A very honest account of an individuals struggles with life and addiction and family to finally to find happiness and equilibrium again.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was not only helpful for a sex addict, but it also gave information on how sex and food addictions are related. It was a quick audiobook and I highly recommend it even if you don't have a sex addiction.

The author is the narrator for the story, and she shares a lot of personal stories to help set the tone to how bad her addiction was and to help the listener understand what kinds of situations she found herself in. Some of the vulgar language caught me off-guard but I also appreciated it for not being written in a prudish or boring style as this topic could have been written in. It kept my attention, and it was real and relatable.

Thank you to #paulinaPantyleva for sharing your story because it has officially helped me find some guidance to some of the issues that I couldn't understand nor properly put a label on. You have inspired me to make some serious changes and to get some help.

Thank you to #Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to review this audiobook.

I finished this audio book in a day. I was absorbed, fascinated and wanted to know more. I hope this book gets the attention it deserves.

I am not trying to make light of this situation in any means. This author, who is also the narrator did a great job telling her story and was very strong in doing so. I am not sure why this did not stand out very much for me but I felt more in the afterward on how to help certain situations. I wish the author the best and hope she finds the help and peace she needs. I would recommend this to anyone who needs the help. Thank you netgalley for giving this audio book in return for an honest review.

1.5 stars

i’m quite conflicted about this book - on the one hand, i admire the author’s bravery in talking about such a stigmatised topic so openly and honestly, but on the other hand i also find myself struggling to overlook some of inaccuracies and, in my view, potentially harmful, statements she makes about addiction and recovery.
of course, this is a personal account and a book that is made interesting specifically by the individual perspective it offers. what i find concerning is the author’s tendency to make generalisations based on her own experience. listening to her repeatedly insisting that finding meaning in traumatic events and trusting god’s plan is the way to recovery felt uncomfortable at least. this is not me denying that religion and spirituality cannot be a great help in overcoming trauma and addiction, but the way that this was presented as the one and only solution did not sit right with me at all.
paulina also talks about her relationship with her disabled son and how spirituality helped her accept his disability. while, again, i appreciate the sincerity, i believe that her portrayal of disability as a personal tragedy that she and her son can both learn from is rather problematic and ableist.
i am also critical of the way paulina talks about being “cured” from her sex addiction. though i’m by no means an expert on addiction, this seems like an unrealistic and potentially harmful statement to make about an illness for which a term like “being in recovery” would be much more suitable.
paulina tells her story in a very engaging manner and i found it interesting to listen to regardless of the issues i took with her opinions on addiction and recovery. even though i do find the book informative and valuable in its sincerity and commend the attempt to offer comfort and guidance to people affected, i’m concerned that it is likely to cause more damage than good.

A fast-paced listen! Finished in one day! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about this sensitive topic from the female perspective. Raw language caught me by surprise at times- but was powerful being read by the author herself. Her life story was honest & fascinating! Thank you for sharing the audio NetGalley!

Paulina Pantyleva is a pen name for the author who bravely shares about her addiction to food and you guessed it sex. As most addictions are found to have been rooted in past trauma and ways of coping with stress and pain, sex addiction proves to be the same. Paulina spares no detail of the many situations this addiction got her into from gross ferret houses to beer bottle situations.
But we also learn about everything this addiction cost Paulina who reveals the strain it put on her family and her medical practice. This is a great book for anyone interested in learning more about addictions. Or anyone struggling with addictions. I appreciate the authors braveness and being open to share so much about what her addiction got her into and cost her and her family. And how she overcame it and still works through it.

I thought this looked like an interesting listen so I decided to check it out. I love memoirs, in general. I really appreciated the forward and epilogue as they were very informative about the sex addiction topic. As for the story itself, it was brave and I imagine very difficult to write about these traumatic events in your past. Thank you for sharing your story and helping lift the stigma attached to sex addiction. The book goes through her life and how she was able to heal. A quick listen, I’d recommend it to people. Thank you for the advanced copy, NetGalley and the publishers.

This a heartbreakingly honest account of one person’s struggle and recovery.

The book was a concise and brisk read. I read it in one day.

It is appropriately explicit. It is not salacious, though. It shows her past behavior as un-fun, destructive, and devastating.

I appreciate that she wrote this in order to offer more representation in this world for women who suffer from sex addictions.

I do not agree with her perspective on everything. Most notably, her ideas about manifesting and attracting her sexual harassment and cancer.

That said, I do believe that every word of this is entirely honest to the world as she sees it.

I hope others follow in her example and offer their own accounts and perspectives. It just makes the conversations for richer and honest.

At 108 pages, this was a quick read where the author talks about her path to healing from sex addiction. The author narrates, and you can hear in her voice how difficult it is to tell her story. I applaud her for bringing awareness to a more taboo addiction. There is a good bit of vulgar language in this book, but I think it was necessary to get her story across. Thanks @thriller_chick for asking for a reading buddy for this one!

Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook!

I was looking for a palate cleanser just to read something different and this satisfied that need. It was refreshing to read about a sex addict from a female's perspective because these stories seem to always be told about men. I found it interesting that sex addiction is often accompanied by an addiction to something else (like food) because it's about control. Also, that sex addiction is often a reaction to some sort of trauma. There was good enlightening information in here.

I kind of wanted more, but I'm not sure what I wanted more of. Overall, it was an interesting quick read and I hope it helps someone in the same position.

This book was an intense and raw depiction of female sex addiction which is a taboo and rarely talked about subject. Paulina did an amazing job demonstrating just how difficult it was to overcome and even recognize in herself. This was a true story of redemption and not for the weak of heart!

3.5⭐️

Paulina Pantyleva (what a pseudonym!) definitely didn’t hold back in this memoir of dealing with her sex and food addictions. I’m drawn to stories of others dealing with mental health issues, and while the perspective of someone with sex addiction is a foreign one for me, it was quite a fascinating window into that world. I can, on the other hand, more personally relate to the disordered eating/ weight fluctuation, and wish that more of the writing had focused on that.

The audiobook was effectively narrated by the author, with a foreword and afterword provided by
Dana Lee Chapman, the diet recovery coach who assisted Paulina in her journey to recovery from her addictions.

Thank you to Paulina Pantyleva and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

While listening to this audiobook, I was struck by the rawness of Pauline's writing. Her unflinching honesty and refusal to sugarcoat the harsh realities of sex addiction make for a compelling and thought-provoking read (or listen) if not a comfortable one. While the main topic of this book is her sex addiction, she also shares her struggle with food addiction, both of which caused her years of shame and self-loathing.

What sets this book apart is Pauline's candid account of the devastating impact of addiction and her long journey toward healing. While her approach may not resonate with everyone battling an addiction, her willingness to share how she escaped a life of torment is undeniably encouraging, as is the fact that she is now living a life free of sex and food addiction.

I received a complimentary audio ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I wish that the chapters were longer, they jumped all over the place. Also would choose a less harsh narrator. I did appreciate the story.

This was a such a raw book that at first seemed a little too fresh on the mind of the author to be told. As I listened on, I realized how much of an awakening it was for the author as a person to embrace their shadow self and take responsibility for her actions. It’s not easy and and truly a life journey to overcome addiction and one that requires compassion and no judgement to read but an open mind that people can change their ways — there is always hope! The book is honest about sex addiction being that of the mind and one’s obsession to the fantasy that one conjures. An important read given the topic and the point of view.

Finalized staff pick review:

A profound awakening occurs when you embrace your shadow self & take responsibility for your actions. It’s a life journey to overcome addiction & one that requires compassion to read & an open mind that people can change their ways — there is hope! The book is honest about sex addiction being that of the mind & one’s obsession to the fantasy that one conjures. An important read given the topic.

I saw this book on NetGalley and the title drew me in. There's not many women out there writing about sex, sex addiction, and cheating. And the way Paulina writes... just WOW. This is what I want to hear from women! She didn't wrap this book up with a pretty bow or use fluffy language and she didn't hold back. She was honest, authentic, reflective, and engaging with the reader (or listener, as I received an audiobook edition). I respect her ability to air out all (and I do mean ALL) of her dirty laundry for the sake of being accountable to herself and out of her desire to help other women. Even if you don't have a sex addiction, or are just curious about learning more on the subject from a woman's perspective, or maybe you struggle with other issues such as food addictions, eating disorders, or codependent relationships, this book may be for you! It's healing to read about other people healing. I learned a lot and had a few chuckles.