Curtis Sittenfeld proves once again why she’s one of my favorite short story writers. These stories focus on everyday life, with characters so relatable you might cringe a little—or laugh out loud. They’re smart, funny, and thought-provoking, with that perfect balance of depth and subtlety.

If you love stories that make you think, laugh, and maybe even wince in recognition, I can’t recommend this collection enough!

I’d buy anything Curtis Sittenfeld wrote, and every time I read a short story collection I wonder why I don’t read more short stories, so this collection was a dream come true. As with every collection, there are some stories which work better than others. They are connected by a sort of re-examination of life through a middle aged lens, so look at forgotten dreams, or the twists life has taken. I particularly enjoyed being reunited with Lee Fiora from Prep at the Ault reunion, and chuckled during the story The Hug, where a woman is negotiating with her husband about whether she should hug an old (male) friend she’s meeting in Covid times. A For Alone, with its art project based on the Mike Pence Rule where men and women should not be alone together if not married, ends in predictable disaster.
As ever, Sittenfeld’s writing is incisive, relatable, and witty.
She’s a writer at the top of her game and this is a collection worth looking out for.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

If you enjoy well-written short stories then this is the book for you. Sittenfeld's way with words is an art and her characters come alive in just a few short sentences. The stories are a meandering stroll through the character's thoughts and although not much happens they're perfectly crafted and satisfying. For me it was better to read one at a time as a diet of short stories can be a bit too much, this way I stretched out my enjoyment rather than overdosing and getting bored.

My first ever read by this author but definitely not my last. I really enjoyed the short story structure (not something I can usually say!) alongside the wit and humour of this unique writing style!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley UK for an eARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review!

Oh, how I've loved to be back with the familiar Curtis Sittenfeld voice, candour, and humour. This book contains 11 hyper realistic and vivid stories in which the main characters reflect on past life events. All of the stories make you reflect and reconsider what you know about life and society. The author is incredibly observant and each story is a vignette of everyday life dissected and made sometimes fascinating and sometimes political. I found the descriptions of life as a young woman in high school or university very relatable, layered and perfectly crafted. Some of the main themes are: moments that in hindsight become life defining, sliding doors moments, carving own path in career and life, navigating romantic and quasi-romantic relationships, and social media. It wasn't a full five stars only because some of the stories were slightly less relatable to me as they were about divorce and midlife, but I still wholeheartedly recommend this book - it's so good!

Favourite stories:
Show don't tell
The richest babysitter in the world
Follow-up
Lost but not forgotten

As someone who was obsessed with Prep when it came out, I was excited to get an update in this book. This short story collection is perfect for fans of Sittenfeld

When I saw this was a collection of short stories I almost didn't request it as they are not my favourite form of literature. However I love Sittenfeld's work and decoded to take a chance on them. I needn't have worried,. This is an excellent collection by a writer whose understanding of the human condition shines through in every story.. I loved all of the stories but my particular favourites were Show Don't Tell which examines the anxieties of a young woman waiting to find out if she's won a writing fellowship. There are some pithy observations in this about the relationships and rivalries between writers that really rang true. Many of the stories look at insecurity, none more so than The Tomorrow Box where a teacher Andy meets up with a famous old school mate Michael and reflects on both their lives. Michael it turns out is still resentful for not being invited to Andy's wedding. Andy on the other hand never thought to invite him because he thought he wouldn't want to come. Michael, it seems, is still an insecure child at heart. Also outstanding is the final story, Lost but not forgotten, which revisits characters from Prep. I've singled out just three but in reality all of them are great. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Some short stories are all about the plot or the twist but Sittenfeld deliberately dials down the drama in this collection and offers up slice of life tales that are observational and perceptive about life, family, relationships.

There's something about these narrative voices that implies a wit or wry humour even when the stories deal with more fraught situations. The early ones were definitely more resonant for me: postgrad students eagerly awaiting funding letters, and an exposure of a woman who doesn't consider herself racist but...

But mostly these deal with middle age: there are reunions with old friends, acknowledging stale marriages and stepping into a new future, there are concerns about new sexual partners and nostalgia for old ones. It's all low-key but feels realistic.

So not, perhaps, a collection to gallop through as these could feel a bit samey - but a solid, almost consoling set of stories that are essentially optimistic about the connections that can be forged and that make up the values of life. 3.5 stars.

A young student in the Nineties falls out with her middle-aged flatmate over her persistent smoking. After a disastrous social blunder sees a woman condemned as a racist, could a missing dog hold the key to restoring her reputation? A young babysitter accepts a job from a couple who subsequently go onto become tech billionaires. A woman working in publishing is almost seduced by the homophobic author of a bestselling marriage guidance book.
These are just some of the twelve winning short stories in this new collection from Curtis Sittenfeld, the brilliant American author behind the thoroughly enjoyable novels, Prep, American Wife and Rodham. This marks a definite return to form for Sittenfeld, after the disappointing in my mind, anyway), Romantic Comedy.

Curtis Sittenfeld's previous short story collection is one of my favourite books so I was so excited about this. I enjoyed this one but not as much. The stories are well written and the characters are believable. However it took me longer than expected to finish as I wasn't 100% into it.

Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is a strong collection of short stories. I had read some of them before. Reading this made me look forward to reading her next new works.

Rounding up to 3 ⭐

Very much hit and miss for me, as is often the nature with short stories.
It took me a lot longer than usual to read, as I kept putting it down.
I feel bad saying this, because I can't write at all, but some of the stories were just dull.
But then the next story might be great, and I enjoyed it so much I read it in the blink of an eye.
Buy it if you are, or are gifting to a Sittenfeld fan , but definitely not the book to introduce someone to a new author.

Show Don’t Tell is a short story collection from Curtis Sittenfeld. The stories touch on life, marriage, religion, heath, politics, relationships and sex. Overall I enjoyed the collection but the majority of the stories didn’t stand out to me. I recently read Romantic Comedy by this author and the writing of these short stories felt similar to this collection and fans of this author will enjoy these stories. The Marriage Clock story felt a little performative to me but Giraffe and Flamingo has stuck in my mind because it was really creepy and insidious in a specific way. Not to give spoilers but it was about a guy who follows a woman into the toilet whilst she is pooping and this was a really uncomfortable story but I think quite impactful. Overall it was enjoyable so I’m giving it 3.5 stars generously rounded up to a 4.

I love this author…. But I am not a fan of short stories at all so this gave me a real dilemma.
I’ve always felt frustrated and short changed with a short story. I want the full novel, the depth and length of a complete story, and almost always got to the end of a short story feeling it had ended just as it should have been getting going.
However….. life events recently have meant my reading has been limited and I simply haven’t had the capacity, time nor attention span to properly absorb a novel and so for the first time I really understood the role a short story collection could play in my reading life. And of course Curtis would be the one.
Loved all of these, but particularly special was to revisit the characters from Prep, an earlier novel by this author, 20 or so years later. I hadn’t known it was part of this collection and so a total joy to get to this last story in the collection.

I love her writing and I loved this collection of insightful short stories great to in and out of while on the commute home from work. Funny in a true to life way we can all identify in some ways with these stories. Great works from a very talented writer who captures the age we live in perfectly