Live Fast Die Hot

I was irritated once realized she was married to a rich guy. Her quirks are like most women, except she has NO money issue, has a nanny, owns houses, travels the globe...I have worked and supported myself, kids my whole life, still not able to buy a home, it's frustrating if you aren't in some creepy sell out business that exploits being supported by big business giving to you when you advertise them, etc. I just work pay taxes and can't even afford to buy a house with a college education and a nursing degree, if I don't jump on some rich guys back, the struggle is real, and quite different.

I have been following Jenny Mollen and her Husband Jason Biggs on social medial for quite some time. Their sense of humor about life and family in general is very similar to mine and I find them both very entertaining. Because I had read Jennys first book and loved it, I already had a pre-order on this book before it was offered to me for review, so it was a no brainier to take it.

At times Jenny is raunchy, inappropriate, provides TMI and quite often does things others may find offensive, but she's real and doesn't make excuses for who she is. This book gives some background to the beginning of her relationship with Jason, their foray into becoming parents and all that goes with it and it follows all the way through to some very recent events and while plenty of it is humor, there are some serious moments. For me I had it read in less than 2 days and enjoyed every bit of it.

As for who this book is meant for? If you are familiar with and like Jenny or enjoy comedians like Amy Schumer or Nikki Glaser, then good chance is you'll like this and find yourself laughing out loud often. I also highly recommend reading her first book I Like You Just the Way I Am: Stories About Me and Some Other People if you enjoy this one and following both Jenny (jenntandteets2) and Jason (biggsjason) on Instagram for even more laughs. Currently they are in Umbria, Italy and they are staying true to form there.

This book is guaranteed to make you laugh – or chuckle, at least. Yes, it is silly, it reflects total self-absorption and material envy. But it is funny. She says things I have wanted to say – but in a different way. She pulls no punches. My first chuckle came in the Introduction. She says she invited their drug dealer to Passover seder because she didn’t want him to think they were only using him for drugs. Yeah, you read that right. From knowing where to get the best knock-offs of Birkins, to thinking her newborn baby looks like Caesar from Little Caeser’s Pizza and hearing him say Pizza pizza” before he is taken away for a bath, to being convinced there’s a ghost in her house. Somewhat neurotic, definitely funny.

This book definitely made me laugh at times, but overall I was feeling annoyed with Jenny and her obsessions over trivial things. It's a good thing this was a quick read, because I would not have enjoyed being in her head for much longer. The ending seemed a bit forced for me, with all the deep self-revelation about her fears of motherhood. Maybe I didn't get it because I'm not a mother, but I think they could have ended the book without so much forced "deep" realizations. Even so, from reading other reviews I think I'd enjoy her first book more so I may check that out.

Apparently Jenny Mollen is a well-known personality in some circles (I admit I had never heard of her before). She wrote a NYT best-seller last year called "I Like You Just the Way I Am" (which I have not read). So basically, I was a blank sheet when I took a flyer on this and picked it up.

"Live Fast, Die Hard" (2016 publication; 270 pages) is a memoir in which the author informs us upfront that "This book is as much about my reluctance to be a responsible adult as it is my fear of vulnerability". I thought that was a nice and intriguing way to set table. The book is basically a retelling of the author's path to becoming a mom. After an earlier miscarriage, husband Jason was (gently or not so gently, we don't know) pressuring Jenny. "Jason reminded me that I was thirty-four and a half, which was basically thirty-five, which was basically forty, which was WAY past dead, and I figured it was now or never", ha! Along the way, we learn of the author's complicated relationship with her mom when she was a kid (mom essentially forced Jenny and her sister, then 11 and 12, to go live their dad, and that's just for starters). As we get the fuller picture what it means for Jenny to be a mom, she never stops shooting one (or two) liners. "A man's midlife crisis starts with him buying a sports car. A woman's midlife crisis starts with her calling herself an interior decorator", ha! It all leads to her decision to visit a carpet waver's place in... Morocco. You can only imagine how that's going to play on... You'll have to read for yourself!

Bottom line: if I had done more background research beforehand, I doubt that I would've picked up this book. I'm clearly not the intended audience. I kinda enjoyed the book, and there were some funny, even very funny, moments and one-liners in it, but overall it fell short of what I would call "compelling" reading, certainly in the genre of memoirs (my favorite book genre). That said, I imagine it may very well do the trick for a mindless summer read on the beach (surely the reason this was released in June).

This book was a glimpse into a stereotypical Hollywood woman who finds her humanity through the birth of her son and one distinct drug trip in the the store. Read it! The book is filled with
laughs I can't but think her husband wrote and her ghostwriter perfected.

I love everything Jenny Mollen has to say. She is so smart, ridiculous, and with enough hilarity to make her craziness charming. I loved learning more about her in this book after reading her first book I like You Just The way I Am. Just a big fan. ??

Jenny Mollen's new book will not disappoint fans of her social media posts. She is hilarious! I got this to read on a flight - I laughed all the way to my destination. Mollen's stories (essays?) are a riot - she invites their weed dealer over for Seder, and travels half-way around the world to meet the people who weaved her rug. There are some parts in the book that will make you wonder "who would admit to that?" and make you want to avert your eyes, but for the most part it is pretty funny.

I love everything Jenny Mollen has to say. She is so smart, ridiculous, and with enough hilarity to make her craziness charming. I loved learning more about her in this book after reading her first book I like You Just The way I Am. Just a big fan. ??

Jenny Mollen's new book will not disappoint fans of her social media posts. She is hilarious! I got this to read on a flight - I laughed all the way to my destination. Mollen's stories (essays?) are a riot - she invites their weed dealer over for Seder, and travels half-way around the world to meet the people who weaved her rug. There are some parts in the book that will make you wonder "who would admit to that?" and make you want to avert your eyes, but for the most part it is pretty funny.

Maybe the title should be: Live Shallow, Die Shallow.

This is one pompous and irritating character, and I couldn't take more than about 100 pages of this dreck. Meant to be funny, I know. And I have a great, dark and sarcastic sense of humor. But this stuff is just shallow, boring and totally without merit.

I realize these essays are supposed to be laugh provoking. Maybe this just isn't for senior citizens, but I couldn't really see the humor here. Younger readers will probably enjoy it more than I did, those under 60 or so maybe.