Someday Someday, Maybe - by Lauren Graham - Book Review

I am in the thick of a serious Gilmore Girls binge and counting down the days until Thanksgiving - because Black Friday has officially become Gilmore Girls on Netflix Friday! I'm so excited. I hadn't watched the show since it originally aired, and I think I actually missed out on the last two seasons! So, I am dutifully rewatching/binging, and now in an attempt to get all of the Lauren Graham in my life that I can - I recently read her book "Someday, Someday Maybe" and it is one of the best books I've read this year...

Someday Someday, Maybe 

by Lauren Graham

Someday Someday, Maybe

by Lauren Graham

goodreads / amazon / library

Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three-year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates - Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material - and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

super brief synopsis of Someday, Someday Maybe - Franny is in her mid twenties and the struggle is very real as she tries to make it as an actress in New York City. Not only is Franny incredibly talented, she's also incredibly practical - and so she has set a deadline by which she has to either make her big break or pack up and move home. With her deadline looming, Franny navigates a heartbreaking and seemingly hopeless road toward getting regular work as an actress, while also dealing with boyfriends, money, and finding and maintaining her sense of self in such a difficult industry and city.

I absolutely loved this book. And pretty much anytime I read a YAish book and love it, I consider that a huge hurtle for it to have passed (sorry, YA).

oh, joey lol

So the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed "Someday, Someday Maybe", so much so that I wished it didn't have to end, and would absolutely read a sequel, and can they go ahead and make it into a movie? Thrilled!

There were just so many aspects of "Someday, Someday Maybe" that were strong! The characters are insanely relatable. I loved how down to earth and reasonable Franny was. Even though she is pursuing a lofty career goal, she has this incredibly charming and down to earth feel. We all have goals that we feel like we may never obtain, but are so important to us and our identity at the same time. It is truly challenging to balance that in life and Franny's ability to handle it was inspiring - I loved the way that Lauren Graham explored that with Franny.

As someone who still doesn't really know what they want to be when they "grow up", Franny's interactions with former classmates and family felt so real. Even though she has gotten a couple of  solid jobs as an actress and has a agent- great leaps forward in her career, Franny spends most of her time working catering jobs. I especially enjoyed the scene where Franny bumps into a former classmate while she is serving as a lunch lady for her classmates law firm. That sense of humiliation mixed with indignation is very familiar.

I loved the honesty this book depicted of your mid twenties. Franny has a boyfriend from college who she semi keeps in touch with that is kind of a fallback option to her. I could really relate to the idea that it is hard to achieve your goals when you feel anchored in that way. Ahh! There is just so much to love about this book!

I definitely encourage you to read "Someday, Someday Maybe" if you haven't yet! Have you read it? Let me know your thoughts below! I'd love to fangirl with you about Gilmore Girls/ Lauren Graham/ this amazing book!