Home
/
Non-Fiction
/
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come
Oct 8, 2024 4:23 PM

Author:Jessica Pan

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come

‘Funny, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of their comfort zone’ Heat

What would happen if a shy introvert lived as an out-and-out extrovert for one year? Jessica Pan is about to find out…

*

When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub.

So, she made a vow: to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list: improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the tube. She regretted it instantly.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows Jess's hilarious and painful year of misadventures in extroverting, reporting back from the frontlines for all the introverts out there.

But is life actually better or easier for the extroverts? Or is it the nightmare Jess always thought it would be?

*

‘In a world of self-care and nights in, this book will inspire and remind you to do some things that scare you every so often.’ Emma Gannon

‘Tender, courageous and extremely funny, this book will make us all braver.’ Daisy Buchanan

‘A chronicle of Pan’s hilarious and painful year of being an extrovert.’ Stylist

Reviews

Tender, courageous and extremely funny, this book will make us all braver.

—— Daisy Buchanan

Painfully hilarious

—— Red

In a world of self-care and nights in, this book will inspire and remind you to do some things that scare you every so often.

—— Emma Gannon

A chronicle of Pan’s hilarious and painful year of being an extrovert.

—— Stylist

Absolutely bloody great. As a textbook, concrete, public changing, foghorn extrovert, I find Jessica Pan’s descriptions of introversion and shyness fascinating and she is very funny.

—— Nell Frizzell

Well, I adored this. Beautifully written, fascinating and so, so funny. Had me properly guffawing on the bus.

—— Lauren Bravo

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come achieves what so many books claim (but then frankly fail) to do: making you laugh, while at the same time managing to inspire. Pan is a gem, and her introvert's exploration of extroversion is all at once delightful and deftly rendered.

—— Sara Barron

Relatable, moving, and fantastically funny.

—— Rhik Samadder

Hilarious, unexpected and ultimately life-affirming.

—— Will Storr

Beautifully written and so funny! I related to it A LOT.

—— Emma Jane Unsworth

You WILL laugh and laugh while reading this.

—— Sun

I loved it! It's such a wonderful title, and the book lives up to it.

—— Nigella Lawson

A must read for anyone looking to start a company or develop a product. It provides four actionable steps to attract users and to ensure that they continue to come back.

—— Firas Kittaneh , Entrepreneur

A compelling book from start to finish. Cohen-Hatton uses her own experiences as a firefighter to expose the psychology behind her decisions and emotions. A great read and accessible to all.

—— Phil Butler, University of Cardiff

A compelling and exciting read. A great insight into decision-making on the front line of firefighting . . . Immersive stories, tension and fantastic lessons to take away. I loved it!

—— Flt Lt (Rtd) Mandy Hickson, former RAF Tornado pilot

One of the UK's most senior firefighters share heart-in-the-mouth stories from her 18 years in the emergency services, taking us to the very heat of battle; from scenes of devastation and crisis, to the quieter moments when these unassuming heroes question both themselves and the decisions they are forced to make. As we all as being extraordinarily courageous, Cohen-Hatton has an impressive professional track record: her award winning research into decision-making in the emergency services has transformed policy at a global level.

—— The Bookseller

A fascinating read

—— Dan Walker , BBC Breakfast

This book is incredible!

—— Louise Minchin , BBC Breakfast

WOW! I just could not put it down! . . . It will enlighten people about the human aspects of firefighting, the challenges of decision-making under pressure and the way in which university research has helped to understand and improve the way leaders approach critical decisions. It’s certainly made me think about how I can use the principles discussed to help people in a variety of leadership positions.

—— Karen Holford, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University

This book will change the way you think. Forever.

—— Cosmpolitan

As well as being a fire-fighter, she’s a fire-thinker, and that’s what makes this book stand out.

—— Daily Mail

An inspiring, vivid account of the dangerous world of firefighting

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Mesmerising…at times, bitingly funny… [The Shapeless Unease is] an engrossing portrait of the fragility of identity and coherency in the grip of insomnia. I hadn’t read Harvey before this, but her facility with language here captivated me and I’ll be seeking out her novels next.

—— Valerie O’Riordan , Bookmunch

Urgent and full of arresting images and insights.

—— Stephanie Cross , Lady

[The Shapeless Unease] is littered with sharp insights expressed in exquisitely lucid prose but is as amorphous as its title suggests.

—— Keiron Pim , Spectator

It’s a claustrophobic, enlightening, moving, existential treatise on sleep, insomnia and death. And it’s funny, too.

—— Sadie Jones , Guardian

I wish I had saved The Shapeless Unease to read in isolation but Samantha Harvey’s book about insomnia, time, death and so many unknowable things is a blessing to have in lonely times. It is a profound and stunning book but funny, too.

—— Fatima Bhutto , Evening Standard

A beautiful, jagged little book about insomnia and so many unknowable things: life and death, Buddhism, and how language alters our thinking. But I was most struck by its form and structure.

—— Fatima Bhutto , New Statesman

[Samantha Harvey's] cerebral, startlingly clear account of somehow pulling through [from insomnia] carries an electric charge and meditates on not only the mystery of sleep but also writing, swimming and dreams.

—— Net-a-Porter

[The Shapeless Unease] is beautifully crafted and its achievement makes itself more apparent on a second reading.

—— Richard Gwyn , Wales Art Review

A masterpiece, so good I can hardly breathe. I'm completely floored by it.

—— Helen Macdonald

This book seems appropriately messy-haired and wild-eyed... Anyone who has lain awake the night before a big test will recognize such manic flourishes. Harvey captures the 4 a.m. bloom of magical thinking; stories proliferate within stories... To read Harvey is to grow spoiled on gorgeous phrases.

—— Katy Waldman , New Yorker
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved