Chasten Buttigieg is very funny. I also appreciate that he shared about some difficult issues that he and many others have gone through. I just wish the book had been structured differently so it wasn't so repetitive. I still enjoyed it though. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really connected with this memoir. It’s funny, honest, encouraging, and what I needed to hear right now. Chasten is such a great role model because he can relate to so many of the experiences and self doubt young people go through. He knows what those darker feelings are like and found his way past them into love and hope. I strive to be more like him. The world doesn't deserve someone as good as he is, nor do we deserve his husband. I'm thankful they choose to share their lives with us. This was one of the best memoirs I've read because it didn't have an agenda or lessons to teach. It showed what life is like and why we keep going anyway

I read Pete's book last year and I KNEW I wanted to hear Chasten's story. This was so beautifully written and had so much heart in it. I am a huge fan of the Buttigieg's and can't wait to see where their stories go!

I was a huge fan of Chasten Buttigieg on social media before I read this book, and it only solidified my opinion of him.

He's smart, empathetic, and funny, and all those characteristics come through in his story of his small-town rural childhood and his fear of coming out. I sense there is some reticence involved in members of his family such as his brothers, who have little place in this book, but that's his right.

What's particularly fascinating is how his training in theater gave him greater empathy and the ability to learn on the job as a political spouse. Without tooting his own horn too much, he reveals all the work he put in on the campaign trail, meeting with LGBTQ youths and social service groups, helping them feel like Mayor Pete's campaign SEES them.

It's equally interesting to see the way he grows as a speaker, becoming more than just Mayor Pete's husband. A great read which only made me even more impressed with him.

Sometimes celebrity books turn out to be duds, but that’s not so with Chasten Buttigieg’s memoir. I, too, was a 4-H kid and as I read this, I wondered how many of the kids I knew had the same struggles. Its clear that his early struggles and his success at graduating from college helped him face what was going to happen to him on a national political campaign. Its easy to read. He tells his story with humor and reveals much about the life he has experienced as the spouse of Pete Buttigeig.

First I want to say thanks to Netgalley for giving me this early copy. I have to admit that I have been a longtime supporter of Mayor Pete and was happy to get the chance to learn more about Chasten than what you see in social media.

Much like his social media this book is full of personality. It is a very quick read and does come off very conversational, which is great. The writer uses the gimmick of breaking narrative to directly address the reader, which was sometimes successful but more often felt forced or was used as a way to insert humor in a serious or embarrassing situation. I wish his editor would have talked him out of that, of course I’m assuming they didn’t. I’m sure many will enjoy that but I much more enjoyed the brief moments when he was truly candid like when he talks about his time in Germany, which leads to his acceptance of who he is. These snippets felt genuine to me and not so forced.

It’s clear that Chasten is a very bright young man with a lot of charisma. In the book he talks a lot about dating a mayor and later on his husband’s historic presidential campaign and how he was sprung into the limelight because of his husband, who whether you love him or hate him is on the fast track to political superstardom. However let’s not forget that Chasten did major in Theater he’s very much an extrovert. Don’t be fooled into thinking he doesn’t want notoriety or attention. His need for validation is strong in this book and sadly one of the biggest takeaways for me was that Chasten desperately wants to be recognized as an individual and not known simply as Pete’s husband. However he forgets that a lot of people are still learning who his husband is and so his task to be known just for being Chasten is all that much harder. Perhaps this is because he is young and very much entrenched in speaking through memes and gifs on social media with its quick praise but it did not endear me to him.

I will add if you are wanting to read the book just to hear cute stories about Pete that is not what this book is about. I’m not saying they’re not there but it does not make the bulk of the book, nor really should it. This book is not about Pete. It’s to learn this young man's story of growing up in the midwest and struggling to come out. Overall that’s what I find most valuable about Chasten’s book. Sadly his story is not uncommon but it’s very inspirational especially to the young kid in a small town who is struggling to be who he is when he’s surrounded by people who tell them it’s wrong. Obviously we’ve come very far but in many ways there’s still a long way to go.

I truly loved how open and honest Chasten was in this book. It's vulnerable and heartwarming, and it touched me very deeply. There is so much love here: for his family, for his community, for South Bend, for Pete, for himself. It's a beautiful memoir, and I can't recommend it enough.