These short stories were heartfelt and so realistic. I’m not usually into short stories, but these really tore at the heartstrings. Beautifully written.

Games and Rituals is an exceptional story collection from a writer at the top of her game.

I’ve been a big fan of Katherine Heiny’s books for a while now. Her two previous novels, Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser were among my favorite books the years I read them. I love the way she balances sly humor, poignant emotion, and wry observation of both life’s mundane moments and when things go off the rails.

The 11 stories in Heiny’s upcoming collection were nearly all fantastic, following men and women at a crossroads of some sort. There’s the driving instructor in “Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented” to the woman packing up her husband’s first wife’s house in “561,” from the woman dealing with her elderly father in “Twist and Shout” to the woman who finds out her life isn’t quite what she thinks it is in “Turn Back, Turn Back,” and many others.

If you’re a fan of short stories I’d encourage you to pick this up when it publishes on 4/14. Thanks to NetGalley and A.A. Knopf for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed this collection. I'd never read the author, but she now has a new fan. I fell into the style, the humor, the nuances exhibited over and over. I truly had a belly laugh during every story - that never happens. Several of the offerings were sweet, several funny, several sad, but all made me think. That's a gift, not one that many have.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the digital copy, I ended up receiving a physical copy and will be reading and reviewing on my socials that way. Thank you again for the digital ARC.

"I know you're nervous but this is no big deal,' she says to them softly. They look at her with mistrust - everything is a big deal to them. "I'm going to talk you through it. No surprises, okay? I'm not here to trick you. I'm here to help you. I want you to pass."

So many beautiful stories in this small but mighty read. I adored Ckicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented and CobRa the most. Each one had characters you rooted for, admired their determination, winced as they did their best and failed. These stories were golden and several will stay with me for quite some time.

I’m new to the short stories genre, so this felt like a good start. It was well written and interesting. The stories all pulled me in pretty quickly… BUT the endings *always* left me wanting more or going “huh?” There was never a resolution or satisfying end. Maybe that’s the point? I give it 3 stars - I kinda liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I adored these short stories. Heiny writes quirky, edgy characters and their experiences are often quite amusing. Entertaining and often very funny, I'll be looking for what else Heiny has written.

https://thewritersreader.wordpress.com

I am new to Katherine Heiny, but I won’t be for long! I thoroughly enjoyed this short story collection. All of these stories about contemporary life are so relatable and real. The stories bring about a lot of emotion and dry humor. And they are all the perfect length, long enough to get to know the characters but not too long. I can’t even pick a favorite or even a least favorite because I really liked each of them.

Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented: These DMV employees came alive, and I chuckled at how they determined who would get each tester.

Damascus: Mia realizes that her son Gordey might be doing drugs, but she ends up doing drugs with someone who she never thought she would.

Twist and Shout: oh, elder care, all the elder care frustrations here with how her Republican father watches Fox News and swallowed his hearing aid.

Turn Back, Turn Back: Woman learns her wannabe actor husband might not be telling her the truth.

Game and Rituals: Young woman makes a game out of everything she does in her life.

CobRa: Wife goes all Marie Kondo but finds it might not be as life-changing as she thinks it will be.

561: Second wife helps the first wife move. She realizes they have been through a lot together. (If you force me, I think this one was my favorite.)

Pandemic Behavior: She’s locked down with her alcoholic roommate and Zooms with her neurologist. (If you force me, I think this one was my least favorite - too soon, too soon.)

Bridesmaid, Revisited: Funny and sad story as a woman wears a bridesmaid dress to work and recounts the “friendship” and wedding itself.

King Midas: Oscar is seeing the elusive Tessa.

Sky Bar: Fawn’s flight is delayed in her hometown, and she reflects on her short marriage as a teenager.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually a reader of short stories, but I absolutely loved this collection. It was so bright, heartfelt, and page-turning! I think this would be great for a wide variety of readers. The characters are amazingly fleshed out for such a short piece of writing. I felt like I knew these people I was reading about. It was so good.

These stories are utter perfection. There’s humor, there’s interpersonal relationship building, it’s everything I want in bite sized stories that leave me feeling refreshed. I will definitely be ordering her entire backlist after this because she is a phenomenal author!

This collection of short stories examines everyday relationships of friends and families. The characters of each are drawn extremely well by the author. This collection was funny, sad, and entertaining but I’m not sure any one of them stood out as particularly memorable. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

So, I think this author can write. I REALLY like her writing style. However, I'm not really a fan of short stories and these are why. I wanted more from each story. I liked all the stories a lot--but right when it got into the "good part", the stories would end. I wanted to read more from each story. That being said, if that doesn't bother you when reading short stories, you might like this book. The characters are fun and quirky, and I did like the slices of life each story gives us. I am excited to pick up this author's other books--full length stories.

Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for an #ARC of #GamesAndRituals.
This book is comprised of short stories, and each short story is enough to be a full story on its own. Sometimes, the downside to short stories is the incomplete feeling. However, I did not get that from this book, which was a nice change.
Unfortunately, I did not find myself rushing to read this book, trying to sneak an extra 5 minutes to get another couple of pages in. It was a lovely book to read, just not a book I NEEDED to read.

Games and Rituals is a short story collection by Katherine Heiny. Standard Deviation was one of my favorite books I read last year and I had high hopes for this one. To me the collection was a bit uneven, with a few stand outs and the rest a bit forgettable. 561 and Turn Back, Turn Back were excellent and I wished I could have continued to read about those characters. I also enjoyed Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented. She has a real knack for understanding human behavior and the nuances of relationships. Unfortunately I feel like her humor that I so appreciated in Standard Deviation was missing in this collection. While she seems to have an intimate knowledge of the workings of white middle/upper middle class, I would have liked a little more diversity. Overall I thought it was fine, but was disappointed it did not leave a larger impression. 4 stars, rounded up from 3.5. Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

The good news is that this short story collection is pretty readable and breezy if you need something quick to distract you, and Katherine Heiny has some pretty astute observations about human behavior in contemporary America (within a specific demographic at least). The downside is that the need to be funny, of the moment, and a bit quirky often makes these observations feel somehow mundane.

This is yet again another incredible short story compilation that I highly recommend.

Each story is about s those dysfunctional aspects in each relationship that either break us or make us stronger. With almost poetic prose, each story floats along slowly, allowing the reader to grab it before it escapes our grasp at the perfect moment, leaving us satisfied yet wanting more.

Overall an enjoyable and thought-provoking read on life in general and what goes on in our heads when our relationships seem a bit questionable.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Heiny does it again with Games and Rituals, her newest collection of eleven short stories. Each story profiles a unique universe of quirky characters - all deeply flawed yet all of whom I found myself rooting for in the end. Heiny's ability to write with humor yet heartbreaking candor is unparalleled. Games and Rituals highlights what it truly means to be human, including the everyday joy, losses, hope, and heartbreak that lead us to new beginnings.

Another smash hit from Katherine Heiny. I'd actually already read 561 already, which may have sated me had I known that whilst waiting so patiently for this collection to come out. Generally, I'm not the world's hugest fan of short stories, but Heiny raises the bar with these. My issue was that I'd become so invested in the characters of a previous story that I'd fail to connect with the ones in the next. For some reason, possibly excellent writing, thoughtful characterisation, propelled plot action, this didn't happen with this collection. I bade farewell to the previous lot and welcomed the next ones in.
The first story (Chicken Flavoured and Lemon Scented) is about 4 driving instructors and was just so absorbing. Damascus was truly funny as was the story about the old dude who accidentally swallowed his hearing aid thinking it was a cashew nut. Turn Back Turn Back was truly a work of art and I keep thinking about it, with the little girls having their story read to them "She should listen to that bird, he's told her twice now." to the sleuthing of the mom.
I only liked the pandemic details in "pandemic behaviour". In the other stories, it dated and aged the stories terribly. And yet the other stories were still fantastic.

Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny is a collection of stories I absolutely loved reading, one at a time, as I ran my kids around to their activities. They were the perfect length to occupy me as I waited outside their schools, gym, and hockey rink. The author is an incredible observer of the quirkiness inherent in everyday life, and the perfect narrator to then package and present it to in fictionalized form. Each story was an absolute gem!

I LOVED Katherine Heiny's Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser and for that reason I clicked 'read now' despite not reading short stories. These were great, for short stories, she really got into the heads of her characters, however, I felt unsatisfied because I wanted more.
So to summarise, if you like short stories you will probably love this, if you don't this won't change your mind, sorry.