Weird but Normal audiobook

“Weird But Normal” is the collection of personal essays of Mia Mercado. I am sure I am Mia’s mother’s age, yet I still found her essays relevant, hysterical, and fun to read. There were a couple that I was too old for, but that’s to be expected: I’m not her target audience, Nonetheless, I am happy that I read this fun gem. She was raised in Wisconsin, and I was raised in South Dakota, so perhaps that was part of the affinity.One of my favorites was entitled: Work Orientation For Women. One example of her writing, which really is the tone of the whole book”“All our current employees have undergone serious sexual-harassment training to teach them what is a prosecutable offense in our state, what will get them in trouble, and what HR will ultimately ignore. So, if you believe a co-worker is acting inappropriately or you are receiving unfair treatment based on your gender, we promise you you’re not! Everyone here has sat through one thirty-minute PowerPoint, thus absolving the harassment thingy all together.”“Women thirty-five and over, don’t worry! No one will even pretend to be interested in you! And if they do, wow! What a compliment!”So, if you don’t find the above excerpts entertaining, perhaps her humor is not for you. For me, I was giggling out loud. A true pleasure to read!

Hilarious! Had to stifle some snorts and giggles while reading in bed next to my sleeping husband.

While I did not relate to everything Mia Mercado discusses in her essay collection Weird but Normal, the things that I could relate to were spot on. Funny, unapologetic and approachable, Mercado’s essays range in topic from dating and embarrassing moments to racism and family dynamics. I’ll never forget the moment I started laughing so hard while reading “Learning How to Not Sh** Myself,” that I started crying and had to take multiple breaks to compose myself before continuing onward. If you’re in the mood for something both light and meaningful, give Weird but Normal a try. A perfect title for a book that highlights our individual awkwardness in all its glory in order to try and bring us together.

I found myself laughing out loud more than once and calling my boyfriend into the room to give him a laugh too. In the other times I read alone, I was nodding saying “yep, that’s right” or “okay phew same here” pretty much in the entirety of the book. These short stories were incredibly relatable as a fellow millennial navigating through the female life feeling all the same insecurities, judgments, and horrors of reminiscing on the weird things you did as a child. Chances are, you’ll see yourself in Mia’s shoes at least during this read.I read this with my book club and agreed in consensus that being weird is actually normal. And that being normal, is just a lie (thanks for the filtered highlights, social media). It was a nice change of pace from what I had been reading, just to bring me back to life during this quarantine. If you’re in need of a laugh or if you question the status of your mental health, read this. It’s a guaranteed mood booster and a reminder that you’re not alone in this weird, weird world.

Part memoir, part ode to anyone who didn’t and doesn’t feel quite “normal” (whatever that even means anymore), these essays are wholly hilarious and relatable and wonderful. There is a chapter from Mia’s dog’s perspective narrating a day, there’s a Choose Your Own Adventure type quiz to help you figure out if you should reeeeally be asking where that person is “really from”, an embarrassing poop story, and so much more. I got to the end of this audiobook feeling like I just met Mia through a mutual friend and Mia proceeded to dish her life story over brunch and we all got more crass as the anecdotes rolled on and we imbibed more bottomless mimosas and we inevitably parted ways with a wobbly, tight hug and “I love you”s even though we’d just met. It is all sort of TMI in a heartfelt way. Highly recommend.

This book was laugh out loud funny! Contemporary, hilarious, honest and full of zest. Millennial women you're going to love this. It feels like you've just made a new best friend; girl talking with a book in your hands. Books in essay form are great for when your attention feels short and it's hard to dedicate time for reading since it's much easier to pick them up and put them down. Bravo Mia Mercado, I loved this!Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I FLEW through this book. The essays are a truly delightful mix of self-deprecation, social commentary, incisive calls to action, and funny as hell recounting of universally mortifying experiences.

This book is wonderful, hilarious, and honest. I was laughing out loud throughout and it made me think of so many stories from my own life that I repressed.

Overall, I would recommend. Very PEN15. Lots of really relatable girl coming of age stories. At first, I didn't connect with some of the humor when it was like a New Yorker Shouts and Murmurs column but there was also a part that made me laugh so hard I couldn't talk and so much cringeworthy material I related to. I've read far too many boy coming of age things that are considered Great Literature You Must Read If You Want To Consider Yourself An Intellectual. I hope eventually things by women are considered as essential.

So frank and funny and real! I think we’re only just starting to see the cool things Mia can do! It’s great for fans of Rachel Bloom, because they both tackle to topic of normality in hilariously unflinching ways

A really humorous and delightful debut collection about being a Millennial woman in this batshit world. I really enjoyed it and I am eager to read her next collection that comes out in 2022!