Review: Longform essay: "How to Accidentally Settle Down (with Your High School Boyfriend)" by Katherine Ryan

How to Accidentally Settle Down (with Your High School Boyfriend) by Katherine Ryan
Published December 2023 via Amazon Original Stories

Sometimes things don't go as we expect, and sometimes things go exactly as we expect...decades later than we expect. That's what happened for Katherine Ryan when an old relationship became a new relationship.

This is published by Amazon Original Stories, so it's not a full-length memoir but rather the length of a long essay. Ryan takes readers through her relationship history, basically, with a side of comedy career—the former mostly somewhat toxic but the latter progressively more successful. If you're familiar with any of her work, it won't surprise you that she has some pointed things to say about the barriers women face in comedy. Per usual, I would have liked more scenes and less speeding along through what happened, although in fairness it does keep the story moving right along; the book can easily be read in one sitting.

Ryan isn't really my style as a comic, but it sounds like she's lived a pretty interesting life. I found myself wondering where she might have gone with a full-length memoir—which it looks like she may have already published, so this might make for a useful quick read for anyone considering reading her full-length book.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.