Welcome to Litsy!

My kiddos grew up watching iCarley. I wasn‘t really interested in this memoir when it was first published but readers were raving, I caved (FOMO,) and I‘m glad I did. It‘s almost unbelievable what this child actor endured throughout her childhood. I‘m glad she had the guts to write about it and I hope it helps with her healing process. She deserves a happy, healthy life and I‘m rooting for her.

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #imgladmymomdied #jennettemccurdy #bookbeast #bookbuds #bookclub #letsread

An honest, painful and sometimes funny memoir about a child star and her relationship with her narcissistic mom. Her mother‘s biggest desire was for her daughter to become a star and that required constant makeovers, caloric restrictions, and complete control over every aspect of Jeannette‘s life. After her mother‘s death from metastatic breast cancer, she slowly rebuilds her life and self-esteem. A beautiful story of resilience.

I found a lot of the content relatable in similar yet different ways. In Jennette's book, her mom pushed her into a world of acting that she didn‘t ever actually want to be in. She only did it because it would make her mom happy. I chose to do what I wanted even if it didn‘t make my mom happy. Sometimes doing what makes your parent happy is not what is best for you. I‘m pretty sure I cried a few times listening to this one.

I watched I Carly with my kids and recall the author's character and performance quite well. She is clearly a remarkable young woman, I was genuinely impressed with her bravery in telling her story so unflinchingly.

Listened to this on audio which was done by the author herself. Amazing style of quick witted writing that has an emotional punch. The story of a child actors plight with fame and an obsessed mother who will go to any extreme for her daughters success, even if it‘s hurting her in the process.

I didn‘t know anything about Jennette McCurdy before reading this book so I didn‘t come into it as a fan girl which I think probably left some context on the table. I liked her writing and her authenticity but this isn‘t a book I‘m going to run around recommending. It was a good beach read even though the subject matter (eating disorders, abuse) was dark.

Jennette McCurdy opens the door to her journey through childhood stardom and the tumultuous process of healing that followed the death of her mother.

I am on long car ride to home and just finished this book. It was so brutally honest. I felt sorry for Jennette but I am so happy that she realised her problems and faced them.

From bathing McCurdy until she was 16 to giving her vaginal “exams”, her mother was obsessive & possessive of her. Jenette was so busy pretending to be someone she wasn‘t for her job & family that she couldn‘t figure out who she was. She turned out to be a writer (something her mom said would make her fat). I‘m glad her mom died too. It was the only way for Jenette to survive. The success of this has landed her a big FAT book deal.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Wow finally an audiobook I enjoyed!

Jennette never wanted to be an actor and was coerced into it by her mother at age 6. What follows is a lifelong attempt to make her mother happy at the expense of her own desires. The memoir follows her journey as a child actor and into adulthood as she develops an eating disorder, which is encouraged by her mom.

Lots of trigger warnings for this one: eating disorders, emotional abuse, alcoholism.

Going to try out Spotify audiobooks!

Still reading the other one (tomb sweeping) but I wanted to do some stitching today and usually listen to podcasts while I do it.

My girls were little when iCarly came out, slightly older when Sam & Kat, aired. As such they were very much the market demographic for these shows and by proxy I got sucked into watching them too. I loved Sam Puckett. Now, having listened to Jennette tell her story of how she came to be that TV icon we all loved, I feel kinda guilty. Man, did she hate it! 😬

If you're looking for a good, quick audiobook read I definitely suggest this one.

⭐️⭐️The traumatic experiences documented in Jennette McCurdys memoir are stomach turning. I am in the minority, but the writing style wasn‘t for me & sometimes I was bored. Which isn‘t a fair statement when rating a memoir. I‘m not a fan or super familiar with her work, probably due to age. I read it bc of the reviews & I was expecting humor & raw wit. But I don‘t feel there was much in the book. But I can see why the book is titled this way.

January #wrapup

A light month and my favorite was I‘m Glad My Mom Died on audio. Great narration and storytelling.

I think the title is a bit clickbait-y, her relationship and feelings towards her mom are more complicated and less callous than that. However, I don't think her situation would have gotten any better if her mom didn't die.

I didn‘t even watch icarly but this book was really good.

Jennette McCurdy narrates this audio book, a mercilessly candid memoir of her life as a child actor. Her mother, a manipulative narcissist, pushed her into acting and trained her to be anorexic, before dying of cancer, leaving McCurdy rudderless and caught in a spiral of alcohol abuse and eating disorders. Short chapters and McCurdy's wry tone make this painful story bearable, but it is not for the faint of heart.

You really never know what people are going through. Heartbreaking, maddening, humorous, vulnerable, resilient, and encouraging. It says a lot about the human spirit that she could survive all that and not be completely jaded and bitter. I hope her future is a bright, healthy, and happy one.

#nonfiction #memoir

More than late to the party, but this was so, so good. I‘m incredibly proud of her vulnerability in writing something so personal and even embarrassing at times, while still managing to stay funny throughout it all. You never know what someone might be going through so please stay kind. 5/5

Don‘t you just love it when a book lives up to the hype!! I absolutely loved this. The audio was seriously addictive.

I‘ve been trying to get through “Huck Finn” for two months, but devoured McCurdy‘s memoir in one week while I was bedridden. Go figure! I have a hard time reading books about ED, so this was only difficult for that reason. McCurdy‘s prose is simple and straight forward and often funny in the face of what was a horribly tragic adolescence. Felt like a long brunch with an old friend who‘s catching you up on their tough times.

McCurdy is an engaging writer & it‘s difficult to read about all the trauma she suffered at the hands of her mom, grandma & Hollywood. I‘m so glad she‘s doing better & was brave enough to share her story. I listened to the audiobook read by her, & she does a phenomenal job with it. She‘s a natural storyteller & even got Miranda Cosgrove‘s voice down to the point that I wondered if those lines were read by Miranda.
I can‘t wait to read her fiction!

This book made a lot of noise when it first came out, but I only got to it now. It was a quick but rather sad read. The author talks in detail of living with a narcissistic parent, of her experience being a child actor, especially one that is pushed by a mother. She honestly talks about her struggle with alcoholism and eating disorders. I‘m glad she is doing better now.

Wow. This book was overwhelming… From becoming an actress to encouraging eating disorders, Jennette‘s mother was the guiding light in her life. Once her mom passed away from breast cancer, the author has to face not only her mental health problems but that her mom was a major component in the start and continuation of unhealthy habits. A coming of age story that I couldn‘t put down even though it was a tough read.

This was such a powerful book with a strong message. It was a really quick read but really hit me in a lot of ways. I can‘t really relate to some of it, but there were certain aspects that really resonated with me and I appreciated how candid and honest the author was about her life and experiences.

What an excellent read! The short chapters made this book easy to fly through. It was hard to read about how her mom was abusing her and how young Jennette didn‘t know any better. I learned a lot about eating disorders. I‘d be eager to know what her mom‘s diagnoses would be in terms of mental health/disorders. It was great to read how Jennette got her life together & was able to move on from acting. I‘d be curious to see her one woman show.

Book 53 of 2023! This was a memoir by Jennette McCurdy, one of the stars of iCarly and Sam & Cat on Nickelodeon and how she overcame years of abuse from her mother, disordered eating, and substance abuse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A biography that was needed. The conversation around abuse and neglect was in a gray area for many people growing up. And I think this was the healing process we needed.

Grew up a Jennette McCurdy fan from iCarly then lost interest in her career after the Sam and Cat spin off didn‘t do well. I loved this book. She‘s so vulnerable and hearing the memories from her childhood made me really feel for her. It was a little slow to start but I enjoyed her writing style and the way she told her story. Great read, definitely recommend!

#NonfictionNovember

I never watched Jennette McCurdy's show, but I was familiar with its popularity. When I started this one, I wasn't sure what to expect. She's so vulnerable with her writing right from the beginning that I instantly felt an emotional connection. The pure honesty of this, mixed with humor through the darkness she faced in her life made me appreciate her story and made me hope for healing and brightness for her future.

I had never heard of Jennette before the memoir came out, but she has had a hard life. Great memoir!

Library book club picked this, and surprisingly, I really liked it. Sad but darkly funny, and a sobering look not just. At the Hollywood machine, but at the affect of narcissism & mental illness on a family. 4 stars. Read by the author, which gives it added power. #memoir #darkhumor

This book is candid and well done, but wow is it sad. The first person narrative throughout lets you follow McCurdy‘s thinking as she very reluctantly comes to understand that her mother is, in fact, a truly abusive woman and not just an over involved mom who wants the best for her child. Glad she is finally finding some help and healing but you get the feeling she is just beginning to live her own life. Curious to see what comes next for her.

This is such a sad a tragic story that Jeannette shared with the world. She lost her youth and teenage years at the hands of her abusive mother. She was mentally abused by her mother in ways, unimaginable! This was a very well written bio that was sad but somehow, Ms. Jennette somehow found ways to slip her humor that mad it a little easier to read. Totally recommend this. Trigger warnings, eating disorders #mentalabuse #survivor #eatingdisorder

I‘m on an audiobook tear….

A full memoir, one that‘s heartbreaking but depicts Real life…which is messy, miserable, and traumatic on many levels…the narrator is just trying to keep it all together like the rest of us. What I got from this is that We all have our shit but hopefully the journey has meaning, shaping us…hoping to come out on the other side…And hopefully not unscathed (bc for sure we will be affected) but undeterred from doing the work to help our future selves.

It's hard to read about what was going on behind-the-scenes with Jennette McCurdy in contrast to the bubblegum tone of a show like iCarly (that I recall watching with my nephews), & the kind of abuse that no one can tell is abuse because it passes off as helicopter parenting. Learning about the conditions of labour for child actors & the general factory-line methods at Nickelodeon was also rage-inducing. So much of everything is just so awful.

Never heard of McCurdy before this memoir. Started listening to the audiobook because I kept seeing it everywhere. I was curious. I have to say it was wildly entertaining but heartbreaking.

This one is still on my TBR but I‘ve heard good things 😊

#CelebMemoir 💗💛 #BookBinge 📚❤️📚

#BookNerd 🤓💙📚

Well this was a rollercoaster! I don't normally read memoirs but my friend and I do the Popsugar Reading Challenge every year and that's one of the categories for 2023. Definitely check trigger warnings on this if you're interested in reading it. I'm glad she was finally able to speak her truth! 4⭐️

Seems fitting for this book.

Here are my August picks for #bookspin. The only change from July is I‘ve replaced #14 and #18. 2/3rds of them are e-books languishing on my iPad and the rest are shorter books on my shelves that I‘d love to get to.

I devoured this audiobook in 2 days, before I could even write my review for the other audiobook I finished. This is bravely transparent and wittingly written. Beautiful story of how its okay to miss someone and also be glad they're gone because they were toxic.