Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

 

 

This month we discussed Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb in the same lovely outdoor spot at Krauss Park we met at for August's meeting. We had an excellent turnout~ thank you to everyone who made it, and welcome to a couple new and returning members! 

Our read for October is The Boy from the Woods, by Harlan Coben. With the slight nip in the air yesterday, the decision was made to forgo any further outdoor book club gatherings for this year. The plan for the October 12th meeting is to host the discussion both via Zoom and in person in the meeting room at the library. The previous concerns of poor sound quality we had regarding this hybrid meeting model have been addressed by Susan, and she is confident we'll have better luck going forward. You are welcome to choose either avenue, but please be advised, masks will be required for anyone attending in person. Looking forward to seeing each of you real soon!

 

To the book!

 

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.

As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.

With the exception of just a few, this book was very well received. Those in favor of the read said they really liked the cast of characters (though while most agreed they liked John's unfolding story and subsequent outcome, not everyone was a fan of John the man), and found them believable and relatable... there was much love noted for Wendell, Lori, and Julie. They mentioned it was nice to read a book from the point of view of the therapist and it was mentioned it was a good reminder that "therapists need therapists", just like doctors need doctors, and dentists need dentists from time to time.

Those few that didn't care much for the book said they genuinely didn't really care much for Lori's portrayal of herself and/or the narrative she was sharing, and as a result, they found it hard to finish the book. They thought it surprising that, considering her training, education, and experience, she was thrown for such a seemingly devastating loop over a breakup. They weren't fans of some of her choices, or her almost obsessive overthinking throughout the book. It was also said that while Gottlieb's writing was good, when she broke off on tangent's about the inner workings of therapy the book got boring and bogged down.

What are your thoughts on the book? Which characters were your favorite? Did you find John endearing, or deplorable? Let us know below!

Did you love Maybe You Should Talk to Someone? Fans of this book also enjoyed: Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid, and Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve one today!

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:

Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 4 stars