How to Get to Heaven from Belfast – Netflix Series – #darkcomedy – #readingirelandmonth26

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast - Netflix series

Introduction

I am reviewing this movie for Reading Ireland Month. It is hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. Please check out her page for more suggestions on reading, audiobooks, or music on her spotify list and use the hashtags #readingirelandmonth26 or #begorrathon.

 

title - The Series

 

While this was billed as three lifelong friends reuniting after the death of an old classmate, I get the feeling that it was more like childhood friends than lifelong and having gone their separate ways are now more strangers than friends. At thirty-something, they no longer have anything in common except for the friend now deceased and the dreadful secret each has faithfully kept all this time. Together they set off for a wake that will take them across Ireland, during which they become fully reacquainted with each other again and gradually realize there was something really off about Greta’s mysterious death.

The series was created by Lisa McGee, who also created the Derry Girls, a series I started for this event and quickly stopped. A Hat Trick production, it was released in February of 2026 by Netflix and is currently available for streaming starring Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse, Sinéad Keenan as Robyn, and Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara. Natasha O’Keeffe is starring as the elusive Greta.

The genre is set as a comedy and thriller, although I would also add dark comedy and satire.

My Thoughts

Where in the world does the trip take them?

Well, we, who might not be terribly familiar with the scenic locations, get a lovely full tour. I believe it was shot primarily in Northern Ireland: Belfast, County Antrim, and County Down. Loved the rural views as well, the lush green countryside!

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast - Netflix series
Photo courtesy Facebook

After the thrilling hook, the plot devolves into a wild free-for-all action flick with the three of them talking as fast as humanly possible and creating a small language barrier for those of us not familiar with the jargon, idioms, or expressions.

Part of my problem was keeping up with the different scenes, some seeming as if they were coming out of nowhere—wild party dances and freely flowing booze (how did we get here?), or a diminutive platinum blonde and pink hair dressed as a circus doll (?) with a voice to match that I think was worse than anything Dorothy could have dreamed up in the Wizard of Oz.

The three girls from How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
Photo from NPR and Christopher Barr from Netflix

There was a cop who would appear from time to time and cute as he was, couldn’t discern why or what his point was. There were a few appropriate flashbacks to get some backfill, and from time to time focused on one of the three separately to dig deeper into their personality. One had three kids, one was a successful TV show writer…what did the brunette do? Oh, yeah. And was that a statement as well? A blonde, a redhead, and a brunette? Clever.

The main characters were wildly different from each other and wielded a sarcastic, dry wit. There were confusing scenes meant to raise more questions than answers and intentional misdirection. Absolute chaos. Somewhere by episode 3 or 4, the hubby was gritting his teeth or trying to sleep. Still, that’s the same man who’ll watch a chick flick before I will. It’s just one of those…

Is this a cultural statement? Or feminist? Perhaps I’m not the right generation. I don’t know but watched all eight episodes and honestly can’t tell you if anything was settled or not. The characters are wild and a fascinating study (a McGee signature?). If that means there will be a season two, though, I’m not sure I’ll tune in. Will you? Have you watched it yet? All of it?

©2026 V Williams

Reading Ireland Month

Bossypants by Tina Fey – An #Audiobook Review Narrated by the Author

Rosepoint Publishing:  Five of Five Stars Five Stars

Bossypants by Tina Fey 

Book Blurb:

Before Liz Lemon, before “Weekend Update”, before “Sarah Palin”, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both of those dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey’s story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon – from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we’ve all suspected: you’re no one until someone calls you bossy.

Includes special, never-before-solicited opinions on breastfeeding, princesses, Photoshop, the electoral process, and Italian rum cake!

My Review:

If you’ve ever wondered if an author can read his/her own book and do it any justice, I urge you to give this audiobook a listen. Even if you’ve read her book–give the audiobook a listen. She so totally nails the pacing, the insinuations, the whispered asides, and the timbre, you can’t help but hang on every word. There were times I shared chapters with the CE and he laughed along with me.

Bossypants by Tina FeyA memoir? Nah. Autobiography? No–it is categorized as Comedy and Humor Essays and I’d say there were enough of both that you don’t really need a memoir, per se. Why not just enjoy the humorous aspects of her memories, giving you a personal glimpse to the woman inside Tina Fey. What you get is what you see? Perhaps more than you realized. She is enormously talented and she doesn’t take a lot of nonsense from anyone–hence the title.

Still, you are given vignettes into her childhood, adolescence, and the road to success through her experience with Second City, stint in SNL, and now 30 Rock. To be fair–no–30 Rock is not a show I watch, but then I don’t watch much on TV anymore, period. I specifically enjoyed the chapters on her dad, “That’s Don Fey,” as well as “My Honeymoon,” “The Secrets of Mommy’s Beauty,” “Amazing, Gorgeous, and Not Like That.” But “Kotex Classic” has to be a classic. Did I forget to mention her experience with the “Teat Nazis?” (Her attempt at breastfeeding didn’t go all that well.) Gees, I laughed at so many of her observations!

“Gay people don’t actually try to convert people. That’s Jehovah’s Witnesses you’re thinking of.”

Her intro to writing for SNL was a hoot, her role gradually evolving into performing (memorably as Sarah Palin) as well. It certainly makes those “stars” human, the actors, her fellow writers, and directors, with special love notes to Amy Poehler.

While the audiobook that Amy Poehler narrated was classed Biographies of Women and Humor Essays, I found little to confirm those categories, whereas I felt Fey’s Humor Essays were just that–one right after the other. I was quite surprised to read some of the reviews on Goodreads that didn’t appreciate either. Do both Poehler and Fey tend to get a bit profane? Yup. And there are no subjects taboo. (I suspect their lives have been greatly more exposed to the baser part of life than I.)

I received this audiobook download from my local library audiobook selection delivered through Overdrive. THANK YOU! You looking for a humorous oasis in this pandemic cloud? I suggest this just might give you that respite.

Book Details:

Genre: Comedy, Humor Essays
Publisher:  Hachette Audio
ASIN: B004V6APR2
Listening Length: 5 hrs 31 mins
Narrator: Tina Fey
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Source: Local (Audiobook Selections) Library
Title Link: Bossypants Rosepoint recommended

Add to Goodreads 

Tina Fey - actress, author
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — NBC Late Night — Pictured: Featured Player and Head Writer Tina Fey — NBC Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews

The Author: [from Goodreads] Elizabeth Stamatina “Tina” Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has received seven Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards. She was singled out as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008 by the Associated Press, who gave her their AP Entertainer of the Year award.

After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1992, Fey moved to Chicago to take classes at the improvisational comedy group The Second City, where she became a featured player in 1994. Three years later, Fey became a writer for the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). She was promoted to the position of head writer in 1999. The following year, Fey was added to the cast of SNL. During her time there, she was co-anchor of the show’s Weekend Update segment. After leaving SNL in 2006, she created the television series called 30 Rock, a situation comedy loosely based on her experiences at SNL. In the series, Fey portrays the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy series.

In 2004, Fey made her film debut as writer and co-star of the teen comedy Mean Girls. In 2008, she starred in the comedy film Baby Mama, alongside Amy Poehler. In 2009, Fey won an Emmy Award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on SNL.

[Note: Tina Fey is married to Jeff Richmond. Fey is currently the “creator and star of 30 Rock. They met while working at The Second City and dated for seven years before marrying in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 3, 2001. They have two daughters.”]

©2020 –  V Williams V Williams

HUMANITYUAPD

Empowering Your Journey: Health, Growth, Science, and Business Insights!

No Facilities

Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams

Heart of Loia `'.,°~

so looking to the sky ¡ will sing and from my heart to YOU ¡ bring...

WindWhisperer

AUTHOR OF EPIC FANTASY FICTION ©WindWhisperer - MATURE CONTENT/ADULT CONTENT

Caffeinated Reviewer

books, audiobooks, reviews & coffee

Lok Samvaad

still trying it!

My Awesome Blog

“Log your journey to success.” “Where goals turn into progress.”

Kana's Chronicles

Life in Kana-text (er... CONtext)

Talk Photo

A creative collaboration introducing the art of nature and nature's art.

ASTRADIE

LIBERTE - RESPECT- FORCE

The Silmaril Chick

Writing Fanfiction in the worlds of Tolkien and Beyond!

Fate Uncover

Reveal Your Destiny, Fortune, and Life Path

Author Pallabi Ghoshal

Inking Through Words, Letting Imagination Greet The Page

Nicole Marcina

Write your heart for the world to know. x

Sarika - The Euphoric Reads

Discover books, insights, and the joy of mindful living.

stanley's blog

Out Of The Strong Came Forth Ink Of The Ready Mind.

Change Therapy

Psychotherapy, Walk and Talk Therapy, Neurodiversity, Mindfulness, Emotional Wellbeing

Jody's Bookish Haven

Our specialty is introducing Indie authors to our readers!

Universal Spirituality In A Sikh Spirit

The Socio-Political Rays of Morality

Gwen Courtman Author

Gwen Courtman Author

Uncommonly Bound

An Unlikely Book Review Blog

Evan Ramos Writes

The creative writing of Evan Ramos

Gina Rae Mitchell

Championing indie authors and stories worth discovering.

Kayla's Only Heart

Always learning. Always progressing.

Home write.

The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.

Gloria McBreen

May you be at the gates of heaven an hour before the devil knows you are dead.

Kelly's Quest

In search of spirituality

Mitch Reynolds

Just Here Secretly Figuring Out My Gender

Word by Word

Thoughts on Literature, Expressing Creativity, Being Authentic

Thoughts on Papyrus

Exploration of Literature, Cultures & Knowledge

She’s Reading Now

I read books. Sometimes, I tell you about them. My sister says I do your Book Club work for you...that may be true!

jadicampbell

Life is a story, waiting to be told

Looking to God

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)

Modellismo 1946

https://sites.google.com/site/igobbimaledetti/home

COPY CLUB

We offer online business training and coaching services

Kreatif Medya

"Yeni Medya, Yeni Perspektifler" S.N.D.

Le Notti di Agarthi

Hollow Earth Society

Fantastic Planet 25

A Portal To Another Green World

Alex in Wanderland

A travel blog for wanderlust whilst wondering

Vegan Book Blogger

Fascinating and engaging book reviews and encouragement you'll want to read.