I have to DNF this. The narrator isn't for me and the content is hard to focus on or enjoy for me. Sorry.

Thank you to OrangeSky Audio's Catalog for an audio copy of this book narrated so beautifully by the author.

This book is raw and visceral and takes you on a whirlwind of both Melnick and Parton’s trauma. How Melnick’s trauma is often tied to to Parton’s. Every big T trauma Melnick has faced in her lifetime can or has been connected to a Dolly Parton song or moment. We go through both Melnick’s life starting with her childhood stint in rehab. Where hearing a Dolly Parton song over the loud speaker for better or worse changed the trajectory of how she listened to music going forward. We see the ups and downs of both Melnick and Parton’s lives. I laughed, I cried, I learned. If you’ve experienced any sort of trauma and use music to help soothe your pain this read might be for you. It opened my eyes to Melnicks poetry that I will certainly be on the look out for moving forward.

Read by the author, this audiobook is an intensely personal reflection on forgiveness, regrets, and overcoming the past, combined with a biography of one of my favorite celebrities, Dolly Parton. It is a vulnerable analysis of the song lyrics and social commentary on the events in Dolly’s life that inspired how she wrote or sang them.

It is an homage to the importance of books and working hard to achieve your dreams. Like the highly esteemed Dolly, the author is also an accomplished yet flawed woman. She weaves stories of her own life (that contain sensitive subjects like sexual assault, drug abuse, religion, and politics) that she was able to get through inspired by her icon Dolly.

There is also quite a view highlights of attractions at the Dollywood theme park. I visited this park in Tennessee last summer and though I did gush over all things Dolly, I wish I had read this book beforehand to understand and appreciate some of the lesser-known facts about the park.

I prefer the cover art on the printed book to the audio version, but I would have listened to this based on the subject matter alone.