Jennette McCurdy was the well-known actress in Nickelodeon's "iCarly" and "Sam & Cat". On the outside, it appeared as though she was living the dream. However, that was far from the truth. In "I'm Glad My Mom Died", McCurdy finally gets to tell the truth of what she lived through growing up. It was devastating to read about all of the trusted adults around her who completely failed her: her useless "dad", her narcissistic mom, her manipulative show producer, and even boyfriends. She is completely open and honest about the wrong that was done to her, and even the wrong that she committed as well.

This book was sad, but also very genuine and transparent. I'm glad I read it, and I'm glad that McCurdy finally got to share her truth with the world. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm Glad My Mom Died is a raw, honest, very personal memoir written by Jennette McCurdy of iCarly and Sam & Cat fame. A huge applause to Ms. McCurdy for sharing her story. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is amazingly written and emotional. Highly recommended!

You wouldn’t necessarily expect a book with this title to be funny, but somehow, among the gauntlet of other emotions, it managed to be.

From the casual explosion of the first sentence to the bitter optimism of the final one, this book was a rollercoaster of heartbreak, big breaks, deeply ingrained traumas, and, above all, Jennette’s staggering steps forward toward healing.

Some of my laughter was of the horrified kind - the ‘I’m laughing because she’s making a joke but she’s making a joke because that’s the only way to get through this’ kind of laughter. I found myself hoping that writing this book was as therapeutic as it seemed to be - watching the tone shift ever so slightly with each passing chapter as she moved through her stages of grief even while her mom was still alive. I was fiercely protective and proud of the young girl and then the woman I’ve never met; because in spite of the content her voice managed to be achingly relatable.

Jennette’s career in acting was set in motion when she was just six years old. With a childish and bright-eyed determination to predict and please her unpredictable and unrelenting mother, Jennette threw herself into acting because it was what her mom wanted more than anything; and what Jennette wanted more than anything was to make her mom happy.

Detailing years of manipulation, neglect, abuse, and guilt, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is an open wound of a book - seeming to be happening both present and past-tense in a way that only trauma really can be.

As auditions became roles became the Big Break that’s so desperately wished for, Jennette’s rise to fame runs parallel with the destruction of her body and mind at the hands of the unbalanced and chaotic relationship with her mother. It’s a heart-wrenching and unrelenting maelstrom that culminates in the anticlimactic death of her mother and then pushes onward as Jennette is suddenly left exposed and uncertain in the wreckage. And yet: she carries on.

I'm probably not the target audience to read this book, but it sure resonated with me anyway. Author poured out her life, and it was hard to read. Thanks for this book!

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Easiest 5 stars I’ve given in a long time!

I read this on an 11 hour flight and absolutely flew (no pun intended) through this, reading it one sitting. This book was just amazing.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is a title I’ve thought about ever since it was announced and I don’t blame Jennette one bit. This book is so heart breaking and honest. The things she went through with her mom was so abusive. I grew up watching iCarly with my little sister and watching the show, you really would’ve have realized how miserable she truly was. Jennette is as real as it gets and isn’t afraid to share with her readers what happened to her, I respect that so much. I’m really happy for her that she was able to turn her life around. She’s definitely talented in writing and I hope she continues to write more. She deserves so much love and support.

Thank you SO much to Simon & Shuster and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Everyone needs to read this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I was a Jennette fan back in her iCarly days, I remember reading about her mom diagnosis and a few years later after I had stopped watching the show, read about her mom’s death and then years later after her mom’s abuse. This book was so heavy but so good, Jennette has a way of writing that goes straight to the point, she is not trying to get sympathy she just wants to tell her story, and tell it she did.

In another note I truly hope Jennette speaking up against Dan Scheneider helps other actors talk against him and his abuse of power and people held the executives responsible of hushing all of his abuse.

Disclaimer: I just rated this just because I don’t like not rating my reads. I’m not belittling the experiences of the author in any way.

I’m glad I had the chance to read this book.

In this fast-paced and personal biography we get an insight on Jennette’s life, and everything in between.

I truly enjoyed McCurdy’s honest and fun writing style but I’d like you to keep an eye on trigger warnings since this deals with heavy topics.

As of the content, I couldn’t believe all that she went through, but again we never know what celebrities go through, and I personally only knew her from afar so it was interesting to read from her and to get to know a part of her.

Highly recommend this biography. Keep an eye on trigger warnings.

(Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC)

This was a journey. I was captivated and devoured this in ~24h. I appreciated the perspective and really felt for Jennette as I read. The depth of emotion captured in this book was amazing. I’m still processing. As someone who has experienced an ED, she really captured the way that it feels. And the conflicting feelings that come from experiencing abuse from a loved one are portrayed so, so well.

I think this is one of the saddest book’s I’ve ever read and that I am under full obligation to Venmo Jeanette for the role she played in my childhood entertainment. Rectifying the character and persona that she projected to the contents of this book are challenging at best and my respect for her has only grown.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Simon & Schuster and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Raw, heartbreaking, cathartic, are a few words that pop to mind. Kudos to Jeannette McCurdy for speaking her truth and having the strength to live through it.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

This book was raw. I am in awe with the graphics the writing gave. I don’t even know what to say- I need to process what I just read. As this is a recount of an abusive upbringing, there are various triggers in the recollection (look up trigger warnings before reading).

I am speechless.

This was so heartbreaking to read. She suffered horrible abuse from her narcissist mother and McCurdy does a fantastic job of making the reader feel the stress and tension of the home she grew up in. The main focus is the abuse from her mother and how that affected her, but she also mentions the abuse Dan Schneider displayed on set and I think iCarly and Sam & Cat fans will be interested in what was going on behind the scenes. This is a raw memoir full of pain, but also hope. I'm so happy for her that she is recovering

TW: eating disorders, domestic violence, child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse

In this surprising memoir, former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy reveals that she hated practically every moment of her childhood and adolescence.

Jennette’s over-the-top narcissistic mother forced Jennette into acting as a young child, and taught her the secrets of “calorie restriction” when she appeared to be growing up too fast. Early anorexia gave way to a young adulthood marked by bulimia, alcohol abuse, and codependent relationships. But when her mother died of cancer, Jennette finally acquired the freedom to define her life on her own terms.

It is sad to think that the actress who played Sam on iCarly was miserable all the time she was doing it. Nonetheless, it is great that she is in the process of triumphing over her past.

Jennette is a talented writer. She displays natural comic gifts even when she’s reliving some of her darkest moments. Her storytelling skills are first-rate. I highly recommend this memoir.

I received an electronic pre-publication copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

This book was so ungodly cathartic. An absolute masterpiece that made me feel comfortable in the fact that I’m glad my dad died. Not everyone has a story worth telling, but Jennette McCurdy has one I’d read over, and over, and over again, each read eliciting the same laughter and horrified gasps as the first.

While it is clear that this is a debut, it's one of the most impressive I've read. Mccurdy is so obviously an incredibly talented person, and her brutal honesty is evident from the title alone. I'm Glad My Mom Died is not an easy read and shouldn't be taken as a joke in any way; it reads like you're repeatedly poking a bruise. It's breathtakingly candid and frankly horrifying at times. Mccurdy holds no punches in describing not only the abusive and tumultuous relationship she had with her mother, but also all the consequences it had in her other relationships, either romantic, platonic and even with her other family members. Mccurdy excuses no one, not even herself, and it is heartbreaking to read even when you can't tear yourself away from the page.

Wow. It's amazing what we can endure as children and think that it's totally normal. And Jennette McCurdy endured... a lot. I was born probably a decade too early to have seen her shows, so I did not know who she was when I first saw this book, but it doesn't matter. McCurdy's writing is excellent and she draws you into her story --which is often horrifying, sometimes humorous, and always unflinching.

Wow. What a completely unexpected, disturbing and yet touching story. I knew of Jennette from iCarly, but I really didn't know anything about her story at all. This memoir is proof that you never really know what someone is going through.

I think the way that Jennette describes the abuse she endured through childhood through her eyes at the time really helps put into perspective the way that people don't always know that what they're experiencing is abuse until later on. I devoured this memoir and I was really fascinated by Jennette's story.

I never did watch iCarly but I was vaguely aware of who Janette was. I also don't usually read autobiographies, but the title of this book had me so intrigued I knew I had to read it. And I have to say I devoured it like no other book this year. I just want to put a blanket in a dryer, take it out and wrap it around little Janette and tell her she's loved. Such a roller coaster of book and life.

I grew up on ICarly, hell my little sister is named Carly because of the show. So when I saw that one of the lead actresses, Jennette McCurdy was coming out with a memoir with a title that grabbing and brutal, I knew I would have to read it.

It was a hard read at times. With vivid descriptions of abuse - mental, physical, and emotional - and graphic depictions of Jennette's various eating disorders, It is a book that plays on the emotions.

The memoir follows Jennette from about 4 years old to her present day. Going through her introduction to acting to her booking of ICarly to her complicated relationship with her mother. Jennette has a way of invoking your emotions. I am not sure if that was her goal, but it is what happened. I was switching from fury to sadness to laughter all within pages of each other. To me, that is the mark of a great memoir, being able to make your audience feel everything that you felt.

While I was expecting more behind-the-scenes gossip, I loved what we did get. Her descriptions of Miranda Cosgrove and their friendship warmed my heart. Jennette writes it as a genuine connection and a deeply valued relationship. It was nice to know that Miranda was an important figure in Jennette's life. I also appreciated that Jennette talked about some of the darker sides to her career. Especially where The Creator and Ariana Grande were involved. When Sam & Cat ended, the explanation I always heard was that Jennette was "difficult." It was nice to finally get Jennette's side of the story and the real reason for why things ended.

People may think that the book's title is harsh, but it makes complete sense for the trajectory of the book. Jennette starts by explaining how much of a people pleaser she was/is and how the person she wanted to please most was her mother. That mentality is what led Jennette to show business. It was her mother's dream and so it became Jennette's. Jennette spends the first twenty years of her life pandering to her mother's every whim and it creates a very unhealthy lifestyle. We still see the effects of her mother on Jennette's psyche years after her mother died. We see how low her life got as a result of some of the things that had been forced onto her. It was only once she went to therapy did Jennette realize the effect her mother had on her. The book is about her coming to terms with the fact that her life is better off now that her mother is dead.

This book was a breeze to read despite the difficult content. It has short chapters and incredible humor and it makes you feel like you are flying through the book. I will be curious to see if Jennette McCurdy writes anything else in the future as this was a very solid memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting to like this, but man, I loved it! I was too old for iCarly at the time, so I really didn’t know much about the author at all. The title and description intrigued me. This was possibly the most brutally honest memoir I have ever read, with some unexpectedly LOL moments. A traumatic childhood, a mother that takes helicopter parenting to the extreme, a sheltered life as a child actress, plus a biting, sarcastic wit. Definitely a big fan of the author now and will listen to her podcast!