Listen free for 30 days

  • Nothing Like I Imagined

  • (Except for Sometimes)
  • Written by: Mindy Kaling
  • Narrated by: Mindy Kaling
  • Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (362 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Nothing Like I Imagined cover art

Nothing Like I Imagined

Written by: Mindy Kaling
Narrated by: Mindy Kaling
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.92

Buy Now for $21.92

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

2021 Audie Award Nominee for Best Humor Audiobook

In these fresh and hilarious personal essays, Mindy Kaling gives the inside scoop on her new role as single mom, the perks of being her own husband, and how she deals with social anxiety even at the most glamorous A-list parties. In between, the beloved actress, writer, and Hollywood power-bruncher gets Kanye West’d at her best friend’s birthday, thwarts an “only in LA” crime, and learns what it means to have it all.

Kind of Hindu
What if only kind of knowing your family’s heritage is actually kind of lame? For Mindy, the search for an answer begins with an edible arrangement of chocolate strawberries and a Hindu priest.

Please Like Me (But Keep Away)
Freaked out by her fortieth birthday, Mindy reflects on the importance of good friends - and the mortifying obligations it takes to keep them.

Help Is on the Way
When a friend real-talks Mindy into hiring a baby nurse, she finds the help she needs - and so much more - in this soulful essay by the acclaimed writer, actress, producer, and director.

Searching for Coach Taylor
A totally relatable essay on showing up to adult life alone. Pros? Mindy can marathon any Christine Baranski show she wants. Cons? Dealing with married couples and their condescension at cocktail parties.

Once Upon a Time in Silver Lake
All Mindy wants is a night out… But what does the scary stranger in the driver’s seat of her ride want? Find out in a nerve-wracking mini-drama by the New York Times bestselling author of Why Not Me?

Big Shot
Is $2,000 a lot to drop on someone else’s dinner, just to be a Big Shot? Hell yeah! But what if nobody notices that you - one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” - picked up the tab? 

Includes Bonus Content

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Mindy Kaling (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What the critics say

“Mindy Kaling narrates her latest volume of quirky, sarcastic, hilarious essays on being a 40-something mother in Hollywood. She is everything fans of her television shows, such as The Office and The Mindy Project, have come to expect—lively, upbeat, and irreverent. The overall effect is that listeners feel they are in the room with Kaling as she is semi-ranting over coffee—or something stronger. She races through a diverse array of topics—from contemplating her Hindu spiritual origins and picking up expensive dinner tabs to turning 40. Kaling is unflinching in sharing the intimate details of her life. Listeners will laugh throughout these humorous reflections. Kaling delivers what have come to be her trademarks in this recent installment.” - Audiofile Magazine

What listeners say about Nothing Like I Imagined

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    254
  • 4 Stars
    75
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    261
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    214
  • 4 Stars
    56
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

relatable

Great listen!
Relatable.
Funny.
Mindy's short essay's give us a look into her life a little more. She shares some important things we should all think about.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I feel happy about myself as I read Mindy Kaling

There’s something about seeing yourself in someone else’s writing. I find myself laughing while I walk and listen to Mindy Kaling read her essays. It’s not the celebrity aspects that connect most with me, it’s her reactions to them that I identify with.

As a man of South-Asian heritage she is an idol for me. It’s always a pleasure reading her writings.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good for long drives

imagine being inside someone's head and then realizing it's a lot like your head. it's an easy peasy listening for long drives to keep you stimulated just enough to stay awake but not so deep that you can't focus on the road.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it!

These essays were amazing. I missed hearing Mindy's wonderful creativity and am so glad she decided to write these essays.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

BEST MEDICINE FOR MY POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

while looking for some new moms books that help my postpartum depresssion I came across this audible gem.....I listened it while breastfeeding my baby at 3 a.m.
Thanks Mindy for creating it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mindy is Absolutely down to Earth ! Loved this

First of I would honestly say Mindy is an inspirational, “real to life “ honest human being that is so talented articulated and is so relatable it’s light humor and easy read very enjoyable I would recommend to family and friends .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Collect of cute short stories

Love it. Light hearted. Short little stories about her life.
Loved that she read it herself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • A
  • 2022-09-08

what you would expect from mindy

really good stuff here. Mindy is exactly what you would expect and want, smart, funny and engaging. it is interesting to hear some of the behind the scene stories from a person living in Hollywood. definitely worth your time !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My first experience of Mindy Kaling, the author

Usually avoiding comedian autobiographies as they are disappointing or repeated late night talk show stories, Mindy Kaling is not that. She is everything you want in a series of short essays of her personal experiences. She doesn't over extend herself to get a laugh and is heart warmingly relatable. I welcome binging her book series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Funny!

Huge Mindy fan! All of the essay are funny. Just wished it was slightly longer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jen Kious
  • Jen Kious
  • 2020-10-12

Mindy is wonderful

This was wonderful, just like all her other books. My only complaint is that it doesn’t seem fair that they charge you a full credit for this collection, which is only 2 hours, instead of a normal book which is 5-10 hrs! But I still bought it because I love Mindy, so I guess the joke’s on me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Diana
  • Diana
  • 2020-10-14

Lost her spark

It’s boring. She’s missed her mark since The Mindy Project. It’s also a low blow to degrade the Hillsong church. I would never degrade her Hindu faith, and it’s another example of a celebrity portraying Christian faith is assuming closed mindedness of their followers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Priti
  • Priti
  • 2020-10-11

Witty as always but with a new perspective

Miss Kaling does a beautiful job of tying comedy into discussions of the most poignant moments of life - motherhood and realizing the loss of a beloved parent. She writes with the same grace as we’ve come to expect from anything she writes, be it a memoir, a television show, or a movie, but this time, ”Nothing Like I Imagined” revels a leek of introspection and self-love infused with a deep honesty and vulnerability that I’ve been waiting to see from Mindy. It’s hilarious and deeply comforting. I highly recommend this reading experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Joohyun Park
  • Joohyun Park
  • 2021-06-05

Not worth a credit

I did enjoy it and it was fun to listen to but it's way too short to spend a credit for.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for J.S.
  • J.S.
  • 2020-11-29

Kind of disappointed

I love Mindy. I've watched all her shows, read all her books and find her to be witty and cool. I liked this book but I found it to be mostly about how rich she is and all the places she goes because she is rich and how she can afford a nanny and nurse maid because again..... she's rich. I'm glad she is successful, but it was just too much focus in that for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Erica Mendes
  • Erica Mendes
  • 2020-10-09

Mindy Kaling is back and just as excellent

My only complaint is that I wish it was at least twice as long as it is. Here’s hoping she writes another collection soon!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Polly
  • Polly
  • 2021-06-05

simple yet entertaining and genuine :)

I've purchased all of Mindy's other books ... and at first I thought this one wouldn't be good when I started it. But, then I continued listening in and I was pleasantly entertained as always! she's so honest, genuine and always her true self--it's refreshing. As always, her VO for the book was a five star performance (just like her acting). :)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for thiswillhurt86
  • thiswillhurt86
  • 2020-10-12

Delightful and quintessential Mindy

Mindy is just a delight. Truthful and honest, I enjoy her stories and her performance. Great easy read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for BOONIE
  • BOONIE
  • 2023-01-14

Enjoyed this audiobook

Loved Mindy's honest, entertaining, and engaging depiction of her life story. Looking forward to listening to other audiobooks by Mindy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Ellen Langford
  • Ellen Langford
  • 2023-01-12

Delightful

Mindy Kaling is amazing and the essays she reads here don’t disappoint! Can’t wait for more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful