I think that anyone who grew up watching iCarly (or watched it in college like I did because the entire cast was just that funny and endearing) always thought that Jennette McCurdy/Sam was this bubbly, funny person and a young, talented actress.

Jennette could be all those things, but this memoir reveals the very dark and painful side of her childhood. From her mom's mental and physical abuse to the trauma she endured while in the industry, this memoir packs a gut-punch. Masterfully written and a page-turner as far as memoirs go, I would highly recommend this one!

There is no accurate way to review this book. Not only does it have some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read, but it is easily one of the greatest memoirs to have been written.

This was a powerful, heartbreaking, candid memoir written by Jennette and I couldn’t recommend it more (with some caution)! It took me a couple weeks to get though this one because of how heavy it is and how triggering it can be so I had to space out my reading of it to be able to take care of my own mental health. So if you want to read this book, just make sure you look up trigger warnings and be safe! One of the biggest trigger warnings I can give is eating disorder imagery. There’s a lot more that I will list below but there is a lot of very graphic depictions of her eating disorders pretty much throughout the entire book. So just be prepared for that when reading!

I think memoirs are very hard to review because you can’t really judge someone’s story in the own words. So because of that, im not going to say much except that im really glad she was able to write this book and get her story out there and I hope it was really cathartic for her and was able to give her some peace!

Trigger warnings (probably not even close to all of them so definitely look them up before picking it up): parental abuse, eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and binging), alcoholism, ocd, anxiety, depression, parent death, panic attacks, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, etc.

A stunning and wildly well done piece. Just be sure to read all the trigger warnings. McCurdy is raw and honest in a way she never had to be but does so beautifully.

While this is a non-fiction book, I still feel obligated to state that there are spoilers ahead, readers beware.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Jennette pulls no punches. While it’s easy to think that the life of a child actor might be charmed, Jennette’s early life was far from expected. Jennette takes us on the journey of her childhood from being a child actor to becoming of age as a Nickolodeon star, and mostly, writes about her mom.

While there are many people whose moms are difficult, Jennette’s mother’s behavior is abusive and hard to read. Jennette does a beautiful job of writing out of her mindset at the time of some of the more extreme events so that you are able to drop into her head. You come to learn that she loves her mother and would do anything for her, even when it comes at the price of Jennette’s bodily autonomy, safe living conditions, privacy, and almost everything else in her life while she was living. You also are able to walk with her through the beginning of the process of healing from her mother’s emotional abuse, something that Jennette will probably be healing from for much of the rest of her life.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is for those who empathize with being completely controlled and how hard it is to break free.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing an e-Arc of I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy for my review.

I will admit celebrity memoirs are my guilty pleasure but this was seriously heartbreaking to read. It was so brutally honest and difficult to get through at times but hopeful at the same time. For Jennette to have endured so much at such a young age and having suffered so much by someone who is supposed to love and protect you is gut wrenching. I think the way this memoir was told was interesting and I felt like I was there beside her throughout her life and sad and angry these things happened to her. But I'm glad she is alive and able to share her story with others and maybe help someone in a similar situation. Overall, well written and a must read.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a bold account of the abuses a mother (or father, or other guardian) can inflict on a child. Jennette shows that outsiders can’t always tell what is going on with a person - we’re all facing battles but some even harder than you could imagine. The tone and admiration she had for her mother was uncomfortable at times, but it gave the reader a glimpse into the brainwashing and mental abuse that took place.

I appreciate Jennette’s account, though I was left wanting more about her current life. So much of the book exposed her childhood abuses, that I wanted just a little bit more to know she’s okay, or as okay as possible now. But perhaps that’s a story for another day.

**I received this advance copy free from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

I mean, if the title and cover don't hook you, the story definitely will!

Jennette McCurdy, once well known Nickelodeon star, shares with us what it was like growing up in a very controlling environment, bending to anything that her mother wanted. From her weight, to her career as a young child actor, Jennette has never had a lot of say in how she wants to live. But her mom is also taken from her at a young age, and now as quickly as Jennette had no control, she now has full control, which is a whole other challenge.

I thoroughly appreciated this incredibly vulnerable and honest life story. I cannot begin to imagine what it would have been like to be thrust in the spotlight at such a young age. It also goes to show that regardless of how sparkly a person's life might be on the outside, that we never truly know what's going on. McCurdy gets raw, and real, while still infusing humanity and compassion throughout her very thoughtful storytelling. Well worth the read.

Just Wow!!!

I will go ahead and say this... There are all kinds of trigger warnings in this book.

Jennette McCurdy has bared all in this book. I always have a hard time rating a memoir, because how do you rate someone's life stories... But this is a solid 5⭐ book! Any time you can tell your truth and put it all out there for the world to see, it is freeing.

If you have not read this book, I urge you to listen to the audiobook. Jennette McCurdy narrates this herself and adds much more to this book.

This is a very candid account of the abuse Jennette McCurdy suffered at the hands of her narcissistic mother, and how that merged with her experience as a child actress. I don’t think you need to be familiar with her show, or even know/care about her as a person to glean lots from this book, and I think it's an important text that could even be considered historical, due to her nature as a public figure and the way her story is likely representative of a much larger population of child actors.

for those hoping to get a “tea sesh” about the abuse rampant at nickelodeon, you won’t be getting that here, despite it being what the major media outlets are currently fixating on. jennette doesn’t shy away from talking about her experience with sam & cat (she hated it) and her experience with dan Schnieder (a terrible person, obviously, whom she never refers to by name), and even dedicates a short chapter to Ariana grande, but this novel isn’t centered around that in the slightest, and to come into this book only for that would be a disservice to Jennette's story.

reading about the abuse Jennette experienced firsthand is completely heartbreaking. she writes about having an eating disorder, given to her by her mother, and feeling beholden to her mother at all times. from calling her ten times a day to insisting on showering her even as a teenager, this book is full of triggering content, and I would urge those who have experienced abuse to proceed with caution.

An absolutely incredible inside look at the truth of child stars from one of my personal favorites. A completely raw and emotional deep dive into Jennette McCurdy's childhood full of childhood trauma, manipulation by a parent, and death. I ate this book alive and felt a whole new connection to one of the Hollywood stars who took over most of my childhood.

The. hype around this book was real. Her story was powerful and sad and heartbreaking. I truly do not have words to describe the feelings I have about this book. (Check TW before reading).

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Jennette McCurdy's memoir is both hilarious and terribly sad. I was conflicted between moments of laughing and crying. Her story of how she became an actress, how she got started on Nickelodeon, and her relationship with her mother throughout will make readers cringe. Highly recommended for fans of McCurdy's work. Her writing is superb and her words truly make you wonder if others are sharing the same silent pain that she was feeling and acting through it all.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time. I'm Glad My Mom Died details the abuse Jenette McCurdy endured at the hands of her mom and the subsequent impact on her experience as a child actor. McCurdy is a supremely talented writer and her style is raw, detailed, and supremely readable. I look forward to future books or any project she may work on. My only regret is I didn't listen to it via audiobook.

****Trigger warnings (may not be comprehensive, just working from my poor memory): EDs, death of a parent, child abuse, addiction/alcoholism******

Wow...I'm a huge fan of memoirs, and it's especially interesting to me when it's a public figure whom I've always admired. I grew up in the age of iCarly and the other D*n Sch***der TV shows. I loved them. But reading this memoir really brings out the dark truth of being a child star in an industry that is harmful to fully grown adults, let alone adolescents who are trying to figure out who they are while under the watchful eye of the public.
Though I found the book interesting, I'm having trouble parsing out if it was interesting because of the writing or, and this is what I'm leaning towards, if it's because I was a fan of hers growing up. I know a lot of people on social media have been discussing the book and giving it a lot of praise, but I do think the writing didn't capture my attention the way many memoirs do. I've heard people discuss it as funny, but I didn't really find any humor in her writing. It felt very straightforward and an account of her life. This isn't a complaint, more a comment on how I perceived it compared to the other reviews I've read.
All in all, a worthy read, especially for those who grew up in the iCarly era.

I've read plenty of celebrity memoirs, and I often find myself disappointed at how flat and surface-level they seem. "I'm Glad My Mom Died" does not do that. This book exceeded all my expectations. Jeanette McCurdy has managed to write one of the most compelling and emotional memoirs I've ever read. If I had not grown up watching iCarly and you had told me Jeanette was a writer before being an actor, I would fully believe that based on this alone. The perspective being written by Jeanette at whatever age she was retelling was a fascinating writing style, and it worked extremely well.
Some people may come to this book for "the tea", and I'd highly recommend that you don't do that. You won't find it here. Instead, you'll find an emotional story of parental abuse and some inclusion of how Hollywood isn't the place for children. There is a level of delicacy that this book uses when referring to how Jeanette may have felt *at the time* compared to how she feels or how she recognizes where those feelings came from and I think that that's done really well.
I cannot recommend this book enough, it is one of the best modern memoirs of our generation.

CAWPILE-
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 10
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 10
Logic: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Total: 9.14

This book is an absolute nightmare and I mean that it a few different ways. It pairs nicely with therapy and "Somebody's Daughter" by Ashley Ford.

I don't really know what to say here because I knew it would be rough going into it - I was an iCarly fan so I followed The Creator drama as it was unfolding - but there were so many more nightmares than I expected!

I'm glad her mom died too.

I've lost count of the number of times I have tried to start this review and ended up erasing the entire thing. I'm not sure I have the skill to accurately write up how I feel and that definitely bothers me a little. This book hit me really hard. It was extremely heartbreaking to read about everything Jennette has overcome. I can't help but feel so proud of her for sharing her story so openly and honestly. I obviously don't... know her, but I can't imagine this was an easy story to tell and she did a fantastic job.

Despite feeling the entire spectrum of "upset" while reading the details of her career and life so far, I leave the book feeling really hopeful and happy for her. This is definitely one of the most impactful books I have read in a while.

I have so much respect and admiration for Jennette McCurdy. She is an inspiration. From the bottom of my heart, I wish her all the best as she continues to heal and recover from her past pain.

A beautiful and powerful memoir about loss and the things we gain from that loss. Jennette is funny as all hell, and making sense of her pain on the page is OUR gift as readers to obtain.

YEPPPPP Jennette is really that girl.

As a die-hard iCarly fan, Sam Puckett shaped my childhood and even my current haircut. I've always wondered what happened with Jennette and what she was thinking during the show. She seemed so different from every other child star. This book unpacks the unique (and tragically not so unusual) pain she experienced in abuse and as a young working actress in a way that is blunt and painful and so so so well done. I highly recommend reading in just one sitting because it is just so tough to get through. The work that Jennette has done to overcome what has been built up against her is remarkable. I am so glad we now have her as a working writer.

This memoir was absolutely incredible. I listened to the audiobook while reading, and I adored McCurdy's narration. This book comes with LOTS of content warnings: abusive parent, eating disorder, alcohol abuse, predatory behavior from a boss. I didn't know a lot about Jennette, as I didn't watch iCarly. I don't think it's necessary to read this. I loved her mini-stories and insight into the children's entertainment industry. She also details her variety of dysfunctional relationships, and is very detailed about her severe eating disorder. I loved her tone and style of writing, as it's brutally honest and shows how messed up the industry is. There is a hopeful ending, which helps after reading all of the trauma she experienced.

I also shared to my instagram stories.