It took me nearly a year to get to get to this book, and I don’t regret a single minute spend reading it. Such a devastating and infuriating story about parental and Hollywood abuse. I was born in 2000, so iCarly was a staple of my childhood and pulling the curtain back on Jennette life as Sam and the aftermath of iCarly was heartbreaking. I hope Jennette continues to write as I will be tuned in
by Spottiebold
39 Comments
I agree. I really enjoyed it and it was a fascinating look at what child stars go through. No wonder so many of them end up messed up.
I’m reading this right now and I’m glad I gave it a shot. Jennette McCurdy does a fantastic job of showing what was going on in her world, while keeping the narrative rolling along at a pace that keeps the reader engaged. I’m glad I didn’t live her life though!
I never watched icarly yet i found it incredible. I could not stop listening 🙉
I stayed up late blasting through this. So well written.
I used to work in Film and TV myself and some of the behaviour she attributes to some of her colleagues resonates with me. It surprised me that people on all steps of the ladder in thr industry are treated like shit by people higher up than them.
It was an excellent read.
You might be interested in reading Sarah Polley’s memoir in essays from last year Run Towards the Danger. Polley was a child actress much more abused by the industry and had very complex family relations, best to watch her documentary Stories We Tell before reading the memoir as that is referenced, but not covered in the book. She’s older and has processed and come through her trauma much more then Jeanette. The book is literary and of course she narrates audiobook, which is even more intimate then the page. She just won the best adapted screenplay Oscar this year for her writing.
I loved it. I hope she writes another book. Not even necessarily about her Mum, she just has a writing style that I adored.
Oooh God I love this book so much . Despite my repulsion of not reading the book because of the title of the book because I thought that it must be some book where white people are having white mommy issues( no offense) to be honest as a person of colour I thought that I wouldn’t relate with the book but to my surprise I like the book very much I mean the inner monologue which the author wanted to say to her mother but couldn’t bring herself to say because of how much she love her mother and she knows how much she has a struggle for her is Soo relatable.
I accidentally borrowed the audio version of this book from the library instead of the ebook but decided to listen since there is as a long wait and it was read by the author. It was fantastic. I had no expectations but she is a fantastic writer. This could have been a maudlin and depressing memoir, but her style is so good.
I never saw the show, but the book was highly recommended for children of narcissists, and it’s the fastest I’ve ever read a book, finishing in 24 hours. She did a great job, it had to have been very difficult to face all of those things through writing about them, and I’m so grateful that she did.
Upon finishing the book, one thing became pretty clear: when casting children for onscreen acting roles, there oughta be a system in place to weed out potential stage parents. And props to Jennette for turning down that $300K of hush money from Nickelodeon.
I loved listening to the audiobook. Having Jeanette herself narrate it really added to it. She even gets emotional on a specific part that really got to me. It’s a great book.
It is a very good book, and explains why she didn’t jump at joining the revival.
It made me actually feel quite sad for her; I enjoyed iCarly and Sam & Cat quite a lot and realized that while it was Nickelodeon kid acting, her basic baseline sadness never was visible. She really was good at hiding it. Of the people mentioned by name, Miranda Cosgrove comes across as a decent person to her.
Yep – I didn’t even know who she was (I wasn’t really allowed TV growing up) but I loved her writing style. She clearly spends time editing – there are no wasted words in the entire book. She also is refreshingly subtle – it never veers into “horror porn” or shock. McCurdy says what she needs to say and let’s the reader draw their own conclusions.
McCurdy also has clearly put in the time and effort to ruminate on these times in her life – she has a clear, level head about what happened growing up, how she felt about it then, how she feels about it now, and how that has changed. It was refreshing how nuanced she could be on so many clearly difficult subjects without resorting to waffling – it is clear she knows where she falls, but she can understand how others could have acted difficulty.
There is also just enough humor and self-deprecation. The audiobook that she reads is highly, highly recommended, and as others have said, I’ll definitely read anything else she produces. I went from “What is an iCarly?” to “I’m a huge McCurdy fan” over the course of a couple hours.
I held off for a while because her show aired just after I had outgrown Nickelodeon and I thought since I didn’t know her I wouldn’t really connect with her book but boy was I wrong. I listened to the audiobook her and I cannot recommend it enough. I think the fact that she narrated it too helped make the audiobook even more powerful for me.
I just added this to my list, can’t wait to read though it as the child of two narcissists.
I’ve heard so many amazing reviews that I’ve decided to put it on my TBR list. The title is too click-bait-y for me, which is why originally I wasn’t going to read it. But sounds like it’s really good
I listened to the audiobook recently and it was absolutely heartbreaking. By the time Sam and Cat was made, I was a little too old for it (I was born in ’94) but I remember so many the roles she discussed and even looked up some of the ones she didn’t (I remember watching Tiger Cruise as a kid, I didn’t connect that she played the younger sister in it at the time, for example). I do remember the rumors, as well as thinking how tiny she was in comparison to Miranda. Knowing why that was definitely breaks my heart and I definitely wonder if I would be able to bring myself to go back to watching iCarly, given what happened on it, despite how much of my childhood that show influenced
How long did it take you to finish?
When I read this, I thought, “I’m glad her mom died too”, a terrific insight into the industry and eating disorders.
i loved this on audio so you could actually hear her emotions
I bought it the day it came out and read it all on the beach. It was amazing
This book was so hard to get through but it was very good. I like her writing style is and how matter of fact she was which really showed how her mother’s terribly abusive behaviour was woven into her life and how normal it was for her.
*added to my TBR*
I absolutely agree. My mom passed away when I was 19 and I tend not to like memoirs or books that focus on the death of a mother (Crying in H Mart I DNF). I thought the way McCurdy wrote was beautiful, thoughtful, and intentional. I appreciate her insights into how the world changes after the death of a parent.
I think we all knew it was gonna be some real shit based off the ballsiness of the title alone.
Everyone’s talked about the really demented shit, but one part that’s stuck with me is the part with the ice cream. It’s right after Jennette secures a new role and the mum takes her out to get ice cream. Instead of letting her own daughter pick a flavour she wants, she begins crying so she picks the flavour the mum wants instead.
It’s not as horrible as the other stuff, but something about the sheer level of pettiness and need to control even the tiniest part of her child’s life which is terrifying. What a twisted woman.
I also loved this. Just finished “When the World Didn’t End” and it has even better story telling. I’d recommend it for your TBR pile
I listened to the audiobook version and I loved hearing her tell her own events. She breaks down a bit at one point and I felt all the emotion and started crying too. My takeaway after this is I hope she is healthy- body and mind. I saw photos on her Instagram and she is so tiny. So I pray that she is healthy. She is wonderful, and I want to read more of her future writing.
I loved it as well, my kids watched a little of iCarly and Sam and Cat when they were younger so I was familiar with her role on Nickelodeon. The title really sucked me in because I had a controlling mother as well and while my mom is still alive, I’ve already wrestled with thoughts of feeling relief when she dies as well as sadness at what I missed out on growing up. I hope she continues to write.
I had never heard of her, but the book was recommended by a therapist. It was AMAZING. Both heartbreaking and funny at times. That poor fucking girl 😞
This book was so well written and captivating. It absolutely broke my heart though, because it’s the tale of another Hollywood little girl who is used and abused by her parents once they realize she’s the family meal ticket. It’s the same way with Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Amanda Bynes – just absolutely trashy families looking to pimp out their daughters to support the whole family. It’s so gross.
Ayyy. 2000s baby here 👋
I loved this book! I highly recommend Know My Name by Chanel Miller and Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner if you enjoyed this!
As someone who never watched the show and knew nothing about her, I really loved this book, one of my all time favorites.
I was insulted by the title but did find the book very gripping, I only have read an excerpt so far.
I watched a bit of the show when I was younger and after reading the book I couldn’t help but feel like the running ‘gag’ that Sam’s mum on the show was a narcissist who frequently neglected her daughter was in horrifically bad taste.
One of the best books I’ve read this year. My jaw was on the floor for large parts of it. I feel like I can’t say any of my favourite parts without giving spoilers. She is incredibly brave and strong to have come through what she has.
I’ve only read the first chapter so far. She’s an incredible writer, if I had more time I’d have read the book all in one go.