The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster 

A Four-Star Book Review

Jen Lancaster remains one of my favorite authors since the 2000s. I loved her memoirs from the start, and her fiction is more entertaining with each release. So when The Anti-Heroes dropped, I was onboard right away.

Summary of The Anti-Heroes (No Spoilers)

Emily and Liv are stuck. Neither is happy with how life has turned out: Emily has exchanged her globe-trotting eco-warrior ways for teaching apathetic college students and a relationship that bores her. Liv is a stellar real estate agent but is too timid to stand up for herself in the office or at home with her extended family, so she stretches herself thin in every way possible.

But when a robbery disrupts the best friends’ coffee date, it’s enough for them to turn to Zeus, the leader of Fearless, Inc. What they discover is that his unorthodox coaching approach may be just what they need to reignite their own enthusiasm for life.

What I Enjoyed about The Anti-Heroes

Jen Lancaster does so much so well, but The Anti-Heroes highlights two of my favorite qualities of her writing:

• Humor: From the challenges Emily and Liv have to complete under Zeus’s watch to the quirks of the side characters, The Anti-Heroes brings the laughs. Yes, there’s some absurdity, but that’s makes the payoff even better. One of the standout parts of Lancaster’s memoirs is her snark and wit, and I loved that I saw both of those in this book.
• Character Growth: Lancaster made a name for herself by writing about her own self-improvement journeys. The Anti-Heroes is an homage to some of that growth with a lot of wisdom thrown in. Emily and Liv are somewhat infuriating in the earliest chapters because they are so stagnant, but I loved how they evolved without any qualms about being imperfect in the end. That’s been my experience in reading Lancaster’s memoirs, so this felt true to the source.

My Final Thoughts about The Anti-Heroes

I will always recommend Lancaster’s memoirs first. Start with Bitter is the New Black and keep reading. But, The Anti-Heroes is an entertaining, funny, and fast-paced story that is definitely worth a read.