I was recently doing my work and blah blah blah found an advertisement for Chapters (which is the largest bookstore chain in Canada) and it featured this amazing cover:

It only showed the top of the cover, and yet I felt a flutter in my heart. "This can't be," I murmured to myself and clicked on the advertisement. I didn't see the cover I was looking for. Not to worry: I am a child of the Google generation. I googled it and there it was. 

A sequel. 

To one of my favourite books ever. 

*confetti explodes*

I loved Hyperbole and a Half. I still do. I never reread, and yet this is the one book I've brought with me to college, to back home, and back to college again. This is the one book I always reread. I have lent this book to so many people, and I have laughed and cries countless times while reading it. 

I have also, periodically, scoured the internet for some sign that Allie Brosh is still doing her thing. I have read interviews, and Reddit AMAs, and Twitter feeds. Somehow, I missed this. Oh well. Now I know. 

It comes out in June 2016, and you might say it's an awfully long time away. But it's not. I never thought she would write anything again, and she did, and I can't wait to read it. 

I don't have any expectations for her or her book. I want her to be true to herself and keep writing honestly, and authentically. Until then, this feels like the biggest happy surprise to know that at some point in the future, something really awesome is going to happen. 

And to think, all this started as I was browsing a bookstore and saw a yellow book on sale that I bought on impulse...

-P.E.

Author: Allie Brosh
Date of Publication: October 29, 2013
Pages: 371
Source: P.E. Epic Recs

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

AMAZON / GOODREADS

Review:

I distantly remember P.E. shoving her phone in my face and telling me to read a blog post she read that really changed her outlook on things. I was curious but I was also lazy and in the end laziness won out. Who would have known that the same blog post that I had initially ignored would be published in a book and I would have another change to read it. And yes P.E., it was fantastic.

Hyperbole and a Half is quite different from my normal reads, not only is it non-fiction (gasp!) but it also has art; amazing art. I'm not a big non-fiction fan because I find that it's harder to connect with the characters, which I guess in non-fiction is usually the author. This outlook was quickly changed by Allie Brosh's witty stories and great writing style. I was quickly pulled into the colourful pages of Hyperbole and found myself laughing my guts out.

Hyperbole is quite different from other books, in that Allie has managed to weave in her own life along with comedy to keep the reader entertained. Reading about her reminded me of some of the crazy things I did as a kid and that made the experience even more special.

My favourite character award goes straight to Allie's dogs: the helper dog and the simple dog. They were hilarious and fantastic. I literally skipped pages to see how much further I had to read until it was another dog story.

While a lot of Hyperbole and Half was a compilation of hilarious moments in Allie's life there was also more connections to reality and I found that in the chapters about depression. It really brought me back to earth and taught me about something that I didn't know much about. Depression is quite horrifying especially if it can happen to such a seemingly happy person like Allie Brosh.

Hyperbole and a Half is not something I would've picked up on my own and so I'm very happy that P.E. introduced me to it. It's funny, witty, scary, realistic and yet unrealistic all at the same time. I read it more like an anthology and there were some stories that weren't as enjoyable so I can't give it the full 5 stars. But it was definitely a fun, quick read with great graphics!

-MARI

Author: Allie Brosh
Date of Publication: October 29 2013
Pages: 369
Source: Bought it

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

Review:

I first encountered Allie Brosh's work when I saw a link on Twitter to her post about depression. That post, also in the book, was one of the scariest yet hardest hitting pieces I've ever read. It impacted me and so when I walked into a book store and saw the author behind the post had written a book, I had to have the book. So, I bought it on impulse. Can I just say this is the only time that has ever happened. I don't buy anything on impulse beyond food.

Visually, I love it. Hyperbole and a Half is bright with glossy, multi-coloured pages and Brosh's trademark images (I don't know what else to call them). It's like a graphic novel, except that I think there's quite a bit of text compared to most graphic novels. Well, I assume since I haven't read many graphic novels in the first place. Anyway, as someone who loves pretty things, this book was very well designed.

The actual content was amazing. The stories are from Allie's life and reflections, so there is this undeniable ring of truth to everything. Allie Brosh's voice shines through in her writing and it is introspective and relatable. The depression, identity, and motivation pieces are surprisingly thoughtful for something so succinct. There's a lot of BS in every person, and I admire Allie Brosh for sharing her inner thoughts with everybody.

Did you know Hyperbole and a Half won Goodreads' award for best hunour book? Undoubtedly, that will be what calls readers to Hyperbole and a Half and trust me, you won't be disappointed. Stories about Brosh's dogs, the simple dog and the helper dog, as well as her childhood had me in stitches. I've never used that expression before, so please understand how much I laughed. I laughed so hard my sister from another room walked in and asked what was funny. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe, and then I had a coughing fit. This book does humour to the point where I laugh at just the memory of what happened. I gave it to a friend who also found it hilarious.

Between the laughs, there are moments of reflection. A lot of the stories could represent something more, which makes the book quite layered and almost literary. Regardless, I know I will be reading Hyperbole and a Half again. I'm truly sorry if I haven't convinced you to read this book. It's about dogs, little girls, depression, and life, and it's probably one of the best things ever. Can you tell I have a complete girl crush on Allie Brosh by now?

-P.E.