I Should Be Smarter By Now

I’ll admit I was skeptical when Issa Rae’s narration popped up in my headphones mid-coffee run—memoirs narrated by the author can backfire hard if the tone isn’t right. But Rae nails it: her cadence is loose, her timing impeccable, and her ability to toggle between deadpan delivery and sudden, disarming sincerity is downright addictive. The audiobook’s best moments aren’t the big-name drops (though *Insecure* lore is sprinkled in generously) but the quiet, relatable cracks—like her confession about Googling “how to be a grown-up” at 28. The pacing is breakneck, which works for the material but means some stories feel underdeveloped. A few chapters on her YouTube era drag slightly, as if the editor feared Rae’s wit might outshine the narrative. That said, the flaws are minor because the strength of Rae’s voice—literally and figuratively—carries the whole thing. The production team wisely keeps the audio clean, letting her natural inflections breathe. My biggest critique? The title, which undersells the book’s sharper edges. This isn’t a feel-good pep talk; it’s a wry, sometimes brutal look at ambition and imposter syndrome, delivered with a sideways grin. If you’ve ever scoffed at #Girlboss rhetoric or doubted your own “hustle,” Rae’s here to remind you that messy is the new millennial success story.