After a year of not reading anything, it feels a little strange to finish a book. And it certainly feels even more unearthly to write a review right after closing the About the Author section. “Who am I? Who is this?” Or, if I’m being honest, should the real question be, “Who was last year’s version of me, living in a reading-free phase?” instead?
I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that I’m happy to welcome a brand new year with Allie Brosh’s Solutions and Other Problems.
Solutions and Other Problems is a collection of autobiographical, illustrated essays by the one and only Allie Brosh. Through humorous stories from her childhood and deeply personal reflections on grief and loneliness, this book offers a unique and touching take on everyday situations—ones that make readers laugh, pause, and wonder.
I first discovered Brosh (not personally, of course) two years ago, when I was mindlessly surfing the internet and stumbled upon her famous blog, Hyperbole and a Half. From the moment I landed there, I was hooked. I read her posts back-to-back, from the very first one to the last. She struck me as a genuinely kind person with a big heart—someone who does things just because, no matter how absurd they may seem.
Both of her books have been sitting on my wishlist ever since, but it wasn’t until last month that I finally started reading this one. And honestly? I wouldn’t change the timing for anything. I picked it up exactly when I needed it most—when everything felt overwhelming and I desperately needed a break from constant thinking and relentless overanalyzing.
Reading Solutions and Other Problems felt like diving into a world completely different from my own—colorful, chaotic, and alive in the best way possible. As someone who thrives on structure and order, getting glimpses into Brosh’s cluttered world felt like skydiving headfirst into the unknown itself.
And somehow, I found it liberating.
Brosh has this incredible ability to take the most mundane topics, infuse them with fresh (and often ridiculous) ideas, and turn them into creative storytelling through humorous narratives and comical illustrations. Her reflections on grief and loneliness hit me so hard that I had to step away at times just to cry and to sit with my thoughts.
Overall, I love this book so, so much. If I had to sum it up in just a few words, it would be this: “Allie Brosh lives to tell the tale. She truly does.”
P.S. Putting this book on my “Read” shelf this year feels a little like cheating. I started it in December last year, which means it survived that strange, perforated part of time where one year ends and another begins. But if this is what pushed me back into reading (and helped me sleep at night) I’ll take it. I’ll gladly accept the celebratory mood, confusing timeline and all.
Rating: 5★
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