My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me: And Other Stories I Shouldn't Share with Acquaintances, Coworkers, Taxi drivers, Assistants, Job Interviewers, ... and Ex/Current/Future Boyfriends but Have [Hardcover]

Hilary Winston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2011

TV writer Hilary Winston offers up a witty collection of autobiographical tales about her misadventures in dating.

Just when Hilary feels like her life is finally in order, she gets a sucker-punch to the gut: Her ex has written a novel based on their relationship in which he refers to her throughout as the “fat-assed girlfriend.” Her response to this affront is just one of the many hilarious stories in My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me--a laugh-out-loud, tell-all in which Hilary sets the record straight on all her exes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winston's memoir is funny, sensitive, and in the end accomplishes what her ex-boyfriend's novel never could--brazenly tell a story of their relationship destined for the nonfiction shelves." --Booklist

 

“The stories--snappy, sparse, and conversational--are no-holds barred.”--Women's Wear Daily

 

“A heartfelt and hilarious look at single life in L.A.”--Hollywood Reporter

 

“An unflinchingly honest tome that is so insightful and funny.”--New York Post

 

“Perhaps it's not a typical tale. But then again, nothing is usual in the life of Hilary Winston as she hilariously chronicles in her [book]. . . . Winston bares it all with comedic flair, from seeing just what her ex-boyfriend thought of their five years together (in a nationally distributed novel, no less) to all the not-so-glorious relationships that came before and after.”--Metro New York

 

“Winston's story is emotionally revealing, easy to relate to, and always hilarious.”--Back Stage

 

“With self-deprecating schadenfreude, Community writer Hilary Winston sets her relationship story straight.”--More magazine
 
“A laugh-out-loud, tell-all in which Hilary sets the record straight for all her exes.”--WPIX 11 Morning News
 
“Winston's guiding philosophy appears to be: If it's too embarrassing to talk about, publish it. Her brutal, naked honesty is what anchors the book and makes it both so moving and so entertaining.”--Slate.com

About the Author

Hilary Winston is currently working as a writer and producer of the critically acclaimed comedy Community and was one of the writers for the Emmy®-award-winning show My Name is Earl. She began her writing career by getting people coffee at various places like National Public Radio and Hollywood Squares. She can now proudly say someone else gets her coffee. Unfortunately, she doesn’t like coffee. Winston lives in Los Angeles.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402779798
• ISBN-13: 978-1402779794
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 113 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, that shut me up. May 5, 2011

By Sigh Sandwich

Format:Hardcover

Ok. Wow. Just finished this.

I wrote some sexist crap as a reply to somebody else's comment on this book which I now regret. I had only just started the book. I don't know why I wrote that, probably because I was a little embarrassed that I bought a book clearly not for my demographic. I was slightly hesitant to read it in public. The first sixty five pages were somewhat interesting but I thought they were a little sentimental and the jokes were affected and sitcom-y. I was somewhat amused to realize that I had already read the book that her ex wrote.

Part three and onwards completely shut me up. That's where the arc of her romantic life really gets interesting. From there to the end of the book, I can't recommend it enough, and the fluff at the beginning is the only reason I wouldn't give this book a full five stars.

It feels a little cheap to describe the final chapters with words like, "intelligent, witty, hilarious"; don't get me wrong, they ARE very darkly funny and smart, but those are words to describe sitcoms or people that you're trying to set up on blind dates. The cute little one liners melt away as the book progresses. At the end, I felt like the emotional anatomy inside my head had shifted. I began to reevaluate all the "crazy" girls I've dated in my life. I felt guilt at certain anecdotes that I've made out of them. I closed the book and looked at the cover and no longer saw a picture of a cutesy nutcase that just can't get her dating life together; I saw the thousand yard stare of a grizzled veteran of the dating wars. I felt like the woman on the cover was staring right through me and all my bullcrap.

Hilary Winston has made a fan out of me. I will definitely purchase whatever she writes next.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and interesting book! April 26, 2011

By mg102

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was funny and filled with details that really made these stories come alive. Smart, intelligent, and hilarious collection of essays. Also, I learned a lot about vaginas.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a book for the bathtub November 28, 2011

By V. Fredericks

Format:Hardcover

Ms. Winston doesn't disappoint. Firstly, I can relate. She's the proud mama of two cats, chronically single, and happens to take a lot of baths. The title is indeed telling of the story within, Winston's ex evidently did write a tell-all book thinly veiled as a fictitious novel, dubbing her his "fat-assed girlfriend." (Thanks to sleuth Googling skills I found out that "Kyle" is Chad Kultgen, and the book is called The Average American Male. Vicious and must-read.) Through the ashes of her grief and humiliation, Winston spins heartbreaking and hilarious dating/sex/relationship tales. Her candor is disarming, refreshing, and will make you cringe - she's bold enough to write about herself completely unselfconsciously and as a result, you get a fantastic package of real and relatable stories.

With chapters like "I Know You're in There, Whore," "A Questionable Poo: The End of Romance," and "The Coital Laugh," My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me promises some raunchy laughs that don't disappoint. The book has a decidedly melancholy undertone, but Winston sews threads of hope throughout her tales like Lurex through fabric. I can honestly say I laughed and cried, and that's a true gem of a book in my eyes. One that can span emotional gaps and be affecting in more ways than one. There's hope for us single cat ladies, after all. Once we learn about loosening our grip in more ways than one (read the book to understand the joke), we can let go and really enjoy. So go ahead - crack it open, and take a bath or two with Ms. Winston. You'll be glad you did.