They Tried Their Best
Posted by Literary Titan

The book follows the inner life of a woman navigating modern loneliness, love, and survival. It begins with quiet domestic scenes that show the strange mix of comfort and despair in everyday routines, then tumbles into awkward dates, toxic men, obsessive scrolling, and a world tilting into chaos. Her dog, Honey, is her anchor, and later, a new puppy joins the mix. As personal heartbreak runs alongside collapsing politics and rising paranoia, she turns toward building a bunker—half symbol of safety, half desperate project. The story blends personal confessions with dark humor, showing both the numbness of screen-soaked nights and the ache of wanting to be loved.
I found the writing raw and often uncomfortable, but that felt intentional. It reads like opening a diary, one full of shame and yearning and sharp observations. The author captures the rhythms of loneliness so well, like the endless scrolling, the forced laughs, the hollow comfort of TV and apps that pretend to connect. At times, I felt impatient with the narrator, but then I realized that was the point. She is flawed, and the honesty of those flaws is what makes her compelling. The style is jagged, almost chaotic, but that messiness mirrors the world she lives in.
Emotionally, the book hit me in waves. Sometimes I laughed at the biting asides, other times I felt a knot in my chest from the self-doubt, the grasping at crumbs of affection. There’s a scene after a disastrous date that made me want to throw the book down in anger at men like that, but then the vulnerability after, the quiet moment of self-love, pulled me back in. The bunker storyline in particular moved me. It’s absurd and practical at the same time, a metaphor for needing safety when the world feels hostile. The writing is simple, sometimes stark, yet it holds these emotional punches that sneak up on you.
I think this book would be powerful for anyone who has felt let down by people and yet still holds onto hope. It’s not for readers who want neat plots or tidy resolutions. It’s messy, alive, and sometimes exhausting, but in a way that feels real. I’d recommend it to those who like character-driven stories, people who aren’t afraid to sit with discomfort, and anyone who has ever curled up with their pet while the world outside seemed to spin out of control.
Pages: 184 | ASIN : B0FC83DT39
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About Literary Titan
The Literary Titan is an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors that have a passion for the written word. We review fiction and non-fiction books in many different genres, as well as conduct author interviews, and recognize talented authors with our Literary Book Award. We are privileged to work with so many creative authors around the globe.Posted on August 27, 2025, in Book Reviews, Four Stars and tagged author, book, book recommendations, book review, Book Reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, dark humor, ebook, Fiction Satire, goodreads, indie author, Kimlyn Stanyon, kindle, kobo, literature, magical realism, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, romance fiction, speculative fiction, story, They Tried Their Best, women's fiction, women's literature, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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