Name: BC Hark's review of Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan
Item: Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come
Rating: 5
Author: BC Hark

Jessica Pan

'Funny, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of their comfort zone' Heat What would happen if a shy introvert lived as an out-and-out extrovert for one year? Jessica Pan is about to find out... * When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub. So, she made a vow- to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list- improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the tube. She regretted it instantly. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows Jess's hilarious and painful year of misadventures in extroverting, reporting back from the frontlines for all the introverts out there. But is life actually better or easier for the extroverts? Or is it the nightmare Jess always thought it would be? * 'In a world of self-care and nights in, this book will inspire and remind you to do some things that scare you every so often.' Emma Gannon 'Tender, courageous and extremely funny, this book will make us all braver.' Daisy Buchanan 'A chronicle of Pan's hilarious and painful year of being an extrovert.' Stylist

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come

Emma Miller

In a cathedral with bright lights and vast darkness, it feels like I’m telling a funny story to God and God is giving occasional feedback through celestial applause.

It isn’t the deepest of conversations, but as he stands up to get off at his stop, he turns to me and says "What a nice surprise it was to meet you tonight."

What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she'd normally avoid at all costs? Jessica Pan is going to find out. When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub. So, she made a vow- to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list- improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the tube. She regretted it instantly. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows Jess's hilarious and painful year of misadventures in extroverting, reporting back from the frontlines for all the introverts out there. But is life actually better or easier for the extroverts? Or is it the nightmare Jess always thought it would be?

Kendra Leigh 

Katie OConnell

This book was a surprise in disguise. I was recommended it or heard about it somewhere. I wish I knew where. The book details the author's shintrovert (shy introvert) adventures into extroversion. As she learns to be a standup-comedian, meet other people, and just make friends after 30. She also explains that more people than you think are willing to chat. Like more than 90%. She mentions the common issues friend seekers find and the issues we all face when it comes to meeting people and finding connections and why rekindling old connections is often times not possible, because people are stuck on what we

BC Hark

Abigail

Honestly, I didn’t expect to have this much fun.
She has done everything that is out of my comfort zone as an introvert, and at the same time it felt like a hug.

Libby

An introvert spends a year trying to live like an extrovert with hilarious results and advice for readers along the way. What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she'd normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. Part memoir, part road map, and part experiment, with the help of various "extrovert mentors," Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (Talk to Strangers, Do Improv Comedy, Host a Dinner Party, and worse) to explore whether extroversion can improve quality of life. The rare book for introverts that doesn't encourage them to give in to their natural tendencies, this is about what happens when you take the plunge and try (and sometimes fail) to be a little bit braver.

altlovesbooks

Where do selfish, godless, lazy people go to make friends? That's where I need to be.

I am a shintrovert. I'm shy, have problems making prolonged eye contact when speaking with people, and I'm miserable in front of a group of more than two people. But here we are, in a world where extroverts are rewarded and introverts are left feeling like they're perpetually at a disadvantage in any social situation. I recognize my weaknesses and try to get better. I put myself out there in small ways, and I swear by the 'fake it until I make it' approach. I want to be the person giving cool, collected updates at meetings, making friends wherever I go, always having something insightful/funny/sincere to say beyond "man it's hot outside". 

The author takes this same approach, and dials it up to 11. In one year she's done things I, in the safety and security of my computer chair, would never do. Comedy standup. Giving speeches. Networking events. Taking an impromptu trip solo to a country with no preparation beforehand. A dinner party. I am simultaneously in awe of her and exhausted for her. I can't imagine the energy reserves she burned through doing all that as a shintrovert like me. 

This book doesn't have any groundbreaking methods for "curing" being a shintrovert. There's nothing wrong with being who you are. But for people like me who want something just a bit more, there's a lot of inspiration here for keeping up the good fight and maybe saying yes to more events I'd probably say no to before reading this book. The real secret is just to grin and bear it, have a support friend or two to lean on during the journey, and put yourself out there more. That's all.

It caused me to think deeply about how I interact with the world. I enjoyed reading about Jessica’s journey. I particularly liked the social group that kept growing as she went through her journey. Just by references to people from earlier that grew with each adventure you could tell how her circle widened. The bit about Gilmore Girls with her mom really got to me. The only reason I wouldn’t rate it higher is that I put it down for at least half a year after reading the first 50 pages so it didn’t hook me right off the bat.

Stephanie Midolo

A copy of the is book was provided by NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't like this book very much. It became difficult to read because, once I got through the depressed self-depreciation at the beginning, the rest of the book made me feel very uneasy. Normally, I'm a fan of immersion journalism, but I felt like this one was too long and nothing really happened.

Emma Myers

3.5/5

I was really expecting a bit more. I expected her to go on adventures like skydiving, go on trips, etc. Anything her friends asked her to go do, for her to do it. This is not that. Doing things introverts wouldn't go to or do because of their anxiety or fear. 

This book is just fear of rejection, fear of public speaking, fear of embarrassing themselves. It's much more laid back. I'm glad the author was able to grow through the book. It was very comforting to read because you get it, I understand the author. It's a comforting read, just not what I expected.

Leah

Gigi Wood

‘Funny, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of their comfort zone’ Heat What would happen if a shy introvert lived as an out-and-out extrovert for one year? Jessica Pan is about to find out... * When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub. So, she made a vow: to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list: improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the tube. She regretted it instantly. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows Jess's hilarious and painful year of misadventures in extroverting, reporting back from the frontlines for all the introverts out there. But is life actually better or easier for the extroverts? Or is it the nightmare Jess always thought it would be? * ‘In a world of self-care and nights in, this book will inspire and remind you to do some things that scare you every so often.’ Emma Gannon ‘Tender, courageous and extremely funny, this book will make us all braver.’ Daisy Buchanan ‘A chronicle of Pan’s hilarious and painful year of being an extrovert.’ Stylist

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Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan

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Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan