People often scoff at celebrity memoirs, but I love a good one -- especially when I know that the author is a talented writer and wrote the book herself as opposed to having a ghost writer do it. So there are some celebrity memoirs that are just fluff -- many, actually -- and there are those few rare gems that actually make you feel like you're hanging out with a real person who is imparting wisdom. I have felt like that about 3 authors (/celebrities): Tina Fey, whose book Bossypants offered humor and wisdom, Mindy Kaling, whose books offered insight and inspiration, and Sara Bareilles.

This book offered humor and insight. She was forthcoming with some of her truths (ones that were brave to admit), and at the same time, the insight that she provided wasn't on the nose. It wasn't braggy. I loved that she included photos and anecdotes and essays from others in her life who played important roles at pivotal moments. I'm going to be completely honest here with a probably-unpopular opinion and say that I think she did Amy Poehler's book better than Amy Poehler did. In that sense (the photos and anecdotes and mini-essays from others), their books had a lot in common. But I didn't enjoy Poehler's book at all and felt that it was trying too hard. I also kind of hated her when I was done reading it. She seemed, to me, too hung up on herself. Sara Bareilles managed a much more natural, conversational tone, and it felt like I was hanging out with a friend or a cool older sister, or maybe a friend's cool older sister. I loved the format of telling her life changes through song because that's something that I can relate to. There are songs that just remind me of certain times in life when everything felt uncertain. And it was fitting, too, to know that this is how she processes her past because my last two major life changes have ended up being anchored by Sara Bareilles songs. Something in them just gave me the power, so to speak.

If you've ever seen Sara Bareilles live or followed her on social media, you know she's very funny. I expected the book to make me laugh a lot, but it the humor was very understated. There were parts that made me smile and snicker, but there were also parts that made me cry. I actually felt kind of silly for that, but there were a few of her own experiences that I could relate to so deeply that they just hit a nerve. I'd no idea she'd struggled with her weight her whole life or that she had been "the fat kid" too. Those stories just hit me in that place -- especially because she reveals that it's an ongoing struggle for her. She also includes a story about her song "Satellite Call" even though it's not one of the chapters, and I can't even think about that story without tearing up. The song came on in my car the other day and I was just a weepy mess for a few minutes.

There were things that I expected to be in this book that weren't: a lot of her humor, more about her breakup with Javier Dunn and her decision to leave LA and move to NY. There were hints of all of that, but nothing heavy-handed, and in the end, I appreciated it even more for that. Those would have been easy paths to take. This book was written by a writer.

So in the classification of celebrity memoirs, this is a 5 star, in my opinion. It didn't leave me wanting. If you're not familiar with Sara's music, the book will resonate a little bit less because you won't necessarily know what's being conveyed through the music. But I think that even if you found yourself reading this with no idea who she was, you'd still like her and want to listen to those songs.