I'm a huge fan of Garcelle Beauvais on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and this memoir reads like I'm listening to Garcelle's witty and poignant confessionals on the show. (For me, I imagine it's her iconic periwinkle purple monochromatic look from Season 11). So I came for RHOBH, but I stayed for the inspiring story of a Black immigrant woman finding her way in the world. I enjoyed the way that the novel was written, focusing on each topic that has played an important role in her life rather than chronologically. It would have made it easier to read in sittings if you were busy, but fortunately I had the time to rip through it in one sitting. I learned a lot about Garcelle's life, enjoyed the interesting celebrity name drops (Michael Jordan! Bill Cosby! Halle Berry! Whoopi Goldberg!) and her story of raising Black and mixed race sons in a world of white Hollywood privilege. A must read for Real Housewives fans, fans of Garcelle from her earlier work like The Jamie Foxx show and anyone interested in an immigrant from Haiti's experience with race, faith, love, motherhood and Hollywood.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and Harper Collins (Amistad) in exchange for an honest review.

I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

Garcelle Beauvais has been something akin to a staple in my life since I was a small child watching her on The Jamie Foxx Show after school. Even before I knew her name so I was so happy when I got approved to read and review her memoir a month and a half early.

There's this quote from Modern Family "You can learn a lot about someone by reading their biography" and although it's supposed to be a silly quote, it wasn't wrong. I learned more about her from this memoir than I have in my entire life of watching her on television, in movies, and listening to her podcast. She leaves nothing out, everything is detailed, and there's such a brave transparency there.

Everything was shared in this book. Her early life in Haiti, her relationship (or lack there of) with her father, both of her divorces, the infidelity, the infertility, roles she got but didn't because racism, relationships, her relationship with her body and sex. You name it, it's in here.

I received my ARC on 2-22-22 (which ironically is actually her oldest son's birthday) and finished it on 2-23-2022 the very next morning. Ms. Beauvais has such an honest, vulnerable, and witty way of writing that it made it so easy to get through this even with my attention span. I knew this would be my longest and most thorough review because not only have I adored this woman since my early childhood, this book was good. The book was real good.

“You see, that’s the love-hate relationship that many first-generation immigrants have with the process of assimilation. We are never running from the richness of our culture; we are running toward the new perceived opportunities”

This is the perfect book for any fan of Garcell Beauvais. Right away she is honest, real, and effortlessly hilarious. Each chapter touched on a different important aspect of her life, letting the reader into ever her most vulnerable moments. She had me laughing at one sentence then crying the next. I would suggest this book to anyone, not just a housewives fan, go in with an open mind.

Housewives fans will appreciate this in-depth looking into the life of one of Beverly Hills’ finest in Love Me As I Am. Garcelle Beauvais tells her story as a Haitian immigrant making her way in modeling and acting, all while navigating relationships, divorce, Hollywood and raising 3 sons. She holds nothing back and spills the tea about everything from smooching with certain celebrities (no spoilers here!) to a behind-the-scenes look at the housewives (my favorite chapter).

A thought provoking exploration of how to build a life of meaning with your whole self. Garcelle shares how it is possible to remain human as you traverse the various circumstances and opportunities to living.. In particular if you are holding on to incidents she reminds the reader on several occasions that " Time is a fleeting gift that you never really know how long you have it for." Ask the questions and listen intently for the stories that come as that's how we truely love each other as we are.

Love Me as I Am was actually quite interesting. I really enjoy Garcelle. I actually learned a lot about her. Other than Real Housewives, I did not know much of her background, and it was fascinating to learn about her growing up in Haiti and Massachusetts.

I appreciated her honesty. I also really appreciated the fact that she did not go into deep detail about her oldest son because it is his story to tell, which I really respect.

I loved hearing the details of her career. The Real Housewives bit was quite small, so I think readers will be somewhat disappointed with that, but the true honesty I was LOVING and living for was her talking about her experience auditioning for The View.

One thing I would change about this book is the title. I think I saw this was originally called "Just as I Am," which is actually more fitting. Garcelle isn't a person begging us to love her as she is. She is someone who is independent and strong and more of a take me or leave me type of person, so I would love a title that more reflected her strength and independence.

All in all I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Garcelle. I enjoyed it and I did not know much about her to begin with. So, it's definitely worth it.

Thank you NetGalley, Garcelle Beauvais and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will post about this closer to release date on my IG at https://www.instagram.com/readwithjd/

Garcelle Beauvais memoir is a good read. You can tell that she chose a good title that describes who she is in the life she lives and with her family.
As a Hollywood actress and celebrity she didn’t let it run her life. She took control and lived by the morals that was instilled in her by her mother and older sisters.
Gracelle could have dropped some juicy information with other celebrities she had friendship and relationships with but she was very tasteful and didn’t bash others as you have seen other celebrities done or people do.
I voluntarily received a ARC of this book from Netgalley and this review is of my own honest opinion and thoughts.

Love Me as I Am is a nice read. A bit repetitive, but relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of RHOBH and I’ve enjoyed seeing Garcelle’s personality shine through these past few seasons. Right away, you can tell she’s a woman with strong family values, a sensitive soul, hard-working, and has amazing fashion sense. I was excited to read her memoir through an ARC by NetGalley. I like that she touched on various aspects of milestones in her life- childhood, her Haitian heritage, motherhood, marriage and divorce, life in the entertainment industry. This is not a book where she divulges many stories about colleagues in Hollywood or gives the tea or bashes anyone. This is very much her story, and she is a beacon of positivity for not just black women, but all women.

3.5 stars! I watch Garcelle on RHOBH and there were times I could totally picture her talking as I was reading. She covered lots of topics: her childhood, marriages, reality TV, and acting career just to name a few. I really enjoy memoirs so this was a good reminder to make them more of a priority in 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Book #184

ARC REVIEW: Publish date April 12th 2022

Love love love!

Strong 5 ⭐️

This book was so good Netgalley provided me this ARC and honestly i was so happy when i got it because i love
me some garcelle! and memoirs

Watching garcelle on housewives and then her getting a spot on the real and watching her daily made me love her even more and her outlook on alot of topics discussed daily! she is great so reading more about her life and start and everything was really nice because alot of these things i didnt know about her. She was also very vulnerable in her book regarding her divorce etc and somethings she went through like her awkward uncomfortable time on the view.

This was one of the books i was looking forward too reading in 2022 so getting to read it earlier was the best!

(Mini Review) I'm a huge fan of the Real Housewives franchise & RHOBH is arguably my favorite one, so I was really excited when I saw that Garcelle was coming out with a memoir! I really adore her on the show, love the fresh perspective she brings to the group & how she always stands her ground. If you're a fan like I am, this is a great way to get to know more about her life, from her childhood through her years as a housewife. This flows really easy & breezy, like you're having lunch with your group of friends & sharing stories from the past, & she drops some juicy revelations here & there throughout the book. The one & only issue I had has to do with the ARC itself - this was a really, really roughly edited version & definitely needs some work. I want to get this on audio when it's released to fully enjoy the experience with final revisions, but I recommend picking this up if you're a fan of Garcelle & the Housewives! Thank you so much to Garcelle Beauvais, NetGalley, & Amistad for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I first found out about the author when she appeared on RHOBH. Found her to be refreshing! So when I saw she had written a book, I was hopeful. And I wasn't disappointed! Some parts went by too quickly, others dragged, but all in all I liked this book. Really enjoyed hearing about her early life. An easy book to read!

Love Me as I Am is a great look beyond Garcelle Beauvais’ celebrity and into the reality of her life. Fans of her acting, will enjoy the chapters that share the behind the scenes stories of how she got (or didn’t get) the job and experiences on set and with cast mates.

Most importantly, she shares great detail about the life experiences that have led her to become who she is today. She is open and vulnerable but careful not to share too much, especially if the story involves loved ones.

This is a great read for fans of her work, who would like to learn more about the real Garcelle beyond the characters she’s played.

I am a fan of Garcelle on the Real Housewives, so I was excited to get an advance copy of her book. The book is well written and insightful. I liked learning even more about her and her journey. She indeed has strength and determination. I really enjoyed getting to know her a little bit more in this book.

#LoveMeasIAm #NetGalley

I am a huge fan of the entire real housewives series and was so excited to see this book! Garcelle is what I believe to be a misunderstood housewife who has quite a background and I loved reading about her history and what she has been through and really hope she decides to come back to the franchise. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Amistad and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


A raw, honest, transparent look at her life. I’d highly suggest it to anyone that’s a fan or likes autobiographies.

I need to preface this review by saying I am a HUGE Garcelle fan. I've loved her since Coming to America. Even in my young girl's mind, I thought the Rose Bearer was the prettiest woman ever! Fast forward to present day, I've watched her on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (guilty pleasure) and she is the best thing about that show.

However, this book is in desperate need of a copy editor. I received an advance copy of it so I'm hoping it hasn't hit the editors yet. Garcelle does have a cowriter which I find a bit odd considering all the punctuation, syntax and sentence structure errors. In my mind, it was detracting from me getting lost in her story because I was constantly editing things to make it sound more fluid or concise.

Editing issues aside, Garcelle's voice is very evident in this book. You feel like you're sitting down and having a drink with a new girlfriend while she tells you her life story. There are a couple revelations that are surprising (BILL FREAKIN COSBY!!!) but I don't think she goes too deep. It's a very light, superficial conversation without a lot of emotional ties to what she's saying. Even when talking about her estranged father, it just felt very matter-of-fact. Maybe that's due to therapy, maybe it's due to years and years of water under the bridge, not sure.... just didn't feel a ton of emotion when talking about personal things.

Again, I definitely feel this book could use a really good editor to make it really great. It's a good book for fans of Garcelle but if you're looking for a deep, emotional journey into someone's life, this is not it.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book.. I am a big fan and was not disappointed but what I feel is an honest autobiography.

You know her from #RHOBH, Coming to American, and most recently, @therealdaytime. Now, Garcelle is opening up about her life's work and journey to self-acceptance in her candid forthcoming new memoir, Love Me as I Am.

This book allows you to see Garcelle in a raw, unabashed form, as she describes her childhood in Haiti, witnessing the tumultuous relationship between her mother and mostly absent father, hustling in NYC as a young model, the challenges of becoming a young wife and mom, breaking out in Hollywood, and the battle to overcome her "disease to please."

You'll learn so much about Garcelle in this book that you never knew before and probably, as I have, walk away with a newfound respect for the TV star. She also created an incredibly page-turning memoir, as I finished it all in one sitting!

There are so many boring, yawn-inducing celebrity autobiographies out there, but I can assure you that this is not one of them.

Love Me as I Am will be released next April and is currently available for pre-order. Thanks to @netgalley and @amistadbooks for the review copy!