I listen to the podcast Anna Faris is Unqualified religiously (seriously, once a week, just like going to church except the podcast comes out Tuesday mornings), so I was pretty excited when Anna Faris announced she was writing a book.

Book Read: Unqualified
Author: Anna Faris
Number of Books Read: 4

I can’t tell you how many times I have actually laughed out loud while listening to this podcast at the gym (I mean come on, have you seen The House Bunny?! – Faris is funny!). Usually it’s when she’s playing Karen, the head of an imaginary production company, or she and her guest are doing dating deal breakers. If you’re interested – I suggest listening to the RuPaul, Emma Roberts or Adam Scott episodes (but they are all great).

The highlight of each episode is the advice section, where listeners call in with all sorts of problems and Anna, her co-host Sim, and their guest offer “unqualified” advice. At times they have to be straightforward and tell someone to leave their significant other, tell their friend the brutally honest truth, what to do when your parents have different political views than you though. Layered in this advice is personal experience, and genuine concern for the caller. Whatever the advice is, Faris offers it in a personal, engaged, yet sometimes humorous ways. And that is also how she approaches her book.

Unqualified provides a glimpse into the life of a laid back, self-proclaimed homebody celebrity. The book begins with a foreword by Chris Pratt (heart is still breaking over this breakup - #relationshipgoals) that offers a light-hearted, meaningful intro into the book.

Throughout, Faris not only offers relationship advice, or answers segments from her podcast, but frankly she is beyond personal. There are chapters about what it is like to be in a high profile relationship, including a conversation with Pratt, what it was like to be picked on continuously growing up, openly admitting her first marriage was a mistake, and what it was like to have her son 2 months early. There are lighter chapters as well, including a list of occupations you shouldn’t date (you won’t be that surprised at the list), how Faris “met” her first boyfriend in the 3rdgrade, and how she became ordained as a minister so she could marry a couple, despite finding weddings to be hoopla. (Bonus note: since publication, Faris actually married her two closest friends!)

Some parts of this book, I can’t imagine writing down, especially for someone so well known. It is not too often someone writes down how she met their second husband, while still with her first, a page before answering if she would sleep with a forty year old virgin. But Faris does it with honesty and a side of humor. You’ll laugh, you’ll wonder what your dating deal breakers are, you’ll learn that sometimes an objective third party is the best for advice, and mostly, you’ll be glad you picked up the book.

Whether it be answering dating “how would you proceed”, or talking about the jealousy that comes in a relationship, this book is her podcast on paper with more. It’s relatable (well, minus the high profile celebrity piece), laughable, serious, but most importantly, real, and that alone makes it worth the read.

Next Read: No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts