Book of the Month: Never Have I Ever

"I've been single for my entire life. Not one boyfriend. Not one short-term dating situation. Not one person with whom I regularly hung out and kissed on the face."

So begins Katie Heaney's memoir of her years spent looking for love, but never quite finding it. By age 25, equipped with a college degree, a load of friends, and a happy family life, she still has never had a boyfriend ... and she's barely even been on a second date.

Throughout this laugh-out-loud funny book, you will meet Katie's loyal group of girlfriends, including flirtatious and outgoing Rylee, the wild child to Katie's shrinking violet, as well as a whole roster of Katie's ill-fated crushes. And you will get to know Katie herself -- a smart, modern heroine relaying truths about everything from the subtleties of a Facebook message exchange to the fact that "Everybody who works in a coffee shop is at least a little bit hot."

Funny, relatable, and inspiring, this is a memoir for anyone who has ever struggled to find love, but has also had a lot of fun in the process.

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I have to admit, I haven't had much time for reading these days. But catching snippets of Katie Heaney's hilarious writing is reading a text from your best friend on the way to class. It gives you a moment of wit and laughter (usually in public, because let's face it: a day without humiliation is a totally foreign concept here) and an encouraging reminder that the most awkward situations make the best stories.

I tend to take my books purely fictional, thank you very much, but Katie (I have an overwhelming urge to call her by her first name. Seriously. I want this girl to be my BFF) writes like a good friend, and the first few sentences are enough to pull you in to her world that seems - to me, at least - almost freakishly recognizable. 

Cue inner Erika, screaming at the top of her lungs: YOU MEAN OTHER PEOPLE THINK LIKE THIS AND DO THINGS LIKE THIS AND ACT LIKE FREAKS AROUND CUTE BOYS IN GRADE SCHOOL AND FEEL ALONE BUT TRY TO BE HAPPY ANYWAYS?!

That crazy whoa moment when an author just seems to get you. Like first-day-of-school anxiety and creating nicknames for boys you're crushing on and wanting to seem tough and edgy and like you don't give a fuck when, as Katie writes, "This is the opposite of what I do. All I give are fucks."

While Katie's writing may not "inspire fear and fearful admiration" like she dreamed of in elementary school, her book is a gem. It demands hot chocolate and warm blankets and evenings where you have the space and time to reflect and laugh and laugh and laugh. (Or read it on public transit, like I do, and bathe in the glow of freaked out looks from strangers. New favorite pass time.)

Katie Heaney is the perfect read to cheer you up if you're feeling down, and wrap around you like a fictional hug. Say hello to your new literary BFF.