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
shannonvonpesach's review against another edition
4.5
The book was a good read, but sometimes it felt like telling facts.
Graphic: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Infidelity, and Stalking
aileron's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Confinement, Abortion, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, Fatphobia, Bullying, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Car accident
miayukino's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abortion, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
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
imstephtacular's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Infertility, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Car accident
plantonic_friendships's review against another edition
4.75
It's good to hear from her perspective and I think her ghostwriter did a great job showing her POV. Especially after decades of mistreatment from almost all the people around her.
It's so interesting how most of the female celebrities of her generation, especially her sister, contributed to her needless demise while several older female celebrities like Donatella, Madonna, and even Mariah helped her.
I'm so sorry the world put her through all of this. I can't imagine living a life where everyone you loved only saw you as a cash cow they wanted to wring dry.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Bullying, Confinement, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Abortion, and Medical content
jaz_gets_literary's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Abortion, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide