given how much Jennette hates acting, her narration is strikingly good, making the audiobook a richer experience than the raw text. but i don't wanna hear or read the word mom ever again. "i'm sure she’s dying." fucking finally. also, i expected the second part to focus on the author's journey of recognizing and eventually accepting that her mother was her biggest abuser rather than her biggest hero. however, she dumped the first therapist who brought this up, and the topic was largely ignored for the rest of the book until the last chapter. there, we're told that this journey did take place off-page, in an approach that misses the point of a book with such a title. my favorite part was the beginning, which focused on her childhood. it's always fascinating to read through a child's point of view, and any woman who had a lot on her shoulders or was the emotional support for her mother from a young age can relate to the tragically hilarious episodes narrated here. unfortunately, too many of us know what is like to be a good girl and a bitter woman. on the other hand, i don't think is humanly possible for anyone to remember so many details—the exact words, thoughts and moments—from the early years of their life. that's even more unconvincing in contrast with the adult years, where, ironically, the biggest time jumps occur, and the narrative becomes somewhat disjointed, albeit still featuring unrealistically detailed dialogues. it's not that i don't believe in what she went through, i just couldn't quite suspend my disbelief regarding the way she chose to write about it. her style leaves a mark, though, and i hope to see her name on the cover of a fiction book someday. so, as a reader who never picks up memoirs, i'm surprised to know they can be written like a novel, in the present tense even. i'm also relieved that Miranda turned out to be as nice as Carly, was crossing my fingers about that.