I love listening to Cameron Esposito and this memoir was really good! I really enjoyed it and it kept me entertained for hours.

Having been raised catholic and attending catholic school for nine years, and also being bi, I really identified with Cameron Esposito's book.

I read a lot of humor memoirs because typically they have a great voice, are funny and enjoyable to read, and are interesting in how they can make you think while also making you laugh. Esposito's book is no different. In fact, I'd say it's one of the more candor-filled memoirs I've read. She's definitely delivered an insider view into the way her beliefs about religion changed and what challenges she encountered in that process. The bulk of the memoir deals with the time period of her 20s-30s, navigating a catholic college where she did not feel safe coming out, and even when she did, the repercussions she faced from both friends and family who were similarly limited in their knowledge and understanding about queer life due to the same restrictive religion. I wish she'd received better. But her work as a stand up (which fills the final 1/3 of the book) discusses how comedy opened doors for her and became a place to address limiting systems and more freely express her identity.

An enjoyable read with several laugh out loud moments. I'd love to hang out with her.

I love Cameron Esposito, so it was a must for me to read her biography. It was as funny as she is. I recommend it for anyone who wants to read a fun biography of a cool individual. It is great for any level of LGBT+ person because it shows a lot of sides to the experience.

Didn't love it. I feel like people who were already her fans would have but I didn't find it to be a good introduction

I really felt like I got to know Cameron in this book. I knew her as the side-mulleted comedian from those Buzzfeed videos from a while back, and then saw her pop up in other things over the years. She strikes the right tonal balance when discussing painful experiences from her life, while also staying distinctly funny throughout. This is a natural next read for those who liked Bossypants or Yes, Please. BRB, running off to join a gay naked circus. Surely they need a librarian?

I've followed Cameron Esposito for a long time and every time I encounter a work she is a part of, I'm always blown away. This book was sweet, funny, sad, and incredibly moving. I can't wait to see what she does next!

I received a complimentary advanced listener copy of SAVE YOURSELF by Cameron Esposito for an honest review. Thank you to Libro FM, Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing and the author for the chance to read and review!

SAVE YOURSELF is a memoir by stand up comic Cameron Esposito. The memoir looks at her life growing up queer in a Catholic family and attending a conservative Catholic college where sexuality was not protected. It covers how she began to understand her own sexuality and how she revealed her truth to her family. She talks about how she came to discover her path into comedy, complete with the stumbles and the successes along the way. It is a career path which was historically very much populated by straight men.

It is always hard to rate a memoir, but I did really enjoy listing to Cameron Espositio in her own words and her own voice as she did narrate her own audiobook. This is a narrative that doesn’t pull punches and speaks frankly about issues like the sexual abuse and cover ups in the Catholic church, the blatant homophobia of institutions and the challenges and heartbreaks of growing up without knowing your life’s trajectory. This book has language and sexual speech, so good to know that going in.

There has been a lot of talk this week about what a ‘comfort read’ is when the world is in such chaos. While I wouldn’t say this is a typical comfortable read (it isn’t meant to be I don’t think given the often serious subject matter), but comedy is a go to comfort zone for me. I really enjoyed listening to this one while working on some jewelry pieces over the weekend. While serious in subject, this is also a book that brought good comedy and laughs. This is someone I would for sure love to see perform comedy live!

I really enjoyed SAVE YOURSELF by Cameron Esposito and definitely recommend the audiobook version! Keep an eye out for this one when it releases on March 24, 2020!

Do you ever feel like you just need something gay in your life? C'mon - it can't just be me. Well, this book is perfect for that feeling. It is hilarious and comforting, while not avoiding the difficult discussions of actually surviving as a queer person, even with privilege and success.

There is nothing apologetic in this book, as there shouldn't be, and it's such a relief to read something by an out queer woman that is about being an out queer woman. I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say there. I guess what I mean is that I find many memoirs by out queer women to be about being a person, who also happens to be queer. This doesn't read like that. Of course queer women are people, but also they are Queer Women. Am I making sense? I'm giddy from the gayness; grammar and sense-making are less achievable than usual.

My one regret is that I read this, instead of listened to it. If Esposito reads the Audiobook version of this (I vote yes), I might have to read it again.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley

In this memoir, comedian Cameron Esposito explores her coming out process and writes the queer coming of age story she wishes she'd heard as a young person. This was even more laugh-out-loud funny than I expected, and I had high expectations as a fan of Esposito. But beyond the laughs, this memoir has so much heart. Growing up in a devout Catholic family and attending a conservative Catholic university meant Esposito's journey of self-exploration wasn't always easy. She doesn't shy away from the difficult moments, and her earnest vulnerability in SAVE YOURSELF made this a very special book. As a queer person, seeing myself in Esposito's journey means more than I can say. And the fact that she can share such personal stories that make me laugh and cry is a tribute to her truly impressive writing. I'm sure the audiobook will be even better; I can't wait to hear these stories again in Cameron's voice!

A lot of people on goodreads are throwing around that if you're a fan of @cameronesposito you won't be disappointed and that is true but also kind of a low bar to set and probably the easiest audience to please? Thankfully she flies way above that bar and even if you're unfamiliar with her stand up there's a lot here for you. I love a good comedian memoir but there are so many out there that just feel like a regurgitation of their stand up you're probably already familiar with. In Save Yourself, she hits the topics she covers in her stand up like identity, gender, sexuality, and religion and expounds upon them all in hilarious but really thoughtful ways. I most enjoyed reading about her relationship with her faith and her family, particularly her father. Read this if you're a comedy nerd, attended a Catholic university where typical college partying was juxtaposed with outreach trips, retreats, mass and pro-life protests (what's up, Fordham?!) but now have strong feelings about the church or are struggling to reconcile who you are with what was imprinted on you as a child. (Out in March!)

I'm not a huge fan of memoirs (as you know), but I've been known to make exceptions for comedians I like. Which Esposito happens to be. (A comedian I like.)

Anyway, this was laugh out loud funny during the first third of the book. Esposito is best when turning her eye towards her younger years. Distance, maybe? And it's weakest in last third, because that's how books are for the most part.

You could do worse.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

As a fan of Cameron Esposito, I was VERY EXCITED to read and review this book! It was funny, heartbreaking, and sometimes hard to read (see heartbreaking), but I loved it. I have been following her for a while, and was privvy to the news of her break up with Rhea Butcher, so I was prepared to read a story that wasn't 100% fun and laughs. It was a really good book, and well written.

Yes, this book is laugh out loud funny, but it is also incredibly sad in parts. You won't laugh through this entire book, you will feel pain and heart break and disappointment and frustration. And then you turn the page and laugh again. Just like real life.

I am a big fan of Cameron Esposito, and because her career is centered around talking about her (often amazing) life, I was already familiar with many of the stories. In this book she fleshes the stories out and gives more of her emotions, and the experiences that shaped those emotions, and the events that helped her understand what happened. Much of the book is about her experience in the Catholic church and how her feelings about the church evolved, and how her experience with the church shaped her life and still has repercussions in many ways. We follow along as she understands her sexuality, and how coming out affected her and those around her. She talks about first girlfriends, and later girlfriends, and heart break and loss. I have a greater understanding of her family, and the love they all share, and I'm glad that even though her coming out was rough, they managed to get back to that amazing family eventually. We learn all about how her career started and grew, and I have even more respect for her now that I understand how hard she has worked, and all the amazing things she has done for women in comedy from behind the scenes.

What we don't hear about (other than some casual mentions) is Rhea. There is a one paragraph note at about the 70% mark where she explains that that loss is just then happening and therefore too fresh and painful to include in this book. That one paragraph just ripped my heart out. I had to finally put the book down at that point to resume the next morning. Cameron has been very open about 2019 being such a painful year for her, and I hope she understands we have all hurt for them both and wish them healing as quickly as Life will allow.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so thankful for it. I was a fan before, I'm a bigger fan now. Cameron is so very intelligent, and her book is written very well. I definitely recommend it and I look forward to her next (even though I'm sure it will make me cry).