Darkly funny and sometimes harrowing, this book gave me a lot of insight into the realities of being a child actor. It's a perspective that is hard to get sometimes because of the realities of Hollywood that Jennette talks about: the powerful creators behind TV's hits have power that manifests in really malignant ways. I appreciated her vulnerability and honesty.

This is a raw and honest account of McCurdy’s experience and what she had to endure as a child actress. As someone who grew up watching her on Nickelodeon on shows from Zoey 101 to iCarly to Sam and Cat, my heart hurt to read about what she’s gone through in her life. However, I am so glad she’s able to express herself and tell her truth now. I recommend this to anyone who also grew up watching Jenette McCurdy on their TV screens as a kid.

4.5/5

i mean where do i even begin?

jeanette mccurdy pulls no punches with this poignant memoir, chronicling her childhood in hollywood and the long lasting ramifications it has had on her development. starting with how she got into the entertainment industry, mccurdy outlines the cost of fame and the result of parents projecting their dreams onto their children. after that, it chronicles her experience as sam puckett in the nickelodeon show icarly and how she turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma she endured as a child.

let me get this out of the way right now: please read the trigger warnings before you read this book. this isn’t one you can go into blind because mccurdy really outlines all of the abuse and trauma she has endured at the hands of her mother and the entertainment industry.

a few months ago, i read alyson stoner’s op-ed “the toddler to trainwreck industrial complex,” where she talks about the effects of child labor and the damaging effects it has. that essay reminded me a lot of this book, really showcasing the cost of child stardom.

mccurdy doesn’t shy away from hard topics but she treats them with the gravity that they deserve, all while showing how at six years old, she didn’t know what she was getting herself into. that is a tough balance to strike— how do you outline childhood trauma and showcase what that was like without making it sound like it’s creating a fictitious or dramatized event?

mccurdy strikes this balance by writing in the present tense, allowing the reader to feel as though the events she is recounting are just as fresh to the reader as they are to her. her stories are personal, powerful, and uncomfortable. and that’s exactly how they should be.

this book feels like it was written for an audience of one, like this was an extended journal entry to help her process an recount her story and we are all just lucky enough to be privy to these kind of details. she writes about some things that shocked me, for example i didn’t expect for her to talk about being offered hush money to never speak about her experience with The Creator.

overall, this is a really powerful memoir that was an amazing read. i ended up reading it in two days once i finally had the time to read more than just 5 pages at a time. it’s a thought provoking glance at the trauma childstars face, as well as the complicated relationship she had with her mother and the tumultuous push-and-pull of loving a parent who didnt do what was best for you. i can’t recommend this book enough. so so good. i’m so grateful jeanette mccurdy wrote this book, i think it really has the possibility of making some real changes in the way child stars are treated. we could all benefit from reading this book, especially those that are pulling the strings in hollywood.

thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review ! All opinions are mine and mine alone

As a general rule, I refrain from rating memoirs - It seems gross, in some way, to apply stars to someone's lived experience. But in the case of Jeannette Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died, it would feel wrong to give it anything but a resounding five stars.

Trigger warnings: Sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, eating disorders, addiction

Written from the present tense, Jeanette candidly recounts her childhood, rife with abuse and trauma at the hands of her mother. She's frank, oftentimes alarmingly so, when recalling her mother's co-dependent relationship with her, the abuse Jeanette endured, and her exploitation by Nickelodeon producers. If you're an occasional reader of any blind gossip sites, you can probably venture a guess as to who the mysterious "The Creator" is...

I'm Glad My Mom Died is gripping, nuanced, sincere, and - despite the grim subject matter - witty. Once I picked it up, I simply couldn't put it down. For every internet clip you've seen of Jeanette talking about a childhood experience, this book pulls back the veil on five more. If there's any memoir you pick up off the shelves this year, I encourage you to make it this one. Jeanette McCurdy is a hero, and we must protect her at all costs.

I love Jennette McCurdy and I thought this book was a wonderful way for her to finally say her piece. We have no choice but to respect her and her willingness to talk about her eating disorders, the hush money, and her relationship with her family, specifically her mom.

I’m not usually a fan of nonfiction, including memoirs, but there were a handful of reasons I knew I needed to read this one:

1. I was a huge fan of iCarly as a child.
2. I became aware of the allegations against Dan Schneider (aka “The Creator”) when I was a teenager.
3. The title of this book made me audibly gasp.

I didn’t know much about Jeanette’s life beyond Nickelodeon before this book, but I did know that she’d refused to do the iCarly reboot and had bad experiences with the studio. This memoir explains so, so much.

Jeanette is an AMAZING writer. Her humor—sometimes dark, sometimes dry, sometimes sad—shines through every page, as does her bitterness towards her childhood. I feel for her. I wish I would have known as a preteen watching reruns. I wish I could have been mad for her when she needed someone to be mad for her.

I’m still mad for her, but I’m also proud. I don’t know her personally, and I never will, but I don’t know how I couldn’t feel proud for any woman who went through the degree of abuse, humiliation, public criticism, and mental health struggles and came out the other end a stronger human being.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I was always more of a “Disney kid,” so I didn’t watch the original iCarly religiously when it was airing. But I had seen the occasional episode and liked the characters well enough that they made an impression, enough that I was curious about Jennette McCurdy’s story, especially from the bits she’s shared over the years.
And while her narrative has a lot of overlap with many child stars’, the poignancy with which she speaks about her experiences is no less moving. The book’s title, while shocking, is given justice in the narrative, exploring the twisted impact Deborah McCurdy had on Jennette, and the physical, mental, and sexual abuse Jennette endured at Deborah’s hands, with Deborah determined to fulfill her Hollywood dreams through her daughter. The descriptions of how Deborah would encourage her young child to practice calorie-counting, or would give Jennette genital exams are truly harrowing.
And the abuse at home only set the stage for the way Jennette would be treated as a child actress. Some parts of the book discuss Jennette’s toxic relationship with an executive she calls “The Creator” for legal reasons (while providing enough info so readers can put the pieces together) including how he pressured her to drink alcohol. She does contrast this by describing the positive relationships she formed with co-stars like Miranda Cosgrove, but it’s implied (and confirmed by a statement Miranda made) that Miranda wasn’t aware of the full extent of what Jennette was going through at the time.
I appreciate how the book is deeply personal, with Jennette reflecting on the warped shadow her mother cast over her life, something she could only begin to come to terms with after her mother’s passing. It’s symptomatic of a wider issue with child stars often being exploited on both sides by parents and producers, but Jennette doesn’t go out of her way to prove this thesis, even if she may do so unintentionally. It’s a provocative, raw book that will be relatable to those who’ve also dealt with abuse at the hands of one’s parent(s) or who are simply interested in Jeannette’s story and observing her path to healing.

Jennette McCurdy rose to prominence through her fan-favorite role on Nickelodeon's iCarly and later Sam & Cat. As a burgeoning young star, you might assume her life was as glamorous as we are led to believe is the norm for young Hollywood. However, McCurdy was hiding a childhood of abuse at the hands of a manipulative mother who controlled everything she ate. Her memoir, aptly titled "I'm Glad My Mom Died" takes readers on a journey through some of the author's earliest memories of her mother and how their relationship strengthened, and turned fraught as she grew older. The humor, grace, and wisdom with which McCurdy shares her story is truly remarkable.

Damn. Jennette McCurdy is a fabulous author. I could picture myself through her memories and almost feel what she experience. For such a heart breaking sorry, she wrote a wonderful book.

I love memoirs and celebrity memoirs are even more intriguing. It’s fascinating to hear behind the scenes insight on something that is so beyond the reach of the normal person. Even though I wasn’t a super fan of iCarly, (I think I was just aging out of watching Nickelodeon at the time), I was compelled to read this mostly for the bold title and storyline.

I empathize so much with stories of complicated relationships with parents, although in Jennette McCurdy’s case, “complicated” doesn’t even begin to cover her relationship with her mother. My heart broke for her again and again as I read her story. And yet she made it so easy to read. I am so impressed with her seemingly effortless writing style that was so direct yet eloquent. McCurdy was extremely open, frank, and concise in her writing. There was no dancing around the subject, she laid it all out on the table and it was so exhilarating to read a story with so much candor.

I couldn’t believe all that she had went through. I felt like every time I would put the book down I had some new bombshell to share with my husband who was also interested in her story. I found it extremely eye opening to the entertainment industry especially related to child actors and as a new parent I questioned if morality can even exist for child acting.

Even though my relationship with my parent is nothing near what McCurdy went through, I still connected with the dynamic she had with her mom on a very basic level, like wanting to be good enough for her and trying to please her. And she wrote so adeptly from the point of view of a child I truly felt like I was hearing from her at that age with the perspective growing with the timeline.

I commend McCurdy for creating not only an expertly written memoir but also an extremely powerful one. Her story will stick with me for a long time and if she writes anything else I will be happy to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book.

CWs: eating disorders, abuse, alcoholism, mentions of OCD

Growing up during the iCarly era, Jennette McCurdy was a major part of my television routine. As I grew up, McCurdy grew out of television and I had forgotten about her until my brother started watching Sam & Cat. Then, I had seen Between pop up on Netflix a few years back. When I had seen McCurdy’s book being released, I had initially believed it would be chalk full of Nickelodeon drama and behind-the-scenes info that we wouldn’t have otherwise known. I found this book to be so, so much more.

Growing up much too quickly at too early an age, McCurdy describes her mental health struggles, and how acting and her family contributed to her struggles. Feeling exploited for fame, McCurdy dealt with emotional, mental, and physical abuse from her mother. As the title states: “I’m Glad My Mom Died”, because her true recovery did not begin until her mother passed. Sprinkled in with hilarious commentary (“is Dwayne Johnson God?”) throughout the novel, McCurdy recounts her heartbreaking experiences with eating disorders and addiction with candor. This was a no-bullshit memoir, and McCurdy did not hold back.

This memoir was impactful because we don’t get to know the inside life of many child stars. We only see the shiny exterior that Nickelodeon and Disney put on for us, and this book showcases that. As a perspective we don’t usually hear, it’s important for viewers to know that those actors are real people going through their own lives. McCurdy made it clear that although she was a star on-screen, she had an extremely unhealthy home life and her healing will be lifelong. This was a fantastic read, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

This memoir shared McCurdy’s experiences growing up with an abusive narcissistic mother and her own progression through processing the aftermath.

Im so proud of her. As someone who has a complicated relationship with their parents, I appreciate her courage to share and process. Growth is so hard and she does this with authenticity.

You don’t have to be a fan of any of her shows to get sucked into this story. Biggest lesson learned is it is never too late to take back your life. 💛

This was absolutely crushing to read. Overcoming an abusive childhood can feel impossible because the hardest part about surviving is having to learn to accept the things that have happened and the people that we have been. It is very hard to exist within your truth when that involves accepting what has happened to you and how things in life are not kind or fair. I truly hope Jennette finds happier times and a strong sense of peace in her world and her life. No one deserves to go through such trying times. An industry that protects abusive behavior and abusive environments is not a healthy one to exist in. I hope she finds healthy environments and people that want good things for each other. It's very hard to have healthy relationships with anyone when most of your relationships have been toxic. Things can get better and I truly hope that they do. 💜💜💜

This book has been in the news for weeks now, and let me tell you, this has lived up to the hype entirely, and then some. If you were a kid of the 90's, this book is a must read.

When Jennette McCurdy said this would be a tell-all book, it tells it all. From her home life, to her Nickelodeon days, McCurdy put her entire heart into this book. It was so open and honest, but also entirely entertaining. I can't even imagine how hard it was to lay out the good the bad and the ugly parts of your family, especially diving into the relationship she had with her mom. But, I think that shows how important it was for her to be a voice for those that don't have one. Having imperfect parents are not a common discussion and I think she laid out the difference between knowing something wasn't right, but also these are my parents and I love them unconditionally.

Her experiences with "The Creator" were detail heavy and eye-opening, and makes me wonder what else people have experienced that we will never hear about thanks to Nickelodeon hush money. Her relationship with being a child actor was so unique and really showed how fast you have to grow up, while also highlighting all the ways it can greatly stunt your growth.. I just loved her relationship with Miranda Cosgrove and it made my childhood heart so happy to hear.

Overall, if you watched iCarly, you owe it to yourself to get this book!!!

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for my NetGalley e-ARC of I'm Glad My Mom Died in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This memoir blew me away. Told in vignettes and snapshots, Jennette McCurdy opens up about her complicated (to say the least) relationships with her mother, child stardom, her body, herself. She captures her mindset at all the different stages of her life through present tense, and it is devastating to understand her coping mechanisms amidst abuse and great stress from such a young age. I believe that this book is well worth the read even if you didn't grow up watching iCarly. It's really amazing to follow along as Jennette finds her voice and reclaims her story, ultimately being able to put herself first and process many kinds of grief. Jennette is a true artist.


Content warnings for abuse, eating disorders, and alcohol addiction.

Unlike many readers, I did not pick this one up because I was a fan of Jennette McCurdy's Nickelodeon shows. I missed that age demo by a couple years and never really watched Nick anyway. Everything I know about McCurdy comes from a CJ the X video essay about Cat Valentine, which includes a section about McCurdy's post-Nick projects. (The essay is incredible btw.) I picked up this book because I was intrigued by that video's mention of her one-woman show with the same title.

Not having an existing relationship with McCurdy's TV work might be the ideal way to approach this book. I fear that readers picking up this book because they want a tell-all gossip title about Ariana Grande and the Nick days will be disappointed.

The content of the book is true to the title. This is not an A-list dish sesh. It's a memoir of McCurdy's relationship with her mother.

With the benefit of hindsight (clearly aided by some serious therapy work), McCurdy revisits the abuse she suffered under her mother, from her earliest memories of home through her hellish TV days. Her mother's death from cancer splits McCurdy's life into a "before" and "after," devastating the struggling young woman. Ultimately, though, only her mother's absence allows McCurdy to understand the way her mother dominated her life and begin a process of healing.

The Nick TV days, of course, are part of this. The story of McCurdy the actress is the story of McCurdy the abused child. Her work as Sam Puckett was done under immense pressure to please and pacify her mother, while providing financial support for her whole family. Co-stars and staff (including Dan Schnieder, referred to only as "The Creator," which would be too on-the-nose in fiction but rings true here) certainly appear on the page, but as side characters. They give us the context for McCurdy's relationships (or lack thereof) outside of her all-consuming co-dependency with her mother. But they are not the A story here. McCurdy has no interest in spilling any secrets or embarrassing anyone (except, perhaps, herself). She speaks candidly about this supporting cast, then leaves them behind when it is time to catch up to the present.

The quality of the writing in Glad My Mom Diedis getting lost in the noise of the media push. This is some of the best memoir writing I have ever encountered. I found myself floored, particularly in the early childhood chapters, by the layers at play. The writing immerses the reader in the mindset of child-McCurdy, reflecting her beliefs at the time, but never loses sight of the way these experiences have been reframed by the present writer, adult-McCurdy. It's a difficult balancing act that feels effortless. (At first, I wondered if this was the work of an uncredited ghostwriter, but not for long. While I can't say what kind of help McCurdy may have had with the text, the voice and style is far too specific and raw to have simply been outsourced.) also darkly funny, which was sometimes a relief and sometimes suitably upsetting. The title is a fitting preview of the kind of voice found within. McCurdy is indulging in some humor and catharsis here, and we are kind of in on the joke... but not completely. It's her life, after all.

McCurdy has had a dreadful experience with fame, even by child-star standards. The pain of that experience is a major presence in this book. For that reason, it is uncomfortable to watch the blockbuster rollout for this title, especially when the promo frames McCurdy as a celebrity first, rather than a human (who is famous) writing about her life. Given the intensely personal nature of the book and some of the revelations within it, it is hard to watch the inevitable packaging of this book as a commercial product. At the same time, the book is a commercial product, and I feel confident that McCurdy herself has no illusions about that. And while success as an author in no way makes up for what she has endured in the past, I hope the cover shoots and interviews and painful moments of producing this spectacular memoir feel worth it. While gossip-hungry fans might be disappointed, readers struggling to make sense of their own histories of abuse, mental illness, and crises of identity may find understanding and hope in this book.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing an early review copy of this title at no cost. No money changed hands for this review and all opinions are my own.

This was a difficult memoir to get though. I grew up watching iCarly and I loved the show, though I must admit I grew out of it by the time Sam and Cat aired. I remember how funny it was and Sam was one of my favorite characters (sorry but Spencer will always be my #1 fave). I remember when Jennette McCurdy quit acting and not thinking much of it. It happens, especially with child actors, but boy was I was off. This memoir was a difficult read... finding out that an actress for a character you loved as a child was so wildly unhappy and struggling silently felt like a punch to the gut. Knowing McCurdy is happier now made it a little easier to get through but there were a couple parts I had to put the book down and walk away (aka the shower scene). I'm Glad My Mom Died is a gritty behind the scenes look at the pressures some child actors face, especially when a parent is pressuring them right alongside the media/society, and how the world of Hollywood is not meant for everyone and that, that's OK.

In this humorous and heartbreaking memoir, Jennette recounts her life and the toxic relationship she had with her mother growing up. Reading the manipulative and abusive relationship between her mother and herself was hard to read at times and the way she wrote it in her mindset from when she was a child was even more tragic. To realize how much she didn't even understand how toxic and selfish her mom was as she was growing up made me so sad. The relationship between Jennette and Miranda was so lovely. I obviously don't even know Jennette, but after reading this book I am proud of how far she's come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Having been a smidge too old for Nickelodeon when iCarly came out, I had never heard of Jennette McCurdy, but I loved everything about the look of this book: the Sweet Valley High-esque cover, the over-abundance of pink, and the title. Good lord, "I'm Glad My Mom Died" is an incredible attention grabber.

This book deserves all the praise and hype it's been receiving. I read 75% of this book in one sitting, fell asleep, woke up, and finished it. McCurdy has spoken in the press about the traumatic moments she experienced on the set of iCarly, but it pales in comparison to the abuse she received at the hands of her mother (and grandmother).

One of the reasons why this book is so captivating is McCurdy is able to write about childhood events from a simultaneous adult/child perspective. It's difficult to explain, but it will make sense when you read it and you will feel more present.

My rating is not for the subject of the book but for the writing. All I can say is fantastic. I didn't expect to relate so much with some of her experiences and it is beautiful. Nothing but respect to Jennette for telling her truth. Sometimes Mom's suck, and I would be elated if the Creator died as well.

*Arc provided by Netgalley