Dear Girls Above Me
Inspired by a True Story
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4.3 • 136 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Based on the wildly popular Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me, a roman à clef about how thinking like a couple of girls turned one single guy into a better man.
When Charlie McDowell began sharing his open letters to his noisy upstairs neighbors—two impossibly ditzy female roommates in their mid-twenties—on Twitter, his feed quickly went viral. His followers multiplied and he got the attention of everyone from celebrities to production studios to major media outlets such as Time and Glamour. Now Dear Girls breaks out of the 140-character limit as Charlie imagines what would happen if he put the wisdom of the girls to the test.
After being unceremoniously dumped by the girl he was certain was “the one,” Charlie realized his neighbors’ conversations were not only amusing, but also offered him access to a completely uncensored woman’s perspective on the world. From the importance of effectively Facebook-stalking potential girlfriends and effortlessly pulling off pastel, to learning when in the early stages of dating is too presumptuous to bring a condom and how to turn food poisoning into a dieting advantage, the girls get Charlie into trouble, but they also get him out of it—without ever having a clue of their impact on him.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McDowell tells the story behind his popular twitter feed where he shares the inane conversations he overhears from the two vapid "Kardashian wannabes" that live in the apartment upstairs. He includes hilarious examples of their dialogue including thoughts on Suri Cruise's outfits, friendship, dating, and The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The heart of this memoir, however, is McDowell's recovery from a devastating breakup and how the girls unwittingly help and occasionally hinder him. Their voices are his constant companion in a time of loneliness but their frank discussions of duping men make him paranoid. As McDowell starts dating again, the girls chatter goes from "nuisance to crucial" but he suffers a setback when his date catches him buying condoms right before picking her up. McDowell also covers his "super-fabulous" roommate Pat as well as events from his childhood like accidentally stumbling upon his mother, actress Mary Steenburgen, (his father is British actor Malcom McDowell, best known for his role in A Clockwork Orange) in a nude scene on a televised broadcast of Melvin and Howard. The final act contains an unbelievably apt and funny metaphor that alone makes this book worth reading. Anyone familiar with heartbreak will find themselves cheering McDowell on through his journey, but you might find yourself surprised to be rooting for the girls upstairs as well.
Customer Reviews
Lots of laughs
Need a break from your own stressful day? Then read a chapter of Charlie's book. I downloaded the sample and laughed till I couldn't breathe. Had to buy. I'm glad to have had a look inside Charlie's life, and the girls upstairs.
His parents are a pleasant surprise and totally explain their Disneyland trip.
Dear Girls Above Me
Not what I expected. Wonderfully laugh until I cried several times while reading. Can't wait to read more from Charles McDowell. And no I don't know him.
Funny and enjoyable light read!
Hope to see more from this author.