I Really Didn't Think This Through

I Really Didn't Think This Through: Tales From My So-Called Adult Life

By: Beth Evans
Published May 1, 2018
My Review 4 out of 5 stars

Popular Instagram artist Beth Evans tackles a range of issues - from whimsical musings to deeply personal struggle - in this imaginative anti-guide to being your own person.

Welcome to Adulthood! Hey, wait...where are you going?

Did you ever wish your best friend - the person you would trust with your innermost secrets, the person whose wisdom and comfort you seek in times of stress or self-doubt - could draw? Popular Instagram illustrator Beth Evans has made a name for herself writing comics and sharing her personal experiences on life as she enters and navigates adulthood. Her ability to find humor in common situations around love, social anxieties, depression, and work has created a cultlike following from her 217k Instagram fans.

Like Mindy Kaling meets Hyperbole and a Half, I Really Didn’t Think This Through gets at the heart of what makes life both so challenging and so joyful - figuring out how to be a person in the world. This book is a compendium of Beth’s collected wisdom and stories, interwoven with her tremendously popular and loveable illustrations. The book is a wonderful mix of fun (playful meditations on the band Rush and international pen pals) and thoughtful (Beth delves into her personal history with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression while commiserating on topics like dating and credit card shame) all with a simple candor that anyone from a teen to their grandparent can relate to. Through all of her experiences, Beth manages to extract valuable lessons, and the book is replete with friendly advice about caring for yourself, getting help no matter what your problems are, and embracing what makes you happy. Beth is a compelling storyteller, her drawings picking up where her words leave off, creating an approachable and immersive experience for the listener. Beth’s work feels like a hug from your best friend. And like a best friend, she’s here to say, “You got this!”

This is a beautiful reminder that we don't have to have things all together to be an adult. The author copes with OCD and anxiety and it spoke to me. I also struggle with anxiety and many of the pictures felt like they were drawn just for me. The chapter on self-love was really something I needed to read this week. A couple of my favorite quotes: "Sleep is just death, without the commitment." and "self-love is hard" - the more detailed quote that made me laugh out loud with its truth was actually: "how can I, a complete and total garbage can of awfulness, find it in the trash that is me to love not only myself but other people? Its a tall order for anyone, especially someone with low self-esteem."