Ok y’all! Big round of applause for completing the first book of 2023 for me! Full disclosure; this book was on the shorter side so I was able to listen to it whenever I had a free moment so , like, while driving and multitasking! I love audiobooks because they allow me to devour a story while doing other things too! I kept seeing this title splattered all over Goodreads last year and my daughter loved ICarly and Sam and Cat growing up so I said….why not? I listened to the audiobook because the author narrates it so you are literally hearing their own story with their own voice….I love that! Anywho, on to the review!

• Format: Audiobook
• Length: 6 hours 26 minutes
• How I Discovered This Book: Highly Rated and Recommended on Goodreads
• How I Acquired: Audible Monthly Credit
• Date Started: 01/03/2023
• Date Finished: 01/10/2023

Whew! Kudos to Jennette for being so candid and brave in telling her story. I chose the Audiobook edition because I prefer to hear people’s personal stories in their own voice….literally….if possible. It just adds the personal touch to it even more. I must say, Jennette read her book, talking in a fast pace so there were times I had to re-listen to parts to make sure I heard everything correctly.

Her story is a heartbreaking one but it is told with a candor and bluntness that would often times catch me by surprise. The way she talks about her abuse or certain experiences with a straight forward, nonchalant tone as she drops a bombshell on you, definitely makes your eyebrows go up at times. I wouldn’t say this book is hilarious, especially given its topics but there is definitely a tone of Gallows Humor throughout but it adds to the context of where she is coming from recalling these times in her life. The Gallows Humor helps drive home the feelings of self-loathing and emptiness she felt so I think it is an important ingredient in the storytelling.

I do think this book should come with a trigger warning for those who suffer or have suffered from eating disorders, narcissistic parents etc. So for readers with those backgrounds, please read with caution. A lot of the abuse at the hands of her narcissistic mother just really blew my mind. As a mom, I couldn’t even fathom some of the things that her mother did to her so it was heartbreaking to listen to. I think and hope writing this book was truly cathartic for Jennette because as a mom, my 17 year old daughter grew up watching ICarly and Sam and Cat. They were 2 of her favorite shows and I would laugh along with my daughter while she watched. I think this book is a good example of “you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.” Just because a young, pretty actress seems to come from a place of privilege and has a dream life……doesn’t necessarily mean she really does.

I really like how Jennette wraps the book up…not with a pretty bow but with the simple fact that there is no fairytale ending and she is fully aware that she is a work in progress with her healing. On that note, I hope Jennette embraces her life and its potential and continues to work towards the life she wants and her healing. I do recommend listening to this one simply because she is sharing her story…the good, bad and really ugly and at the end of the day, she is just a human like the rest of us….just trying to be her authentic, true and vulnerable self. All the while, embracing and acknowledging her inner struggles and slipups sometimes while still working towards healing each day. It doesn’t get much more real or human than that. P.S. I’m glad her mom died too…..SMH!