I hope at this point, everyone has watched Always Be My Maybe on Netflix, or maybe the comedy specials Baby Cobra or Hard Knock Wife. Because Ali Wong is hysterical; completely hysterical. My friends and I are obsessed. I’ve watched Always Be My Maybe I don’t even know how many times. I mean, it has Keanu Reeves! It’s a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, that is more comedy than most.

When I saw that Ali Wong wrote a book, I knew I had to read it, leading to read number 44.

Book Read: Dear Girls
Author: Ali Wong
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 44

Ali Wong’s first novel is a series of letters written to her daughters. She tells them they are prohibited from reading the book until they are twenty one. But we all get to read it now.

Wong writes fourteen letters, not including the preface and afterward, about topics including how she met (and trapped) her husband, her brother, the question she likes the least, and her study abroad time in Vietnam, to name a few.

Since this book was set up differently, I took inspiration and decided to do this post a little differently. So, here are a few of my favorite letters (although I liked them all).

• Hustle and Pho: In this chapter, Wong describes her start in stand-up, and the work it took to get to where she is today. She starts the chapter by telling her daughters they can be whatever they want to be, but she’ll worry if they chose stand up. Wong begins her career in San Francisco, traveling locally and acting as a host to other comedians, before moving to New York City at 26. Wong also discusses what it is like to be a female stand-up, as well as an Asian female stand up. She ends with advice on always making sure someone walks you back to your car when traveling.  

• Snake Heart: Immediately following Hustle and Pho, Wong’s next chapter is about studying abroad in Vietnam. She chose Vietnam to feel closer to her mother’s culture. While there, she embraces the everyday life, eating the same breakfast as school kids, trying snake, and bonding with the local vendors. She also talks about a relationship with a fellow student, spending time with her mother’s family, and what she missed about home. Her reasons for putting on weight and stories about her time there made me chuckle. 

• Bringing Up Bebes: Wong spends this chapter discussing her relationship with her mother, how her mother wasn’t as involved as other moms, and how that relationship made Wong want to be a perfect mom. But when Wong had her first daughter, all she wanted was her own mom. Wong’s mom would come when asked and even cleaned up a bathroom full of vomit when both Wong and her husband ended up with food poisoning right after the birth of their second daughter. Wong reflects that being a good mom isn’t following the books or being a super involved mom, but being there; just like her mom was. 

• Afterward: This one wasn’t written by Ali Wong, but instead by her husband Justin Hakuta. It was the perfect way to end the book. Hakuta discusses how he met Wong, how his upbringing as the son of a successful entrepreneur shaped him and his parenting, and how he deals with being a central part of Wong’s jokes. By ending the book with this other voice, Wong brings another perspective, a perspective who is so important and key to the rest of the story.

You’ll have to read the book to find out about the other eleven.

Since I have seen both Netflix specials and her movie, I could hear Wong’s voice in my head while I read this. It made the book even better. This book has sass, it has heart, and it has charm. By writing these as letters to her daughter, Wong is real and honest. She describes how to pick the best restaurant, how hard parenting actually is, and advice on weddings. Her stories are hilarious, charming and sentimental. Most importantly, they are completely honest. Wong’s passion for her career and her family is obvious, and she spends part of the book describing how she and her husband balance everything.

I read this book in three days, that’s how much I enjoyed this one. Once you start a chapter, you won’t want to take a break until it ends. Then you’ll want to grab a drink or use the bathroom, or whatever, and immediately start the next one. 

Keep in mind, this is Ali Wong, so parts are explicit. If you’ve seen her comedy, you understand what you are signing up for; if you haven’t, here is my warning. It’s part of her comedy - it’s what makes Wong great, just like this book.

On a final note, as I write this, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I hope all of you readers have a great Thanksgiving and successful weekend of shopping, if that’s your thing! Gobble, gobble. 

Next Read: What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand