"Emilie Wolf's 'My Thirty First Year and Other Calamities' is a gem of a read that's both heartfelt and refreshingly real. Zoe Greene's journey through her 30s is a rollercoaster of emotions, and I couldn't help but relate to her every step of the way. From navigating tough decisions like abortion with grace and maturity to diving back into the dating world with all its hilariously cringe-worthy moments, Zoe's story feels like a mirror reflecting the messy, beautiful reality of life. Plus, the authentic Jewish representation woven throughout adds an extra layer of depth and authenticity. Sure, the unconventional start might catch you off guard, but trust me, stick with it. You'll be rooting for Zoe till the very end. A must-read for anyone looking for a book that's equal parts heartwarming and empowering."

I related to the protagonist in this book so much as I approached 30 and questioned my own life and decisions and shortfalls, that at times it was uncomfortable, but in a great way as it just shows how realistic and moving and emotional this book is. A great exploration of womanhood, existential questions and life-choices.

This book is a departure from my normal reading preferences., which is why I rated it at 3 stars. The writing is incredibly raw and witty, with Wolf creating flawed characters that are relatable. Enjoyed this read.

Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review. This novel released on Aug. 2, 2022.

disappointing to read a book about a 30yr old written in a way that seems like they’re a teenager. also, U2? in this day and age? no thank you.

I’ll start by saying that I loathe U2. Their music, the band members, their general pretentiousness - I could go on. So consider it a huge compliment that despite the gratuitous U2 obsessiveness, I loved this book. I’m not Jewish either, but those references added to the character for me and weren’t gratuitous. Zoe Greene and her supporting cast were so engaging and I found myself rooting for her through the heartbreak and dating disasters. I so wanted Irish to come good, but I realised this would have been a cliché. I feel there should be a sequel but also that the open ending is positive and Zoe will be the architect of her own future. Thank you #netgalley and the publishers. This was a good one.

.l was so looking forward to reading this book but it was so hard to get into and finish. I found myself regularly putting it aside and men forgetting to go back to it-
There was just something missing from the writing. Disappointing

The book starts with the main character, Zoe, getting an abortion and a divorce. Her ex, Rob, is extremely manipulative and awful. While it starts heavy and contains some difficult parts through the book, I also found myself laughing out loud while reading. Zoe is quirky. She writes letters to members of the band U2 in her journal as a means of coping. The book did not end in a predictable way and I loved that!

With her 30th birthday approaching, Zoe has graduated from Yale, practising law, and married to her high school sweetheart. When they decide to have a baby, Zoe feels like everything has gone according to plan. Instead, Zoe ends up having to start over with the help of her therapist, loved ones, and a string of shitty dating app matches.

You may have surmised from my 1 star rating that this book was not for me, to say the least.

The first couple of chapters seemed like they may have had potential, however I quickly lost interest. There was very little character development, storylines that didn’t seem to serve a purpose, and I didn’t understand the choice to present Zoe’s diary entries as letters to the band U2. It also read like a YA novel, which was really bizarre for a story about a 30 year old woman going through quite a major adult crisis.

Ultimately though, my biggest issue was the consistent anti-abortion rhetoric threaded throughout, which is probably partly on me for not stopping when it first appeared on page 7. This book treats a very important topic in a careless and insensitive way, such as the suggestion that abortion is “killing” babies, or that abortion is more / less acceptable if the fetus is unhealthy / healthy. It’s a no from me, thank you.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

Why this book? We need more “coming of age” stories about people in their thirties.

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Getting a pedicure

Any preconceived notions? Hoping this will be an interesting take on a woman in her thirties.

Identify most with? Penelope?

Three little words? “I felt empowered.”

Goes well with? The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Hecky’s wings

Recommend this to? People who like reading other people’s diary entries.

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g35805-Activities-Chicago_Illinois.html

Grade: 1.75/5

I leave you with this: “The power and responsibility that came with being a woman, and profound respect for all that women sustain, literally washed over me.”

📚📚📚

Zoe Greene wants to be married, have a baby, and be a Chicago attorney, but plans have changed when her husband decides he doesn’t want to be a husband or a dad.

I didn’t really care for this one. I didn’t care for the casual tone of the writing. I didn’t like the footnotes further explaining things. I’m finding I don’t care for books about women’s lives changing only because a man made the first decision. I didn’t like that it read like a YA novel. Oh, and U2 isn’t that great. Sorry.

My Thirty-First Year is available now.

tw: abortion, emotional abuse and manipulation

Thank you so much to @shewritespress and @dreamscapemedia for the advance reading and listening copies of My Thirty-First Year (And Other Calamities) by Emily Wolf. This book came out on August 2, 2022 - AVAILABLE NOW!

At thirty years old Zoe Greene expected to be married and expecting a baby, not planning a divorce and preparing for an abortion, but life doesn't always happen the way you expect it will. The year following these events we see Zoe learn to date and work through all the issues that existed in her marriage.

I was first drawn to this book because of the title, me and all my friends are in our thirty first year and this sounded like a hilarious read that would probably have some parallels to some of our lives. What I didn't realize, was that instead of being set in the present, its set in 2007-2008, when we were not even close to 30 - but this didn't end up impacting my enjoyment of the book.

What I was not expecting, and absolutely loved, was the Jewish rep filling this book. There was some every day, common references - eating peperoni pizza, attending temple with her bubbie. I particularly appreciated the details around Zoe's visit to the mikvah and the inclusion of the prayers (in Hebrew) that are traditionally said during this experience.

Zoe goes through some very real, difficult times and I found she dealt with them in a very real way. Often with some dark humor and alcohol.

The narration by Cady Zuckerman was absolutely amazing. She really brought the story to life, and sounded exactly how I imagine Zoe would. I also appreciate the text messages that were included throughout the book.

I highly recommend more readers pick this one up!

This book was amazing! It really had me hooked and I could not put this down! I really enjoyed reading a book that I could relate to and overall this was such a great read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "My Thirty First Year and Other Calamities" by Emily Wolf. This novel is scheduled to release on August 2nd, 2022!

This book centers around Zoe, who is getting an abortion after her boyfriend has decided that he doesn't want to have a child with her. She has moved back in with her parents and is waiting for him to get his things out of the apartment so she can go back home. Afterward, the rest of the story focuses on her year of healing/nursing her broken heart.

Overall, I rated this book a 3.5/5 stars!

I did enjoy the overall plotline and flow of the story. However, I was not a fan of Zoe and Rob as characters. Though they were both extremely well-written, I also wanted to smack them both across the face. I didn't like how Rob never stood up for Zoe whenever his mother was giving her a hard time. Everything was always about him and he never stopped to consider her feelings about things. I also didn't like the concept of how Zoe didn't feel that she could have a child and be a single mother, even without him. Clearly, her parents were serving as an excellent support system for her. Zoe put up with so much nonsense from Rob and I wouldn't have personally stood for his bullshit for as long as she did.

To start with, I will be completely honest and say I was drawn to this book simply because the author and I share a similar name and I am close to the age of the main character and also Jewish (and quite a few other things, but I'm not going to list them out), but I only got about 6% in before I decided this wasn't for me.

Zoe Greene is coming up on turning 30 and the perfect life she thought she had going for herself is suddenly turned upside down with an abortion, divorce, and various other life drama.

I do think this has a really good (potential since I didn't get too far into it) commentary on divorce and the pressure that girls feel to get date and be married and have children right away. Also the way that Jewish girls are pressured into hiding Jewish features to look "prettier" (I also remember hating my extreme curls and frizz in high school, but have since grown to love my curls). The potential that is there is why I still gave the book two stars even though I didn't finish it.

Otherwise, my first moment of being put off was when Zoe made her first in book entry to Bono. I understand U2 is part of the draw of the novel, but that really threw me off. The next was when she says "YARSE!" when reminiscing as a high schooler. And the final straw was the Voldemort reference. I feel like we've reached a point in media and pop culture where we should be letting Harry Potter references die along with JK Rowling's overt TERFiness and so that was when I decided to stop reading.

I think this book has a lot of potential and it may be something enjoyable for other people, just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

My Thirty-first Year (and other Calamities) is the debut novel by Emily Wolf. Overall I thought that this book was okay.
The story had great promise following the life of Zoe Greene. It starts out with Zoe getting an abortion because her marriage is over. From there we follow her through coping with the abortion of a baby she wanted, her separation and divorce, then her entering the dating world. Through this all, Zoe had support from her family and friends. The characters were well written and relatable. There were several funny moments that made me laugh out loud.
There were a few things that kept me from loving the book. I couldn't quite connect with the journal entries throughout the book. Zoe writes to her favorite band U2 in journal form. Also I found that the footnotes were quite annoying. I believe that they could have easily been put into the body of the story instead of me having to scroll up and down on my eReader to read them. The ending of the book left me wanting more (maybe that was intentional for a sequel 🤔).
All this being said, I did enjoy the writing and would most likely read this author's future books.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The first half of this book describes Zoe's marriage falling apart and how it forces her to terminate a pregnancy she was very excited about. This part felt lengthier than it was as it deals with all the pain and unfair circumstances she has to put up with. In the second half, though, we see Zoe trying to move on with her life and going on disastrous dates, which were very funny and much lighter than the beginning.

Overall, the book was fine; a quick, entertaining read. However, I didn't like the excessive amount of footnotes which, a lot of the time, didn't even match the vibe of the scenes at all, and I ended up skipping most of the letters to U2 as they didn't add anything to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and Emily Wolf for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Zoe Greene is turning 30 amidst an upheaval in her life, including a separation, an abortion, and uncertainty of how to move forward.

The topic of abortion, and the honesty with which the narrator shares her story, is very timely to the current political climate. I felt very empathetic toward Zoe in the situation she ended up in, and the emotions and feelings she had over the procedure felt real and raw. I applaud the author for attacking this subject matter, and showing an example of why a woman’s choice can mean so much. The political aspect or any questioning of the decision was never brought up, it was just what made sense for her to do.

There were a few parts of the writing that I didn’t really care for. I wish that she had talked about her love for U2 before we got the first journal entry. I also didn’t like the footnote-style writing. It felt like these notes could’ve easily been included in the body, OR there should’ve been more of them. The infrequency of use just felt strange and unnecessary.

Overall, I really liked the story, and I liked Zoe’s growth as the book went on, particularly in sessions with her therapist. I liked the writer’s style, and would be interested in checking out any future books she puts out, too!

3.5 stars!
Zoe is the worst in some of the best and most relatable of ways. Her life is horrifying and hilarious, maddening and mortifying, humorous and all happening to her and at her and around her in all of the ways that made me double check that this was a fictional character and not biographical.
Written with cringe-worthy authenticity Zoe’s reality is at once both depressing and hopeful. So many times I saw a person I could simultaneously be friends with or also potentially be.
This book is all the things it promises to be and more, and I enjoyed every cringe filled “Why though?” moment just as much as I laughed at each calamitous event as they arose.

I received a copy of 'My Thirty-First Year (and Other Calamities) from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down! I loved this so much.

Highly relatable (some of this could have been taken from my diary), funny, charming, nostalgic and warm. Great cast of characters, well-observed and well written. Easy to picture as a Netflix series or film one day.

I would 100% read more from this author.

This is exactly the book that the world needs right now. It is refreshingly honest on some very difficult topics including abortion. The main character will be relatable to so many people, but was particularly relatable to me as a lawyer in her early 30s trying to carve a path for myself in the world. It does all of this whilst maintaining a light, comedy value needed from a “chick lit”. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review such an impactful book.