I rated this book s 3.5 to 4-star review.
I have to attempt, I am not a fan of Selma. I picked this book up, because I thought it would be an interesting read. I do follow her on Instagram. She has inspired many people with her incredible story of strength.
After reading this memoir, I see her in a new way. She is a very dark person. I am not saying that this is wrong. I just found her tone very dark, but I can see why with all of her life’s problems and family drama. If you are looking at a tell-all book with celebrity gossip, this is not the memoir for you. She does a lot of name-dropping, but mainly to all of her friends in Hollywood (Reese Witherspoon, Jason Schwartzman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, etc.). I did enjoy her stories growing up and her thought process of being diagnosed with MS.
I did not like the vignettes. I felt like it jumped from one time of her life to the next. I could not keep straight the timeline this way. I did love the honesty and how raw it felt though. I felt like I was her friend just hearing her tell stories of her life. But a friend who already knew about her life and did not need it in any kind of timeline or order. The stories that she told seemed trivial at times. On the other hand, the pacing was very slow. I lost interest about halfway. I put it down and picked it up later on.
She read the audiobook, which I loved. She also included a lot of photos: stock and personal ones. I always love when a memoir of a celebrity includes pictures that may not be a stock or red carpet one that I can google. I found myself googling a lot of her interviews and movie scenes that she mentions throughout.
The book was very short, but there were no traditional breaks for chapters.
Trigger warnings: Alcoholism, drugs, family drama, death of loved ones, depression, overdose/rehab, bullying, terminal illness diagnosis, eating disorders, mental abuse, sexual assault, etc.