"Since I was a toddler, I guess, I've had a deep respect for renegades, contrarians, and disruptors. People who didn't care about social restrictions or traditions. Adventurers who carved their own way. I like people who 'get the joke'-the joke being life. These are people like Hunter S. Thompson, Keith Richards, Falstaff, Ernest Hemingway, the surfer Bunker Spreckles. Here's the thing: There are always people who bitch and moan about rules being broken and precedents being set, but the people who actually make history are the ones who give the world the middle finger. I've tried to live my life that way, by giving the finger instead of what's expected, and sometimes it works-and sometimes people get pissed. And I'm okay with that. I'm also not sure I'm making history, but I do have some great stories."

AVERAGE EXPECTATIONS: Lessons in Lowering the Bar (Gallery Books; on-sale March 16, 2021) is a witty and engaging collection of essays from the charismatic star of Southern Charm that offers rip-roaring stories and tongue-in-cheek advice on everything from relationships to travel to "woke" culture and beyond.

In AVERAGE EXPECTATIONS, Shep shares this irreverent and relatable collection of lessons and anecdotes about living an untamed yet genuine life, raising hell, and having fun along the way. With his signature endearingly snarky voice, he explores topics as varied as the trials and tribulations of being a late bloomer, the ins and outs of ghosting, how to talk about politics without resorting to blows, the do's and don'ts of getting drunk abroad, and much more. Shep has caroused around the world, from Hong Kong to Dubai to the mean streets of Charleston, and the fact that he hasn't been the subject of a Locked Up Abroad episode defies all logic.

AVERAGE EXPECTATIONS is a chronicle of one lucky SOB and the exploits that got him where he is today, with advice and stories that will help unleash your inner rabble-rouser, inspire you to live an untamed life, and remind you that at the end of the day, life is all about having fun, having a laugh, and, most important of all, being in on the joke.