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
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
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
katndrsn's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Car accident
Minor: Suicide
reallyitsrudi's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Abortion, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage
jneverland's review against another edition
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Abandonment, Body shaming, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
bookworm247's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Bullying, Drug abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Stalking, Abortion, and Blood
mdwsn27's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Body shaming
moon2marcuss's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug abuse
mynameisrebecca's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts