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ballousclues's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh, I don't even know where to start with this review. It was such a roller coaster of emotions. The story was interesting, but the writing was weak and there were certain parts I felt could have been flushed out more. Overall, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
In The Woman in Me, Britney Spears shares snippets of what her life was like growing up in the south, getting on The Mickey Mouse Club, rising to fame in her teens, crashing out in her 20s, and being controlled for almost 14 years. You can definitely notice when it shifts from a ghost writer to Spears' voice. It almost felt like I was reading her diary. Makes me wonder what didn't make the cut in the editing process and how much control people had over what she could publish.
The book definitely sent me down a rabbit hole of her social media over the years and how she has slowly been able to become a version of herself she controls. It's so sad to hear that her family treated her like a cash cow and never let her be her own person. It seems like she had so much talent to share with the world and her POS parents wanted to capitalize on it. This story gives me less faith in our legal system taking appropriate action to support those who are unable to speak for themselves.
#FreeBritney
PS - it made me a little happy, in a weird way, to know that Jamie Lynn has always been obnoxious. Sucks she didn't do more to support her sister.
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Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
booksbri's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Abortion
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexism, Torture, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
jewelzbooks44's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
lizzy_elaineee's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Suicide
randirush's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abortion
Moderate: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
smacey's review against another edition
5.0
Britney Spears is a living legend. We are so lucky she is still here and was willing to be so vulnerable with the public, who has historically treated her so wrong, and tell her story. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone with any interest in Britney, pop culture/music, mental health, feminism, or conservatorships taking the time to read this book. So many quotes have stuck with me since reading this memoir, and regardless of how well you think it was written or not, it does what it was meant to: tell the unabashed truth about what happened to Britney Spears and the poor treatment she received from the vast majority of people close to her as well as the public eye throughout her life, particularly at the height of her stardom and career, and give a glimpse into one of many unnecessary conservatorships used to strip people of their personal, professional, and financial freedoms, all from the point of view of Britney herself.
What an absolute icon.
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
lara_ayrolla's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Body shaming and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
zesha's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Sexual assault
mamasuereads's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
5.0
🌟 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.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Abortion, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic