Wow. Just sitting with a lot of these words and shared experience with Viola. I have genuinely never seen so much of myself … my own narrative unraveling in another person. I resonate so deeply with this journey, even though I have lived very little of life so far. I feel seen and understood in such a deep and beautiful way. 

I will be digesting and processing these words for such a long time. 

Thank you Ms. Davis for opening up your heart and your life and sharing it with the world through so many works. From the screen to this novel. Thank you for portraying pain and anguish in depth that only some may ever truly understand. Thank you for gifting words to my own struggle, some of which I haven’t been able to voice or give language to. And thank you for allowing me to journey alongside you in finding who you are. Wishing I could return the sentiment. 

A truly, beautifully hard, real, and binding book.

This man had me cracking up to say the least. Both from funny stories and anxious curiosity. 

Truly a master story teller and even way more fun listening to it in his. I think I’m still wondering what I think in full about this memoir but also I’m left knowing that Matthew wouldn’t care about what I thought and I think that’s what I gained the most from this read. That life, will life whether you want it to or not - and us spending time on how others are watching and judging us life and is a waste of … life 🤷🏽‍♀️

I appreciated his adventures and how he sought new experiences in an odd but I guess unique and Matthew way - 

I also appreciated how he acknowledged that his circumstances wouldn’t have necessarily played out the same way for some other people (speaking specifically of the assaulting of a coo and weed possession) - but I also recognize how there was a lot of unacknowledged privileges shielded by overconfidence. 

Overall, a interesting read and good (slightly anxious and a bit cringey) laugh, but a contemplative listen, nonetheless.

THIS BOOK. WAS. CRAZY AS HELL. 

I mean. It was beautiful and heavy and really hard to listen to. The realities that we live with a part from the ones that we show, is hard and heartbreaking. Jennette’s relationship with people and her mom
and finding language to shift perspective and fight for herself is something I understand well. When people you love commandeer autonomy and self, it’s hard to translate their words and their thoughts into something you understand not to be your own…

I’m learning that our parents are imperfect humans too and just as Jeannette said, that’s a hard reality to
come to terms with…but a freeing one nonetheless. 

Again, just feeling honored that I’m getting to sit and listen to these narratives and learn and empathize and contemplate.