Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
Source: ARC via Netgalley
Feeling cornered at a wedding reception by gossipy guests? Stuck at a holiday party that lasts forever? This beautifully illustrated book is the ultimate funny, sometimes absurd guide to escaping those painfully awkward situations.
Trapped in an airplane seated next to a chatterbox? Are you hosting a dinner party with people who just won’t leave? Katie Vaz has the key to your escape. The Escape Manual for Introverts guides readers through different scenarios with themed chapters (“Friends,” “Relatives,” “Strangers,” etc.). Each chapter covers a range of situations, from an invitation to karaoke night to group lunchtime. And she offers a number of escapes for each scenario: bringing odoriferous foods to lunch for a while, having a pet (real or imagined) that “requires” frequent check-ins, and even investing in a jet pack. This book features Vaz’s full-page illustrated spreads, hand-lettering, and spot illustrations. From the silly to the sincere, Vaz’s clever, hilarious escape plans and bizarre excuses speak to the introvert in all of us.
As an introvert and someone who likes to escape from uncomfortable situations whenever possible, I couldn’t not read this book when I found it on Netgalley. I read it in one sitting over maybe a half hour or so, and it was just as cute as I thought it would be.
I guess that the first thing I want to say is that I don’t think this is necessarily the kind of book that you just sit down and read. I think it would do a lot better as a coffee table book, one that you pick up, flip through a few pages, chuckle to yourself, and put back down. I think that my rating of three stars has a lot to do with the fact that I read all of the scenarios and all of the escapes back to back, which probably made them less entertaining and less helpful.
As you might expect, some of the escapes are reasonable, some are obvious, and some are just funny. The book is clearly meant to be cute, and at that, it definitely succeeds. It has a very lighthearted vibe, which I liked, but it didn’t leave me with any long-lasting positive (or negative) feelings.
#ps19: a book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover
Have you read The Escape Manual for Introverts? Is it on your TBR?
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