merakiforest's review against another edition

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4.0


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hifrench's review against another edition

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5.0

Maybe it’s because I’ve been a Briana fan girl for a decade, but wow. Her story. Her storytelling. Her resilience. 

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pixelited's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A genuinely beautiful book about the life of a woman I had never heard of before but now is someone I look up to as inspiration and with the utmost respect.

The author does an excellent job of describing every detail of her adventures and challenges, and it was easy to be enthralled in her words and see the images of her life play in your mind. As a reader, I felt everything right alongside the author as she told it and even had to choke back tears at some parts. Overall, this is just a truly phenomenal memoir that I would recommend to anyone!

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jackie_marion's review against another edition

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3.75


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orireading's review against another edition

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4.0

I’ve followed Madia on Instagram for 5+ years, and enjoy the vignettes she creates through her long (and well-written) Instagram captions. I enjoyed that in her book as well! I see other reviewers comparing her memoir to The Glass Castle, etc., and I don’t think that’s a fair comparison to make. Madia brings up complex topics of substance abuse, class, and family dynamics, but aside from a few disclaimers about privilege, avoids the analysis that would bring her work up to the same level as, for example, Walls’ in The Glass Castle. At the end of the day, Madia’s memoir has to be appealing to her massive and diverse Instagram following (and this marketability factor was def part of her book proposal and eventual deal!!). 

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ridgewife's review against another edition

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5.0

Well. Where do I begin. This story was everything I knew it would be having followed Brianna for years. My heart will remember this book.

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whiskersfromwithin's review against another edition

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5.0


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coric's review against another edition

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4.25

 
If you are asking yourself why someone would want to read the memoir of a nomadic social media influencer, then this is probably not the book for you. If you are curious about how Brianna Madia rose to Instagram fame and want some more behind the scenes peeks at her life, past and present, then pick it up. Having been a long time follower of hers, I found it both funny and poignant and was appreciative of her willingness to open up and share a bit more of herself. Here’s the thing. Brianna Madia is an entertainer and storyteller. Her chosen medium just happens to be lush pictures featuring herself in the photogenic Southwest with her pack of dogs, and of course, the infamous orange van known as Bertha. One can choose to be envious or dismissive of her chosen life, but the reality is she is good at what she does. She seems to like sharing a small slice of her life for public consumption and has earned a living doing so. Essentially, her job is offering an opportunity for a little armchair escapism. Personally, I don’t want Brianna’s life, and I don’t envy it. But, I sure do enjoy a few moments of escapism through her pictures and storytelling on Instagram. She’s charming, cheeky, and gorgeous, and I never get tired of cute dog pictures. What I never forget is that her life is not always idyllic and perfect. We mainly get the fun bits because, frankly, that's what most people want to see on social media. She is curating a very small bit of her actual life for us to see. She has worked hard for the life that she has, and I appreciated a little deeper dive into how she got here. Madia’s writing for her social media posts has hinted that she has bigger thoughts she wants to share with us and that she can write. This memoir offers the opportunity for you to fully enjoy her storytelling through words instead of pictures. What you get is why Brianna chose her nomadic lifestyle and chooses a life lived partially in the public eye despite the stress and tension that comes along with it. To explain how she arrived here, she shares significant moments and experiences from throughout her life, including childhood, meeting her husband, and of course, some of her epic adventures. She also doesn't shy away from what it has cost her and the painful episodes she unexpectedly had to live through in a very public way and the resulting criticisms and attacks from many strangers. This memoir has allowed her to dig in and share a little more of herself beyond the beautiful landscapes and adventures she seems to be constantly chasing.

 

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