Self-help ✦ Penny’s Take
Adulting
Kelly Williams Brown · 2013
84/100
👍 Worth It
The genre-defining original that basically popularized the word 'adulting' — funny, warm, and packed with genuinely concrete steps rather than vague pep talks. Publishers Weekly called it fun and surprisingly informative, and it holds up; just know the humor and subject matter (drinking, dating) skew toward older teens and adults.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Casual mature-adult tone (dating, drinking references) — best for older teens/adults, not younger readers. We still scored it 84; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety70
Substance / usefulness82
Craft & writing88
Originality90
Evidence & accuracy80
Hype vs delivers75
Age-fit60
Human-eye read85
Penny’s verdict84
Cross-pollinate