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kstadt110's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
shannonohannessian's review
2.0
Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2021. With one of the most intriguing premises I have seen in a few years, I could not wait to get my hands on this book, but was quickly disappointed. One of the most important aspects of any memoir style work is reflection, which Hough lacked greatly. A great chunk of the work focuses on recounting stories as they happened with seemingly no comment from Hough in the present. Her essay recounting her experience being a cable guy was just that, with no takeaway - and for the second to last essay in the book, I expected more. Other than a few pages at the end, there is virtually no takeaway. No question, Hough has had interesting experiences and struggles enough to fill a memoir, but with no offer of hope or learning, it felt that there was no growth and no message. The essays had some connections and yet not enough for the story to feel complete. The way the author treats others throughout the story is concerning, offering empty justifications. After reading the work, I'm not surprised to see the author publicly putting reviewers of her book on blast and criticizing glowing reviews because they gave her work 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars. Quite an unprofessional, embarrassing, and unnecessary scene. Hough's behavior is a great example of how to not to behave on the release date of your debut novel, as seen by the average rating of this book here on goodreads.
marjoryreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
llamalluv's review against another edition
1.0
"Goodreads is for expressing your honest opinions about books. Don't be afraid to say what you think about the book!"
My honest opinion: zero stars, but that's not an option.
What I thought of the book: not engrossing.
My honest opinion: zero stars, but that's not an option.
What I thought of the book: not engrossing.
myvitalio's review against another edition
1.0
this book made me want to kill everyone around me and then myself
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
This is literally the worst book I’ve ever read in my entire life.
jess_mango's review
4.0
Lauren Hough grew up as a part of the infamous cult, The Children of God, where she as a child and teen was expected to do her part to make sure the males in the group were satisfied. As part of the cult she moved around the world. As an adult, she joined the military and dealt with the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy as a lesbian. She's held many jobs such as bouncer and "cable guy" and even did a stint in prison. In this collection of raw, honest essays, Hough shares her experiences reckoning with her life as a child who grew up in a cult and being a working-class lesbian in the south. I found the essays to be engrossing and well-written. I recommend this one to fans of #ownvoices essays, telling the real life experiences of people that are outside main stream America.
I know this book's average rating has experienced some fallout from one of the author's tweets, however I am reviewing this book without taking that into consideration. This doesn't mean I condone that tweet.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
I know this book's average rating has experienced some fallout from one of the author's tweets, however I am reviewing this book without taking that into consideration. This doesn't mean I condone that tweet.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
okjaaaaa's review against another edition
this is the worst book i've ever read, the writing is dogshit