FORWARD is not just a memoir about Abby Wambach's soccer career. It's also a blunt look at what she has struggled with throughout her life - self-acceptance, addiction, an overwhelming drive to be the best, regardless of the personal cost.

This is one of the hardest memoirs I've ever read. Wambach's storytelling style is straightforward, no holds barred. I knew she struggled with alcohol and pills, but reading this "behind the scenes" account of what her inner life was like during games I watched her play - even events I remember attending - puts her career in a whole new light. It really spotlights how someone can be at the top of their field, outwardly appearing to be someone who has it all together and is harnessing their talent, when inside, they are tearing themselves apart.

There are some events that still feel glossed over - her friendship with a former club owner comes to mind - but for the most part Wambach lays everything on the table in this book. She openly discusses lifelong feelings of inadequacy, the loss of direction after retiring, troubled relationships and more. I also kind of hope she writes another memoir down the road, as this one came pretty shortly after her DUI, and it's plain that while she has stayed sober she is still working things out.

I will also just say, boy, do I relate to having an innate talent for a sport but also an innate laziness.