Full disclosure: I listened to the audiobook and stopped when I felt I had had enough and “got it”.

In terms of not being a reliable narrator, I would say she reminds me of a lot of people I see who have histories of addiction and/or live chaotic lives. She was a victim of a lot things and sees herself as the victim of every thing, if that makes sense?

This was most apparent in the retelling of how she lost custody of her children. I think that situation is tragic and terrible and deeply wounding for a mom, but the vague way she spoke around it really showed a lack of understanding of what happened and why. I don’t want or need her, or anyone else, to confess to me and admit all their failings. That’s a painful (and ongoing) chapter of her life and not my business, but I’ll say this: I hope her therapist pushes back or prods a bit more than her editor seems to have. I don’t think she will ever heal or feel at peace if she can’t see the nuance there, her part in it. It’s very complex and not a clear cut case of perpetrator and victim.

Side note, it was not a very well-written or dynamic book for a non-fan so the Michelle Williams reading was definitely the way to go.

I agree with re the simplistic style of writing etc. It was initially a bit disappointing but I think it is true to Britney and her ‘voice’ at this stage. The saddest part for me is that Britney didn’t have anyone in her corner encouraging her to stand up for herself or make her voice be heard or protect her from danger which led her to be unable to spot it herself.

The older guy taking advantage of her when she was 14, Justin Timberlake cheating throughout their relationship, then using her to help him rebrand, Kevin Federline using her to jumpstart his career then when that failed taking the kids away. I think a lot of her health troubles stemmed from her being depressed and over worked and her family capitalised on that to lock her up. It sounded like Justin’s family were the only people who seemed to care about her and when they broke up she lost them and had nobody.

I don’t doubt Britney had difficulties, I think she’s probably quite immature for her age due to her career taking off when she’s young but she needed someone in her corner to guide her. I hope she’s in control of her own destiny now and is doing so much better.

Also side note I felt so bad for her British grandmother who left London to go to a small American town and was never allowed back to visit her family. Made me so grateful to be a woman in this century because that must have been awful!

When I was growing up, Britney was my superhero, she seemed to have it all: talent, fame, money, she dated famous singers and actors.

It was fascinating to look behind the curtain. I still love her and I wish we as a society had treated her differently when she needed help, but we treated her like a circus animal.

I follow her on IG a nd vert often i look at her posts and thing: jesus cheist Brit are u ok? but then u know what? she is a free person and millions of other ppl do idiotic thigns and show them on tik tok so why cant she? especially give what she has gone thru, really tough.

I loved the book. I am very glad Justin timberturd is getting cancelled, I have hated him for years, what an asswipe

It kind of seems like Britney never matured past age 14. The way she describes and perceives things just comes across as simple, like how a child would understand events.

The book was fascinating. I actually read it at the same time I read “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” and it was interesting how both Britney and Jeanette were abused by their parents, manipulated by their employers, and how multiple adults could have stepped in and didn’t.

However, I definitely think Britney’s limited education came through in the book, and she also seems to have mental issues exacerbated (but not necessarily caused) by the abuse she suffered at her family’s hands. The story about her driving a car on a cliff with her boyfriend, escaping the paparazzo by executing a turn that could have killed them and having her justify it as “we should be able to make mistakes, even risky ones” makes me think she’s not mentally all there.

You certainly can’t compare trauma and Jeanette suffered physical (and probably sexual) abuse rather than financial but Jeanette seemed like a much more reasonable person.

I am definitely NOT advocating for the type of oversight her dad forced on Britney (in addition to forcing her to perform) but she needed a psychiatrist before she even became a child star.

I listened to it as an audio book. I don’t think the way it was written would well, if at all, if you were reading it.

I prefer “The man inside me” by Tobias Funke

I felt really bad for Britney. Almost everyone in her life used her. She also struck me as being really angry still (not that she doesn’t have every right to be). I hope she finds healing.

I felt like I already knew most of the information she shared. Wasn’t very interesting for me.

I agree she’s not the most reliable narrator. But I also think it’s important to let her tell her story, and I am sick of people talking about Britney’s life without her input and just to profit. She has clearly suffered a lot, and has been taken advantage of. As a reader, I feel her pain.

In terms of verisimilitude I, overall, believe her because facts are there. However I also know the truth is told trough her filter and she has been suffering for a long time so maybe some things or facts are distorted.

Woman in me, presented generational and domestic trauma. One thing that struck out to me tho is how Britney describes things and events through as if she views and understand things the same way she did when she rose to stardom, Naïve and simple.

her family was awful for how they made Britney sit as a passenger while they took charge of her career and forgot to raise Britney

I felt the same as you. Desperately sorry for a woman who’s clearly been taken advantage of, but it felt there was a lot between the lines that Britney can’t recognise in herself.

She repeats a lot “how could I be unwell if I was still doing XYZ?” Quite easily, and it’s a sincere shame that you had no one around you who was interested in doing anything about that.

i get the feeling that she became that way, not that she was always that way. she is obviously not as lucid now as she seemed in the past. the parts of the book where she describes forced stints in rehab and mental health clinics, and being forced to take lithium, those were particularly shocking. she is severely traumatized and if all accounts in the book are accurate i would not be surprised if she’s suffered irreparable damage/will never be the same person again. it’s really sad

I wasn’t entirely engaged with the first third, but the rest I found very interesting, in terms of how one of the most well known women in the world could be held captive in open sight.

While I can only imagine how much she must have wanted to finally have her own words out there, I wonder if she could have benefitted from a bit more space between the end of the conservatorship and writing the book. What pressure was she under to get that churned out? It doesn’t seem like much time to even begin to process what happened, never mind putting it down for the scrutiny of the world

I enjoyed the book. The way I see it is that she probably didn’t write the book and she probably thinks everything in the book is true.

It was a wild ride and I couldn’t relate to a lot of it but it was a quick read. It’s hard to think the same person who danced on insta in a bikini wielding a knife would be the same person to write a book, let alone that book.