Colton Haynes’ Miss Memory Lane stands out among other celebrity memoirs as a tapestry of unflinchingly honest depictions of the model and actor’s early life.

First, full disclosure, I’m a massive Teen Wolf fan, who is unbelievably excited for the revival movie. The show defined a chapter in my life, so I knew of Haynes prior to picking up Miss Memory Lane. Arrow was also a show that occasionally made it into watching rotation, so I was able to follow him as he became a part of successful television projects.

However, Haynes’ memoir shows how actors trying to tell the truth on screen have their own backstories. Though writing about a wide swath of his life, Haynes ties together the narrative with key moments that define the person he has become. This is not a light read. There’s a lot of trauma detailed by Haynes. But there’s also healing here. It’s clear that in the process of getting sober Haynes has had time to reflect on his past and note the impact. For example, Haynes’ relationship with his mother is complicated. The reflective aspects where Haynes sees the connection between his actions and his mothers’ is particularly poignant. And though their relationship is contentious, particularly after he comes out, it’s clear that there is also love between them. As a reader, what strikes me the most is the way Haynes’ writing elicits empathy as the reader grieves with Haynes for his early loss of innocence and his desire to find an escape and numb the pain and anger.

As a writing teacher, who has taught and written the memoir genre, I’d be remiss if I didn’t divorce the content from the craft and talk about the actual writing. There is genuine artistry and skill in the construction of Haynes’ narrative. He uses the mosaic form to assemble what might seem like disparate parts of his life into larger themes. Through the structure of the narrative, Haynes finds a pace that condenses large sections of time, allowing for the expansion of key moments that continually tie back to central concepts. Additionally, the cyclical nature of many of the sections and scenes allows each part to feel complete within the larger context of the memoir.

For example, this works well in a chapter where Haynes details his time on Teen Wolf, which sticks out to me for obvious reasons; he begins the chapter driving a car, with Holland Roden and Crystal Reed as passengers, nearly hitting a deer. At the end of the chapter, after Haynes has walked the red carpet at the Teen Wolf premiere, he sees a scene in the pilot episode when Tyler Posey’s character, Scott McCall, runs from a stampeding deer and Scott is nearly struck by a car. Haynes compares the deer he nearly hit and the one on the screen to his look on the red carpet, noting how his eyes were scared and fearful as he looked beyond the immediate object hurtling at him and tried to swerve to keep from crashing. This symbolism encapsulates Haynes’ larger struggles that were concealed by his success and rise to fame.

In addition to the overall structure, vignettes within chapters capture moments that incorporate the five senses and offer the reader rich, vivid imagery. Haynes also uses words well when he considers figurative language. For example, when talking about a fountain where change was used to make wishes, he notes how he could see the cemetery of coins beneath the water, which is an incredible turn of phrase and a great image. By the way, structurally the fountain also provides a cyclical and affective loop since it appears in the first and penultimate chapters.

In terms of the writing, it is clear that Haynes carefully constructed his narrative. He had a clear path in mind and those who read early drafts provided careful feedback that helped him shape his story into the published work. Haynes’ memoir also shows how artists can often find various outlets for their talent. If Haynes decided to continue with a writing career, I honestly think he would be very successful.

Overall, someone interested in details behind Haynes’ time on Teen Wolf and Arrow will ultimately be disappointed by the content. But there’s a great deal more to recommend Haynes’ memoir than just the work that has elevated him to the level of celebrity. As a fan, I’m excited to see where Haynes goes next because it is clear that he is talented in a range of venues, including constructing a cohesive, compelling, and truthful narrative in a variety of mediums.

this book is so gut-wrenchingly real and honest, it just breaks my heart. To think of all Colton has been through, and that he has found his way past it to his honest self, is such a joy. I felt so sad/happy/elated/crushed throughout the reading of this story. I was rooting for him, mad at him, protective of him, and a multitude of other feelings. This is written in such a way that it evokes all the emotions to the max.
Thank you, Colton, for sharing such truthful and personal stories with us. I'm sure it will be a beacon to other aching souls.

This was such an eye opening and emotional memoir. I knew little of Colton Haynes before reading this book. This was raw and beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. While I'm familiar with a lot of Colton's acting work, I was blown away by his story. This book is so well written for a celebrity memoir. His voice is so clear and honest and handles extremely difficulty events with sincerity and nuance.

An impressively beautiful story about a boy trying to heal from sexual abuse and broken dreams.
I've never seen the shows Colton has acted in, but I've seen his childhood in the lives of hundred of students I've worked with over my career. Kids lost, looking for meaning they struggle to find but adults struggle to find meaning too so why are we surprised kids don't find it? Kids wanting a purpose that doesn't match their dreams, leading to years of disappointment as they fight to be happy in a trap they set for their future selves.
Colton tells a good story, spending time with his dysfunctional childhood and his dysfunctional adulthood, finding parallels that he never healed from. He finds abuse in adults that should have protected him and hope in a druggie in rehab, hopefully showing there is hope for the rest of us as well.
**I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Atria Books (for a hard copy) in exchange for an honest review.

Colton has written a raw honest intimate look at his life.At times it is difficult to read he has many struggles a lot of issues but he works through them and comes out on top.He has written a beautiful memoir emotional real.#netgalley #atriabooks

Miss Memory Lane was a moving (and very honest) memoir from Colton Haynes.

This book deals with a lot of addiction, complicated familial relationships, homophobia, abuse, and being sexualized at a young age. and is very heartbreaking.

I think Colton did an excellent job of writing this book and I would recommend it.

As a huge fan of MTV’s Teen Wolf, Colton Haynes has taken up real estate in my brain for years now. With this book he has upended everything I could have thought I knew about him.
This was a raw and vulnerable celebrity memoir that really digs into the real life experience. Those looking for the glamorous gossip should look for another book. From the very first chapter you realize this will not be an easy story to read, but it is an important one. This book touches on sexual assault, physical abuse and substance abuse.
It was so brave of him to tell this story, and I hope telling it has helped him heal. The first couple chapters feel clipped, blending lots of short bursts of story together, but as the book goes on you fall into his voice more. It focuses a lot on his childhood and coming of age, and is less focused on the period of time when he was in the zeitgeist. While I do wish the book was a bit more balanced in this aspect, I understand how his childhood has a greater effect in the whole narrative.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Miss Memory Lane by Colton Haynes in exchange for an honest review. I've been a fan of Colton Haynes since I saw him in The Gates, then Arrow and Teen Wolf. I think it's interesting how much we judge people based on an image and never look deeper. This book gives that deeper look into his life and what he went through growing up. Beautifully written and totally relatable.

Colton Haynes’ memoir is a very heavy read. It deals with a lot of addiction, complicated familial relationships, homophobia, abuse, and being sexualized at a young age. Colton’s writing was really engaging and brought all the emotions and situations to life. His life growing up and then starting to model as a teenager were a large focus within the book.

I think if someone was going into this mainly wanting behind the scenes stories about Teen Wolf or Arrow then they might be disappointed by how not a lot of page time is dedicated to that. While those shows do get mentions, it’s not the typical actor memoir style where there’s a lot of fun stories about shooting different episodes and whatnot. With Colton’s memoir it’s more about how he was feeling being in the closet and spiraling out of control in the background while those shows were going on. I appreciated getting a different look into an actor’s life and seeing how crushing it was for him when people on his team were convincing him that he couldn’t be open about being gay.

I did feel like at times when the book would skip forward by a few years that I was missing out on a lot of context when things would just be mentioned in passing. It just made some parts of the book feel lopsided when certain things would be written about in depth and then something else that seemed like a big event was only given a couple of sentences. But overall I think this was a really interesting memoir and definitely worth checking out.

Before reading Miss Memory Lane I did't know much about Colton Haynes. The best way is going in blind because he talks about how hard and tough his childhood was. To be honest I didn't know it I was going to be able to finish it. I'm glad I stuck with it because to see him come out the other side shows his strength as a person. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I had no prior knowledge of who Colton Haynes was before reading this book. I was a little too old to be a Teen Wolf fan and I've never dipped into the universe of DC shows on the CW. I was graciously sent a link to this book by the publisher, Atria Books because of my interest in celebrity memoirs and I'm glad I sat down and read it. Colton's story is harrowing, but it's written in such a humane way that it doesn't feel salacious or exploitative. Reading this book is a great reminder that no matter how perfect someone's appearance is, or how great their life seems, you never know what they had to go through to get where they are.

This was a quick read. I finished it in about two days. I wish colton spent more time on important parts of his life such as rehab and his marriage. A lot of his past is seeded in trauma and may be difficult for some readers. He barely talks about Teen Wolf but spends the first quarter talking about his years spent modeling. I’m hopeful Colton found the writing process to be therapeutic.

I knew Colton Haynes from Arrow, but honestly knew very little about him before reading this book. I'm honestly speechless after reading this. This book is raw and doesn't sugar coat the things he has been through. I'm impressed that someone still so young can look back at the things he addresses in the book and talk about them. I hope this book reaches people who need to hear his story. He really could be an inspiration for people to know that they are worth it. The book is written quite well, it reads like a show or a movie with just enough description and insight to set the stage without taking away from the story.

I was given a copy from Netgalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Holy wowza! This memoir was not what I expected, a deep heartfelt look into Colton's life and success, downfalls and family struggles. I appreciated how well written and open he was- I finished this in one sitting it captured my interest that much. An insiders look into the modeling/ entertainment world, family trauma, the ugly side of Hollywood, mental health, fame, it's all in here with brutal honesty and reflection. At times the abuse Colton went through was too tough for me to read, but it's real life and I appreciate the awareness and way it was told. This one will stick with me and I can't wait to see what he does next!

Colton Haynes is the definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. I’ll be honest, I don’t watch a lot of tv so I’ve never seen either of Colton’s popular tv shows, but you can’t be a gay guy and not know who he is. The mans gorgeous….but that’s part of the problem Colton works through in this breathtaking and raw autobiography. From an early age (holy shit wasn’t expecting THAT) Colton learned that his good looks and body will help him get ahead in life. We see read through very raw descriptions of his assault and his sexual relationship with an older man when he was very young, so proceed with caution if these are triggering topics for you. Also, we see him dealing immensely with body image issues and addiction. Colton didn’t hold back in this. So often, celebrity biographies are very impressionable…. They peak back layers just enough to be honest but hid the real grit of their story. Colton rips the layers away and you get to understand the man behind the beautiful face so much better. A profound, at times hard to read, story of a young man working through his demons.

This one will stay with me.

This was a dark and intimate memoir and I found that I couldn’t stop sinking further and further into it. Haynes is such a storyteller. He pulls you along in these moments of his life that he is sharing and brings it all to into vivid clarity.

With an upbringing uniquely similar to my own, I could easily recognize traits and coping mechanisms Haynes used to make it through the day. I felt such a connection with his story.

This was brutal and raw and so incredibly good. He is a beautiful soul and I am so honored to have read an early copy.

Colton Haynes pulls no punches going up against his greatest opponent - himself - in Miss Memory Lane, his debut memoir. On the surface a successful model and actor (Teen Wolf and Arrow), Haynes sheds all of the protective top layers to shine a brutally honest light on his struggles with body image, addiction, sexuality, and coming to terms with a confusing familial upbringing. Written with a bold and stark lyricism, many of Haynes' stories are graphic and shocking which can make for a difficult read at times, but nobody ever said that confronting personal demons would ever make for light reading.

As someone who often struggles with depression, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts, I was able to empathize with the struggles depicted here and found myself actively rooting for Haynes throughout the book. The self-awareness on display here was not born overnight but through some grueling inner battles and I appreciate the strength it must have taken to get to the point of writing about them for a wider audience.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley**

Colton Haynes wanted to be loved and accepted. He found love m the public when he was a model then an actor, but the adoration of fans wasn't the kind of love that fills an empty heart. Add to this the unacceptance of his gay personality by his family and Colton spiraled into a life of abusive sex, alcohol, drugs, and a life almost lost

With raw, unflinching gritty detail, Colton writes about his life and what it's like living a life of unacceptance. This is not a typical coming of age story, but one of coming of age while trying to accept a person's own identity when those closest to him refused to acknowledge what he knew in his heart.

Disclosure : I received a free ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is often said in recovery circles that you are only as sick as your secrets. That hiding from what is hurting you only begets more pain. That shame and secrecy only feed your problems and the only way out is by shining a light on your hurt. Colton Haynes's secrets were killing him both figuratively and literally. Miss Memory Lane is a beautiful memoir that will sit heavy on my heart for some time. I am in awe of the vulnerability it must have taken for Colton to put pen to page and offer his pain to the world. This is a book about letting go of secrets and learning to love yourself, but it is no standard fare celebrity tell-all. This is not a book of Hollywood gossip or petty grievances. Colton didn't need to be a celebrity at all for his story to be worth telling. This is a story of a young man who was constantly looking for love and validation in all the wrong places. A young man who believed he was nothing more than a beautiful body and whose only currency in the world was his sexual utility. My heart ached for Colton reading this book for all the ways he was failed and all the ways he let himself be his own worst enemy. Thank you Colton for sharing this story that you owed no one. Thank you for your truth.