THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING is a collection of essays --- true stories --- by debut author Erin Chack. Although THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING is Erin Chack’s first book, you can read many of her articles on Buzzfeed.com, where she is a senior writer.

If you have ever read any of Chack’s BuzzFeed articles, you already know how relatable and funny Erin can be. In fact, I highly suggest reading articles “14 Pics That Prove Malta Is The Most Underrated Country In The Mediterranean” when reading her book for context, as she mentions some of her works in her narrative. If you want to know any more about her, however, head right to your nearest bookstore and pick up THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING.

"Erin Chack managed to go above and beyond my extremely high expectations. Each of her stories in THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING is interesting and incredible."

In THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING, Erin Chack gives readers brief snippets of her life from childhood to after college. With authenticity and bravery, Chack goes through some of her most embarrassing stories to the some of the saddest. As readers, we hear about fun (and funny) exciting endeavors with her friends, which are as relatable as they are wild and humorous. But we also hear about Erin Chack’s struggle with cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and how it affected her family. Each story is unique in its own way: some are interesting, some are sweet, and some are tearjerkers.

THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING also introduces Chack’s friends, family and her boyfriend. The book shows her parents and her sisters --- aka the “Chack Pack” --- and how they support Erin through her illness. Readers also meet Chack’s boyfriend Sean, who is literally one of the coolest people I have ever read about. Interestingly, Chack and Sean have been together since college, so even romance-lovers will find something to enjoy in this very real collection of essays. One of my favorite passages in Chack’s book comes from one of her most popular BuzzFeed articles, an essay titled “My Boyfriend isn’t My Soulmate, He’s My Carrot.”

Chack also talks about her friends from college, work and elsewhere, all of whom were wildly different from her hometown friends.  These new characters made me impatient for college and very jealous of my college-bound sister. Of course, the person readers come to know best in THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING is Erin Chack, the wondrous author.

I have always adored BuzzFeed’s articles, quizzes and listicles. The writers have always seemed effortlessly cool and amazing to me, so when I was alerted to the fact that Buzzfeed writer was writing her first book, I was elated. Luckily, Erin Chack managed to go above and beyond my extremely high expectations. Each of her stories in THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING is interesting and incredible. I especially appreciated how Chack talked about cancer. She relays how it affected her life in an honest way that was still very relatable for teens and 20-somethings. I was able to empathize with a lot of what she said as a person who has been affected by cancer but who has not had it. I’m assuming people who do have cancer could relate to THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING even more than I do. However, the main focus is not on Erin Chack’s life with cancer, as she crosses every subject such as studying abroad in college, dealing with a crush, having a boyfriend and many other worldly things and happenings.

If you do enjoy reading personal essays or just love BuzzFeed’s signature style, this book is perfect for you. It can be read quickly or slowly and, in a fun twist, THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING does not necessarily need to be read in order and you don’t even need to read all the essays for the every essay to make sense. THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING by Erin Chack is a great new book and I heavily encourage picking it up and giving it a read!