genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Addiction, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Abandonment, Animal death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Excrement, Gore, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
vr_alyssa's review against another edition
3.0
So why did I decide to read this book? Well, largely because I am interested in life writing. But honestly also because I came across a news article that addressed the (forced) use of alcohol among child actors for Nickelodeon (bad reason but here we are).
For a large part of the book, the author writes from the perspective of a child. On a base level this means simple words, short sentences, etc. On a deeper level, this means naiveté, misunderstanding of circumstances, lack of reflection, etc. For example: the child puts her mom on a pedestal and wants to be just like her, despite the mother constantly putting the child in situations where she is extremely uncomfortable and forcing the child to put the mother's needs before her own. This is of course not the child's fault. If anything, it gives the reader a much better understanding of the abuse that went on: how bad it was, how deeply ingrained it became, etc. Just to be clear: that is not to say that the author is any of those things, but she has given the narrator these qualities as the narrator starts out as a child and (somewhat) gradually becomes an adult as the story progresses.
It's a heart-breaking book. The situation with her mom was so much worse than I imagined, and it makes me love my mom even more. But. The book runs on 'tell' and includes little 'show'. She skips larger periods of time without justification or explanation and often does not include information that would inform the reader how much time has passed. In some cases the skipping of time can be very productive to the story; however, I constantly felt like I was missing key information that would have helped me understand the characters and their relationships better - I am still unsure what her relationship with her brothers is like, whether they were a part of her journey from victim to survivor, or not at all. Not only that, also information that would have shaped the story, provided more structure, and even presented a clearer picture on the abuse that went on at Nickelodeon (I really do feel that there is a lot more there than was included).
Additionally, the relationship between the narrator and the mother was both the focus and not, which was distracting.
Spoiler
It is not until the last page or so that she finally acknowledges the abuse, which was a relief it indicates the narrator is doing better, but also came out of nowhere for me as it was not a steady process. The narrator (and with it the reader) checks in and out on the mother. I honestly really, really wanted to see more clearly how Jennette went from putting her mother on a pedestal to recognising how abusive she was and giving the book the title I'm Glad My Mom Died. With that I mean: the therapy, the thought process, the pain, the contradictions, etc.Spoiler
Furthermore, certain names are dropped while others are actively left out (The Creator), but then these characters disappear from the story. Her various co-stars, for example, such as Miranda and Ariana. They are sporadically mentioned in the book, and added new layers to the pain Jenette was already experiencing, but the reader is left unsatisfied as the characters disappear. Sure, Miranda and Ariana briefly reappear for a 'name-dropping-moment', but I would have liked to see the impact of these female relationships on Jennette and her image of femininity. Now, they seemed important to the story, but weren't fully explored. I think this issue could have been fixed by creating a clearer structure and taking the reader along for the ride more. It is very clear that Miranda, Ariana, and even the Victorious cast had an impact on Jennette's experience - but its not a fully formed picture in the book.
So its not a 'good' book in a literary or storytelling way, but its easy and enjoyable to read and certainly brings the story comes across. To reiterate: it is heart-breaking. Since becoming an adult, I've had a very negative view on how child-actors have been treated and it pisses me off. For me, this book once again shows that child-stardom and childhood cannot co-exist within mega-companies that care more about making fast money.
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
mitchteri's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Self harm, and Child abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Bullying
smithreads's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Rape, Addiction, and Medical content
Minor: Excrement, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
walkie_check's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Vomit, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Blood, Alcoholism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Stalking, and Classism
marenm's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Excrement, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Gaslighting
puglover's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, and Cancer
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Vomit, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
absolute_bookery's review
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Grief, Cursing, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, Abandonment, Cancer, Bullying, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Vomit, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Gaslighting, Excrement, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Death
imogenrose97's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, and Vomit
italianstallionbutbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Miscarriage, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail