First of all I am so happy to have been given the opportunity to read this book early. I am a fan of Chelsea's podcast but really didn't know much about her history or career before reading this book
If you don't know Chelsea has a podcast that discusses celebrity memoirs. So she's read a lot of them! I was very cognizant of that while reading hers. I think her thought process in putting together I Shouldn't be Telling You this, payed off. The book is not chronological but each chapter has a specific theme. This really worked for me.
The point of a memoir is to get to know someone and to see their growth. This book did that in such a fun and entertaining way! Childhood trauma, abandonment, violence, career challenges, friendship, family relationships and her relationship with her body and food. I related with her in many of her stories. She managed to make me feel sad and heartbroken but also be entertained and laugh on the flip side. Open about her struggles with mental health, Chelsea is very raw but polished in her writing.
She is a comedian and has a sarcastic and self deprecating nature that laces her stories,, which is totally my cup of tea.
I read this book in one day. My favorite chapters were the one's about her godmother and the one about her mom. ( I read this chapter twice and sort of wish I could have attended her grandmother's funeral.)
I find many memoirs to be pretty insufferable but this one is NOT AT ALL.. It is worth a read!!

this was so good. real and raw and honest, funny in places, with a tone that made the writer feel like a friend sat down to coffee to discuss life. i really enjoyed this.

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: But I'm Going to Anyway is Chelsea Devantez's captivating memoir. Her book is a compilation of essays, each one dedicated to a woman who has made a significant impact in her life.

Through these stories, readers are given a glimpse into the good, the bad and the ugly moments from Chelsea's upbringing. Her recollections of growing up in abusive homes, her years of pursuing her passions, an abnormally large tumor and even her time as a drag queen.

If you enjoy memoirs or are just in need of an amazing read, you need to pick up I Shouldn't Be Telling You This! It broke me, made me laugh hysterically and inspired me. Everything I hope for when reading memoirs.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the honor of reading a digital copy of this book ahead of its publishing date. Opinions are my own.

This was an incredibly difficult book to read on several levels.

First, the blacked out portions made most of the first chapter and last chapter almost completely illegible. I’m not sure if the epub version made the blacked out portions extend over to other pages than where it was intended but it made everything difficult to read.

Second, the storyline jumps around quite a bit, timeline-wise. It made everything very hard to follow.

It seems like it will be a great book for some people.

First, I want to say that I didn’t know who the author was before reading this, I went solely on the vibes I got from the book cover. Second, I wasn’t disappointed at all. I found myself laughing many times. I’ve been on a memoir kick and I’m so glad I can list this one with the other ones I’ve been reading this month.

My favourite chapter has to be the one where she did drag, and that her drag name was so close to my real name so I had to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Chelsea Devantez for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you decide not to read this entire review, let me say this first: This is joining my list of favorite memoirs. I loved every second.

I discovered Chelsea Devantez when she was a guest on The Stacks Pod and I learned that she had a podcast that was entirely dedicated to memoirs exclusively by women. Excuse me, WHAT? I proceeded to binge listen to every single episode even though I was three years late to the party. Through the podcast, I started feeling like I knew Chelsea because she was great at weaving her personal stories and connections into her recaps and commentary of the books she was covering. Also, she is funny as hell.

So, she is a friend in my head. Reading this book was like taking a girls’ trip with a newer friend who you know has STORIES but, so far, you've just had some happy hours and dinners with them so you've heard great snippets but you can only get so far in one outing. Then you finally have a whole weekend together and they tell you the whole story behind that one wild comment they made on a rooftop bar one random night. And you are laughing, crying and just in total awe.

All of this said, even if you don’t know her (or feel like you do), but you like memoirs and/or stories about women, you should read this book! A specific woman is the focus or inspiration for every chapter. A genius approach. But also, so on brand for Chelsea and not a surprise at given the way she always emphasizes the value of her relationships with women. So, for example, while her wedding is detailed in a chapter, the real story is about her bridesmaids.

The day I finished reading this, I woke up with two chapters remaining and very little time but was desperate to finish that morning. I was also committed to 30 minutes on the treadmill. So, I did both together. This turned out to be a risky move because the final chapters include an emotional one to her mom and I could not see through my tears. Luckily, I didn’t fall off and now I've always have the memory of crying on the treadmill while I finished this book.

What a gift. This memoir is intense and traumatic, insightful and smart, and truly laugh-out-loud funny. Chelsea Devantez should not be telling us a lot of this. But I am glad she did.

Ratings
Quality of Writing 5/5
Value for Intended Audience 5/5
Pacing 5/5
Vulnerability 5/5
Overall Enjoyability 5/5

I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried from this being amazing. I recommend it for those looking for a good suspense book. My only complaint is that in order to make it a standalone, the author gave away too much of the plots of the previous books.

I went into this book knowing nothing about the author or who she was. She made me laugh out loud with the stories she shared in the memoir. I later discovered she discusses celebrity memoirs on her podcast and you can tell she is well educated in the subject. Each story is about a different woman that helped mold her into who she is today.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC**

I’ll admit it: I didn’t know who Chelsea Devantez was before picking up this memoir, but when Jon Stewart says a book is “f$%king great!!!” (with three exclamation points!!!) then who I am to argue? So I dove in, and I quickly discovered that Chelsea is an accomplished comedian, writer, and podcaster who has been through some things – and that both she and her book are indeed “f$%king great!!!”

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I'm Going to Anyway) is an homage to the women who shaped Chelsea’s life, both the good and the bad. The writing is raw, honest, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny in turns. She doesn’t shy away from tough topics or from taking ownership for her struggles, and her growth and empowerment are so inspiring (and especially relatable for a girl like me who suffers from imposter syndrome in a male-dominated career field). Now, I could say something flowery about prose and narrative and all that stuff, which would be totally deserved because this memoir is objectively well written and entertaining. But honestly, this book is so intimate and vulnerable and delivered with perfect comedic timing that it feels more like you’re having a one-on-one chat sesh with your new bestie Chelsea as she shares her journey.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I love Chelsea Devantez. I think she is brilliant and funny.

I especially love her podcast, where she reviews celebrity memoirs. That is why, precisely, I was so disappointed in her own memoir. She is tastefully critical of the memoirs that she reviews on her podcast, pointing out all of the flaws. I feel that in her own book, she was guilty of some of the same flaws that she has criticized other authors for.

Her book started off interesting enough, but frankly, I became bored and did not find the book to pick up. II found that many of the details were too much and too many. wish that it had been a more compelling read for me! As far as craft goes, this was not the most eloquently written book.

Devantez has a podcast dedicated to discussing celebrity memoirs and it was obvious from reading this title that she is very comfortable with the genre. I loved the way she decided to format her memoir. Each chapter relates to a woman or a group of women who have had an impact on her life. I thought this was a smart way to organize her essays and recognize the importance of female relationships and representation. I also appreciated how Devantez tackled more serious topics, but still was able to provide some much-needed comedic relief. It is obvious that she is both a very talented writer and comedian.
(PUB DATE: 06/04/2024)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

She did it! Chelsea Devantez was vulnerable in the sharing of her truth and passed the book-del test with flying colors. It was entertaining to read and definitely elevated my life. You can tell she studies memoirs for her podcast, Glamorous Trash, and took her own critiques about other memoirs to heart.

While the book goes roughly in chronological order, each chapter is about her relationship to women in her life. I liked taking it slow and reading one per day. By the time I got to the end, I was thrilled at the strong friendships and joy in her life.

Chelsea Devantez captures the impacts of trauma in a way that will help readers trace how trauma has impacted their own lives.. I Shouldn’t Be Telling you This is a celebration of women as friends, nurturers, enemies and inspiration that is funny and moving. I appreciated that Ms. Devantez owns her imperfections and any problematic behavior in relationships and has written this book from a healing place. Tough topics are written with grace, wit, bravery and forgiveness..

Chelsea Devantez has crafted a witty story about the women in her life that have helped her become who she is today.

I went into this book blind, knowing nothing about the author. Now, I wish I had been a bridesmaid with an invite to her wedding.

I don’t normally feel the push to mark up books to refer back to later… but several times I thought, I need to remember her words.

I would also like to have my own personal Dicks Pectoria to pick up my bedsheet, roll me onto the floor and shout that I will be a great f*cking mom today.

Thank you to Chelsea Devantez, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for sharing this copy with me. I can’t wait for my friends to read it too!
#ishouldntbetellingyouthis #netgalley #netgalleyreads @chelseadevantez @netgalley

I loved this book so much. It was funny, heartbreaking, and emotional. I kept thinking how much I wanted to hug Chelsea, for her pain and her wisdom. I saw so much of myself in her writing and found myself writing down her quotes and advice - excited to implement what she had shared. The format of each chapter being influential women is perfection. It’s everything I wanted in a book and I’d absolutely buy anything else she’d write.

really fun memoir that felt a bit gossipy and very friendly in the best possible ways. thanks so much for the arc.

Almost 4 years ago a pandemic started, I was practically bedridden and at a crossroads of life. My sister sent me a podcast about celebrity memoirs., and it was an immediate follow. A week ago I got an arc of her book and devoured it. Chelsea puts into words what so many women have gone through. I am not a writer and feel at a complete loss how to describe what this book means to me. I sobbed, choked on laughter, read a line and had to set the book down to process all the emotions it brought up. This is what women need. I want every movie/tv producer to bring Chelsea and her friends to their meetings to bring to our screens what women live through. The fabulous glamorous trashy REAL lives we live. Thank you Chelsea, you’re a fucking icon.

*I Shouldn't Be Telling You This* by Chelsea Deventez is a captivating memoir filled with humor and heart. Through witty storytelling, Deventez takes readers on a journey of survival, self-discovery, and the power of female companionship in the entertainment industry.

With uproarious anecdotes and laugh-out-loud moments, the memoir celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, proving that even in the darkest times, there is room for joy and levity. Set against the backdrop of a cutthroat industry, Deventez's narrative shines a light on the transformative power of laughter and camaraderie in overcoming adversity and trauma.

In conclusion, *I Shouldn't Be Telling You This* is a heartfelt and hilarious memoir that will leave readers inspired to embrace life's challenges with humor and solidarity. And if you haven't listened to her podcast, Glamorous Trash, I highly recommend that as well!

She makes childhood trauma like a magical adventure even if it does leave you with a hangover. A raw, honest and open account of the obstacles she faced as a child and how she used comedy to walk with her. I absolutely loved the Roger-Roger group and the tribute to her Mom. More than anything it was a pleasure to see how maturity and growth and time.bring her into the light.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the copy. #NetGalley #IShouldntBeTellingYouThis

Wow, what a story! I have been a fan of Chelsea’s since she started her celebrity memoir podcast and admittedly knew little about her career prior. I was blown away by her story, a tale of perseverance and love letter to the women who saw her through many peaks and valleys. This only made me more of a fan. Well done!