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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I started reading it going in really excited to hear what he had to say about how his addiction over the years had him struggle and how he overcame it (cause typically that’s when memoirs are written right? AFTER the person has gotten help and can see the light?)
During my reading of this - which took forever by the way because of the pacing - it became apparent that he just blamed everting on his addiction. Not his actions. And while I do agree that addiction is an illness, that does not excuse him from the choices he made and actions that he did. He was terrible to all of his girlfriends. He treated his parents horribly. He was creepy af with Jennifer Anniston when she made it clear she just wanted to be friends.
I was rooting for him throughout the entire book to finally say “I’m 52 now and have been sober for X years and though it’s still a struggle I’ll never go back” or anything like that. But nope. No responsibility for his actions. No indication he is going to stop using/drinking. He might say he doesn’t want to die but somewhere deep inside him there must be that longing.
As for the book itself (Matthew Perry aside) it was so boring. Slow paced. It could have used probably 50-70 pages less to get the same point across. Usually I can finish a single book that length (250 pages) in about 3-4 hours. This took me multiple days and sit down sessions of that length to finish. It was edited poorly. It didn’t flow. It was repetitive.
I applaud him for telling his story. I hope it helps someone else. Maybe it didn’t hit me the way it was supposed to because I personally haven’t gone through addiction? Although I know people who have.
Overall I give this book ⭐️⭐️
During my reading of this - which took forever by the way because of the pacing - it became apparent that he just blamed everting on his addiction. Not his actions. And while I do agree that addiction is an illness, that does not excuse him from the choices he made and actions that he did. He was terrible to all of his girlfriends. He treated his parents horribly. He was creepy af with Jennifer Anniston when she made it clear she just wanted to be friends.
I was rooting for him throughout the entire book to finally say “I’m 52 now and have been sober for X years and though it’s still a struggle I’ll never go back” or anything like that. But nope. No responsibility for his actions. No indication he is going to stop using/drinking. He might say he doesn’t want to die but somewhere deep inside him there must be that longing.
As for the book itself (Matthew Perry aside) it was so boring. Slow paced. It could have used probably 50-70 pages less to get the same point across. Usually I can finish a single book that length (250 pages) in about 3-4 hours. This took me multiple days and sit down sessions of that length to finish. It was edited poorly. It didn’t flow. It was repetitive.
I applaud him for telling his story. I hope it helps someone else. Maybe it didn’t hit me the way it was supposed to because I personally haven’t gone through addiction? Although I know people who have.
Overall I give this book ⭐️⭐️
Very strong and moving memoir. Incredibly sad though. Proceed with caution.
3
Sad in retrospect but overall difficult to follow, kind of whiny, and repeated the same narrative that he was 53 and single and wants a woman which turned me off majorly.
Sad in retrospect but overall difficult to follow, kind of whiny, and repeated the same narrative that he was 53 and single and wants a woman which turned me off majorly.
Not the best written book, but so real and transparent…ominous. Matthew Perry was so brave to put it ALLL out there with no hesitation, in his own way.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I read a review that giving a rating to a memoir especially one where the author just died so recently was just bad taste. How to rate someone baring themselves for others! I agree! Matthew was my celebrity crush growing up and he was always my favorite on friends and I’ve loved all his movies! His life was sad with joy intermixed and I felt very close to his description of his disease!
Stunning story of Matthew Perry’s life. Listening to it as an audiobook made it more powerful, as it is told in his voice. As a fan, I give it 4 stars!
If you aren’t a huge fan of Perry’s and need literary excellence in the writing, you might not enjoy it as much or want more out of the book. If recommending this book to a friend who needs more than fandom and is reading the physical copy, I’d tell them it’s a 3 star book.
If you aren’t a huge fan of Perry’s and need literary excellence in the writing, you might not enjoy it as much or want more out of the book. If recommending this book to a friend who needs more than fandom and is reading the physical copy, I’d tell them it’s a 3 star book.