I'm Only Here for the WiFi: A Complete Guide to Reluctant Adulthood

by Chelsea Fagan

Chelsea Fagan has felt the pressures and expectations of young adult life firsthand. Building on the success of her popular articles on Thought Catalog, her book I'm Only Here for the WiFi presents an honest, refreshing, and hilarious perspective on the life of a misplaced twentysomething, desperate for advice about how to survive adulthood -- all while maintaining an active social life. With insights ranging from partying to finding and keeping a job, I'm Only Here for the WiFi is a healthy mix of commentary, humor, and real advice.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Self Help

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Chelsea Fagan is the co-founder and CEO of The Financial Diet. She is the author of many books, including THE HIGH DIVE, coming May 27, 2025.

Chelsea is an avid home cook, and lives in Manhattan with her husband and dog.

Reviews

[Kiera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh reading this at 23, most of this seems common sense. But it was a good, quick read.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many mixed feelings and zig-zagging back and forth! Most of my reactions fall into the category of one of the below:

1: Oh my god, this is like watching the Jerry Springer Show. I feel so much better about myself and my choices right now.
2: Oh my god, I am out of this girl's age range by several years but it's like she's speaking directly to me! Wait, what does that say about me, then?!
3: *ungraceful snort of laughter at a hilarious turn of phrase that makes people look at me funny*
4: *smug turn of nose into the air that I have never been dumb enough to destroy my liver or piss away thousands of dollars I kind of desperately need on alcohol*
5: She is so annoyingly immature, our country is doomed!
6: Wow, she is staggeringly wise for her age.

I'm actually glad I read this. It does, surprisingly, give some pretty good advice or ideas on approaching things, and I guess there is a sizable segment of our society who needs this kind of "it's time to grow up" lecture. (Helpfully, in this book it's delivered in a fun and funny way.) I saw some of my current or former self in her generalizations and anecdotes; some of these things are lessons I learned a very long time ago, all by myself, but others are things I'm still figuring out at this ripe old age.
I know a few people I'm going to recommend this to.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 3 out of 5]

След A Perfect Vintage и The High Dive на Chelsea Fagan, не устоях на изкушението да надникна и в друга нейна книга. I'm Only Here for Wifi няма сюжетна линия, главни герои и лъскаво място за развитие на действието. Но пък е изпълнена с реалистичен поглед върху съвременния начин на вписване в живота на двадесет и няколко годишните млади хора. От намирането на място под слънцето ( след като са се измъкнали из под сянката на родителската грижа) , през търсенето на работа, която , хем да плаща сметките, хем да не предизвиква желание за самоубийство всяка сутрин при звука на часовника, хем да не си блъскаме главата в стената от срам как да обясним на роднини и познати с какво си изkарваме прехраната ; до избора на приятели : за излизане след работа , за задушевни разговори и за пиене в петъчните вечери. С остроумие и одухотвореност Chelsea Fagan рисува нашето днес и дава забавни съвети как да неутрализираме стресиращото влияние на Интернет, социалната йерархия и интровертността върху всяка следваща година от живота ни на млади възрастни. Дали да се придвижваме с градския транспорт, с метрото, велосипед с винтидж кошничка отпред или да се обречем на съмнителния ( и изяждащ голяма част от бюджета ни ) комфорт на личния автомобил, това също ще ни кара да се люшкаме от един избор на друг. Времето ще минава в продължителни работни дни и в разпределяне на оскъдните заработени заплати ( за някои заплатите, все пак няма да са чак толкова лесни за преброяване), докато младият човек обмисля преоритетите си и следващата стъпка, която би искал да направи.

* " ... friendship masochism. The truth is that some of these people, no matter how much you may have adored them when proximity wasn’t an issue, are just not going to stand the test of time or distance. Keeping close with them, if that proves to be depressingly one-sided, is only allowing yourself to get caught up in the scraggly cobwebs clinging to you from the city and social pool you initially tried to leave. "
* " ... and it wouldn’t hurt to update your definition of friend to “someone who cares about me even on the rare occasion that it is not perfectly convenient for her.”
* " ... with no real future outside of living vicariously through our children for the rest of our lives. "

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This rating feels incredibly harsh for several reasons: Chelsea Fagan seems awesome and I love her work on ‘The Financial Diet’ online, ’IOHFTW’ was far from unreadable and I did finish it, I suspect I am now a bit older than the book’s target demographic, etc. But it was just... not it.

There were grammatical errors throughout, though I’m not sure if those are due to poor conversion to Kindle or lack of editing of the original writing. The whole thing just read emptily, a long long meandering Buzzfeed filler piece with no discernible purpose.

I was extra disappointed because I KNOW Chelsea can write, I have read fantastic pieces by her! Maybe this was just her finding her feet. And hey, I haven’t had a book published, much less at 23, and there’s nothing wrong with having your stepping stones public.

[Sadie Forsythe]

In what I suspect is a perfect example of the sort of lack of adulting Fagan talks about, I think I bought this book a decade ago with every intention of reading it. Though I was probably too old to relate to it even then, I would have been a lot closer than I am now. I DNFed two chapters in because I am well past the stage of life this book talks about. I gave it a try because I've set a goal of reading the actual physical books on my bookshelves this year and because I thought I could look back at that time with amusement. I probably could if I chose to continue. But I think I'd rather just go read something else and put this in a Little Free Library somewhere for a current early twenty-something to stumble across and feel seen.

[Natalie K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny at times, but overall I couldn't relate. I don't drink, "go out," party, max out credit cards, or do any of the irresponsible things referenced ad nauseam in here.

But on the plus side, there was only ONE "Sex and the City" reference! Contrast that to Chelsea's second book, The Financial Diet, that had so many references to that damn show that I wanted to stab myself by the end of it. And you can find my super snarky review for that book here, if you're so inclined: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Julija · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that will magically turn you into a Functioning Adult, this is probably not it. In fact, there probably is no book that can do that. But if you want a humorous yet no-bullshit view on early adulthood that You Can So Relate to, at least partially, this book is worth checking. Warning: you might feel the need to laugh, cry and scream at the void while reading it. All at the same time. Because Adulthood.

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I've been a fan of the author's work on Thought Catalog so I was excited to read it. This book is extremely relatable and very entertaining. As a somewhat lost 20-something, a lot of the messages really hit home and it also helped me feel like I wasn't alone. Definitely a fun read that I would recommend to others. My only slight criticism is that some sentences get kind of long and their message sometimes gets a little scrambled. Otherwise, a great book I'm sure I'll read again!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beneath the shallow writing style, there really is a fair bit of wisdom for the graduating twentysomething in here. The humor is nice too. At times, it was a bit repetitive, and as much as I love Chelsea Fagan, I think she painted the image of a twentysomething a liiitle too broadly. But hey, it's a quick, fun read. Go for it.

[Shakeima Lanique · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like C. Fagan posts on thought catalog but I fought through this book. It was draining and tiring, it had some good parts overall, it wasn't anything new about how twenty somethings should live their life.

[Reggie Shoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad that I finally read this book. Ran across her YouTube channel and never put two and two together until months later. I'd throw this one in the same category as Aziz Ansari's "Modern Romance"; 'Amazing-books-about-real-life-problems-for-my-age".

[Alicia Phen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written for the 2015 buzzfeed millennial who drinks as a hobby and speaks exclusively in run-on sentences. That being said, after meeting Chelsea and telling her I was reading I’m Not Here for the Wi-Fi, she DID let out a nervous laugh and told me not to read it 😭 LMFAOO

[Caroline Deschamps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at 30, so I should have known better than to think it was very relevant to the current stage of my life, but I still enjoyed it!

Some advice would definitely have been helpful in my early twenties. The book is funny and short, I would have recommended it to my younger self.

[Mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

there's self-deprecating humor and then there's just. sadness. and this book was both. but mostly the later.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Chelsea Fagan and TFD, you’ll probably like this.

[Maegan Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but this would be more useful for early-20's me thinks hahaha

[Gia N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a funny book that had me chuckling every other page. I enjoy how it makes fun of society while simultaneously giving advice on how to live as a "twenty-something".

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Millennial Core.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

“If your office doesn’t have a cool person, I recommend suicide,” (p. 47).

“…or to put in some fancy-people investment and ‘make your money work for you.’ (I’m not sure what this means, precisely, only that fat Republican rich dudes my dad knows have always encouraged me to do this).” (p. 138).

[Zef Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a book for teens/young adults/people feeling particularly lost. I read this first at 21 and didn't get much out of it. I reread it at 27 and ... well, I found the first half or so of this book more a meandering ramble that's somewhat readable but neither particularly entertaining or helpful. Like consuming a mildly entertaining blog — nothing terrible, but nothing excellent either. However, I did think the last three chapters (on finance, dating/relationships, and self) were pretty great! And depending on your own life/situation/experience, easily applicable to people generally, not just those new to adulthood.

[Feliz Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

My best friend gave the book to me for Christmas in light of my recent graduate status and being in a transitional period in my life, and I have to say it was a really enjoyable read. If it was a food, it would have been the equivalent of chocolate covered almonds (or cherries, or raisins, or whatever kind of food you like to eat covered in chocolate.) It wasn’t an extremely intellectual read, nor was it extremely nourishing or healthy, but it was tidbits of insight wrapped in delicious-ness.

Fagan has a great voice that I found refreshingly unpretentious, reflective, and overall aware of the realities of our times. She is a writer and editor for Thought Catalog, a blog that generally directs its writing towards the twenty-something crowd, and this book is definitely directed towards the same general audience.

Full Review at http://happyybrown.wordpress.com/2014...

[Amy Juras · Rating 5 out of 5]

To those of us who have adult children leaving the nest, hanging on by their claws, this is a must get book. Chelsea tells her story from our kids' prospective and let's others know that fear and avoidance need to be overcome serving as another rite of passage. Fresh and funny, Chelsea make fun at her own coping methods showing that no matter what the motivations, most of this next generation is going to do better than just fine, they are going to be the generation that amazes and enchants.

[Angie Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

blurb'd here: http://caffeinateandconquer.com/2013/...

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This got fairly long-winded at the end, but on the whole, I thought it was a hilarious depiction of what it's like being a 20-something of my generation. Recommended reading for all new college graduates (because I wish this book had existed for me at this stage). Impressively witty humor.

[Dianne]

I bought this to add to my little free library and decided to read it first to help me understand the young adults at my job. I think the Introduction gave me the info I needed which is good because I couldn't get past the second chapter.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Save your time and money and just read some of Fagan's Thought Catalog articles instead.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Thought Catalog book is the definitively most Thought Catalog-y thing that ever Thought Cataloged. Cataloged these thoughts are.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely gave me a good laugh! I would recommend this as a college graduation gift :)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a cute book at points, but overall slightly disappointing.

[Lauren Miele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I typically enjoy self-help books anyway but her voice was so witty and entertaining