"I am a straight, conservative, white Southerner, so I am fairly certain that R. Eric Thomas did not envision me as part of his intended audience when he wrote Congratulations, The Best Is Over! However, when Anne Bogel recommended this book of essays in her Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, I requested and received an ARC from the publisher and discovered that Thomas is very funny, at times laugh-out-loud and insist-on-reading-to-my-husband so, as in this passage about a visit to his childhood church:

But enough people approached me like a total stranger that I was like, "Is this shade?" I would have respected that. But no; they really didn’t know who I was! I would tell them, "It’s me! Eric! Standing here next to my parents, whom I resemble, and my brother, also in the same genetic neighborhood." And their eyes would widen and their mouths would fall open and they’d say, "Eric?! I didn’t even recognize you!'

As funny as he is, though, Thomas's true strength in this collection, and the element which bridged all of our disparate demographics, is the way in which his love for his husband David shines through, whether they are trying to outrun hypothermia on their engagement hike (in "You Said Outside, but You Ain't That Outside"); "shout-enunciating" at each other in the midst of a medical emergency (in "Oh My, This Soup's Delicious, Isn't It?"); making the dreaded move to the suburbs, with its screaming foxes requiring exorcism (in the titular essay); or negotiating different perspectives on household furnishings (in "This Is Wudder"):

After David and I moved in together, the question that always arose in our house was, "Is this clutter or is this a treasured personal artifact that Eric is heartlessly trying to donate to Goodwill?"

(By the way, Eric, honey, after almost 40 years with my husband, I can tell you that will ALWAYS be the question.)

I do want to be brutally honest with my fellow readers (because, after all, isn't that the purpose of a review?). Some of Thomas's descriptions of his life experiences as a gay black male in America made me uncomfortable, so if you are looking for 100% fun and fluff, this may not be the book for you. On the other hand, if you can take a little poking at yourself and your fellow white suburbanites in exchange for the opportunity to read a collection of warm-hearted and humorous slices of life, I encourage you to grab a couple of your favorite cupcakes and sit down with Congratulations, The Best Is Over! And don't forget to read the Acknowledgments; you won't want to miss the after-party.

I received a free copy of Congratulations, The Best Is Over! through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review."

"I think it would be hilarious if I rated this 1-star, as a bit. “Not for me!� "