Tag Archives: Nonfiction

Review: The Woman in Me

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The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pub Date: 10/24/2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears was my most anticipated October read!

This memoir explores themes of fame, freedom, strained relationships, and motherhood.

While I found the writing style a bit bland and personally thought they could have chosen a different ghostwriter, I was still captivated by the compelling story. Britney’s childhood years were marked by a heartbreaking home life, but I felt that her rise to fame was somewhat glossed over. I found it interesting that they kept focusing on her romantic relationships more than anything else when she mentioned that the interviews she was in focused more on her relationships and motherhood versus her music. The writing took a compelling turn once it got into her marriage with KFed. Once we got to that point, the writing turned to be more compelling.

I appreciated that Britney shared her truth with us and I truly feel so sorry for her. Living in a world where you’re constantly gaslit, losing custody of your young children to your ex-husband, and being threatened of close family members who control every aspect of your life is unimaginably tragic. Now listening back to her songs, they hit different and take on a new deeper meaning.

In terms of the ending, I was disappointed that they didn’t include updates on her divorce and her current well-being. I truly hope she receives the professional help she needs and has a support system that truly prioritizes her well-being and gains her trust. I ended up listening to the audiobook which was a fantastic choice and highly recommend this format.

Initially, I was disappointed to hear that Britney herself wasn’t narrating it, but Michelle Williams did an incredible job. After finishing the book, I understood why Britney didn’t narrate herself due to the tough subjects she doesn’t want to relive. I loved that Michelle narrated with compassion and empathy making her the perfect choice. Overall, I highly recommend listening to this if you’re a Britney fan.

Review: You Should Sit Down For This

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You Should Sit Down For This by Tamera Mowry-Housley
Publisher: Legacy Lit
Pub Date: 10/4/2022

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the free audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: A lighthearted and supremely entertaining memoir, You Should Sit Down for This is like spending the afternoon sharing tea, fresh baked cookies, and conversation with Tamera Mowry-Housley, the fun-loving, wisdom-sharing girlfriend we all need in our lives (always ready to top off your wine!). Most of us know Tamera Mowry-Housley as a beloved TV star—one half of the memorable duo on the hit show Sister, Sister and co-host of the FOX talk show The Real. Tamera’s spunky Sister, Sister character stole the hearts of millions, but the transition in the public eye from teen-girl star to grown woman with a family and thriving career wasn’t easy. Being raised in Hawaii as an army brat instilled in her the discipline needed to succeed and conquer her dreams, but she felt secluded and sheltered, and wondered if living on her own terms would ever be her reality. Then, she decided it would. Tamera stopped letting other people define her, tapped into her faith, and tossed away negativity to hone her own happiness and create a unique path forward for herself. In this pink book of quirky advice and funny stories, she encourages everyone to do the same. In a book that celebrates cookies and the juicy parts of life, Tamera will leave you feeling liberated and motivated to embrace the highs and lows of growing up.
 
Tamera shares heartfelt stories about exiling herself from the world of beauty pageants, the pressures of being a teenage star, her struggle with rejection, the craziness of dating later in life, the challenges of balancing family and career, and why it’s okay for women to hide out in their closets when they just need a few minutes of peace. Tamera doesn’t shy away from the tough experiences, hilarious missteps, and big lessons it took to build a thriving career and the full life she’s living today. Our favorite girl next door offers “Tameraisms”—bite-sized pieces of wisdom to empower other women to step up to life’s unexpected turns and surprises and make it all work. You Should Sit Down for This is a much-needed reminder of the magic that can happen when we open our minds and hearts to become the very best versions of ourselves.

Review: You Should Sit Down For This is Tamera Mowry-Housley’s memoir. This memoir dives into family, values, and tidbits of advice. Tamera narrates this memoir herself with her wholesome and bubbly voice which sounds like listening to a dear friend. Though she seems like a sweet person and it’s great that she shared her experiences with readers, this one didn’t work out for me. It just didn’t seem memorable or to have substance. Some parts seemed to be a bit superficial and the way some parts were written seemed that they were intentionally left out which is fine. I found it odd that she didn’t have more about her siblings considering how popular her twin and one of her brothers are. I’d recommend skipping this one.

Review: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

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Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pub Date: 11/1/2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love Perry lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends.

Unflinchingly honest, moving, and hilarious: this is the book fans have been waiting for.

Review: I had such mixed feelings about this book and was struggling to rate this. I loved that Matthew went into detail about his struggles with addiction, loneliness, and discussed about his childhood. I was surprised he didn’t blame his parents on any of it and was forgiving of them. I also loved the tidbits he shared about Friends and how he became casted as Chandler. I ended up listening to the audiobook which I highly recommend because even though his voice has changed due to age, drugs, smoking, etc, you can hear the vulnerability and the raw emotion in his voice. I applaud him for sharing his struggles in memoir as there is a stigma in men’s health not to discuss or share anything with loved ones and to suffer alone. November is men’s health awareness so I felt that was a very timely read. There were also some parts that didn’t work for me and made me lose a bit of respect for him. I know there were times he was just trying to joke around or be sarcastic about the way he was talking about other celebrities, but it just came off as mean or so unnecessarily desperate so he was trying to name drop. The way he spoke and treated women was no surprise to me. There times in the book where he seemed very arrogant as well which was a bit annoying. The last part that frustrated me was the writing style. He is an incredible writer and I was able to binge this in a matter of days, but it kept hopping all over the place which was difficult to follow and needed some more structure. If you’re a Friends fan and/or a fan of Matthew Perry’s work, I would recommend picking this one up.