Title: Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
Author: Kelly Williams Brown
Genre: Humor
Quotation: “Intentions are nice, but ultimately intentions don’t really matter because they only exist inside you.”
Would recommend to: anyone making big, adult changes in their life (like buying an apartment) or anyone that doesn’t really know how to adult (like at all)!

I talked about this book a while ago, and I’m finally getting to writing this review — like an adult.

I don’t know about you, but I’m at that age where I’m not a girl, not yet a woman, and I thought this book would be perfect for me during this awkward transition.

Adult tasks are hard, but we’re all kind of forced to do them, such as getting a root canal or applying for internships or wearing business casual on an ordinary day.

Brown wrote a funny book about the most important parts of being an adult, like knowing when you can and can’t take care of a pet and understanding that you should always have back-up toilet paper in the house (this is probably the most important point to remember at all times).

Here’s what I took away from Brown’s book:

1. No one is ever really ready to be an adult.
Even adults. Even the people you think were born adults. Everyone feels overwhelmed at times and like they can’t handle what they are facing, but they can, and so can you. Adulting, much like greatness, is thrust upon us, and we just have to be ready to catch it and run.

2. There are no steps to becoming an adult, only tips on how to get there.
Brown bases her book on “steps” to adulting, but truly they are only tips. “Steps” implies a logical order to ascending into adulthood, but the whole experience is different for everyone that goes through it. We all experience adult things at different times. Some of us can experience life-shattering death at a young age, and that’s adult, while others of us are lucky enough to avoid such an experience until a mature age. Others of us will think getting a credit card is a huge adult step while others have had a credit card their whole lives. Truly, I think “adulting” comes to everyone at different times and no one can compare their adult level to another, we all just have to appreciate our experiences for what they are worth.

3. Know what you’re doing before you do it.
This is true for ALL aspects of your life. For example, before you buy an apartment, know what you are looking for. Before you go grocery shopping, know what is on your list. Before you initiate a friendship, understand what friendship really means to you. These are just a few examples, but determining your goals and understanding how to achieve them is half the battle of becoming a successful adult.

So if you’re feeling lost in this world, or want to get some basic advice on how to look for an apartment properly or what kind of phone plan you should get when your parents finally kick you off the plan, I strongly suggest “Adulting.”

Personally, I don’t think I needed it (but maybe I have more faith in myself than I should), but I definitely know of a few people who would benefit from having this book left outside their door.

Happy reading,
Kimberly