Thanks for Waiting

The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer

By: Doree Shafrir

Narrated by: Doree Shafrir

An honest, witty, and insightful memoir about what happens when your coming-of-age comes later than expected

“Thanks for Waiting is the loving, wise, cuttingly funny older sister we all need in book form.”—Tara Schuster, author of Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies

Doree Shafrir spent much of her twenties and thirties feeling out of sync with her peers. She was an intern at twenty-nine and met her husband on Tinder in her late thirties, after many of her friends had already gotten married, started families, and entered couples’ counseling. After a long fertility struggle, she became a first-time mom at forty-one, joining Mommy & Me classes where most of the other moms were at least ten years younger. And while she was one of Gawker’s early hires and one of the first editors at BuzzFeed, she didn’t find professional fulfillment until she co-launched the successful self-care podcast Forever35—at forty.

Now, in her debut memoir, Shafrir explores the enormous pressures we feel, especially as women, to hit particular milestones at certain times and how we can redefine what it means to be a late bloomer. She writes about everything from dating to infertility, to how friendships evolve as you get older, to why being pregnant at forty-one is unexpectedly freeing—all with the goal of appreciating the lives we’ve lived so far and the lives we still hope to live.

Thanks for Waiting is about how achieving the milestones you thought were so important don’t always happen on the time line you imagined. In a world of 30 Under 30 lists, this book is a welcome reminder that it’s okay to live life at your own speed.

Very enjoyable

I really enjoyed hearing Doree’s story. She is a fantastic writer. Initially I wasn’t loving her performance but I realized it seemed too slow. I sped it up to 1.2 speed and it sounds exactly how she sounds on her podcasts.

Relatable, refreshing, and highly entertaining!

Absolutely loved this book as I felt that the author was so relatable and wrote her story with the perfect blend of self-deprecating humor and wisdom. Highly recommend!!

Wonderful all around

As a fan of Forever 35 and Eggcellent Adventure it was wonderful to have a Doree’s familiar voice telling her story. It was incredibly relatable for me and nearly listened straight through. Loved it! Thank you Doree.

Must Read

Absolutely loved the book. Doree is an amazing author and narrator. So relatable and eye opening.

Insightful and heartwarming

As a huge fan of the Forever 35 podcast, I highly recommend Thanks For Waiting. It felt like listening to a friend give her own back story with wit, humor, and thoughtfulness.