Big Mushy Happy Lump, Sarah Andersen

Swimsuit season is coming up! Better get beach-body ready! Work on those abs! Lift those butts! 

...Um, or how about never mind to all that and just be a lump. Big Mushy Happy Lump! 

Sarah Andersen's hugely popular, world-famous Sarah's Scribbles comics are for those of us who boast bookstore-ready bodies and Netflix-ready hair, who are always down for all-night reading-in-bed parties and extremely exclusive after-hour one-person music festivals. 

* * * *
4 / 5 stars 

I, like most people, have seen Sarah Andersen's cartoon comics floating around the internet. I have not read her previous collection nor have I frequented her website, so virtually all of the content was new to me. This may not be the case for Andersen's avid fans, as most online artists who publish collections only include a small amount of new content. I base my rating off of the fact that this wonderfully adorable collection was completely fresh to me. 

1/2 of this short book (130ish pages) consists of one page comics that illustrate and comment on  the amusing scenarios that arise in the lives of many young adults. I certainly found them hilarious relatable, and I am almost twenty. From cats to jumper stealing to social anxiety and paying bills, these short comics are hilarious and cute. A few, though by no means all, focus specifically on issues that relate to women - women's fashion, periods, and uplifting female friendships. Below are a couple of my favourite strips:

Obviously hilariously relatable for someone who reads a lot of books. Yesterday I had to exercise an incredible amount of self control at Waterstones; I was scouting out books to buy for my birthday gift to myself in a few weeks, and I saw at least six books I was tremendously excited for. At least half of them were on sale and, dear lord, I was tempted but alas that would be a violation of birthday buying conduct. :O

The other 1/2 of the book is comprised of short "essays" in cartoon form, supplemented by some text. I thought these provided a cool insight into Andersen's life and broke up the format of one page cartoons - without these the book risked becoming too repetitive, so I found them very welcome. 

Overall, a fab quick read. The kind of book you buy, keep on your bookshelf and flick through every once in a while for a laugh, or get as a gift for a friend. I mostly enjoyed this collection because I love Andersen's drawing style and sense of humour. If you don't, then this collection will not appeal to you. If you want a quick read with adorable cartoons that are highly relatable to the young adult trying to forge their way in the adult world of living from home, paying bills, and navigating life, then this might well be for you!

My thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book.