invested or interested in what makes her tick and what her experiences are outside of the roles she portrays. So why did I even listen to this audiobook you ask? I honestly thought I would've become more interested as I listened along, but it never happened. I frequently forgot I was even reading this book until I would sign onto GoodReads and see that it was still on my currently reading shelf while I was eating lunch before my weekly therapy appointment... and then I would listen for an hour while I ate lunch alone and forget about the audiobook until the next week. This is an audiobook best enjoyed by people who already adore the actress.

At first, I wasn't sure about this book's essay format - when I first saw the release info about Anna Kendrick's new book, I was intrigued but unsure how the essays would work. The content immediately grabbed my attention & was so funny I didn't care or notice any formatting. It did remind me of David Sedaris' style of writing in some of his essay books (that's a compliment btw-love him!) and I immediately loved the tone & flow of this book. Anna is hilarious, relatable, & refreshingly honest enough that her writing made me laugh out loud several times while reading. I am pretty certain my boyfriend wanted to delete this book from my kindle just so I'd shut up & he could watch his ID channel shows in peace without my ongoing book commentary ("Listen how funny this is-did you not hear me? How are u not laughing right now?") The beauty of the book was how realistic it was - I've always been charmed by anyone remotely opinionated, especially rare gems who will actually admit that they find fake people & forced awkward social situations as intolerable as I do-yay!!! Anna Kendrick also scores points with me by admitting embarrassing teenage stories with zero filter & lots of detail that is never cringe worthy, only relatable & amusing! I'd definitely read another if she writes one again sometime.

So what do you listen to if your Christmas Day plans are to listen to an audio book and clean the house? Um, not because you're pathetic but because listening to an auto book and cleaning the house just happens to be one of your favorite things to do... okay so maybe that is pathetic but let's rather say you're a quirky person who is eccentric and not at all pathetic... Well, what you do is listen to Scrappy Little (Oh sh*t my cat needs petting be right back... Right, that's sorted) What you do is listen to Scrappy Little Nobody which is a totally not pretentious romp that totally made my Christmas.

Ok, but here's a thing: Plan a long day. I actually started listening to it a few weeks back but only got about halfway through because the kid needing feeding and stuff (they don't get it sometimes). I didn't want to start it again because I wanted another long block of time but mostly because I didn't want it to end. For weeks it sat there calling to me but the anticipated separation anxiety that will no doubt occur when it's over kept me away. To be honest I haven't finished it yet. I have about 15 minutes left so I thought I would right this before the insufferable ennui set in (Though I see that the store is recommending a book by the Cleese fellow. I've heard he's funny in a silly sort of way).

Ok So I alternated between listening to the Audiobook and reading the book..

And I LOVED them both! Anna Kendrick is so relatable, She’s so humble and true to herself there’s definitely so much to admire.

Yes, she wrote a book at a young age, but why not? What’s the point in waiting your whole life? Very smart move for her, Her story in many ways made me feel like I’m not alone..

I related to so many situations, and you know what I loved most…

HER HONESTY!

Famous people are humans just like you and me, and are as introverted as even some of us are (like myself).

Read her novel, or listen to the audiobook (Read by Anna Kendrick herself)!

I enjoyed it so much and finished it in one day!

It's quite easy to read and has both funny and very personal moments of her life included. I admit I'm not really familiar with her work and that might have had an negative influence in my opinion. That said, I do admit it's not the first memoir of famous personalities I'm not familiar with I've read, and I was still able to enjoy some of those more than I did Scrappy Little Nobody. I don't mean this memoir is a bad read though, and I guess there were some parts that were really entertaining while others were brutally honest. I really liked that of Anna Kendrick, letting us get a glimpse of what it was like growing up for her. And I'm sure fans of her work will love this one.

It's not just a personal memoir but Anna's thoughts on being a celebrity and how she deals with real issues both as an actress and as a person. I enjoyed her walk down memory lane as she recalls the early years on her way up to the top. She's honest and raw. Some may not like part of her dialogue but that's just her. There are others who want to hear more about interactions with other celebrities and working on set. But that's not what the book is about. There's an underlying theme crafted in the title which speaks volumes. Not everyone will "get it." But that's OK. Her style and use of creative nonfiction is an inspiration to all authors (like myself). If you're someone in a high profile position (such as an author, politician, attorney, celebrity, etc), you may be able to relate. Give it a read. It's entertaining. It's funny. It's honest. Add it to your reading library today!

From her family beginnings in Maine, to her childhood success on Broadway, and finally to her present day musings on being a Hollywood actress, Anna Kendrick presents herself in this no-holds-barred book. The book itself was well laid out and flowed nicely. Narrated by the author herself, I would recommend the audiobook to readers.

Some of Scrappy Little Nobody seemed a little staged, as though the author wanted her audience to see her in a particular way. For the most part, however, the book gives readers a birds eye view into the life of this very talented and driven actress. I liked how well Anna Kendrick balanced the book between stories from her childhood and her adult/professional life. Often times, celebrity writers are loathe to reveal personal details from their childhoods, leaving the book with an unfinished feeling. I would recommend Scrappy Little Nobody to readers who enjoy celebrity biographies or to those who are fans of the actress.

I'm going to tell you now that I fell in love with this awkward nerd even more so after 5 hrs of her reading her own book.
She came across as nerdy, awkward, honest, brash, witty, smart and frank, so frank that I actually had to shake my head at some sections while laughing out loud when she mentioned some moments such as "magic penis" and the ensuing convo that came after.
If I ever had the chance to meet her, I'd tell her all the above just in case she doesn't actually read reviews but in case she does, I'm low key promoting and pushing this awesomeness to everyone I know because sometimes you need a good laugh and Kendrick provided that in spades with the audio edition!
Bless this awesome nerd!

While I'm not at obsessed stalker-fan levels when it comes to AK, I happen to think she's a pretty talented actress. So when I found out she was doing a book signing at a store a few towns over, and because I'm a total dork for all things Hollywood, I figured I'd go and check it out. I left with a copy of SLN hoping it would be funny and entertaining, and I'm here to tell you that the author definitely doesn't disappoint.

Anna shares snippets of her life with the same bubbly, feisty, self-deprecating humor you see on her Twitter feed. She's got a great voice, and her stories are really engaging! This is memoir-writing at its best. No smoke-blowing, no humble-bragging. Just a regular person like you and me who happened to make a public career for herself in the arts.

I found the stories about her acting origins really interesting. She doesn't waste time dwelling too much on any one project, so if you're looking for detailed inside info on TWILIGHT or PITCH PERFECT or UP IN THE AIR etc., you won't find much of it here. Instead, she offers an insightful reflection of who she was as a person during the filming of each of these movies, which comes across (believe it or not) as entirely relatable. Who here *hasn't* ever been a broke twenty-something trying to figure out their life?

I highly suggest picking up this book; it's a real page-turner. I read it cover to cover in less than 24 hours. Funny, insightful, and totally REAL. A solid 4 1/2 stars from me!

Anna Kendrick is everyone's girl next door...but smarter, wittier, and a whole hell of a lot more popular.

You're not going to find any juicy secrets about celebrities or stories about drug overdoses in this book (I'm looking at you Scar Tissue & Slash), but you are going to find the hilarious interpretations of life from the point of view of a scrappy little nobody.

This book reads like a conversation with your suburban best friend. It sprinkles insight of learning how survive 5th grade as well as the less glorious life of red carpets. It's littered with phrases you want to highlight and use in every day conversation to make yourself sound more funny.

I loved it and love her a little more for it. Thanks Anna!

This book is hilarious, witty, and endlessly quotable.

I listened to the audiobook during a painfully long drive when I was very sick, and it kept me awake and interested, which was fantastic, and made me laugh, which made me cough (not fantastic). Highly recommend the audiobook, because the book is so tied to Anna Kendrick's voice that it's best to just hear the author read it. I've rarely read comedic writing that didn't lag or fall apart after a snappy beginning, but this one was taut and fascinating all the way through, even (especially?) when it got wildly personal and inappropriate.

Anna Kenderick was great! I bought the audio version of this, it's my first audio book. I started reading the first chapter while in Barnes and Noble and was hooked, and after reading a review on here about the audio being far better as Anna actually reads it, I had to get it and it was the last one in stock. I'm so glad I did, she's hilarious and incredibly down to earth. I'm very picky about books so its really hard to find one and stay interested, I'm planning to actually buy the book as the audio is great. It certainly made me daily commute much easier with how funny she is. Keep in mind for parents of young kids like myself if you get the audio- she does swear in it a few times and there is a section a bit focused on boys/sex life. Overall I was suprised with how great this was!

I absolutely loved this. I didn't think I could love Anna Kendrick any more than I already do, but SURPRISE I can. This felt so honest and raw that I could honestly hear Anna's voice in my head while I was reading it. I really felt like I was listening to an audiobook. There were so many interesting things about her career, and life, but also super eye opening stuff about being a movie star that I never knew. This is the first memoir I have read from start to finish and I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. It was seriously AMAZING! I highly recommend picking this one up. Now, off to read Tina Fey's, Amy Poehler's, and Lauren Graham.

I listened to the audio version of this book, which was read by the author. The book was a good length in that it was detailed enough to tell about her time as a child actor through her roles in movies to around 2016, but it never felt too long. Her tone and inflection as a reader are outstanding as her personality really comes through. She is rather endearing in the way she writes as it feels genuine, intelligent, and candid. There's a bit of juiciness to it in that she is pretty open about her love life although she's regularly flattering of others and doesn't leverage her position as an author to take anyone down. I've been a fan of hers as an actress and now I am as an author as well.

Ok, so before I bought this book I had listened to the Audible sample, and I was automatically interested. Anna Kendrick herself was the reading it, she is by far among a couple other actresses is my favorite. I love all of her movies, her voice, and how crazy and kooky she seems. Turns out in her autobiography she is just that, I loved every minute of this book and did not put it down, I read along with Anna as she read it in the fun way only she can do. It also was nice to look into the start to someone in show business that helps to make them more relate-able. If you want a book about someone who just wants to let the crazy come out, make sure you buy the book, and if you want to make it more interesting make sure you get the audible version of it.

**The review is written for the audiobook but still gets the point across
Scrappy Little Nobody is a wonderful audiobook. I think I enjoyed it more in audioook form than I would've if I had read it any other way because the author, Anna Kendrick, read the story herself. I really like when authors read their own books because I feel like the reader gets more of an experience of how the author meant the book to read. They are able to express the inflections where they meant them and put all the emotion they felt when writing the book into reading it. Overall, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it to others if they like Anna Kendrick that is.

This is a review for the Audible edition.

This gave me almost everything I was looking for. While a little disjointed at times because it's really a series of essays about her life in rough chronological order, it was fantastic. As you can imagine her voice acting really made the audio version a real treat.

The insight into a few of her co-stars, her mental state, her upbringing, her feelings about certain situations, her rise to fame, etc, were just what I was looking for. I have this vision of what Anna Kendrick is like in real life and surprise, it's just what I expected and hoped for. She is a delight. This was a wonderful listen and highly recommended.

Before I write this you should know- I can’t stand people who thrive off being self idenified “quirky.” For this reason, I never really liked Anna. Still, I figured I’d give her book a try, maybe I’ve been horribly mistaken, so many adore her after all. Ugh no. I couldn’t get through the book. Her self depricating humor isn’t funny, it’s annoying and not clever at all. Don’t waste your time.

In Jr high I bought Dark Side of the Moon w my girlfriend. I said it wasn't really me. Someone said if I bought it, it was me. Same person told me don't worry about all the books you haven't read, focus on the books you choose. I chose to read this, even though as a 59 year old white guy, it's not in my wheelhouse. It was a Kindle selection meaning free. I liked it a lot. Kendrick was not who I expected. I flew through this book, unusual for me. I don't see eye to eye w Millennials, but I found this "kid" a trip. And contrary to what she says, I bet she's "nice!"

This was a collection a essays, sometimes very short, detailing Anna Kendrick's life as an actress. I enjoyed it and liked hearing her read the audio version. It was at times very funny. I do think this is a case where the audio is better than the written because her interpretation of the writing adds so much to the essays that I would not have gotten from the just text version.

If you like Anna Kendrick, as an actress, you should check out this audiobook. It gives you an idea of how she became who she is today. I really enjoyed it.

This was one of the more entertaining, enjoyable celebrity memoirs I've read in recent years. Anna Kendrick clearly isn't afraid to honestly share her mistakes, embarrassing moments, and poor choices with the reader, which is refreshing in a genre where so many celebrities try to only show themselves in a positive light. This book was funny, insightful, and interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to all of her fans, or anybody that enjoys autobiographies in general (even if you have no idea who she is). It's humorous and honest, and has a lot of heart.

This book is ranking in my top ten of celebrity biographies. Anna Kendrick makes her world relatable to us "plebs" all the while infusing the story with a humor that seems effortless. I loved getting to know her a little better and getting to laugh along the way.

Audio Book Note: I loved hearing the Anna tell the story. Sometimes, actors put on a show when they are reading their books, but she just made it better. It was as if I were hanging out with a friend and they were telling me all their crazy thoughts and stories.

This is such a lovely, honest, and hilarious memoir. Anyone who's a big fan of movies and comedy should consider this a must read. In addition to telling us about her recent successes, my favorite chapters of the novels were those in which Kendrick reflects on her childhood stint on Broadway and her ordinary yet unusual adolescence on the brink of stardom. Kendrick is an incredibly charming person and this reflects through her storytelling.

What sold me on this was "read by the author". I was not disappointed. Listening to Anna tell her life story in a collection of funny, honest little essays was an absolute blast. She is sharp witted, and her repartee is very snappy. My wife and I laughed a lot. I recommend the audio version, so you hear it straight from the scrappy little nobody herself. Some coarse language here and there, but it is Anna after all.

Grab a glass of wine and buckle in for a ride through Anna Kendrick’s squirrley imagination and mishaps. Her voice shines through and makes you feel like you’re sitting across from her in a sock strewn living room with her well worn-sweats bunching at her ankles. Maybe she tries a little hard to convince us how normal she has remained but of course that’s the endearing quality we love about actresses like Kendrick and Drew Barrymore. Thank you for sharing your personal life and allowing us a glimpse of the dedication sweat and hard work that went into becoming such an excellent actress.

Sometimes it isn’t clear from a movie whether an actor is actually funny or is the product of a genuinely awesome writing staff. It’s clear that Kendrick is the kind of girl who would make you pee your pants with laughter simply by being herself.

Kendrick describes her childhood with unique anecdotes that have to be true because I think it would be impossible to make that s*** up. She led a dual life of middle-class normalcy and breaking into Broadway and against most conventional advice, skipped the college-bound path to go for it as an actress in Los Angeles. She experienced some genuinely sketchy times and it is nice that she did not gloss over how close you come to failing when you are trying to achieve something impossible. She also dispels with the assumptions that once you get that first big break, it’s all easy sailing. No, it takes a lot of consistent success before you get to the point where you don’t have to worry about things like paying normal bills.

Kendrick does the thing that is near impossible to do perfectly for a celebrity/comedy memoir. She made me feel like she and I would obviously be instant BFFs if we were to ever meet in real life because “like, we have SO much in common!” Except we don’t – I’m an anxious lawyer who avoids public speaking at any cost and a mom of two preschoolers. “But we both shop at Old Navy and were super-serious weird kids!” Yeah... probably still NO. Yet, I sincerely appreciate the illusion.

Finding a book that strikes the perfect balance of genuine disclosure yet light enough to be a fun and enjoyable distraction from everyday life is difficult. I put this book (comparing audiobooks) right up there with the holiest of holies: Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling. Scrappy Little Nobody is very special and I hope dearly that as Kendrick ages another 4-5 years she will push herself to share more of her life in a second book.

I have always enjoyed her as an actress. Anna seems on film, like someone you could be friends with. Her book gives off the same breezy charm. At times self deprecating, at times very insightful. I enjoyed her “friend talking to you” tone. Her down to earth stories of fame were very entertaining. I enjoyed the book throughly.

Audio Book - First off, I want to say that I adore Anna Kendrick. When I found out she would be writing a book, I was so excited. I'm really not one to read and enjoy memoirs. Well, non-fiction in general. BUT I did really enjoy Scrappy Little Nobody. Since this book is read by Anna herself, so I was able to get into the book from the start. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be entertaining and make the book a must listen. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I checked out the negative reviews and they pretty much just revolve around the writing style. I can see where they are coming from if the audio book is read exactly like the book is written. I had no idea who Anna Kendrick was going in to the book, so I had no preconceived opinions. I saw her doing an interview about it on colbert and it caught my interest so I got the audio version and I wasn't disapointed. I don't believe I would bother with the written version though. I think that the book really benefits from having someone who is not just the author but a trained actor for 20 years reading it. As I said though, I've never seen an Anna Kendrick movie so maybe a super fan would rather read the book.

I didn't know who Anna Kendrick was before I read this book. I still couldn't pick her out of a lineup. But, man if we ever met I think we would be bff's in no time. Also I listened to this book on audiotape, read by the author, and that might influence my love of this book. Funny little vignettes from the author's life and written in conversation tone so it's like a funny one sided conversation. I loved it.

She is so honest! And so funny! It is​ very brave to bear your soul, then put it all in writing for the world to read. I admire that in her and will be fascinated to see how she ages with confidence.

Ok, if I could give this 3.5 stars, that's what I would. First of all, Anna is an incredibly talented young actress, and it is notable that someone as young and enjoying a current run of Hollywood success would take the time to write a memoir, and for that, I am appreciative. The book is cute and fairly informative about her life, but contains very little in the way of real introspection, the kind that would let those of us who are not famous in on the mind of someone who is. Her being a Millennial, I was kind of hoping for something like this, although I am a GenXer, my daughter is a Millennial and their generation, from my perspective, seems to have things more figured out than ours did at their ages. (And if you complain about them being spoiled, well, their our kids, we spoiled them ... every parent wants better for their children, right? I know I did and tried to provide it.) I'm not knocking the book at all, I bought the audio book read by Anna herself, so it was a nice, albeit one-sided conversation with her about her life up to this point. Anna is a cute, funny and quirky person and it shows. Her book is informative and entertaining, yet does lack a bit of depth.

It's one thing to read the book but having purchased the audio-book JUST to hear Anna herself speak about her own stories adds something special. I think a lot of teens and even older adults who understand her humour and way of getting her ideas across would find this book quite relatable. My daughter is a huge fan of Anna herself and this audio-book was an interesting listen as I was told too. Definitely would recommend off my daughter's recount of this down to earth autobiography of such a talented individual. Anna Kendrick, she and I both wish you continued success in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. Anna Kendrick comes off as funny and honest, exactly what many fans expect from her. While the subject of becoming a popular Hollywood actress doesn't particularly interest me, I found myself interested in the unglamorous truth of it coming from Kendrick. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Kendrick, but also to anyone wondering why her popularity seems to have grown as fast and as large as it has.

I thought it was an interesting read but the way the book is organized, I kept losing sight on where Anna was in her career. She best known for that so it seems like you would really want to build off of that. Instead the book is broken down by categories of things. I dunno. I've read better laid out biographies. Having said that, it does not deter me from wanting to see this crazy personality in person.

As far as celebrity books go, this one is solid. It's funny. It's easy to read. It holds your interest. The stories are long enough to tell the entire story without getting bogged down in every single detail. But it's also a little disjointed (the chapter on party planning was just weird. And why was there a random sailing story?) but overall, it's a good read. If you follow her on Twitter and find her amusing, you'll like this book.

I only bought this book for the Twilight addition, but everything in Kendrick's life was a joy to read. Her humor really shone through in this book, and I enjoyed every second of it. She's so down to earth. If you enjoy her as a person you see on tv or in movies, I definitely recommend to read this because it's just so much fun.

Kendrick is easily one of the most relatable celebrities of our generation and I'm so glad she decided to jump on the book writing train. Granted, I was not expecting her to talk so much about her sex life, but that's what makes her seem so grounded. She's awkward and funny and I just want to be her friend.

Anna kept me laughing the whole was through. It was interesting to see a glimpse into her life and learn a bit about her. Even so, I felt like something was missing and that the book was very out of order. It kept bouncing from before being famous to after. I would have been interested to read more about the transition to fame. Overall I really loved the book. She is so very relatable! :)

Review on the Audio, read by Anna Kendrick.
I thought it was fun. AK did a great job in the audio and in putting her personality into the reading. She seems at times sweet, crazy, annoying, sympathetic, angry and fun in her stories. It's almost a coming of age story without an ending.
There are some Hollywood & Broadway stories. No gossip.
The essays (ranging from her early youth to now-ish) followed no actual timeline which I found a little jarring at times. This was my main problem throughout. But overall, this wasn't too major. I would still recommend this. Especially on audio. Hearing people tell their stories is almost always so much more entertaining in my opinion.

So I sat down to read this and had to pause every several minutes either due to uncontrollable laughter or a need to quote lines to my girlfriend (which she said to stop doing when she decided she was going to buy it). I would recommend Scrappy Little Nobody, it tells you things you never needed or wanted to know about author Anna Kendrick in a way that was delightful, mostly light-hearted, and very very funny.

I really liked this book! Even if you subtract out the famous person aspect (or maybe especially if you do) I enjoyed hearing about another person who has the same set of personality handicaps as me! I liked the description of nice vs kind, etc. Nice really does refer to how doormat-ish you are!

Cute short read about Anna's life. It was entertaining, but more importantly felt real. I enjoyed that it was written as if she's having a conversation with her readers. There's no true point to the book other than to get insight into the mind of an actor. -there's no cute wrap up at the end where the girl gets the guy or anything; yet you do feel happy/proud for Anna for having put her her heart and soul on paper for others to read.

I have watched some of the work of actress Anna Kendrick such as Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect Two. I was interested in her background and listened to the audio book version of SCRAPPY LITTLE NOBODY. The stories about how she got into acting and her background were mostly superficial. I heard the entire book cover to cover but overall it was just an OK experience.

I loved this autobiography. Kendrick had me laughing and even tearing up at times. I knew she was funny because I have seen some of the movies she has been in but I was blown away. I couldn't stop quoting her or passing the book to my boyfriend and having him read paragraphs that had me laughing out loud. It is well written, interesting, and relatable. I highly recommend.

Ever feel like you've just hung out with someone for 3 hours and you wish you could keep chilling with them? That they're funny and witty, even if they're a bit self-deprecating and have no reason to be because they're awesome? That's this book. I finished it in one sitting and wanted more. If you're on the fence about getting it, do it. You won't regret it.

If you're a fan of Anna Kendrick, then you'll probably enjoy her memoir. I chose to listen to it, because I love when celebrities read their own books. She's funny, honest, self-deprecating, and someone I genuinely enjoyed having in my ears for the past few days.

I read this on a long drive through some pretty boring areas and it kept me so entertained that my drive didn't seem as long. There were so many minutes where while I was listening I was saying 'me to, girl'. She is super relatable even if she is well known actress. She was entertaining and real. Definitely recommend.

Of course I've seen her in a few movies- favs being Pitch Perfect and Up in the Air- so I decided to check out her book from the library. Pretty funny read. Nice to see that she was just a normal girl who got in the show business early and worked hard to get where she is today. Some of the chapters were a bit boring, but overall a quick read. I give it 3.5 stars.

Anna Kendrick is mouth, humorous, surprisingly well-read, and not surprisingly down-to-earth. This book is so "her" that I could hear her voice in my head while reading it. There's not much depth to it, it's an easy chit-chat type read. Enjoy getting to know her.

A great, quick read. I loved how easy it was to slip into a friendly familiarity with the author. It felt like Anna was talking to you over a few beers, telling funny stories from her beginnings in small town life and early career versus trying too hard to be funny or self deprecating. The writing is quirky and relatable, Anna's fears and anxieties resonating easily with her readership. The only fault I could find with her honest and entertaining writing was that at times the stories felt shallow, scratching the surface of events and following a loose timeline of her rise to success. Some of the events felt rushed and lacking resolution. However, that is my only complaint and I would recommend this book highly to anyone looking for an entertaining read.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book but Ms. Kendrick is a delightfully funny and charmingly odd person and that comes through in her writing. A lot of it is self deprecating "inside scoop" on her life. It's a funny book that allows you a glimpse into her world. Time well spent!

She makes it easier for us to understand that even celebrities can feel like they are failing at life spectacularly and still appear to be normal to the outside world. This book is awesome for those who are semi functioning adults still trying to figure it out feel as little less like an amoeba.

I really liked this book. I have like Anna Kendrick for sometime and always thought she must live this amazing glamorous unattainable, for me, life. Turns out while some parts of her life still sound pretty glamorous, she is still just a normal woman like me. Much like Michelle Obama I'm just sure she and I would be best friends is we were to meet. :) I have already recommended this audio book or just the book book to my friends. You will not be disappointed.

I highlighted almost half of the book... well that an exaggeration but at least one a chapter. Very relatable and funny book. Definitely would recommend it. I love her films so I wanted to read her book and the way she talks about life, her personality and anxiety I found it refreshing from other autobiographies I've read.

Anna Kendrick is one of my favorites - quirky, funny, snarky, and charming in a tiny package. The book is like reading Anna's journal - and in some ways being inside her head. Good to know that there are others out there with that misanthropic element that just has to come out. Highly recommended - a fun, quick read.

I absolutely loved this book. Anna Kendrick manages a brutal honesty about herself and the world around her. Her behind the curtain take on Hollywood and all of the ins and outs of being a successful actor are refreshing and absolutely hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud or chuckling to myself throughout most of the book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good read, and especially to anyone interested in the American film industry.

I waited a long time to read this through my library, and it was worth it. There is a very short list of literature that has made me laugh out loud, and this was one of the best. You will wish you knew Miss Kendrick in person by the end.

I just love this book. I bought the audiobook and hearing her story in her own voice made it all seem so honest and real. It was so funny but also very meaningful in places. I like that she talks about Hollywood not being what people think without giving off that, "ugh I just wanna be left alone how dare you take my picture at IKEA" vibe. She's funny and real and riddled with self doubt and anxiety, just like the rest of us. My husband got in the car and heard five minutes of the book, he then asked if he could borrow it when I finished. We both loved it. Do yourself a favor and get the audiobook, such a different experience hearing her read it. Here's hoping she writes more books!

Great first book and I hope there will be a lot more coming after this.
My advice, If you have the chance ... listen to the audiobook. If you love her sense of dry humor there's no alternative.I was walking down the street laughing out loud. I am sure I freaked out a few people while listening to this. It's a well written, honest and funny book that will take you for an amazing ride and behind the curtain.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

I have attention span of a goldfish. It is VERY rare for anything written to hold my attention for 5 minutes.

I read the book, in its entirety, in 1 sitting.

Now, I LOVE Anna Kendrick. I've been a fan since "Camp". But I still didn't expect to read it all so quickly.

It is wonderfully written, and you can easily read it in "her voice".

I've re-read it twice, and it never fails to make me laugh out loud.

What a fun read! I liked Anna Kendrick from her Pitch Perfect movies but really became a fan when I saw her super hilarious opening number on Lip Sync Battle. Her creativity and original sense of humor is on display throughout this well written book as well. Read it straight though, couldn’t put it down.

I need to keep this book in a backpack with me all the time I love it that much and don't ask to borrow it. Since I already have my baby picture framed, well, there's that. So, I just need to finish this love letter and review.

anna,thank you for writing this book.i have an unbelievable toothache and it's a sunday so there's no dentist till tomorrow.,an "annie" song,by the way,but you knew that already,right? so i listened to your audiobook and i laughed so many times i forgot about my problem. it should be required listening in every dentist's office!? even if you haven't sneezed lately,God bless you! jc [email protected]

This was an entertaining read. Sometimes it got a little too personal for my preference, but I understand why the author would choose to write about those parts of her journey. I've seen several of Anna Kendrick's movies, so I appreciate that her book allows people to get to know her a bit.

Scrappy Little Nobody was a fun-filled romp through Anna Kendrick's journey to fame. It has so many interesting stories that are told in only the way Anna Kendrick could tell them. Reading her book was just like listening to her talk. You know how endearing Anna Kendrick is in all those interviews you watch or read? Well, she's just as endearing in Scrappy Little Nobody. You will want her to be your best friend after reading this book -- if you didn't already before. I loved the little insights she gave to her life, acting and the industry she has excelled in. Scrappy Little Nobody was a delight to read.

If you're a fan of Anna Kendrick, you need to read this book. You will adore it!

Laughed out loud more than a few times!! Feel like I have a better understanding of her life, and am very pleased that she seems as "normal" as the rest of us. Looking forward to her next book, next movie!!

Thank you!!

This girl is uniquely funny! I don't read many books but I am a fan of hers' so I thought I would give the book a try. I would read it during my lunch break and serious LAUGH OUT LOUD! I looked forward to reading it each day. Humor comes natural to this girl and I was quite entertained. I recommend this book to mentally take a break from the world around!

This book was a very fun read. Anna makes you feel like you're old friends having a catch up session. Her writing style is warm and witty and the book has laughs and life lessons from someone who still has as much to learn as we all do. This is definitely worth a read.

I love Anna Kendrick. I find her hysterical and I've loved all her movies. Unfortunately her humor does not come through in the book and I found it to be a bit boring. Watch one of her movies instead.

I've always loved Anna Kendrick but I appreciate her so much more after reading her book. Not only did I really enjoy reading her stories but I love the way she so openly and candidly proves that being a celebrity does not automatically make you rich and acquire a lavish lifestyle. I love how real and down to earth she is, and I love how easily she made it feel like she's just a normal person who happens to be an actress

I bought the hardcover version for myself, and I couldn't be happier. Anna is *funny*, and it's great to join her on a trip through her life. It's made me revisit mine - I wish I had half the creativity and humor that she has shown in transcribing her life story. 10/10 would recommend!

I've always liked Anna Kendrick...talented, unique...and I wanted to like this book but came away from it feeling like she was whiny, apathetic and entitled. The vulgarity was unnecessary and don't need to hear that she is a pothead, a day drinker and the intimate details of her sex life. Yeah, I guess it sells books, but wow, too much info. I struggled to read to the end. It'd be interesting to hear what she has to say once she decides to become a "somebody." God knows she has had enough opportunities and things handed to her.

I found this book to be fun, smart, geeky and real. Anna shares her point of view about growing up different and being a celebrity, who is just trying to do well at her job. She's talented, witty, and realistic. Her life history is interesting, her influences are fascinating and her family is her rock. I love creative/talented people who keep it real.

I enjoy reading biographies by female actresses/comedians, but found this book to be a bit lacking compared to others I have read. The book was not as funny as I had expected it to be, and it is possible that is due to the fact that she is not a writer or comedian by trade. At one point in the book she admits that she has no advice for anyone trying to break into acting since her start wasn’t common (i.e. child actress on Broadway). Overall did not find her life that interesting, and paused at different points in the book to wonder what possessed her to write a book in the first place. I do enjoy her movies, but I wouldn’t honestly recommend this book.

I don't usually read biographies but I like Anna Kendrick's work, so I thought it would be a fun read. I was right! She is funny, and gives a glimpse into the life of a working actress and how hard it is to make it to the top. The format is fun, with little stories instead of chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I started reading memoirs of different famous people I know so they seem more like real people than celebrities. I can definitely connect with Anna's humor and anxiety when put in front of certain situations. I am going to recommend this book to all of my friends!

This book is seriously changing my life, one chapter at a time. The grand difference between Kendrick and other "relatable, down-to-Earth" starlets is simple: she's not trying to be relatable or appealing to everybody, she's a loud, insecure, theater geek and if you're remotely similar, this book feels EXACTLY like talking to your best friend.

I have both a signed copy and the audio book...it is worth the price for both. Hearing her read the book to you is fabulous. She shows her personality as she reads. I've been a fan since Rocket Science to author and can't wait to see what's next)!!:)

Listening to the audiobook, I felt like Anna was right there telling me her most embarrassing stories like a friend. This book was hilarious, insightful, honest and I can't imagine anyone other than the author narrating it.
For a Hollywood actress, Anna certainly doesn't seem like one. I was swept in up in her stories of relatable anecdotes and you will be too

I really like Anna Kendrick as well as her movies, so her book was kind of disappointing for me. When it started I was really excited to listen to the whole thing (I had the audiobook). It started out really funny and she was talking about her career and how it all started for her, then starting going through each film she did and what was going on in her life. It was really promising, then getting to her early adult years she stopped talking about her career and more on her personal life. Not a problem there as it all ties into her movies, except it didn’t. It became too sexual and unnecessarily so. Before I decided to stop listening to it all together, I listened to several chapters that had absolutely nothing to do with her films or her career and, instead, focused only on her sexual relationships.

She’s a great actress and very entertaining, but the book was just too unnecessarily sexual for me.

Sarcastic and silly writing. I laughed, nodded in agreement, sighed with disbelief, and whispered "WTF" often while reading Anna Kendrick's book. I wish I could tell her I honestly do feel less alone and super grateful I didn't push to be an actor like I always say I regret not doing. That shiz sounds TERRIBLE. I'll leave it to the professionals and enjoy reading their stories. Please write another one Anna!!

Anna is so funny on Twitter and in interviews but this book is deeper and more personal than anything I've seen from her. And on top of that it's laugh out loud funny - as you would expect from our girl

I just finished reading Scrappy Little Nobody last night and loved it! Witty, insightful, and funny, Anna Kendrick charms with her sarcasm and self deprecating humor. I laughed out loud at several points leading to looks from neighboring passengers on flights. It's a very enjoyable read.

Quirky, funny, deep, amusing, & humbling! Anna Kendrick is all those & more. She tells her story & doesn't care about judgement but isnt snobbish about it either. She lets you into her real life & teaches you that even when you're famous you're still a regular person. MUST READ!

This was hilarious, it will not disappoint. I am glad I purchased the audio book as opposed to a hard copy, hearing her read the book really added to it- since she has such a dry sense of humor I'm not sure that it would have been the same reading it on paper.

Haven’t been able to finish yet, but I’m sure I will quickly. I ordered it on Audible and listen to it whenever I have a free moment. So far, it has been very enjoyable with quite a few laughs. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her!

Scrappy Little Nobody was an entertaining read about Anna Kendrick. It had lots of cute anecdotes and funny stories and it was easy to get through. Autobiographies aren't my favorite genre but they are easy to pick up and put down often and they're great for a bit of light reading.

Kendrick is more than just a Tweet genius. She writes in a way that cuts the crap. I loved her random sidenotes, humorous footnotes, and metaphors that made me laugh and better understand. I love her even more after reading this book and strongly recommend it.

Not for my 15 year old daughter, even though she will insist she is quite capable of handling its content. It's not that o think she cannot handle the book, it's more that I don't want her to - yet. Let her be 15.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. Hilarious, revealing, artfully structured, and incredibly well written, in a tone that makes you feel like you're having an intimate chat with a good friend. I basically read the whole thing in one excited burst.

I listened to the book 3 times! Listening to Anna read her own book is really what makes it enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone who loves to laugh!! I would give way more than 5 stars if that was an option :)

Well written, fast read; portions of it felt like stand-up comedy routines laced with genuine self exploration and reassurance to other women that we all experience lots of angst in this life! Lots of experiences women of all ages can relate to/identify with on a variety of levels.

There are some cute stories and genuinely funny parts, but for the most part, majority of it was generic. What is with celebrity memoirs always talking about experiences as a child actor (aka doing those mortifying roles like Wizard of Oz and Annie))? It isn't interesting or entertaining, to be perfectly honest. There were some fun parts to read, but a lot of the chapters come off as rants or as though Kendrick herself is really detached from the story. A lot of it is about Anna Kendrick in Hollywood or her acting, rather than anything personal from her life. I just wasn't engaged through a lot of it. I felt like I was possibly reading basic blog posts rather than a book. Really disappointing because I adore Anna Kendrick, but this book just didn't work for me.

I loved this book, I actually have the audio book because her humour and personality are what makes it and i found myself laughing out loud at parts. It is honest, gritty and sweet and i would definitely tell anyone to give it a read.

I was really excited to read this book, however, about fifteen minutes in I was tired of the explicit language. It got to the point where I really wasn't interested in the story but what she was going to swear at next. Maybe this book is for a different generation but the readers of all ages should have been considered.