BOOK REVIEW: Dear Girls by Ali Wong

“It made me realize that the most important part of parenting, relationships, pretty much anything is just actually being there.” - Ali Wong

I've really been trying to catch up on my Goodreads reading challenge, so I've been searching for some shorter, lighter books to read. I was browsing through the online catalog of the library and stumbled upon Dear Girls by Ali Wong. I've seen her movie and thought she was really funny, plus the book was only six hours to listen to, so I gave the book a chance.

In Dear Girls, Ali shares valuable insights intertwined with humor in "letters" she is writing to her daughters. Her stories range from dating experiences in New York, to living abroad, and reconnecting with her roots. She's raunchy. She's hilarious. And she's charming.

To start off, I'll say, wow. Ali Wong does not care what people think, and if she does, I would be completely shocked. She talks a lot about her "bush" and while her stories did have me examining my own biases, some of her stories were hilarious. I also went into this book thinking this was going to be a book geared towards adult women, but once I started listening to it, I realized it was written to her daughters. As a daughter, I cringe thinking about her kids reading this in the future, but as someone who might one day be a parent, I laugh thinking about her kids reading it.

I really enjoyed the stories about her husband, but was deeply relieved when she mentioned that she runs all of her jokes by him and he lets her know whether they're too much for him or if he's fine with her sharing stories about him. I was crushed when I started to Google Ali to learn more about her only to find out that she and her husband had recently separated. There's one story, about him tweezing her grey hairs, that was just so sweet to me and I haven't felt so sad about a celebrity break-up in a long time.

I didn't know much about Ali Wong, but listening to her stories really made me want to go and watch her stand up comedy. I think it might just be the next thing my boyfriend and I watch when we're in the mood to watch something funny. I really hope Ali writes another book in the future.

Overall, I gave Dear Girls four stars. Ali's stories are hilarious and they are a great light-hearted break from heavier books I've been reading. If you’d like to see what I’m reading now, check out my Goodreads or follow us on Instagram and Facebook! If you’re excited to see what other topics we’ll be covering in the coming months, make sure to subscribe. Thanks for reading with me!