kaitlin1210's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Confinement
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
5.0
This poor girl. After reading this, I hate parts of our legal system even more than I already did!
Also, if you love pop culture, especially the music industry in the early 2000s, you’ll be as fascinated by the first half of the book as I was!
This book is just proof that most men suck. Especially rich ones.
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Abortion, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Confinement, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Torture
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Medical content
danileah07's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, and Confinement
Moderate: Gaslighting, Torture, Death, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Abortion, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Cursing
Minor: Addiction
kelly_e's review against another edition
3.25
Author: Britney Spears
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: October 24, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Brave • Chaotic • Halfhearted
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was a pre-teen when Britney's first album dropped in 1999 and I remember getting the album the following Christmas and listening to it on repeat. However, my interest was short lived and it ended up being the only one of her albums I owned. Despite not following her career closely, I still knew I wanted to read this memoir.
While I can empathize with Britney's story, The Woman in Me lacked depth. She has gone through her fair share of trauma and struggle, revealing some heavy truths within. Yet because she kept thing very surface level, these reveals felt like shock value additions more than a part of the healing process. I can imagine it took tremendous courage putting her story out into the world and I hope it was therapeutic for her. However as a reader, the writing was so chaotic, reading more like a diary than a well-crafted memoir.
With all of that said, what this book did offer me was insight into the behind-the-scenes world of music, as well as the enduring power of music in healing. I also greatly appreciated her devotion to her children, something the mainstream media has certainly left out.
At the end of the day, I am glad to have picked this up and listened to it. However, it was the deep emotional memoir I was so hoping for. I hope the writing process was a healing part of her journey to taking back control of her life. But when I got to the end, I got the sense she still has a long ways to go.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• die-hard Britney fans
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Music stopped the noise, made me feel confident, and took me to a pure place of expressing myself exactly as I wanted to be seen and heard. Singing took me into the presence of the divine."
"If no one is used to you being assertive, they get very freaked out when you start speaking your mind."
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Addiction, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Abortion, Miscarriage, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Bullying, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, and Infidelity
ronnieb's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, and Medical trauma
miranda_is_reading's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Eating disorder, Medical content, Miscarriage, Death, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Pregnancy
ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
5.0
Her story broke me. I'm a woman and a mother, too, so I can only imagine how hard it must have been to take her children away from her.
The gaslighting was harsh and it made my blood boil. What horrible things people can do because of money is beyond me. The point where her dad said that he was Britney Spears at that point gave me chills.
Her life was difficult to say the least. Her faith in humanity is tested a lot of times and it might not have been easy when the people who are supposed to love her are the ones who caused her pain.
Nonetheless, I'm glad that she got her power and freedom back. She's living her life now. I hope she's truly happy more than ever.
P. S. I love her song "Lucky" when I was in elementary school and that piece of music is fun and sad at the same time.
Graphic: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Violence, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Slavery, Grief, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, and Gaslighting
sorcha's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Abortion, and Addiction
Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Drug use
eelizard's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Abortion
Moderate: Addiction
docsmage's review against another edition
5.0
Freedom means being goofy, silly, and having fun on social media. Freedom means taking a break from Instagram without people calling 911. Freedom means being able to make mistakes, and learning from them. Freedom means I don’t have to perform for anyone—onstage or offstage. Freedom means that I get to be as beautifully imperfect as everyone else. And freedom means the ability, and the right, to search for joy, in my own way, on my own terms.
An incredibly heavy, emotional, at times brutal read. I'm left overwhelmed with emotion about everything that she's been through, admiration for her ability to get through it all, and appreciation for her lifetime of achievements despite her circumstances. Britney, thank you for sharing your story with all of us - may you have a lifetime of joy, freedom, and the ability to enjoy the power of your voice.
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Gaslighting, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Dysphoria, and Drug abuse
Minor: Infertility