*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Very inspirational read! would buy and recommend for sure

I found this very eye opening. you always see homeless people but once you actually start to hear their stories its hard to not have compassion for them. I have a hard tie rating this as I don't feel like someones story should be rated so I gave it 5 stars to bump it up so more people can read and enjoy.

I originally read this book as an advance copy back in April, but I recently finished listening to the audiobook version and am happy to say it was just as good! The narration was well done and the story was easy to listen to.

Here is my review of the written book:

This memoir tells the story of a young woman who experienced significant verbal and physical abuse at the hands of her mother, but managed to learn and grow into a successful business woman and mother. Despite the many challenges she faced growing up and the many times she found herself in dire situations, Natasha was able to survive and persevere in incredible ways and this story shows that even people coming from a very difficult upbringing can achieve their dreams.

I love the title of the story, but also think that her motto of "faking it" would also have been an apt title. I definitely recognized a little bit of imposter syndrome in Natasha's writing. It is clear that she is a remarkably talented musician and a very successful business woman, yet she second guesses herself all throughout her life. I think that the struggles she faced growing up created this "faking it" mantra or belief that she held. First, I think that Natasha's mentally ill and unstable mother who was extremely abusive made Natasha feel that she is worthless and completely useless because she literally told her those things. Second, I think that in a lot of ways, Natasha was set up to fail. When you are not given the supports needed and you do not have healthy attachments from a young age, it is very common for a person to believe they are not good enough or deserving of the success or appreciation they may receive later in life.

I really connected to Natasha because of our shared love of music and difficult childhoods. Like Natasha, I dove head first into any music or clubs I could join so that I could get forget about the challenges I faced at home and also so that I could avoid going home by staying at school or practice as long as possible. Because I could not afford very many lessons, like Natasha, I grew up with gaps in my technical understanding of music which also contributed to my imposter syndrome in Music.

The depression and anxiety that Natasha struggled with is also very relatable, especially the self harming she described where she picked her scabs, causing more scabs to pick. Natasha did a fabulous job normalizing the therapy and medication that she needed to get through these chalelgnes. The fact that she demonstrates that this is an ongoing, life-long battle is also something that makes me feel connected to her and her story.

I thought that Natasha was able to share a very difficult and personal story in a way that could be inspiring and also informative for others experiencing a rough time in their lives or recovering from past traumatic events. While dedicating a significant portion of her book to the challenges she faced in childhood, she also balanced that with the successes and difficulties she experienced as an adult. At times I wished for just a little more detail about her childhood, but after finishing the story I felt that she achieved a very good balance.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy memoirs and want to read about successful women who came from very challenging backgrounds. Additionally, if you are a fan of Natasha Miller's music or musicians and entrepreneurs you will also love this book.

I so appreciate Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to and review a copy of this wonderful memoir.

Book: RELENTLESS
Author: Natasha Miller @natashamillersf
Genre: Memoir
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉/5

Some people will read memoirs only if they are written by celebrities, or famous people. Miller is neither a celebrity nor a famous person, and likes it that way, she told me. Could be why I hadn't heard of her before picking up this book. I gather from the early chapters that she's a successful musician, but *shrug*--the music that plays as sorts of tiny intermissions throughout the audiobook might have been a clue, but unfortunately, I listen to audiobooks on 2.5x speed. To me, the interludes sounded wavery and Miller's voice was unrecognizable.

Miller's music career was, for me, a subplot. She is much more successful anyway as an event planner to the stars. The main story is about a sensitive and creative girl whose violent childhood careened abruptly into a conclusion in the state foster system, followed by homelessness. Learning about the creative ways Miller met the challenges she encountered as a young woman, challenges that would level full grown adults, made me absolutely glow with joy and appreciation. Perhaps most importantly of all, Miller found so much love in her life, and she was wise enough to recognize it and let it lift her up!

Miller admits no anger toward her parents, who returned to her life once she established herself. In fact, she admits very little suffering in this book. She also never claims to shut these feelings out-- pain, sadness, regret. It is as though she decided her book is no place for that part of her. It is a startling, fantastic construction.

I didn't love everything about this memoir. But I was rapt; I finished in two sittings over two days. It left me seeing bright and feeling bigger than my edges. This is a good memoir.

Thank you NetGalley and Natasha Miller for letting me listen to this brilliant audiobook.

Rating 4.5 stars, rounded up
Read if you like:
📖 Memoirs
🏀 Resilience
🦸‍♀️ Strong women's stories
🎼 Music
📈 Entrepreneurship
🎈Party Planning

4.5⭐️
Sad, emotional & relentless such a good audiobook! I loved everything the music, the narrator since it’s the author herself.

Not an easy life especially not if your mom is doing the verbal and physical abuse & out and on her own by 16. It’s a Memoir but it felt more like a very good story with heart and hopefully giving others hope and inspiration for others to get up and fight for yourself!

“No one is coming to save you”

Always looking for validation but Love, value and respect is what you need to show yourself & others is what I learned by listening to this powerful memoir!

More could of been added on how she had her daughter around her parents etc.
I’m definitely glad she’s happy and is successful much deserved & more than anything I’m glad she broke the cycle and didn’t give her daughter trauma that’s the biggest win!

Thank you to NetGalley & Poignant Press for the audiobook arc. Relentless is narrated by the author. Natasha’s story is very compelling. She did not have a normal childhood. There was a lot of abuse - emotionally & physically.

She did everything she could to come out on top & be better than what she had. She had a daughter of her own & it was interesting to hear how she decided to parent compared to how she was parented. Natasha went through a lot of growth & became successful in more one career. It is always so refreshing to hear people breaking the cycle & becoming better than their parents.

I loved this memoir. So much pain, hardship, and incredible resilience and determination. She’s a fantastic author, and obviously gifted at all she sets her mind to. What an inspiration, that there is always a way. That there is hope. That there is a way to overcome generational dysfunction. Thank you for sharing your story, Natasha.