I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy is a good fit for readers who appreciate unflinching honesty, dark humor, and inspiring stories of resilience, particularly those who have experienced or are interested in exploring themes of childhood trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and the struggles of fame, as well as those who enjoy memoirs that blend humor and heart.

Oooff. Man this mom, how she encouraged her daughter’s anorexia made me want to cry. In addition to foisting her into acting. I can’t imagine the growth that was required to write this.

This book really changed my perspective on Nickelodeon and how they swept a lot of abuse under the rug. Great read.

The worst thing that happened to this book was that it was marketed as "funny". It's an interesting, dramatic at times, and depressing read that I would absolutely tell someone to read--with trigger warnings. So many trigger warnings. I was warned that this was not a happy read, and boy were they right.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest, personal review. This book was a tough read for me personally because the subject matter including bulimia and co-dependency with parent and child are difficult subject matters. The author walks you through her relationship with her mom and how it affected her life as a child as well as today. It is very honest and raw, worth the read if you are interested in these subject matters.

I was blown away by Jennette McCurdy's memoir. It's heartbreaking, funny, dark, and honest. Her writing is powerful. Thank you, Jennette, for sharing your story with us.

Please note: There are a lot of content warnings with this book. Please take care of yourself while reading.

An amazing memoir. Endearing, funny, charming and unique. Highly recommend. Not just a celebrity memoir.

Thank you for writing this book. A lot of people think you have to love your parents, especially your mom. But not everyone has a mom who actually makes their live better. I'm someone who has gone no contact due to the mental stress, although nowhere near as bad as what Jennette went through.
I love the way it was written, from the point of view of her in those moments rather than looking back and immediately telling the audience how bad it was. Also despite being such tough topics, I blew through this book (likely due to her informal writing style which worked really well in this novel).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

Absolutely heartbreaking. The writing is fantastic, and McCurdy has so much voice throughout its really a wonderful (but difficult) read.

Heartbreaking. I grew up watching iCarly and could never have imagined what was going on with Jennette behind the scenes. An incredible and well written memoir that showcases both family trauma and the damage that being a child actor can cause.

I was shocked at how much I loved this book! I'm always skeptical about celebrity memoirs, but as a long-time "iCarly" fan, I decided to give the book a try, and boy howdy was I surprised! It turns out this whole time, McCurdy's calling has not been acting, but writing! The book is compelling and brutal, with McCurdy pulling no punches when discussing her upbringing and life as a child actor. I loved "I'm Glad My Mom Died," and I can't wait to see what McCurdy does next!

TW: emotional abuse, eating disorder, disordered eating, death of a parent, alcoholism

I’m Glad My Mom Died details the beginning of Jennette McCurdy’s acting career and goes to her recovery up until now. She doesn’t hold back with the details and talks about everything she went through in the process of the rise in her childhood fame.

This didn’t go the way I really expected it too. I was expecting a completely different set of emotions to come from this story than did, but for this, it really felt like more of a healing journey for Jennette. A way to talk about her story so that she could really start moving on.

I really appreciated how she wrote this too. She told her story, didn’t linger on the details, didn’t talk about what she learned. This really was her story. There was no self-help vibe to it. Jennette talked about what happened and moved on to the next part. It was beautiful and raw and honest.

This is a hard read, but I truly appreciate how honest she was. This really feels like a friend talking to you and telling you what happened throughout her life.

I really hope her writing this has helped her healing journey. Truly wishing the best for her.

This book was really insightful. It was different than anything I've read in the past. It really did impact my reading life in a positive way.

Excellent ready that was hard to put down. A wonderfully well done memoir with an endearing personal development story. How could you not root for jennettes growth?! Looking forward to sharing this with readers.

I demolished this book in a day but Jennette demolished me for life.

Admitting that I am the ideal audience for this book, I loved this book. I don't usually go for celebrity memoirs because 9 out of 10 times they are written by ghostwriters OR they are written by the author who doesn't know how to write because they are are a CELEBRITY. But this was exceptional. Jennette McCurdy IS A WRITER.

I'm Glad My Mom Died is a goofy, irreverent title that perfectly encapsulates the sardonic - but brutally honest - tone of this book. Jennette is straightforward but artful. Listening to her read her own audiobook was a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who is familiar with Jennette from her Nickelodeon acting career. It's her typical, sarcastic and deadpan delivery, paired with the really horrific details of her childhood that she didn't realize were actually abuse until much, much later. She's able to tell her story through her eyes as an adult while maintaining the sense of childish naiveté that defined her experience in life for so long.

As expected, the overarching narrative of Jennette's story is centered around her toxic relationship with her mother. Unbeknownst to her, Jennette suffered endless abuse. [ It was her mother who forced her into acting at 6 years old and forced her to continue it when she was repulsed by it. It was her mother who taught her an eating disorder when she was 11 and endlessly berated her about her weight. It was her mother who insisted that Jennette not grow up, not change, not do anything for herself. She called her horrible things, manipulated her with her tumultuous emotions, and in some ways isolated her from the rest of the family. (hide spoiler)] Basically, I'm Glad My Mom Died is an understatement.

To those unfamiliar with Jennette's career, this book is still a gripping and heartbreaking story of a child actor's upbringing under the wing of an abusive and sick mother. It's engrossing in the way that Educated is engrossing; the whole time you know where things are going, but you're still shocked along the way, amazed that the writer is ALIVE, and completely heartbroken for her. Very different stories, but I was reminded of Tara Westover in that sense. While I want to clarify that this book is NOT a tell-all about Jennette's experience on Nickelodeon, it does, understandably, play a significant role in her story. I was one of the kids who watched iCarly every time it was on as a tween, and reading about what Jennette was going through behind the scenes in her personal life at the time when I was watching her play an aggressive food-obsessed tomboy on screen was a jarring wake-up call as a consumer of media. We can never know what the people we see on screen are going through. I always loved the character of Sam Puckett for her tomboyish outfits and unapologetic boldness. Little did I know that at the time of filming, she was (view spoiler) I remember watching that scene when Freddy and Sam share a first kiss, and how stiff and uncomfortable Jennette looked. Hearing her story about what was going through her head just made me want to slap those Nickelodeon MEN and protect bb Jennette. I was really happy to learn about her real-life friendship with Miranda Cosgrove. She even does a little Miranda voice when reading the audio that is spot on. I know they've grown apart as adults, but knowing that Miranda is actually a great human being and a good friend was good for my soul.

Jennette's story is sad sad sad all the way through, yet it continued to shock me. [ My jaw dropped when Jennette found out that her dad was not actually the father of her and two of her brothers, but I SCREAMED when her then-boyfriend confessed to her with utmost conviction "I am the reincarnation of Jesus Christ." I wanted to cry when her mother, while on her literal deathbed, took the energy to tell Jennette that she shouldn't be eating Burger King because it's going to make her fat. I teared up when Jennette teared up while reading the audiobook (the only time this happens in the entire 6.5 hours of her reading her story) during the part about her first realization from her counselor that her mother had abused her. (hide spoiler)]Every new part of her story was heartbreaking in a new way, and by the end of it, I was just couldn't believe this young woman who is my age!!! is 1) still alive and 2) was able to write this book.

My biggest fear with this book is that people are inevitably going to use it to abuse her in exactly the ways she was abused by the media as a child. People are already trying to drum up drama saying that Jennette and Ariana Grande hate each other (don't try to tell me that if you were a teen co-starring with another teen and that other teen got more privileges to pursue their dream career than you did, that you wouldn't hate them) or that Jennette's brothers/dad were terrible people (maybe they were? Who cares - not the point of this book) or comment on how naive Jennette was for so long. This book is her telling her own story, from the truth of her lived-in experience. The fact that she is alive and could even bring herself to revisit her story and write it out is a miracle. Let a girl live.

What I genuinely hope is that Jennette is able to continue her healing process, come to terms with the reality of what was done to her, and be able to follow her own dreams. She once wanted to be a writer - well if that's still her dream, I hope she continues to do it. I know she has more stories in her, whether nonfiction or fiction. Here's to a better future! (less)

This book was raw, and moving and open. I was both startled and proud of someone for putting themselves out there like this. This is a must read for everyone.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy -- I watched iCarly all the time and was super interested in reading this. At this point, it's gotten tons of press and the verdict is out: it's a great (albiet hard) read. The content i tough but there's something about reading someone else's story - and seeing their resilience, bravery, and getting to the other side - as well as seeing them claim their voice that is empowering. Recommend.

This book lives up to the hype! I was like most readers immediately intrigued upon reading the title of this memoir. I also loved the cover, which is such a throwback to my childhood. I was not familiar with McCurdy before reading this book. Being a little older, I never watched any of her programs. My children both know who she is. McCurdy spares no awful details in her writing. There were several times when I though, "I can't believe she went there!" If you enjoy memoirs you should definitely pick this book up. Even if you are not familiar with McCurdy you will find this memoir very interesting, heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny, and tough to read at times. I highly recommend!

This was a phenomenal book - I had a hard time putting it down! I've recommended it to several friends. Thank you so much!