Games and Rituals is the first book I've read by Katherine Heiny and I really enjoyed her writing style I found it very unique and even blunt in a way. I'm usually not a big fan of short stories as I feel there's not enough time to truly connect and learn about the characters but Heiny makes it work and you truly get to learn about the personality and inner working of the characters. As expected I did enjoy some stories more than others and I found the first to be the best, I also thought some fell a bit flat and were a bit boring, they just didn't work however I do think there is an audience for me it's just a matter of preference. Overall I think this is a good set of short stories and I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Games and Rituals is the first book I've read by Katherine Heiny, and I found that I really like her writing style. Though these were short stories, Katherine did an excellent job getting the reader immersed in each story, like they were longer form. Described as "Eleven glittering stories of love" is where this fell short for me. Most of the stories were... bad vibes. Really well-written bad vibes. It would be more accurate to say that these are "Eleven complicated stories of love", in my opinion.

My favourite story was CoBra, likely because of the ending. The story Pandemic Behaviour was definitely met with mixed emotions, mainly character driven. Dr. Ventura gives me the ick and Professor Rossignol gives me Tuesdays with Morrie vibes. There were some good quotable lines throughout the book, but you'll have to wait and see!

Overall, I would recommend this book but would caveat that this isn't necessarily a feel-good read.

While I am not generally a short story fan, I truly enjoyed this collection. It was easy to get into these since the first story drew me in so completely (an office tale about driving instructors which goes a very different way than expected). Each story kept me coming back until the end; they were like little snacks that I could dip into every night before bed. The exploration of difference facets of humanity was wonderful – a snapshot of the human condition in creative ways.

Truly an enjoyable treat I recommend to everyone.

Thank You to NetGalley, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for the advanced copy to review

Wasn’t really for me. I liked some but not all of the short stories and while some felt relatable, a lot just fell flat for me. It seemed like some scenarios were very forced and awkward and it wasn’t entirely fulfilling.

I wanted to like this but the beginning. was really off putting. I was not very compelled to keep reading and the writing style was kind of odd.

Thanks so much Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf, and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

I am a huge fan of Katherine Heiny and was so excited to get this collection of short stories. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but these surpassed my expectations! This is such a unique collection with all different characters and story lines. I found myself laughing and enjoying each one. I really wanted a lot of them turned into novels. Heiny is such a gift to readers.

I was a huge fan of Early Morning Riser and Games and Rituals did not disappoint. I love of short story collections but I think even if you don't, you'll enjoy this collection. Though the stories vary in length, each one leaves you with a deep understanding of who these characters are and their problems. Standouts for me were Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented (I know), 561 and King Midas. Who knew a short story about the DMV would lead to me telling everyone I know to pre-order this book? These stories are full of heart, lots of humor and a keen eye for describing emotional turmoil.

My only gripe is that I like my fiction world to be pandemic free and this has several stories that mention it, though it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and Netgalley for the ARC.

Games and Rituals was full of short stories about everyday life.

Unfortunately I felt the stories mostly too pedestrian and normal. The stories just fell a little flat for me, I wanted more from the endings.

My favourite story was Games and Rituals.

I don’t gravitate towards short story collections that often, but this was very good! I wanted to read the whole book in one day but decided to spread them out so that I could savor them more.

Adding this author’s previous works to my TBR!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC: What a wonderful collection of stories from such a talented writer. I found myself laughing out loud, but behind the humor there is an honesty and a willingness to look deeply at relationships and people. All the stories are wonderful, it's hard to pick a favorite. The observations are keen and insightful. What a great writer, I hope this collection finds wide readership.

Funny, witty, a little strange, and so entertaining! I loved how all of these stories focused on different relationships & life stages / types of love - from exes to parents & children. You didn’t have to relate to the full story to find some nuggets that stuck with you throughout the book - loved how much it made me think about the topics it brought up that typically seem so routine.

These stories were full of the author’s insight into her quirky and unique characters. They have often made some Ill-considered decisions in early adulthood but have moved on for the most part. They are often fallible, sometimes lovable and engaging to read about.

Thanks to NetGalley and.Knopf for the e-arc.

This is a collection of eccentric short stories. I found the book to be entertaining.and it is the perfect collection to set out on your coffee table and savor one story at a time. The settings were ordinary like the DMV or the airport and quite humorous. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection! For context, I've been spoiled rotten on the short story front over the past year (Bad Thoughts by Nada Alic and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma just blew me away, and Out There by Katie Folk is a standout too), so it's got strong recent competition, but it's still a solid 4 stars for me. Particularly if you're looking for could-really-happen stories, versus something more speculative, I'd strongly recommend it.

Heiny is a talented writer; there were several passages I underlined because they were just so damn strong (I've never read a better description of what it feels like to experience a migraine), and others because they unexpectedly made me laugh out loud. (I know we're not supposed to quote directly, but the sentence in which she first introduces Winifred made me spit out my drink.)

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

early morning riser was one of my very fave books of last year and i lovedthis short story collection. they were varied, they were funny, they were cutting

I laughed aloud lots of times reading this collection of eleven stories in which characters often recall their past unbounded behavior or find themselves engaging in such behavior as adults - standouts for me were Damascus, about Mia and her teenage son, Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented about a cast of driving test examiners, Twist and Shout, about Erika and her aged father who has swallowed his hearing aid thinking it was a cashew. Lighthearted, but plucking deeper veins, amusing, and tender about human connection, love, relationships, ongoing, failing, outside of marriage, the long-lasting effects that high school has/had on many, aging, motherhood, and more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC.

I loved this collection. I read Heiny’s first set of stories almost a decade ago and was sad when she didn’t write much after that. With Games and Rituals, I was a touch apprehensive, because sometimes when a good author pens a book long after their first one, you worry it may not be as good!

This was excellent. Heiny has maintained ability to weave in humor and tragedy and suspense with the same thoughtfulness I remember.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to pick up an easy but thoughtful read. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this early reader copy. Deeply grateful to be able to read and review work like this!

I really liked the individual stories in this book. Some I wish were longer and some shorter, but all in all, a very cool collection! She is a great writer and knows how to make the inner life of humans fun and interesting. Good group of stories!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. So thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

I usually don't really read collections of short stories, but this one definitely kept me interested! While all the stories are about relationships, they were not repetitive, but different enough to make me want to keep reading. Whether it is between parent and child, ex-lovers or friends, they all deal with different kinds of emotions, hope, grief, happiness. The stories were fleshed out enough to get to know the characters and had an easy to follow storyline. I think my favourites were 'Twist and Shout' and 'Damascus'.

Did not finish this book. I felt that of the first four short stories I read, they were just drab. The stories themselves were incomplete. The first one about the DMV was such a cliffhanger it really threw me off for the other ones I read. I started skimming the last two and then just gave up. Short stories may not be for me.