I received an advanced copy of Sunshine Girl by Juliana Marguiles from the publisher Random House-Ballantine via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is actress Juliana Marguiles’ memoir, tracing her life from childhood till the Good Wife Days. In this book she talks about her unique childhood, finding acting and ultimately finding her happiness.

I found this memoir to be excellent and I did not really expect to enjoy this book. I loved ER and The Good Wife, so I really was intrigued. Juliana’s childhood and growing up with her mother who seemed to jump from one thing to another without much consideration to her daughters. I found this memoir incredibly thoughtful and captivating. I also appreciated how this book didn’t feel like a Hollywood memoir but rather about her life. This book gets raw and honest, and includes her experience in an abusive relationship (which you can definitely figure out who it is).

I also really liked how the memoir wraps up, discussing being a working mother. This was thoughtful and relatable.

Do I somewhat wish there was more behind the scenes chatter? Somewhat, it would be good to get the tea, but that’s not what this book was and it made it a thoughtful memoir that I really felt was well considered and expertly crafted.

If you like interesting memoirs and are familiar with Marguiles’ work, you won’t want to miss this one.

Fans of The Good Wife, The Morning Show, and ER rejoice--Julianna Margulies' memoir is an engaging read, bringing readers through her unconventional childhood to her start in her Hollywood. This book is a must-read for fans of the actress and those looking to break into acting.

I was a huge "ER" fan, so when I saw this autobiography of course I was interested! Her childhood was surprisingly dysfunctional and it's amazing she came out of it as well as she did. As those were her most important formative years, most of the book is spent on her growing up, which did make me a little sad that "ER" was relegated to one chapter with no set details. But honestly, it's ok, because her life has been pretty fascinating!

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review Sunshine Girl by Julianna Margulies.

I had always liked Julianna Margulies as an actress so I was interested to read her memoir. It was darker than I expected but honest and well written. She is a natural storyteller and really opened up about her childhood and adolescence. Much of her young adult life was relatable. I do wish she told more stories/shared more of her life recently. I definitely recommend this book if you are a Julianna Margulies fan. I’ve always admired her but have more appreciation now after reading her memoir. Overall, it was a quick and great read.

Loved this! Well written and fascinating look into Julianna Margulies’ life. I always loved her as an actress, but this autobiography gives insight into her as a person. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced readers’ copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review Sunshine Girl by Julianna Margulies.

I’ve seen a couple episodes here and there of both ER & The Good Wife, but nothing more than 5 episodes total, so I went in mostly blind to Julianna. I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Her childhood and her relationship with her parents reminds me a lot of mine. The ups and downs. The being shuttled between parents places, but what really struck a chord with me was the way her dad reacted to her adult feelings about her childhood because it was much like my dads reaction to my feelings about my childhood.

Julianna’s determination and independence shone through in her words and made me shake my head at some of her stubbornness because once again I saw a lot of my personality traits in her.

Would definitely recommend this book!

#Sunshine Girl by # Julianna Margulies will leave you feeling inspired. Filled with intimate stories and so honest. I myself enjoyed her in The Good Wife. This is a powerful memoir.
Description:
As a child Julianna was nicknamed "Sunshine Girl". Raised all over the world by a eccentric mother. In this turmoil and uncertainty she would comfort those around her. Complicated relationships, difficult choices, and rejections. She is a interesting and strong woman.... 💜🐾🐾

Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Julianna Margulies, #Random-Ballantine Publishing 💜🐾🐾

Very good book - held my attention through. Marguiles is a very good actress and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her life.

The writing of this memoir was absolutely incredible. I rarely see celebrity memoirs written so well. The storytelling was insanely good. I was hoping for a little more lightheartedness, solely based on the title. But there was very little happiness in this memoir.

Excellent memoir - not the usual Hollywood tell-all full of gossip but more a telling of her childhood, upbringing, family, and road to success. Some very interesting Hollywood stories still mixed in. Very enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC.

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life is a memoir by actress Julianna Margulies, detailing her life growing up, her career as an actress, and her family.

Julianna is the youngest of three sisters and had a somewhat nomadic lifestyle growing up. Her parents split up relatively early in her life and were both constantly moving, in search of their next opportunity. She grew up in NY and Europe, back and forth often. She was close with her dad but always craving a stronger relationship with him. When she lived with her mom, the distance between her and her father created an additional challenge to this.

She was not afraid of hard work, taking jobs when and where she could, in order to pursue her passions and take part in experiences like traveling abroad. As her love of acting grew, Julianna committed to her craft and I enjoyed hearing about her time on ER and The Good Wife, both shows I liked from what I saw of them, though I didn’t watch either one in its entirety. She recently starred in the second season of The Morning Show which is a series I’ve really enjoyed watching.

Sunshine Girl isn’t a long book and one that held my interest throughout, but I think I expected more time to be spent on her career as an actress. This is of course a great reminder that actors and actresses are people, like the rest of us, and their career is only one aspect of their lives. Julianna is married and has a son. She shares the story of meeting her husband and another story about randomly finding a dentist in the white pages when she had a dental emergency, and how he grew to become an important figure in her life.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

What an unexpected story! Margulies has had quite a life, and comes from a long line of interesting, albeit unorthodox, people. As an added bonus, I particularly loved learning about her grandmother, who was a barrier-breaking lawyer. Margulies pulls a few punches, but also leaves it to the reader to find out on their own (i.e. google) the names of those she kindly omitted. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, but after starting the print version I saw that there was an audio version read by Margulies, so I listened to it instead. It was a terrific audiobook!

I did not know much about this actress but I enjoyed learning more! One of the better celebrity memoirs I have read, as she has been through a lot but shared her story in a way that showed her growth and maturity. I would recommend!

I don't know much about Julianna Margulies but I still enjoyed her memoir. I find the lives of celebrities to be fascinating, and really liked hearing how she grew up, as well as details about her acting career. However, this was not the typical gossip dish. The majority of the book was about her childhood, which was interesting but I'm more intrigued my her acting. I wish she had talked more about her roles on ER and The Good Wife, as that was kind of glossed over. I would have also liked to learn more about her costars on the shows and in other roles.

A very interesting look into the actresses life. The entire story focuses on her adolescence and personal life so if you’re looking for juicy behind the scenes info on her acting, this isn’t the book! Her life was definitely interesting and her relationship with her parents so tough to read.

Juliana Margulies has lead a very interesting life. My heart hurt for her as a child. But she has come through relationships both familial and romantic that has made her the strong woman she is! I only have one issue, there were no photographs. I enjoy photos when reading an autobiography or memoir.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed reading Margulies book about her early life and some key highlights that led her to where she is today - a very loving mother, thoughtful wife and successful, talented actress. Her young life was spent really spread all over the place and honestly, I'm not sure I'd be as forgiving as she is to her very self absorbed mother. Margulies manages to balance her epiphanies about her relationships and her own personal growth - this isn't a memoir that 'blames' anyone for anything. She tells a compelling story of a divorced couple that parent's VERY differently and a young girl striving to fit in with each place her mother lands them. She seems remarkable well adjusted and honestly, I think she'd be a great friend! She loves to bake and cook and make her family and guests feel cared for and love - I do to! Cheers to you Juli!

I’m always somewhat disappointed when actor memoirs aren’t about craft. I guess I’m too much of a nerd. Learning about a person’s life is great, don’t get me wrong—and I’m glad I can attribute personal life details to characters I’ve adored for years—but for some reason I keep wanting books by actors to focus more on their work. It takes nearly two-thirds of this memoir to even get there and stay there, which may account for why it took me so long to get through it. It’s well told and mostly interesting, I suppose I just need to reframe my own expectations/wants.