Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Woman in Me

"There have been so many times when I was scared to speak up because I was afraid somebody would think I was crazy. But I’ve learned that lesson now, the hard way. You have to speak the thing that you’re feeling, even if it scares you. You have to tell your story. You have to raise your voice."

It's true that I don't usually read celebrity memoirs, but there has been such a hype around The Woman In Me and in the end I couldn't resist. Especially since I already had some knowledge of the things that happened to her, and I was curious to see just how far things really did go. Boy, this memoir was no picnic! Britney Spears tells her story as it is without any filter, and it is shocking just how much she has had to endure ever since she was little. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be SO betrayed by the very same people who are supposed to protect you... And how it was even possible for it to take that long for her to be able to do something about it. While I would have liked more dept in certain parts, I can't deny I liked the way this was written. Simple, but very effective and there are many trigger warning worthy topics incorporated along the way. She isn't afraid to name names either, and I applaud her for finally being able to truly speak up for herself. I remember certain events from when I was a teenager, and this memoir has definitely put things in perspective. It's truly a miracle she was even able to perform and create new content while being in such an impossible situation! I listened to her music when she first became popular, and while I wasn't a true fan or anything I'm still glad I finally read this memoir. It shows some of her music career, but the main focus is on her personal situation over the years. If you like reading celebrity memoirs and don't mind things getting dark, I can definitely recommend The Woman In Me.

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cmlalonde's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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theabee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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lara_ayrolla's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

It was really fun to read and listen to Britney's entire discography. I highly recommend it in case you haven't heard all of her music yet.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from this book but I knew I was going to learn details about some gossip and I hoped I was going to understand who Britney really is and what she felt through different periods of her life. I expected to cry and feel bad for Britney, but I definitely did not expect to feel inspired and eager to turn around my own life.

I didn't expect to read about an incredibly kind and strong woman, and I didn't expect it to be exactly what I needed to read about at this moment of my life, but it was and I loved it.

Sadly, the experience wasn't perfect. The reading was a little bumpy because of the writing style. That is the only reason the book lost some points in my evaluation, not at all the content itself.

Pros:

I loved how Britney used her experiences and how she reacted to them to exemplify how her brain worked at certain times in her life.
Britney's kindness and strength are inspiring and awesome to read about. She seems like a great person.
The way the book starts and ends referencing the same moment of her laying down on the rocks as a child was clever and satisfying, tying it all together.

Cons:

The tone of the writing is a little distant and too straightforward. There aren't many details and it feels like an enumeration of everything she's lived.
The connection between paragraphs and sometimes even sentences is not very cohesive. The subjects change way too quickly and out of the blue.
A few iconic moments and pictures are mentioned but the images aren't included in the book. That would've made the reading experience much nicer, as I had to look up a lot of pictures.

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zesha's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

C – I can’t really speak for the credibility of this book. It feels trustworthy to me, and that’s about all I can go off of. But because of that, this book leaves me deeply sad and angry for Britney. She was wronged in so many ways, most of all by her own family.

A – I feel this book is authentic. It brings what Britney felt, and probably contradicts her mom’s and sister’s books that they put out. I may try to find and read those sometime, just to see what they say. But only if I can find them through the library or somewhere free—I refuse to give money to either of them.

W – The writing felt really good to me, easy to read and it flowed well. It kind of reminded me of how I write, so perhaps that’s why I like it so much.

P – There was… a lot in this book. It hit me hard. I had only known bits and pieces from the media, and we all know how the media loves to contort things. But this does show that sometimes, you have to fight for yourself. It might mean waiting until the right moment, but your own freedom is important to your mental health.

I – I wanted to keep reading this book whenever I looked away from it, and often had to keep myself from going back to it because I knew I needed to sleep/do other things.

L – I mean, the conservatorship didn’t make a bit of sense, but it happened anyway, didn’t it? Ridiculous. I’m just glad she managed to get out of it. Thirteen years though…

E – Is “enjoy” the right word for this book? I learned a lot about Britney through it, but I’m not sure if I’d say I enjoyed learning those things. But I do feel like I understand her better now, so for that I’ll give her high marks.

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elisereadsbigbooks's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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weelasswithabook's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

5.0

CW: alcoholism, DV, suicide, mentiom of child loss, mention of car accident, CSA, mention of PPH, cheating, abortion, PPD, depression, anxiety, child removal by other parent, familial abuse, financial abuse, body shaming, diet control, mental health crisis, forced institutionalisation, gaslighting, manipulation, miscarriage

🌟 Memoir

God this was a difficult read. Right from the get-go it's just a heartbreaking perspective on Britney's life. Right from the beginning of her life she was exposed to suicide, death, and abuse. Just the content warning list above should give you an idea of just how sad this poor woman's life has been.

Britney Spears was a staple of the majority of us elder Millennials childhoods and there's a sense of guilt there (at least how I feel) that we all just took her persona at face value and assumed her life was glitter and dreams. Obviously we weren't to know what was going on behind the curtain, but I don't think I'll ever hear certain songs of hers the same after reading this, now I see where some of the lyrics may have stemmed from.

From a technical aspect, I've seen reviews complaining about the actual writing of the book, and I do agree it felt very juvenile, HOWEVER, this woman was basically trapped as a late teen for the majority of her life and had her voice stifled. It's only very recently that she's had her own life back and I don't think we should be too hard on her for the technicality of her writing. I think it's pretty unfair.

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haleybre's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

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