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Adult Drama: And Other Essays
Named a Most Anticipated Book in...
Harper’s Bazaar
Elle
Bookpage
Vulture’s “Into It”
From the writer whose New York Magazine piece "I Was Caroline Calloway" broke the internet comes a fresh, incisive, laugh-out-loud funny memoir-in-essays about the frenzied journey to adulthood.
Natalie Beach became an internet sensation when her essay on her toxic friendship with Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway went viral. Now, for the first time, and in her own indelible voice, Beach offers a revelatory glimpse into her own life alongside a broader cultural criticism of the world today. Through stories of heartbreak, odd jobs, political activism, existential crises and low-rise jeans, Natalie Beach explores the high stakes and absurdist comedy of coming of age in a world gone mad.
Effervescent, hilarious and unflinchingly self-aware, Adult Drama marks the arrival of an electrifying new literary voice.
Harper’s Bazaar
Elle
Bookpage
Vulture’s “Into It”
From the writer whose New York Magazine piece "I Was Caroline Calloway" broke the internet comes a fresh, incisive, laugh-out-loud funny memoir-in-essays about the frenzied journey to adulthood.
Natalie Beach became an internet sensation when her essay on her toxic friendship with Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway went viral. Now, for the first time, and in her own indelible voice, Beach offers a revelatory glimpse into her own life alongside a broader cultural criticism of the world today. Through stories of heartbreak, odd jobs, political activism, existential crises and low-rise jeans, Natalie Beach explores the high stakes and absurdist comedy of coming of age in a world gone mad.
Effervescent, hilarious and unflinchingly self-aware, Adult Drama marks the arrival of an electrifying new literary voice.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 20, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
June 14, 2023
This book tried to be a lot of things, but never really succeeded at any of it. The essays were uneven and her victim complex and attempts at self-deprecation fall flat and seem uninsightful.
June 3, 2023
Like most of the world, I was introduced to Natalie Beach when she published her essay in The Cut about being Caroline Calloway’s ghostwriter. That was also my introduction to Caroline, and I have no shame in admitting I’ve been quietly watching her story continue to unfold on the internet (CC memoir update: still nonexistent.)
I also kept an eye on Natalie; I found her Cut essay really captured the messy experience of complicated friendship in a really beautiful way. So when I saw she was publishing a collection of essays, I was hype!
Adult Drama is a gritty look at surviving your twenties, and what exactly it means to reach adulthood. I’m about the same age as Beach, so a lot of her musings really struck a chord. Each essay follows a similar structure: an overall thematic idea, with (sometimes meandering) bits of her lived experienced woven together with bits of related pop culture history. Sometimes the meandering is a little too much, but most of the time I loved the way she connected ideas. The memoir ends with a second essay reflecting back on her relationship with Caroline, and I thought it was brilliant to come full circle like that; I also think this particular essay is perhaps even stronger than the one on The Cut because it explores more of her mindset surrounding the entire situation.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this collection and will absolutely read more from Beach in the future. If you enjoy memoirs, this will likely be a great read for you.
I also kept an eye on Natalie; I found her Cut essay really captured the messy experience of complicated friendship in a really beautiful way. So when I saw she was publishing a collection of essays, I was hype!
Adult Drama is a gritty look at surviving your twenties, and what exactly it means to reach adulthood. I’m about the same age as Beach, so a lot of her musings really struck a chord. Each essay follows a similar structure: an overall thematic idea, with (sometimes meandering) bits of her lived experienced woven together with bits of related pop culture history. Sometimes the meandering is a little too much, but most of the time I loved the way she connected ideas. The memoir ends with a second essay reflecting back on her relationship with Caroline, and I thought it was brilliant to come full circle like that; I also think this particular essay is perhaps even stronger than the one on The Cut because it explores more of her mindset surrounding the entire situation.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this collection and will absolutely read more from Beach in the future. If you enjoy memoirs, this will likely be a great read for you.
January 22, 2024
dnf at 88% lmao i probably had 30 more minutes of reading but like i can’t.
guys this is so revolutionary because guess what?
she’s not like the other girls… she doesn’t fit in low-rise jeans (gasp), she had a fall out with her rich best friend (boohoo no more vacations), and she plays soccer (hence the thighs that don’t fit in low-ride jeans). she’s so different and SUCH a good feminist because she used to be a shop girl. oh and she loves estate sales i guess. something sentimental about dead peoples things.
anyway i’m a hater sorry girl i’m sure you’re a great person and put your heart and soul into this book but it wasn’t it. it’s giving white feminist savior who thinks supporting abortion rights is a groundbreaking character trait.
thanks for coming to my rant, love you guys xoxo
guys this is so revolutionary because guess what?
she’s not like the other girls… she doesn’t fit in low-rise jeans (gasp), she had a fall out with her rich best friend (boohoo no more vacations), and she plays soccer (hence the thighs that don’t fit in low-ride jeans). she’s so different and SUCH a good feminist because she used to be a shop girl. oh and she loves estate sales i guess. something sentimental about dead peoples things.
anyway i’m a hater sorry girl i’m sure you’re a great person and put your heart and soul into this book but it wasn’t it. it’s giving white feminist savior who thinks supporting abortion rights is a groundbreaking character trait.
thanks for coming to my rant, love you guys xoxo
February 21, 2023
I guess I was expecting something different with a title like that. Though well written, the stories just weren't that interesting to me. With the exception of a few insightful or somewhat amusing pieces of the essays, I found myself skimming paragraphs along the way. Not for me.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.
July 5, 2024
Natalie Beach might have shot to viral fame with her confession to being the ex-best friend and ghost-writer for an infamous influencer, but in this book she takes us on a tour of various other facets of her coming of age, from working in a pencil store to living in a crooked apartment in New York City to volunteering as an escort at an abortion clinic.
I am notoriously Behind The Times when it comes to Internet celebrities, but I did manage to stumble across Caroline Calloway basically right before Beach’s essay about their friendship hit the Internet, so I suppose I made it to the party just in time this time round. That I was on the verge of my own diagnosis of mental illness as I scrolled through those endlessly glamorous posts seems ironically apt in hindsight. Anyway, Beach’s confessional essay cast all that in a completely new light – and left me with all sorts of thorny, interesting questions about who has the right to tell stories.
This book of essays, branching into some of Beach’s other experiences and preoccupations, brings that off-kilter slant to plenty of other topics. Her topics are nothing out of the ordinary – I too have been a shopgirl, am a thrift store enthusiast (and once crocheted myself a colorful scarf from the yarn and pattern left behind by a dead woman who I obviously never met) – but where the collection shines is how Beach can make each story seem distinct and multi-faceted, polished to a shine so that different sides of it gleam at you all at once, many of them enjoyably contradictory.
The trouble with writing about fairly mundane experiences is that where Beach stumbles, the essay becomes rather dull. For example, the essays about low-rise jeans and her first apartment sank without a trace – that first essay especially, which felt like an odd choice as the opening chapter when there’s much stronger ones later on in the book. Beach’s authorial voice might take a bit more maturing, but I’m excited to see what she comes out with when it has.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I am notoriously Behind The Times when it comes to Internet celebrities, but I did manage to stumble across Caroline Calloway basically right before Beach’s essay about their friendship hit the Internet, so I suppose I made it to the party just in time this time round. That I was on the verge of my own diagnosis of mental illness as I scrolled through those endlessly glamorous posts seems ironically apt in hindsight. Anyway, Beach’s confessional essay cast all that in a completely new light – and left me with all sorts of thorny, interesting questions about who has the right to tell stories.
This book of essays, branching into some of Beach’s other experiences and preoccupations, brings that off-kilter slant to plenty of other topics. Her topics are nothing out of the ordinary – I too have been a shopgirl, am a thrift store enthusiast (and once crocheted myself a colorful scarf from the yarn and pattern left behind by a dead woman who I obviously never met) – but where the collection shines is how Beach can make each story seem distinct and multi-faceted, polished to a shine so that different sides of it gleam at you all at once, many of them enjoyably contradictory.
The trouble with writing about fairly mundane experiences is that where Beach stumbles, the essay becomes rather dull. For example, the essays about low-rise jeans and her first apartment sank without a trace – that first essay especially, which felt like an odd choice as the opening chapter when there’s much stronger ones later on in the book. Beach’s authorial voice might take a bit more maturing, but I’m excited to see what she comes out with when it has.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
July 5, 2023
The issue is it's only interesting if Natalie writes about Caroline. Natalie needs to spend time making herself interesting and having her own adventures so that she can write about it.
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April 12, 2023the last sentence is really a knockout, and i admire the boldness beach has to publish that final essay, which seems to both justify and in other ways undercut the whole book. i don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, just that beach obviously has to be in dialogue with the calloway thing, by which i mean not just the Drama but the way she herself was perceived after the cut essay was released, and this feels like a globally smart and resonant way to address it (by drawing attention to her own flaws which will no doubt be quite cruelly critiqued when adult drama is released). however in general i felt a certain dissonance to a lot of the essays, but i can't tell if that's due to the actual quality of the writing and conceptualisation of these essays, or if i've got screentime brainrot. in any case it's a thought provoking enough collection of essays, even if sometimes feels like the conflict of having to justify itself and the desire to not have to justify oneself is a little overwhelming on the quality of individual essays. not sure i like it at all but that doesn't mean it's without merit, and i'd be curious to see what she does next.
thank you to edelweiss+ and harper collins for this digital arc!
thank you to edelweiss+ and harper collins for this digital arc!
July 6, 2023
A couple of these essays had sentences that resonated. Most of them didn't. I might be too old for this- maybe you have to be part of the influencer/ifluencee crowd to appreciate this. I could see reading one of these while waiting in a doctor's office. None of them were so compelling as to make me want to read anything more from Ms. Beach.
May 29, 2023
I — as I imagine many readers did— first read Beach’s writings after watching her former friend react… passionately on social media to Natalie Beach’s article about said friend in ‘The Cut.’ While I have ceased to follow Beach’s former friend over the years I expected to enjoy this book for any ounce of context about the drama I watched unfold through fifteen second snippets years ago. While there is one new essay about said relationship it wasn’t my favorite in the book by a long shot.
I think Beach explained herself why this collection works as well for me as it does when she relayed one of her former professors’ critique of her writing, “what you’re limited by right now is where you’ve walked through yourself.” While Beach is still limited by what she's been through all these years later, my favorite moments in this book are ones where Beach is observing others, whether her mother-in-law in the hospital, a quirky roommate, to protestors outside of Planned Parenthood.
My two favorite pieces in the book were:
— Abortion, Abortion, Abortion. Beach walks us through her time as a patient escort at Planned Parenthood through second person. By removing herself entirely from the essay, we get one of the most self reflective pieces in the entire work.
— Dead People’s Stuff. As a fellow estate sale enthusiast there are lines in this essay I will remember at every sale I go to from now on.
This book isn’t perfect by any means: there is very little flow to the collection, some of the stories tend to drag on, and despite the title being “Adult Drama” and Beach lamenting about the abundance of coming of age stories, the bulk of this collection exists in Beach’s early twenties / college years. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and look forward to seeing Beach’s writing advance in future publications.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think Beach explained herself why this collection works as well for me as it does when she relayed one of her former professors’ critique of her writing, “what you’re limited by right now is where you’ve walked through yourself.” While Beach is still limited by what she's been through all these years later, my favorite moments in this book are ones where Beach is observing others, whether her mother-in-law in the hospital, a quirky roommate, to protestors outside of Planned Parenthood.
My two favorite pieces in the book were:
— Abortion, Abortion, Abortion. Beach walks us through her time as a patient escort at Planned Parenthood through second person. By removing herself entirely from the essay, we get one of the most self reflective pieces in the entire work.
— Dead People’s Stuff. As a fellow estate sale enthusiast there are lines in this essay I will remember at every sale I go to from now on.
This book isn’t perfect by any means: there is very little flow to the collection, some of the stories tend to drag on, and despite the title being “Adult Drama” and Beach lamenting about the abundance of coming of age stories, the bulk of this collection exists in Beach’s early twenties / college years. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and look forward to seeing Beach’s writing advance in future publications.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2023
what i liked about this book is that it kind of forced me to NOT do the thing i always do when i read a memoir and/or collection of personal essays which is: try to decide whether or not i think the author is a good person. the reason i didn’t do this here is because i was unable to make up my mind!! you’re hard to pin down, natalie beach!! three stars for that, and for the frequent mentions of new haven. ily new haven 🫶🏻
April 5, 2023
Okay, I actually loved this? I am going to buy or at least read a finished copy in June because the ARC is full of typos and formatting issues, but the essays themselves are really good. One made me cry!
July 12, 2023
This is a fine for a breezy reading. I was irked by the long-dispelled myth about the Columbine killers somehow still showing up in this book (in an essay about Abercrombie in an attempt to construct the cultural scene of the time, emphasis on attempt).
Honestly, the essays are kind of forgettable. I literally just finished this and all I can remember is her failed friendship with an influencer and her interminable essay about a frat boy challenge, 6-12-18-24.
I'm not sure if she flew too high or too low in these essays, but I have the sense she could have written something better and perhaps will someday.
Honestly, the essays are kind of forgettable. I literally just finished this and all I can remember is her failed friendship with an influencer and her interminable essay about a frat boy challenge, 6-12-18-24.
I'm not sure if she flew too high or too low in these essays, but I have the sense she could have written something better and perhaps will someday.
February 22, 2023
Great memoir and excellent descriptions of her experiences. I felt like I was with Beach for a lot of the time she wrote about. Like a friend explaining her stories about growing up. Some shocking and some very relatable.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars!
March 17, 2024
this book was just one long yap sesh. lots of tangents with no clear objective.
this collection starts and ends with the way that got natalie beach her fame (some white girl drama that i never knew about nor cared for before, and after reading this book, i still do not care for.)
there wasn't really any overall theme between the essays in this collection-- other than the author's self proclaimed identity of being not pretty (it feels wrong to say that the main character is kinda unlikeable if this is a memoir but....)
im giving two stars bc the book had some p funny one liners. i did smile at some of the sarcastic writing style, and the (prob fibbed) side details.
the only essays i really enjoyed was the one about her landscaping job and the 6-12-18-24 challenge. the landscaping piece had a decent overlying message about the power of physically creating something. beach's crush on her coworker was also relatable and thoroughly entertaining. the second one, where beach challenged herself to run 6 miles, eat 12 donuts, drink 18 beers, and have 24 orgasms in 24 hours, was just really funny. tbh her diary excerpts (which were prob doctored for public consumption but idc) were what i liked to read most-- quick, comedic, page-turner.
otherwise all the other essays fell flat, and didnt seem to have any connection to the caroline drama which this book seemed to market so heavily. often beach would yap into some tangentially relevant side plot or book quote which ran for too long and didn't integrate well. it reminded me how i try to romanticize my summarized day of menial tasks to friends, then get distracted and forget what miniscule detail i was yapping about. i skipped a lot of pages.
for me to sustainably engage with a memoir, the author must either be relatable to me, or have an extremely unique perspective to life that i never considered. this memoir didn't fit either criteria, and just felt like a petty way of profiting off some 'viral' (i have literally never heard of the caroline calloway drama ever) fad.
i picked up this book bc the author's voice intrigued me-- that voice might be better utilized in fiction, not biography.
this collection starts and ends with the way that got natalie beach her fame (some white girl drama that i never knew about nor cared for before, and after reading this book, i still do not care for.)
there wasn't really any overall theme between the essays in this collection-- other than the author's self proclaimed identity of being not pretty (it feels wrong to say that the main character is kinda unlikeable if this is a memoir but....)
im giving two stars bc the book had some p funny one liners. i did smile at some of the sarcastic writing style, and the (prob fibbed) side details.
the only essays i really enjoyed was the one about her landscaping job and the 6-12-18-24 challenge. the landscaping piece had a decent overlying message about the power of physically creating something. beach's crush on her coworker was also relatable and thoroughly entertaining. the second one, where beach challenged herself to run 6 miles, eat 12 donuts, drink 18 beers, and have 24 orgasms in 24 hours, was just really funny. tbh her diary excerpts (which were prob doctored for public consumption but idc) were what i liked to read most-- quick, comedic, page-turner.
otherwise all the other essays fell flat, and didnt seem to have any connection to the caroline drama which this book seemed to market so heavily. often beach would yap into some tangentially relevant side plot or book quote which ran for too long and didn't integrate well. it reminded me how i try to romanticize my summarized day of menial tasks to friends, then get distracted and forget what miniscule detail i was yapping about. i skipped a lot of pages.
for me to sustainably engage with a memoir, the author must either be relatable to me, or have an extremely unique perspective to life that i never considered. this memoir didn't fit either criteria, and just felt like a petty way of profiting off some 'viral' (i have literally never heard of the caroline calloway drama ever) fad.
i picked up this book bc the author's voice intrigued me-- that voice might be better utilized in fiction, not biography.
August 6, 2023
I devoured these essays and will 100% revisit them. Reading this book felt like spending time with an especially insightful, witty friend. I know the author is most widely known for her former collaboration with a certain influencer, but it’s clear that she has far more interesting stories to tell than that of their friendship. Really looking forward to what comes next from Beach!
June 27, 2023
I liked the first two essays but the others were uninteresting to me. The way she writes about gentrification did it for me — seemed posturing/disingenuous and her victim complex/“self deprecating humor” bugged me.
Read
July 3, 2023Okay. A few great essays (“Distressed Denim”, “Self-Centered”, “Adult Drama”). At the end of the day, I just don’t think I’m an essay girl, and Beach’s life is just too normal for me to enjoy this as a memoir. I’d love to see her try her hand at fiction though, because her style is excellent
July 12, 2023
I liked her essays about Caroline and loved the ones about Abercrombie and abortion, but the rest were just fine. I think she’s an excellent writer.
December 2, 2023
Like 95% of this book's readers, I only know of Natalie Beach because of her trending essay from years ago about Caroline Calloway. It was a fun read then but, like so many things on the Internet, lost its relevancy after a few months. And that is ultimately the root of the issue with this collection: its existence rests on an audience knowing and still loving a single essay from several years ago that now lives in the archives of The Cut. The marketing team of this book assumes this, as well. The book jacket's first line reminds potential readers that Beach is the author of that Calloway article because, otherwise, everyone would be asking, who is Natalie Beach?
I didn't dislike this book. In fact, I liked several of the essays. Beach understands voice, and writes well. Her best essays are ones in which she incorporates history and research; her weakest, the ones in which she attempts to ingratiate herself with the reader as a sympathy-deserving, plucky outsider in need of sex and money for rent. The problem is, essay collections typically are authored by well-known voices, writers we trust and respect, or someone with a new perspective or voice. Beach, while I'm sure lovely, is not any of those. She lacks the credentials of a journalist, academic, or industry leader to gain trust, and she lacks the wit of a Sloane Crosley or Samantha Irby to make a personal essay collection by an everywoman work. And, unfortunately, she doesn't offer anything new to say about the topics she addresses.
As a result, it's hard to know what to do with these essays. Without a connection to the author, an essay collection feels a bit like unsolicited advice or oversharing from a distant cousin you see once every few years. I couldn't figure out why I should care about Beach's romantic life or career. It doesn't help that the essays lack any meaningful connection with one another, other than serving as scenes from Beach's life in her twenties, plus two essays about her Caroline Calloway drama. Ironically enough, the essays about Calloway--including the one that brought attention to Beach--make Beach look the worst. In these two essays, Beach comes across as jealous, petty, and whiny (think Beach as Tom Ripley, crying because he isn't as cool and attractive as Dickie).
It is obvious that Beach got this book deal on the heels of her five minutes of Internet fame. Otherwise, there's no way we'd be getting an essay collection from a debut author. That is the frustrating part about this collection; it's another example of a publishing house hoping to jump on the attention of a cultural moment to make a buck. The problem is, I'm not sure that many people care about the Caroline Calloway and Natalie Beach drama anymore. All of this isn't to say Beach can't write; she can, but an essay collection is probably not the place to start, although I hope to see more writing from her in the future.
I didn't dislike this book. In fact, I liked several of the essays. Beach understands voice, and writes well. Her best essays are ones in which she incorporates history and research; her weakest, the ones in which she attempts to ingratiate herself with the reader as a sympathy-deserving, plucky outsider in need of sex and money for rent. The problem is, essay collections typically are authored by well-known voices, writers we trust and respect, or someone with a new perspective or voice. Beach, while I'm sure lovely, is not any of those. She lacks the credentials of a journalist, academic, or industry leader to gain trust, and she lacks the wit of a Sloane Crosley or Samantha Irby to make a personal essay collection by an everywoman work. And, unfortunately, she doesn't offer anything new to say about the topics she addresses.
As a result, it's hard to know what to do with these essays. Without a connection to the author, an essay collection feels a bit like unsolicited advice or oversharing from a distant cousin you see once every few years. I couldn't figure out why I should care about Beach's romantic life or career. It doesn't help that the essays lack any meaningful connection with one another, other than serving as scenes from Beach's life in her twenties, plus two essays about her Caroline Calloway drama. Ironically enough, the essays about Calloway--including the one that brought attention to Beach--make Beach look the worst. In these two essays, Beach comes across as jealous, petty, and whiny (think Beach as Tom Ripley, crying because he isn't as cool and attractive as Dickie).
It is obvious that Beach got this book deal on the heels of her five minutes of Internet fame. Otherwise, there's no way we'd be getting an essay collection from a debut author. That is the frustrating part about this collection; it's another example of a publishing house hoping to jump on the attention of a cultural moment to make a buck. The problem is, I'm not sure that many people care about the Caroline Calloway and Natalie Beach drama anymore. All of this isn't to say Beach can't write; she can, but an essay collection is probably not the place to start, although I hope to see more writing from her in the future.
September 18, 2023
I think the first tragedy of this is, I would have only picked this up if I knew Natalie from Caroline Calloway.
The second is that Beach's best essays, are the ones around Calloway, despite wrestling with her own knowledge and worry that her work surrounding Calloway, is the only thing that is interesting about her.
And, fortunately or unfortunately, it is.
In her non-Caroline focused essays, Beach combines history and personal anecdote to try and reveal something, anything, about our culture. She then ends each of these essays with a bit of an overly-pithy line about what we are supposed to take away from it. Some of these essays are better than others. Personally, I wish Beach focused more on her personal life anecdotes. The bits about losing her mother-in-law, her struggles with femininity, her own anxieties about death and being remembered, but so many of these real and raw emotional moments were cut short by tangents about Abercrombie, or other people's lives. Anytime an emotional moment was revealed, and I could reach out and grab it, Beach ushered me away.
I also agree with other reviewers that her attempts to seem down-to-earth come across a little too ham-fisted. Too many times her "bubble butt", and copious failures in landscaping, love, retail, etc. seemed more like flagging the reader down and shouting "I'm not perfect I swear!", almost as if she can't escape what Calloway wrote about her. That she was.
Conversely, her essays about her relationship with Caroline Calloway shine. Beach’s relationship with Calloway is a complex web of artist, muse, editor, contributor, scammer, that many women have experienced. Beach has her moments of trying to absolver herself, but she also takes ownership of her own naiveté, selfishness, and role in the failed friendship. I read Beach’s essay when it was published in The Cut back in 2019, and had followed Calloway even before that, another teenage girl who admired the stories that she told. Someday, I hope to read Scammer, because rare is it that two parties in an argument like this can present both of their stories.
The second is that Beach's best essays, are the ones around Calloway, despite wrestling with her own knowledge and worry that her work surrounding Calloway, is the only thing that is interesting about her.
And, fortunately or unfortunately, it is.
In her non-Caroline focused essays, Beach combines history and personal anecdote to try and reveal something, anything, about our culture. She then ends each of these essays with a bit of an overly-pithy line about what we are supposed to take away from it. Some of these essays are better than others. Personally, I wish Beach focused more on her personal life anecdotes. The bits about losing her mother-in-law, her struggles with femininity, her own anxieties about death and being remembered, but so many of these real and raw emotional moments were cut short by tangents about Abercrombie, or other people's lives. Anytime an emotional moment was revealed, and I could reach out and grab it, Beach ushered me away.
I also agree with other reviewers that her attempts to seem down-to-earth come across a little too ham-fisted. Too many times her "bubble butt", and copious failures in landscaping, love, retail, etc. seemed more like flagging the reader down and shouting "I'm not perfect I swear!", almost as if she can't escape what Calloway wrote about her. That she was.
Conversely, her essays about her relationship with Caroline Calloway shine. Beach’s relationship with Calloway is a complex web of artist, muse, editor, contributor, scammer, that many women have experienced. Beach has her moments of trying to absolver herself, but she also takes ownership of her own naiveté, selfishness, and role in the failed friendship. I read Beach’s essay when it was published in The Cut back in 2019, and had followed Calloway even before that, another teenage girl who admired the stories that she told. Someday, I hope to read Scammer, because rare is it that two parties in an argument like this can present both of their stories.
February 16, 2024
I guess I forgot to write a review here on the ARC I received from NetGalley but it only seems fair I review both Scammer and Adult Drama since they were kind of released in conversation with each other. This is the better book from a craft perspective, though long form personal non-fiction is not really my thing, and I don’t know if I’ll read more from either author. Note that 3 stars is a fine review and means I would generally recommend it to people who like personal essays, even if it’s not really my thing!
I came for Caroline Calloway drama, but stayed for Natalie Beach’s cultural commentary. I enjoyed the clever and readable writing style, and appreciated the depth of the author’s reflection. The part that stuck out to me the most was in response to the politics of the two’s previous collaboration: “I deeply believed this at the time. That writing honest first-person narration was doing the work… Self-delusion needs enablers, and I was literally crafting a false public persona with her. I ate lunch with Donald Trump’s agent, worked with him, told Caroline she was a feminist simply by telling her own story…” These are insights that Scammer never touches with a ten-foot pole, despite begging you to believe it is radical simply for existing, for being written years after the pre-order money was spent. Adult Drama could probably stand on its own, without the Caroline Calloway chapters, but Scammer only exists because of Adult Drama.
I came for Caroline Calloway drama, but stayed for Natalie Beach’s cultural commentary. I enjoyed the clever and readable writing style, and appreciated the depth of the author’s reflection. The part that stuck out to me the most was in response to the politics of the two’s previous collaboration: “I deeply believed this at the time. That writing honest first-person narration was doing the work… Self-delusion needs enablers, and I was literally crafting a false public persona with her. I ate lunch with Donald Trump’s agent, worked with him, told Caroline she was a feminist simply by telling her own story…” These are insights that Scammer never touches with a ten-foot pole, despite begging you to believe it is radical simply for existing, for being written years after the pre-order money was spent. Adult Drama could probably stand on its own, without the Caroline Calloway chapters, but Scammer only exists because of Adult Drama.
September 12, 2023
Not the most cohesive memoir, but I did enjoy the storytelling and writing style. Definitely came here because of CC, but stayed because I enjoyed the perspective the author provided on coming of age experiences (even though the author herself says she is tired of that genre, that is what this is). Despite all Caro’s talk of Natalie only being famous because of her and the essay written for The Cut, I genuinely think Natalie has a good voice and would happily read more from her. While I think the two of them will always be linked due to the nature and publicity of their connection, I think Natalie will be able to keep going out on her own, and I truly hope that she does.
March 3, 2024
I am surprised by the negative reviews on this one! I flew through these essays and found Beach’s voice animated and thoughtful. Yes, at some points she can come off as a little annoying, and her politics/cultural commentary are far from groundbreaking, but the writing is always invitingly honest.
Admittedly I didn’t completely get a lot of the context, since I completely missed all the drama around Caroline Calloway when it happened, which is the launching point for this collection. But just taken as a debut collection of personal essays, these were all entertaining, fast-paced, and well-written.
Admittedly I didn’t completely get a lot of the context, since I completely missed all the drama around Caroline Calloway when it happened, which is the launching point for this collection. But just taken as a debut collection of personal essays, these were all entertaining, fast-paced, and well-written.
August 10, 2023
I liked the sense of humor and even the writing of the author but some part were truly not interesting. Also where is the bibliography?????
November 29, 2023
Liked the essays she wrote about herself and really liked the essays on other stuff
July 25, 2024
4.5 stars.
I think a lot of people came to this essay collection to read about Caroline Calloway, got stuck on the first two essays and gave up.
Because this collection was incredibly well written. It's well researched and poignant, paiting a time in history that was/is unprecedented in that very specific New York writing style that keeps you glued to the details.
What I think a lot of people miss is that writing from a sideline doesn't mean you automatically are hating on everything that is mainstream. It's a clear case of "I love pancakes, oh so you hate waffles": the author describes her experiences of otherness, of alienation from other people, other girls, the government even, all this without saying her position was better. Quite the opposite in fact.
It's not meant to be universally relatable and definitely not meant to be an account of how she is "not like other girls". It's recounting the struggles she faced, the moments in her life she deemend pivotal and worth remembering and analyzing.
My favorite essays where Distressed denim and Growing season, even if I would lie if I didn't say I found Self-centered to be an engrossing read.
I think a lot of people came to this essay collection to read about Caroline Calloway, got stuck on the first two essays and gave up.
Because this collection was incredibly well written. It's well researched and poignant, paiting a time in history that was/is unprecedented in that very specific New York writing style that keeps you glued to the details.
What I think a lot of people miss is that writing from a sideline doesn't mean you automatically are hating on everything that is mainstream. It's a clear case of "I love pancakes, oh so you hate waffles": the author describes her experiences of otherness, of alienation from other people, other girls, the government even, all this without saying her position was better. Quite the opposite in fact.
It's not meant to be universally relatable and definitely not meant to be an account of how she is "not like other girls". It's recounting the struggles she faced, the moments in her life she deemend pivotal and worth remembering and analyzing.
My favorite essays where Distressed denim and Growing season, even if I would lie if I didn't say I found Self-centered to be an engrossing read.
August 8, 2024
What an absolutely wild ride this book was! Rating it is hard because it’s objectively terrible but actually so entertaining in some parts. This is like if Hannah from girls wasn’t a fictional caricature of an insufferable girl but a real one who wrote a book. Her chapters on being a cashier were so painful because you can tell that to her this is really deep stuff when in reality it’s just what everyone who’s ever worked in service thinks regularly. She’s entitled and unlikable but so oddly human I think that’s the part that’s going to stay with me.
May 24, 2024
this was great! i love mess
July 9, 2023
I enjoyed this! The way that Natalie writes really captures how it feels to be human.
"How May I Help You?" really resonated with me. I have lived that life and this essay encapsulates everything I've felt about it.
"How May I Help You?" really resonated with me. I have lived that life and this essay encapsulates everything I've felt about it.
June 29, 2023
I was obsessed with Natalie's essay when it was first published on The Cut not just because of the story but because of the way she wrote, and everything I loved about her style is present in this essay collection. She shares details about herself and her life that are so intimate but also remind you of yourself or someone you know. I'm sure some will be disappointed by the fact that this isn't a book squarely about Caroline, but I think those who admired Natalie's writing style in her original essay will find others to love here too--my favorite in the collection was "How May I Help You?". I find her to be a really exciting voice and can't wait to see what she puts out next.
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