This book sounds like a generic quarter-life crisis story, but if it didn't sound like that in its description, I think that Stephanie Danler would be lauded as one of the most impressive new voices of our generation. She is already getting some of that acclaim, but I also think that how many reviewers have received her is indicative of institutional sexist ideas of what literature should be. Danler received her book deal while living a life very similar to her protagonist, and many took that to mean that her publishers just wanted a pretty face to show up at book events. 
 But guys: this book has been popular because it resonates with its audience and has a writing style that you want to just sit in your mouth for a while. There are those weird bits that are written in second person which I believe are supposed to be read as if they are Tess, but I also think they could be read as Simone (an older waitress whom Tess admires), and I loved that I had this moment while reading this book where I thought, "I could write a paper about this..." That only happens with me in books where the style hits me somewhere deep in my chest (reading is a physical thing to me). 
 In general, this book is full of ambiguities, which makes it delightful. We don't get to know everything we want to know about the characters, just as we don't get to know everyone's complete backstory in real life. Tess herself is kind of a blank slate-- her name is only mentioned once. She's dislikeable and relatable all at the same time. She makes mistakes and we hate her because understand that we would make the same mistakes if we were in her place. 
 The story is meandering, just like many of us in our mid-twenties meander through our possible options in life. It focuses in on small, insignificant moments just as our obsessions can take over and control our lives.