Review by Booklist Review
The host of the podcast, Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino, shares stories of humiliations major and minor, from streaking at a childhood sleepover (and getting locked out of the house) to going on a grief date after his grandmother died. He reminisces about growing up in 1990s suburban Ohio with two brothers and Griswold-esque parents (see the family loading up a minivan for an all-night drive to Florida). He also muses on his coming out journey, his obsession with Renee Zellweger's performance in Judy, and gay marriage and getting engaged. Like his podcast, the stories here are never fully straightforward, and he takes plenty of detours into pop culture, including The Nanny and Kelly Clarkson's discography. Though he occasionally delves into more serious topics, like his debilitating anxiety and depression, Pellegrino's tone is light and relatable throughout. Even if readers have never botched a college-level American Sign Language final with the lyrics to a Michael Bolton song, they will find themselves nodding along to Pellegrino's charming storytelling style and cringing on his behalf.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Podcaster and comedian Pellegrino (Fancy AF Cocktails) takes a humorous and heartfelt trip down memory lane in this candid account of the moments that shaped him. Growing up during the '90s as a "closeted kid" in a small Ohio town, Pellegrino had his fair share of misadventures--from streaking through the night on a dare to the unexpected trials of trying to get a family vacation off the ground, with very shaky results. For all the laughs his recollections induce, there's an equal amount of introspection and vulnerability on offer in his shrewd articulations of universal human anxieties: "Every year on my birthday, a sense of melancholy washes over me.... I feel judged by my peers, and all the while I'm scrolling IG and judging the celebrities... with a leftover Roadside Slider from the Cheesecake Factory in my free hand." He also elegantly writes of the challenges he faced and the gradual steps he took to openly admit to being gay ("Those years when you're figuring it all out can be mental torture, but... life doesn't stop when you come out. In fact, life begins because you're finally living it authentically"). Readers will adore this witty account of navigating life--and finding the joy in marching to the beat of one's own drum. (Mar.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A podcaster and comedian shares a life steeped in humor and revelations. In this charming, heavily anecdotal memoir, Pellegrino leads with the funny bone but doesn't skimp on the vulnerable moments as well. As a kid in small-town Ohio, he was shy, awkward, and overweight. The author shares memories of family vacations, joyously receiving his first pair of boxer shorts, misguided stunts like streaking through the neighborhood on a cruel dare, spending sleepovers counseling his friends' dispirited mothers, and experiencing hormonal overdrive "anytime I saw Brendan Fraser on a George of the Jungle movie poster." In addition to riffing on his love for Jessica Simpson and Judy Garland, Pellegrino scrutinizes his interpersonal love affairs with wry wit. "Being in a relationship with me is exhausting," he writes. Told in intimately personal episodes and awash in pop-culture references, the narrative is cleverly built for laughs, yet embedded within his keen observations are moments, however fleeting, of vulnerability and frank honesty. These tonal shifts are welcome. Without them, the book, packed with humorous stories and clever quips, would become overly superficial. The author is candid about his struggles with his sexuality, enumerating the challenges of being closeted and the liberation of coming out. In other, more introspective moments Pellegrino examines his "unprocessed grief" about his beloved grandmother's death and how life can only truly begin when one starts living authentically, with clear joy, rather than according to what is socially acceptable. He is also open about his struggles with mental health, especially regarding a particularly difficult period "when I hit my low point….I've experienced sadness before, but this was something new, and it was unfathomable to me." Pellegrino's self-acceptance as a gay man grounds the narrative, while his rib-tickling missteps and misadventures will keep readers amused. An entertaining story about navigating life with authenticity and laughter. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
