micasreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Jennette McCurdy, star of Nickelodeon's iCarly, has led a very hard life. In her memoir, she notes what it was like growing up with a hoarder for a mother who continuously reminded her children that she almost died and how lucky they are to have her. As Jennette reached six years old, her mother decided to live vicariously through her and began taking her on auditions - she would become the actress her mother always thought she could be. As her mother continues to be an overbearing presence in her life, Jennette deals with an eating disorder, mental health issues, and a variety of other problems. After the death of her mother to breast cancer that has spread, Jennette moves from anorexia to bulimia in a way to attempt to have some control of her life. Years after her mother's death, Jennette begins therapy and seeks help for her eating disorder, and is finally putting her personal needs over those of around her.
Make no mistake about it - this book is a very hard read. There are many, many trigger warnings involved with this book but the details are needed for the true scope of the story to be understood. Jenette details the narcissistic and abusive behavior of her mother as well as her obsession with making Jennette a star and spending every moment with her. There are far too many moments in her life where her mother overstepped her boundaries by a large measure. If you have experienced mental or physical trauma at the hands of another please be sure that you are prepared before you pick up this book. If you have dealt with any sort of eating disorder, this book may not be the best choice for you. All in all, I think the author was extremely brave in telling her story and being so open and vulnerable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cancer, Body shaming, and Alcohol
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