At times laugh-out-loud funny, at times subtly devastating, this was an intimate, vulnerable, and powerful peek into the life of Jennette McCurdy, her child stardom, and her … complicated… relationship with her mother. Well written and full of sharp wit, and short chapters, this book was unputdownable. I really enjoy celebrity memoirs because through the fame machine, we see or feel like we get to know them, but their memoir is a deeper look, on their own terms. 

McCurdy really has a voice for memoir - wry, and self-reflective, tackling incredibly devastating topics, but not always taking herself too seriously, she has a way of taking the readers through her pain and her traumas, and holding our hands through it, as we navigate her life story. And what a life story it has been - this book was quite emotionally affecting, and even harrowing at times, as it explored her journey with: child stardom, disordered eating, toxic work environments, codependency, alcohol addiction, and most centrally, her messy and painful relationship with her mother.

As someone who has been struggling through a book slump, this book felt like I could see the fog of my reading slump lifting, because boy, was this engrossing. I tend to be wary of super highly rated, buzzy books, because I worry they’ve been hyped up too much, and that I’ll be let down, but that was definitely not the case here.

I’m grateful to McCurdy for sharing her story, and I wish her the very best with all that’s ahead of her… I really hope it includes more books!