Publisher's Weekly Review
For those seeking gory details of film star Barrymore's misspent youth, there's not much to be found in this low-key memoir. Instead, she brings honesty, sweetness, and humor to the tale of how she fought to earn the hard-won wisdom that steered her from being a 12-year-old former child star to becoming a beloved actor. When Barrymore wisely gets emancipated at 14-her father was homeless and her mother didn't even know enough to pack a lunch for her on school days-she's a high school dropout who lacks basic survival skills. Mastering doing her own laundry truly gives the defeated Barrymore a new lease on life: she gains confidence and purpose while also educating herself, devouring book after book at the laundromat. Of course her trademark goofy oddball humor is present as she recalls teenage loves, but there's also growth and a blossoming realization that she can turn her love of work and her desires to do something meaningful into a career. After being welcomed back as an actor and then a producer, Barrymore has shifted to a life that's less Hollywood-driven, focusing on her cosmetics company, Flower Beauty, and her home life. In the end, Barrymore has written a warm and inviting narrative. Agent: Simon Green, CAA. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
In her new collection of essays, actress Barrymore cautiously avoids the idea that these vignettes collectively compose a memoir. She hopes that readers will "dip into when you need to or when you like to," and the stories work well in that way. Brief segments of the 40-year-old performer's life provide a small window into her enviably giddy attitude. Turning her emancipation at the age of 14 into a tale of learning to live as a strong, independent woman and bouncing through her film career and motherhood, each story becomes a little more relatable. At one point she describes rowdily crashing her car through a fence because she felt young and invincible; however ill-conceived the idea, this may cause readers to recall their own youthful idiotic mistakes. VERDICT This is not a collection for those looking to remain negative and dour. At times, Barrymore's recollections seem unbelievable-is it really possible that she has memories of being 11 months old? Still, they are heartwarming. Fans of the actress, her production company, makeup line, or girl-next-door demeanor, or anyone looking for a companion in book form, will enjoy. [See Prepub Alert, 4/27/15.]-Kaitlin Connors, Virginia Beach P.L. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.