Writing is a deeply personal exercise, and I'm always reluctant to review something that didn't resonate with me. "Space Between" by Nico Tortorella falls under that category. This book may be better suited to another audience, but I left feeling unsatisfied and underwhelmed. To me, the writing feels disjointed and self-indulgent. I'm a fan of the author, but this just left me feeling disconnected and disappointed.

Firstly, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was a big fan of Nico from their role on Younger. I appreciated learning more of their thoughts and experiences.

The Space Between is about actor Nico Tortorella's life.  They write - as your dreams come true, you start to dream different dreams and it follows their path through growing up, being unsure about sexuality, gender, etc. Ultimately achieving their goal of becoming an actor and now can be seen on TVLand's Younger!  Nico says that they are not in the wrong body but they are in the wrong WORLD.  Aren't we all?  The space between... is love.  

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I was super excited for this book. Nico is an amazing soul, so I couldn't wait to read this. His poetry is absoultely beautiful, just like him.

This was a great look into his life as a non-binary person.

This was really good and all but I was just so....bored. I don’t know, I feel like I should have been really immersed because I really like the author but nope. There was too much detail and a little bit of skipping around and contradictions. I think it might’ve just been me, so definitely give it a try if you want!!

I love Nico Tortorella and his acting work. In this book he bares his soul in and incredible way. Love the candidness in which is told.

I didn't know who Nico was until I read this book. I've never seen them act in anything. But I'm interested in learning more about the lives of non-binary and LGBTQIA+ people, and this book seemed to have an interesting premise. Nico seems to be a deep, thoughtful, spiritual, and interesting person. The book is not chronological, at least in terms of their childhood which is sprinkled throughout the book, and this threw me off a bit, but I got used to it. Nico would share childhood stories when they were relevant to their adult experience. The stories in the book are interesting - growing up male in an Italian-American family, pursuing acting, battling addiction, but mostly exploring gender and sexuality. Nico is very frank and upfront about this journey that is buoyed by a connection to the spiritual and to a sense of love and oneness. Towards the end of the book, Nico brings in other voices and they learn more about advocacy and intersectionality. This book opened my mind and helped me to understand more of the LGBTQIA+ experience, but I think it is important to go into this book with an open mind to begin with. It would be easy to dismiss Nico's writings and practices as New Age, Hollywood, neo-hippie liberalism, but that would miss the many beautiful ideas and life lessons that Nico offers to help us understand what they are learning. I received this free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nico Tortorella's Space Between is a well written novel. A story of Nico's life, including their discovery and life as a non-binary person, is extremely interesting. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for real insight into life as a non-binary person.

On one hand I admire Nico for his fearless exploration of social norms for gender and sexuality. But I struggled to connect much with him as a reader. He acknowledges his privilege at one point but I'm not sure he fully understands the role his "passing" and attractiveness play in what he has been able to explore. His gender is declared in a performative way. It left a bad feeling in my mouth and coupled with a very bizarre anatomical error I just decided to quit reading it (unfortunately I can't click "will not finish" in this book because I'd already provided feedback to the publisher.)

Nico Tortorella's take on life is interesting and uplifting. Space Between was an eye opening read. Thank you for this ARC.

As soon as I started with the introduction to this book, I was hooked.
I love the raw and honesty of the words that Author Nico Tortorella pours out in this book.
His words pull you into his world that he has lived.
While reading, I felt the emotions that Nico expressed, wanting others to understand his journey he has so far lived in his life with society.
It was heartbreaking to read his journey that he has had in the past with addictions and his past relationships but it made us the reader understand who he is.
Great read to know why Nico Tortorella is a person you want to know.
5 🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒popped!

A great genuine interesting read. Tortorella has a wonderful insight and life stories to share which make the book a page turner. So insightful on a lot of topics that aren't commonly mainstream and wonderfully discussed. An important read for everyone.

I really enjoyed this book. It was not the kind of memoir I was expecting. Usually, it's here's where I came from, what I overcame, etc. However, Nico Tortorella is brutally honest from the very first page. It isn't just a story but a reflection on being queer and nonbinary. Nico uses they/them as their pronouns, even though most who know them solely through their work on YOUNGER would expect a cis-hetero man. It was so interesting to read about their journey of self-discovery. The writing style is very conversational, as if you were sitting with Nico over a cup of coffee while they told you their story. There is a lot of swearing and it's very graphic, especially on the topic of sex, but it's done in such a genuine way, that you can't help but respect and appreciate what Nico is saying. I learned about sexuality, too, some questions I was always too shy to ask my nonbinary and polyamorous friends (Nico is both; though their marriage LOOKS to be a heteronormative one, Bethany is also nonbinary).

In addition to the focus on Nico's sexuality, they reflect on their addictions and their relationship to art. Again, treated with transparency, no sugar coating whatsoever, Nico reflects on the sensations that drove them towards self-destruction repeatedly and the replacement of their destructive behaviors with healthy, creative ones, including their podcast THE LOVE BOMB, which examined the various ways in which their guests experienced and practiced love, and making art. (I believe they've exhibited in New York.)

Overall, I didn't go into the book with high expectations, as I usually suspect celebrities of using ghostwriters, but this book was an incredible surprise. I don't think anyone but Nico could tell their story with such bluntness and yet it is so introspective, so eye-opening to what it's like to question yourself, your drive, your vices, your sexuality, the very core of what it means to be true to yourself and those you love. If you love LGBTQIA+ reads, you DEFINITELY need this on your shelf!

I loved Nico Tortorella's poetry book, All of It Is You, and I was so happy to be approved for there autobiography, Space Between. To say Nico had an interesting life is an understatement. This person has seen and been through some stuff and it has made them a beautiful soul inside and out.

It was interesting to read how their addiction to drugs and alcohol began and how they pulled themselves back up from the ashes.

I think my favorite parts of the book was when they were describing their fluidity and sexuality. They are an advocate for all people and it's wonderful.

Highly recommend, especially if you want to see there is more to Nico than a pretty face!

As much as I tried I just couldn't get into this book. It was complicated at times, and the direction of where the book was going was just all over the place. It felt very amateurish to me, almost like a generic blog post.

Rating 2

I will likely include this as an option for my students to read for our gender exploration unit, but I did not like this book at all, myself. Nico came across as performative and disingenuous at times, like they were putting on an act for the book and for their public image. It's a great example of respecting pronoun preference, though, so it may be beneficial to my freshmen who have no prior experience with gender fluidity/non-binary people.

This book really held my interest. I could feel the love of the family flowing through the authors words. I had to reread some parts because the writing had me a little lost at times. Regardless, I feel like my book club would really enjoy this memoir.

I am a huge fan of Nico Tortorella. I follow them on social media and their posts always captivate me. Their honestly and pride of both Nico and Bethany was amazing. So I was excited to read more about Nico's life.
This book was both beautiful and painful and extremely educational. Nico dealt with a lot that stems from their daddy issues, a strong grandmom and just being a Hollywood asshole(that is totally their words not mine... that is an amazing thing about Nico they totally call their toxic behavior out).
The Space Between should be read by all. Like Nico echos in this book not wrong body wrong world. I am a married straight woman but this book really spoke to me. The educational aspect was great and a lot of people need to read this book and learn that gender shouldn't define us. This is normal life and acceptance shouldn't be something someone has to work for, shouldn't be something that makes people hide their true self.
The Space Between was an amazing and haunting story of Nico Tortorella life that needs to be read!

This book is so jumbled. There is no narrative flow or structure. While some portions were interesting, the book reminded me of a amateur blog post. Nico's description of themself just seems so performative. Their intent may be more genuine, but their descriptions of experiences and emotions, just seem so performative and contrived.

This book made me think more clearly about things that have felt a little out-of-focus until now. I know, that’s a huge claim. But gender fluidity and sexual fluidity is all very nebulous and can be a daunting subject. Don’t ever google it, you won’t get all that much helpful information and will probably end up more confused than when you started.

Tortorella’s story is a detailed and personal journey from the early days of feeling loved while wiping make-up from their mother’s eyes to an adult beginning to feel more comfortable in their own skin and with their own feelings and desires.

"I never felt like I was in the wrong body. And the more I realized I had been born into the wrong world, not the wrong body, the more things started to make sense." – Nico Tortorella in Space Between

This book is a remarkable story written by someone who is still an unfinished piece of work. The fact that Tortorella is writing a book this profound at such a young age makes me joyful about anything they may write in the future. Clearly, they have done a lot of soul searching and self-care. Equally as clear is that Tortorella has been through the wars.

"No one asks if you’re nonbinary or trans, or if you’re comfortable in your skin. You ultimately get reduced to who you’re having sex with. No one ever says, “Hey, who are you? What do you believe in? What do you care about?” These are questions that might actually get us somewhere, but instead, the focus is on what we do with what’s between our legs.". – Nico Tortorella in Space Between.

This isn’t just a memoir about early life… it’s the recounting of a journey that is both spiritual and personal. The author is candid about gender identity, addictions, homophobia, biphobia, sexual fluidity, relationships, Hollywood and the exploration and challenges as they navigated all of it. This isn’t a dramatic, Hollywood tell-all: this is a book that reads as though it’s someone’s truth, and that the pieces of the story are imparted with a hope that it might assist someone else to find their way.

"You don’t get to say who you are becoming. Really loving someone means you get to be a witness, blessed to be a part of their experiences, even if only sometimes." – Nico Tortorella in Space Between

Tortorella weaves together their internal dialogue with the exterior events in a way that enables the reader to see a glimpse of what their life has been like. Their life has been complex but full of profound learnings, some of which have a high cost.