This book reads like a therapy diary and the author concludes with some interesting observations about self worth, addiction and recovery. She uses a sort of internal dialogue technique to present aspects of her life as Amanda (now) and Samantha (former sex worker) and this is sometimes jarring as she is also focusing on wanting to leave her old life behind. I assume this was to show the difficulty she is having in separating the two aspects of herself, but am not sure it really worked. Also jarring is the frequent refrain of not caring what people think while constantly imagining potential headlines about things which she does or does not do. People who like reading other people’s therapy diaries will find this an interesting read.

This was an interesting look at one woman's story about mental illness, trauma, self-doubt, and trying to make people see you for who you are, not what you do. While there were times that this book felt repetitive and superficial (I would've liked more information about living with bipolar) overall it felt very relatable and not nearly as gossipy as I had feared.