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bronaghd07's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Eating disorder, Abandonment, Bullying, and Self harm
allieskat17's review
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Cursing, and Sexual content
deshanejt's review against another edition
4.5
Josh's memoir was raw and brutally honest. He shared his experiences in candid detail, and I found his journey to find sobriety and happiness oddly relatable.
Mixing in dark and dry humor at times, with witty commentary. This felt very much like it came from the heart.
I remember growing up with Drake & Josh, and the Amanda Bynes show... They were role models, and reading about the most humbling of experiences and poor life choices Josh made throughout his life was a healthy reminder that we don't always have it altogether, and that's okay! We just can't stop trying.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
chronicallyplotting's review against another edition
5.0
I found it rather sad how hard Josh was on himself. This book was also refreshing from any celebrity memoir to not hear a person brag on all their achievements.
If you want a memoir featuring someone’s real struggles and the icing on the cake is that life does not always go as we hope, this one is for you.
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
emiliamaria76's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, and Drug use
itsalilbitalexis's review against another edition
4.25
The hard times are here to teach us, and the good times are to remind us what we're fighting for."
WOWOW. This was a GOOD one.
Confession: I've never watched the Amanda Show. Never watched Drake & Josh. Honestly, I don't think I've seen a single thing that Josh Peck is in (sorry, Josh) & I didn't really know anything about him... so I had no idea what to expect, other than knowing that people say he's hilarious, I was obsessed with the title, and this book came highly recommended from a friend who loves memoirs about mental health as much as I do. I kind of assumed it would be a "hot take, this is what it's like to be a child actor" humorous memoir - but it was so much more than that.
Often times, self-deprivation and humor in memoirs can feel cheap, ungenuine, reductionistic... But as he weaves his brand of humor into looking back on all the stages in his life, how he consistently sabotaged himself, and how he learned how to adapt and pivot, Josh Peck maintains the perfect balance of being genuine to himself and his personality, keeping the reader engaged, and also still discussing the hard/dark times in a way with which the reader can empathize.
My only gripe (truly) was that his discussion of growing his career on Vine, YouTube, etc. felt way too long - I loved his discussions on poverty, addiction & mental health, the difficulty he had in the world of acting, and just about everything in the book... but it just felt like that portion took longer than it needed to & didn't add as much to the story as the rest. BUT, I recognize that it was a critical chapter for him and it definitely spoke to his resilience and ability to pivot in a creative way.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this memoir (specifically, as an audiobook). It was so entertaining to listen to him narrate his life, while also feeling very authentic and encouraging you to feel connected to and yet also constructively critical of his experiences and actions.
4.25 ⭐️s.
Graphic: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Abandonment
infectiousreading's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
dtrain3000's review
4.5
He definitely talks about all of his project he acted in but it's more of a footnote in his biographical story which I found way more interesting. I found Peck to be charmingly candid and lovably self-deprecating. You can't not like him.
This book was pleasantly unexpected and highly worth a read!
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Drug abuse
shewantsthediction's review
3.5
Anyways, this book is good. I was shocked about how honest Josh was. By some miracle, he's managed to keep his public image pretty clean, but has struggled his entire life with never having met his dad, having to earn a living to help support his mom since he was like 15, eating as a coping mechanism, low self-esteem, and drug addiction (he's been 13 years clean). Dude has just been through a lot. He came from nothing, and while I've never been a Jewish child actor struggling with my weight, it's super relatable.
Occasionally he'll make some remark that's slightly out of touch, such as when he says he's training with the guys who killed Bin Laden, or how he's not the next Shia LaBeouf. While funny, perhaps you could find a celebrity who hasn't abused their girlfriend to compare yourself to?? Or not bring up 9/11?? It's little slip-ups like that. I'm wondering if the book was written before certain stories came out, or his editors just didn't want to touch his authenticity—because the whole thing does read as very authentic, and most are jokes.
My one major complaint is the continuous comma splices. Unfortunately I read the print version, so I had to calm the grammar nerd in me once a second just to get through it. There were also quite a few typos and all I could think was, "YOUR EDITOR DID YOU DIRTY, DUDE!" If I'd had access to the audio instead, this might've been a four-star read, but I still read it all in one go.
I do wish he'd written about how he'd met his wife and more about his son, but I appreciate what we got. You have to admire the guy's sincerity, perseverance, and passion for what he does. It's an overall positive message and I love that he's using his platform for this.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Self harm, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent
currentleereading's review
4.5
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Fatphobia