Not That Likeable: And Other Stories I Told Myself

Oh hello! You’ve just stumbled upon a collection of weird essays from a noob writer you didn’t know you needed in your life. In Not That Likeable: And Other Stories I Told Myself, perennial weirdo Amanda Hamilton unflinchingly chronicles her childhood exploits and coming-of-age story, in all their cringey glory. (Full disclosure: there’s a lot of content about boobs, boy crushes, maxi-pads and mean girls.)
Riotously funny and spirited, Amanda balances unflinching honesty and side-splitting wit in this offbeat memoir for the proverbial outsider. She bares all, starting with tales of her less-than-conventional upbringing in a multi-generational family of seven crammed into a modest bungalow—with one washroom. (THE HORROR.)
From stories from her early entrepreneurial beginnings trying to sell tap water, her equal love for and boycott of Care Bear panties, and the time she wore garbage to school to make a (not-so) salient statement about Earth Day, nothing is too mortifying to leave in the pages of her tween diaries. There’s also an essay about the first time she had sex with her high school sweetheart—she offered to redact that section in her grandmother’s advanced copy, but Grandma declined.
Anyhoo, if you’ve ever felt like an outsider or struggled to fit in, this book might just help you feel a little less alone. Not That Likeable is both a hilarious reflection on a singular childhood, and a celebration of the shared absurdity of being human.