Review Time: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Review Time: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

The Story: Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

How cute is Mindy Kaling?

Why It's a Must-Read: I've always been a fan of the show, "The Office." Besides the fact that there's weirdo Dwight, boy-next-door Jim, and hopelessly loveable Michael--there are some wickedly hilarious women in the cast. And heading up these smart and funny gals is Mindy Kaling. Besides playing the self-absorbed and girlie Kelly Kapoor, Mindy is also one of the head writers of the show.

So, this means that literally every word of Mindy's debut novel, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, is gut-wrenchingly funny. Seriously. Every. Single. Word. From her introduction to the chapter titles, the book had me laughing (and yes, it was out loud) and reading my favorite lines to my boyfriend (who just wanted to sit there in peace and peruse reddit). In this cheery memoir, fans will find out exactly where Mindy came from and what brought her to where she is today: a huge success.

Mindy's funny AND sexy (oh, and don't forget smart!)

What a Character: Like I've mentioned about a billion times, Mindy is freaking hilarious! But not just that, she's also smart and is one of those amazing women who've managed to infiltrate the old boy's club of comedy and turned it inside out. And as a person, she's totally likeable, because she has an intense love for her girlfriends. You're not going to see her screw her BFF over so she can go out and see a guy. So, she's funny, smart AND loyal....everything you want in a new friend. And that's exactly how you're going to feel after reading this book.

Who doesn't like nerdy, embarrassing kid photos of celebs?

A Little Something Extra: Besides the stories in the book, Mindy also regales us with awesomely embarrassing photos of herself as a kid! And as a college student. And an early professional. There's just so much to Mindy that I didn't know before and I'm so glad that I picked up this book. It was well-worth the read!

5x5,
B.