"Extraordinary; Hepola's electrifying prose is like a flamingo among the geese of this genre of literature. He has direct access to the nocturnal gods of love songs, neon signs, cheap draft beer, tobacco, and boundless longing.”—The New York Times

"Thrillingly funny, brutally candid."—Entertainment Weekly

For Sarah Hepola alcohol was "the gasoline of all adventure." Drinking meant being free, it was part of her right as a strong and progressive woman of the s. XXI. But it had a price. She would often wake up with gaps and a blank space where there should have been four hours. She began spending her mornings doing detective work: “What did I say last night? Who was that guy? Where I am?".

Lagunas is an autobiography with imperturbable sincerity and emotional humor that provokes laughter. It is the story of a woman who stumbles into a new adventure: the sober life she never wanted.

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It's been said:

"As lyrically written as a literary novel, as intriguingly concocted as a thriller, as well-researched as investigative journalism, and impossible to put down like a cold beer on a hot day."—Chicago Tribune

"Hepola refuses to complicate the simple. It is one of the great successes of her autobiography, a fascinating coming-of-age story and an important contribution to the growing number of books dealing with women and alcohol.”—Los Angeles Times

“Hepola unreservedly documents both the dizzying pleasures and the stark toll of dependence on her. Her story leaves you breathless ... and excited ».—People

"It's hard to find an autobiography that goes as deep into the mind of a drinker as this one. Her writing lights up the pages and infuses the chapters with descriptions of her determined effort to get sober, with warm, energetic humor."—Entertainment Weekly

Lagunas is gripping, terrifying and funny at the same time, chilling and hopeful, and beautifully written. I loved her ».— Anne Lamott (author of Bird to Bird)

"A brave and graceful work with a striking directness."—Publishers Weekly

"Clever, modern, raw, terrifyingly real and even hilarious. Hepola goes beyond analyzing her problem and makes her story one of all women who fight to be seen for who they really are ».—Kirkus Reviews

«A good and sincere autobiography is a work of art that stands the test of literary time and fulfills its purpose in the present. It taps into the most intimate and personal experiences to raise higher questions, tell a stronger story, and help readers understand themselves, their circumstances, and their world. Like the best sermons, the best autobiographies comfort the distraught and distress the calm. This rare bird is the southern belle of literature: forceful, meticulous, beautiful. Lagunas, Salon editor Sarah Hepola's literary debut is one such autobiography. As lyrically written as a literary novel, as intriguingly concocted as a thriller, as well-researched as investigative journalism, and impossible to put down like a cold beer on a hot day.”—Chicago Tribune

«Extraordinary, Hepola's electrifying prose is like a flamingo among the geese of this genre of literature... As a genre, dependency autobiographies are always interesting because they are an excuse to tell a life. In that sense, Hepola's book is of the highest quality and we all win: she has a better life and we have this book.”—New York Times

"Hepola refuses to complicate the simple. It is one of the great successes of his autobiography... Yes, we already know the story of the phases of a recovery -I drank a lot, I hit rock bottom and I went to Alcoholics Anonymous-, but thanks to her we are submerged in shame, fear and the perfectionism that induces many women towards a defiant self-destruction, to annihilate a confused and imperfect nature and be different, better, invincible. Reflecting on the fantasies that plagued her drinking years, the newly recovered Hepola comes to understand that these fantasies had something in common: "I was always someone different in them"... a fascinating story about the transition from adolescence to the coming of age and an important contribution to the growing number of books dealing with women and alcohol.”—Los Angeles Times