This Will All Be Over Soon: A Memoir

Written by Cecily Strong

Narrated by Cecily Strong

A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousin—and embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught her—amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. And so she was devastated when, in early 2020, he passed away at age thirty from the brain cancer glioblastoma. Before Strong could attempt to process her grief, another tragedy struck: the coronavirus pandemic. Following a few harrowing weeks in the virus epicenter of New York City, Strong relocated to an isolated house in the woods upstate. Here, trying to make sense of Owen’s death and the upended world, she spent much of the ensuing months writing. The result is This Will All Be Over Soon—a raw, unflinching memoir about loss, love, laughter, and hope.

Befitting the time-warped year of 2020, the diary-like approach deftly weaves together the present and the past. Strong chronicles the challenges of beginning a relationship during the pandemic and the fear when her new boyfriend contracts COVID. She describes the pain of losing her friend and longtime Saturday Night Live staff member Hal Willner to the virus. She reflects on formative events from her life, including how her high school expulsion led to her pursuing a career in theater and, years later, landing at SNL.

Yet the heart of the book is Owen. Strong offers a poignant account of her cousin’s life, both before and after his diagnosis. Inspired by his unshakable positivity and the valuable lessons he taught her, she has written a book that—as indicated by its title—serves as a moving reminder: whatever challenges life might throw one’s way, they will be over soon. And so will life. So make sure to appreciate every day and don’t take a second of it for granted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797129907

Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong is an actress and comedian best known as standout Saturday Night Live cast member. She has entertained viewers with a variety of beloved SNL characters featured on “Weekend Update,” and earned rave reviews for her impressions of Jeanine Pirro, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Melania Trump. Cecily previously cohosted “Weekend Update” alongside both Seth Meyers and Colin Jost. In 2015, she headlined the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. She will next star in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon. She lives and works in New York City.

Reviews for This Will All Be Over Soon

[Cindy Reuter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed your honesty I lost a lot of people I loved including my husband. I had many of friends pass away. I appreciated your openness to tell us about your grief and struggles no two people grieve the same but talking about it and remember the love with have for them is a wonderful experience to share. Thank you so much. Love you on SNL.

[Shannon Mahler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Super brave. Deeply real and intense, Cecily describes characteristics of her anxiety, depression, fears, grief and relationship feelings..very intimate and vulnerable. I applaud her for this. Interesting look at a real time reaction to COVID in it's beginning in the US, and at the one time epicenter, NYC.

[Colleen Hannon · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Incoherent timeline, read like a teenagers diary. Repetitive and poor writing. Ceciley is talented on SNL but that talent does not translate in this memoir

[Jahel Corbán Caldera · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Raw, honest, real. Not what you would have expected of a cast of SNL memoir. This is a compilation of essays about grief, pain and love. Short and bittersweet. Cecily is not afraid to bare it all and I am grateful for that. Cherry on top is Owen’s song at the end. Definitely a fan now.

[Steven Kambich · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely amazing!! Just what I needed!!! Thank you for being vulnerable and open to your audience!! Tough issues tackled in a non-heavy way!!

[Steven Stankevitz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was good because I could tell how sincere author was on subject. Thanks

[Nick Hilton · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Man, it really hurts to write this because I love Cecily so much on SNL and wanted to learn much more about her story. Unfortunately, this isn't much of a memoir. It reads more like a series of disjointed blog posts, 90% of which are focused around 2020. Much of the book revolves around her tragically deceased cousin, with the rest around how COVID has affected her. Very little is about her growing up, how she got into acting or sketch comedy, or the wisdom she's accumulated in her life.