The Anti-Cool Girl: The award-winning, bestselling brutal and hilarious memoir and the first Jennette McCurdy book club pick for 2023

Rosie Waterland

Sep 2015 · Sold by HarperCollins Australia

About this ebook

Brutal, brave, hilarious -- a full-frontal memoir about surviving the very worst that life can throw at you.

Rosie Waterland has never been cool. Growing up in housing commission, Rosie was cursed with a near perfect, beautiful older sister who dressed like Mariah Carey on a Best & Less budget while Rosie was still struggling with various toilet mishaps. She soon realised that she was the Doug Pitt to her sister's Brad, and that cool was not going to be her currency in this life.

But that was only one of the problems Rosie faced. With two addicts for parents, she grew up amidst rehab stays, AA meetings, overdoses, narrow escapes from drug dealers and a merry-go-round of dodgy boyfriends in her mother's life. Rosie watched as her dad passed out/was arrested/vomited, and had to talk her mum out of killing herself.

As an adult, trying to come to grips with her less than conventional childhood, Rosie navigated her way through eating disorders, nude acting roles, mental health issues and awkward Tinder dates. Then she had an epiphany: to stop pretending to be who she wasn't and embrace her true self -- a girl who loved drinking wine in her underpants on Sunday nights -- and become an Anti-Cool Girl.

An irrepressible, blackly comic memoir, Rosie Waterland's story is a clarion call for Anti-Cool Girls everywhere.

'Individual, wounded, brilliant and hilarious' Sydney Morning Herald

'If Augusten Burroughs and Lena Dunham abandoned their child in an Australian housing estate, she'd write this heartbreaking, hilarious book. It made me laugh uproariously, then feel terrible for her, then laugh all over again. Sorry, Rosie.' Dominic Knight, The Chaser

'Hilarious, wise, gutsy, clear-eyed, devastating and uplifting. It's a marvel.' Richard Glover

The Anti Cool Girl was shortlisted for the 2016 Indie Book Awards and for the 2016 ABIA Awards for Biography of the Year, and in addition was the Winner of the 2016 ABIA Awards People's Choice for the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year

Ratings and reviews

Words can't describe how much I loved this. Never have I been so horrified and hurting for Rosie one minute then roaring with laughter the next. I have so much respect for this woman and I am humbled and in awe of her. Do yourself a favour and read this book!

Absolutely magnificent book. So honest, funny, inspiring and gut wrenching at times, read it in one sitting. A new bible for all the anti cool girls. Could not put it down. 10 out of 10

Love it, couldn't put it down and when I was half way through I started to panic slightly being afraid the fun to be over soon. Its everything you need for entertainment: funny, smart, bold, catchy. Very highly recommended

About the author

Rosie Waterland is a Sydney-based author, podcaster, screenwriter and comedian. Her first book, The Anti-Cool Girl (HarperCollins, 2015) was a critically-acclaimed national bestseller, winning the ABIA People's Choice Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year, and was shortlisted for the Russell Prize for Humour Writing. In 2017, Rosie launched her podcast Mum Says My Memoir is a Lie, which has been downloaded more than 7 million times and won the Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best Original Podcast. Her latest podcast, Just The Gist, rose to number one on the charts before it was released. Her second book Every Lie I've Ever Told (HarperCollins, 2017) was also a national bestseller. Rosie co-created and co-starred in the ABC satirical political documentary series What's Going On with Jamila Rizvi. In 2020, Rosie is about to embark on her third national comedy tour Kid Chameleon following the sold-out success of her earlier one-woman shows My Life on the Couch (with Vodka) and Crazy Lady.