How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay Book Review — Jenny Lawson Delivers Again

Jenny Lawson is my favorite humor writer.

I don’t say that lightly. I review a lot of funny books. I’ve read a lot of funny writers. Lawson is unique.

She writes about her own very specific chaos. Depression, anxiety, chronic illness, ADHD, a brain that routinely works against her. And she somehow makes her unique struggles feel universal. (And hilarious.)

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay is her first actual “serious” advice book. Tips and coping strategies she uses to keep functioning when everything is hard. It is still gloriously unhinged (although perhaps slightly less so than her other books, like Furiously Happy.) Still, a decent amount of unhinged while simultaneously being actually useful.

Only Jenny Lawson could pull that off.

My How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay Book Review. Part of my 100 book reading goal for 2026 (Book #31)

How to Be OK When Nothing is OK book review — How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson

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Thank you, Jenny Lawson and Viking Penguin for providing this awesome book for review via NetGalley! All the stuff I say here is MY opinion. I mean, of course it is, but I feel like I should say it here anyway.

Where to Get It

Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).

🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay Summary

This is Jenny Lawson’s first actual advice book. Tips, tricks, and coping strategies she actually uses to keep functioning when her brain is doing its worst. Depression. Anxiety. ADHD. Chronic physical illness. She deals with all of it and somehow keeps writing, keeps creating, and keeps being funny about it.

The format is loose and fast moving. Short chapters. Big Jenny chaos. It doesn’t read like a typical self-help book because it isn’t one. It reads like Jenny Lawson. Which means it’s chaotic, honest, occasionally unhinged, and surprisingly useful.

Chapter titles include things like:

“Wash Your Brain More Than You Wash Your Bra” (about sleep. and bras, sort of.)
“Working on Easy Mode Is Still Working” (on asking for accommodations without guilt)
“Celebrate Good Times, Come On!” (building a habit of noticing what’s actually going right)

There is also, a subplot involving trying to steal a human skull from a hospital. Why, Jenny? Why?

More funny humor essays!

More funny books about mental health.

Who is Jenny Lawson?

Jenny Lawson is known online as the Bloggess. She’s been writing her award-winning blog for over fifteen years. She’s turned brutal honesty about mental illness into a genuine art form. She’s also consistently, absurdly funny while doing it.

✍️ Known as: The Bloggess. Award-winning humor writer and mental health advocate.
📚 Other books: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Furiously Happy, You Are Here, Broken — all New York Times bestsellers.
🏪 Also: Owns Nowhere Bookshop, an independent bookstore and bar in San Antonio, Texas.
🧠 Deals with: Depression, anxiety, ADHD, and chronic physical illness. Writes about all of it openly. Somehow makes it funny.

Now onto the rating! How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay Book Review:

My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here

Wholesomeness Score: 2/5

This is not a criticism. Lawson is raw, honest, and profane in the way that only someone who has been through real stuff can be. There’s language. Dark humor. Deeply personal mental health content. Just know what you’re signing up for.

Hilarity Score: 5/5

There is a subplot about trying to steal a human skull from a hospital. I don’t want to say more than that. Just know it exists and it is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.

Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 5/5

Lawson has figured out how to write about genuinely hard things in a way that resonates with…well…me, for one. But also lots of other people. If you or anyone you know deals with anxiety, depression, ADHD, chronic illness, or just the general stuff from the world, this book belongs on the reading list.

Things I liked:

Genuinely useful advice wrapped in genuinely hilarious writing.
Short chapters. Easy to read in pieces.
Honesty. She doesn’t pretend to have it figured out. She’s sharing what works for her.
The stream of consciousness style is very much still here. If you like Lawson’s previous books, this feels like familiar.

Things I didn’t like:

Believe it or not, it’s not quite as unhinged and ridiculous as I wanted it to be. I gather this one is supposed to be a more serious, helpful book. Still, I prefer the unhinged, ridiculous Jenny better.

Conclusion: How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay Book Review

This book came out March 31, 2026. It hit the New York Times bestseller list immediately. That is not an accident.

Jenny Lawson has spent years writing openly about hard stuff. This book is the result of what she’s actually learned. It’s funny, honest, and the best kind of self-help book!

But it’s not for everyone. It might not connect with you. But if you haven’t read her stuff yet, this might be a good first book to try.