I can't really remember a time when I wasn't aware of Valerie Bertinelli, but mostly just because of One Day At a Time .and Jenny Craig commercials. I've never seen her cooking show and didn't even realize she'd won awards for it. I always thought of her as bouncy and happy - like a puppy! The fact that she married a rock star and they looked so cute together increased her popularity.

This book seemed all over the place (not really a criticism) touching heavily on weight loss but even more heavily on her relationship with Eddie. There was a lot of repetition in the book going over the same territory again and again. The writing style is conversational and easy to read.

One thing that bothered me. She is constantly talking about the great love she and Eddie had for each other even after their divorce. I read that Eddie was still married to his second wife at the time of his death but the only mentions of her in this book were to say how their marriage was 'on the rocks' etc. and yet she was there when Eddie died. I can't help but feel sorry for that second wife reading this book (if she does) and seeing her existence dismissed as unimportant - and reading how Valerie was the 'love of his life'. I feel sorry for Valerie's second husband as well. He's barely mentioned even though both these second marriages lasted for ten years. Memory is a funny thing. When someone dies, we tend to remember only what we want to and I think that's what has happened here. I can't blame Valerie for that but it's sad knowing other people are hurt by it.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I wish Valerie well in her weight struggle and hope she truly can just 'ignore the scale' and be happy.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Valerie Bertinelli rose to fame as a child actor, and as a child I watched her show, “One Day at a Time,” together with my parents. I admired and envied her, and when my mother enthused how darling, how pretty, how adorable she was, I also resented her just a teeny bit, the way we tended to resent the homecoming queen or student body president. When I saw, recently, that she’d written a memoir, I was all in. My thanks go to Net Galley and Harper Collins for the review copy. This book will be available to the public Tuesday, January 18, 2022.

For me, this is more of a three star read, but I choose to bump the rating up to four stars because there were several barn-sized hints that I should have noticed before I began reading, yet blew obliviously past. First, I didn’t get the memo that Bertinelli has written diet books and cookbooks, and has won Emmy Awards for a cooking show on the Food Network. All of these things should have given me pause, because although I do like Bertinelli’s earlier work, I never watch food programs on television. If I want to learn more about food, I’ll buy a cookbook or a diet book, but I don’t need it on my TV or any other streaming devices, and I also (giant clue number two) hate mixing recipes and cooking tips into a novel or memoir.

Yikes!

So, whereas I believed I would be reading a memoir suffused with feminist mojo that makes the author ready to turn the page on body shaming and chronic dieting, instead, I got a recipe, right up front. Pffft. And as a woman who’s lived in plus-sized fashions for decades, I find it hard to get excited about Bertinelli’s brave decision to stop losing the same ten pounds, over and over. Ten pounds? Oh please. I guess maybe actors and models go into crisis over ten extra pounds, and feel tremendously brave about deciding to own them, but where I live, ten pounds is nothing.

When I was in third grade, my teacher said that those of us that roll our eyes stand in danger of having them get stuck up there. Since there’s no way not to do that while reading this thing, we’ll call mine a case study. If they get stuck, I’ll report back. In Braille.

As the memoir continues, I find that more than anything, this is Bertinelli’s grief book. She and her ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, have remained unusually close in the years since their divorce, and this book is almost more about him and their son Wolfie than it is about her. I never enjoyed Van Halen’s music, which I found to contain more heavy metal than I am geared for; since I have this memoir, I figure I should take myself to cyberspace and find out whether growing older has changed my tastes. As it turns out, nope, it hasn’t. Still not a Van Halen fan.

And lastly, the narrative comes with all sorts of red flags when she talks about the warm relationship she and Eddie have continued to share—because, you know, they are both (full grown) Wolfie’s parents. When it becomes clear that he will lose his fight with cancer, she and he nip out of whatever family party they are attending to go sit in someone’s car and confess their love to one another—despite the fact that they have both remarried. (Imagine I’ve written that last bit in 24 point font, bolded, red.) The hell? I know that Hollywood types sometimes do things a bit differently, but…? And so, once more I travel through cyberspace to track down Bertinelli’s current husband, who is scarcely even mentioned in this emo memoir. I find an image; oh, so that’s him! And yup, at just about the same time the book was in the publication pipeline, the marriage crashed to a halt, with Bertinelli fuming about how she refuses to be “shamed” for how she grieves. Uh, okay. Her grief is her grief, but if I was that fellow, I’d feel as if my marriage was a party to which I hadn’t been invited. And if it was hard to play second fiddle to the famed guitarist when he was alive, I can’t even imagine how anybody can compete with him now that he’s dead.

So. For those diehard fans of hers, of Van Halen’s, or of the food programming to which her career has been directed in recent years, this might be a great read for you. As for me, I came away feeling awkward and uncomfortable. If, knowing all these things, you are still interested, then go for it; but if you’re not so sure, either give it a miss, or read it cheap or free.

It is Valerie Bertinelli what more needs to be said?! I love Valerie in her acting career, and as a voice in the diet community so I had to read this one! It really resonates and leaves you feeling like you've just had a conversation with her.

I see myself in Valerie Bertinelli. We're of the same generation and, of course, I watched her grow up in front of my eyes. I wasn't expecting such raw honesty from her in "Enough Already" and at times it felt like she was speaking directly to me. Like her, I've always tried to control things, seeing that as a way to please others. I, too, saw my parents into their Golden Years and beyond and have lost others I've loved. Also, like her, there's that dang perpetual ten pounds I'd love to lose but, well, unlike her it's never dominated my life since I didn't have to answer to a camera lens that showed all faults. Bertinelli is a brave woman to have bared her soul here, including the death of the love of her life, Eddie Van Halen. Cancer sucks.

As noted above, so many things in this book spoke to my heart. If you've ever doubted yourself, ever felt you weren't enough, weren't doing enough, or simply failed to enjoy the small things in life that are, in the grand scheme of things, you will perhaps feel the same. I was also reminded in her discussion of where her family came from that we are probably distant cousins through Claypoole family tie s. Maybe that is part of why I felt such empathy with her as the book progressed and I knew it was getting closer and closer to the point where she'd lose Eddie. who knows? Again, in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant, but little things like that help bring us all together. Let's all heed her suggestion that we stop wasting time and learn to love ourselves and get on with embracing the joys of everyday life. Thank you, my maybe distant cousin for those words of wisdom.
Thank you #NetGalley and #MarinerBooks, an imprint of #HarperCollins

I absolutely loved this book. It was a departure from her previous book, and definitely hit home with me!

In this book Valerie Bertinelli takes you through the past couple of years of her life... Losing her parents, then her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen, her jobs, her struggles with her inner happiness. What started all her self reflection was being on the Today show, in which they were going to talk about her New Years resolution to lose 10 lbs. She decided that she was tired of that same resolution to lose that same 10lbs. What followed was an epiphany of sorts.

This book was amazing! I live a good memoir, but even more, I love the honesty in this book. Sometimes it is almost brutal with the honesty, but it is refreshing to see someone stand up and say ENOUGH ALREADY!!

On a side note, I gre up with Valerie Bertinelli, I cheered when she married my favorite guitar player and I cried when her son was born. Our lives have been so much the same and this book reinforced that to me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mariner Books and Valerie Bertinelli for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fresh, honest account of the actress’s relationship with food. I honestly felt that I was reading the story of my life, there were so many parallels. But alas, where Valerie seems to have found the solution, I have yet to get there. But reading this book did actually give me insight not only into Valerie, but myself.
I really enjoyed reading this book and about Valerie and Eddie Van Halen’s relationship and the eternal love they had for one another. I wasn’t expecting to cry while reading this story.
I highly recommend for those looking for a good bio, or who grew up watching the actress through the years, or who want to read an account of a relationship with food.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.. Adore Valerie and love to read anything she writes!!!

Probably 3 1/2 stars, to be honest. I've enjoyed Valerie Bertinelli's work, ever since I first saw her in "One Day at a Time" - we're the same age, so I feel like we kind of grew up together. This book is described as Valerie's journey to being able to say, "Enough is enough" (mostly revolving around her body image), but it's really an extended love letter to her former husband, Eddie Van Halen, and to their son, Wolfie. I enjoyed reading about their post-divorce relationship, but I cringed when she described Van Halen as the true love of her life near the beginning of the book - and then continued to do so. I couldn't help but wonder what her second husband (from whom she's currently separated) must be thinking. Valerie's and Eddie's relationship was so very close, and they spent so much time together - often telling each other how much they loved one another - I can't imagine that would be easy for his wife to read, either. I know it was important for her to write, but many parts of it felt insensitive to her husband and to Van Halen's wife. As one reviewer wrote - of a different book - "It was an important book to write, but not necessarily an important one to read." I did enjoy the book, though, and I'm glad she got some of that off her mind. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ms. Bertinelli, and Mariner Books for the ARC of this title.

Kudos to Bertinelli for sharing her personal struggles and journey. Food has been both her demon and her salvation over the years- she's been pilloried in public for her weight even as her cooking and recipes have garnered her additional fans. This is a woman who has been in the public eye for most of her life. Her marriage to Eddie was no picnic but the their abiding love for each other and their son shines through. I don't know what to say about this except that despite all the Hollywood/rockstar stuff, I felt a kinship. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I look forward to seeing what she does in the next chapter of her life.

Most of us over analyze about the way we look. We are too heavy or too thin. Our eyes are too far apart or too close together. We hate our hair. Why can’t we see ourselves the way others see us? Valerie Bertinelli loves food, but has been trying to lose that extra ten to fifteen pounds her whole life. That is until she said “Enough Already”! Valerie shows us how she has finally learned to be comfortable with who she is through stories of her life and has even shared some of her recipes! It’s time to get rid of our anxious thoughts and to show compassion and kindness to others. It’s time to fill our hearts with gratitude and joy, to count our blessings, to do the things we love and to be comfortable in our own skin. What if we just stopped trying to fix ourselves and enjoyed life? Life is short and we are not guaranteed tomorrow. “In the end, it’s only and all about love.” It’s time for us to join Valerie and say “Enough Already” and start living our best life today!

Valerie Bertinelli and I are polar opposites. I am not a Hollywood actress, I was never married to a rock star, and I don't host my own cooking show, yet despite these differences, I can relate to her. Enough Already details Bertinelli's quest to be a better person and not be tied down with those negative self-doubts that seem to take hold for many of us.

Bertinelli has written a very honest, sometimes raw, account of learning to love herself and not be a hostage to negativity. Writing a book whose chapters are more like individual vignettes, she weaves together her quest to let go of those 10 pounds that represent more than just weight -- they symbolize the anxiety and pain that she's lived with for the majority of her adult life.

The book title -- Enough Already -- sums up her attitude as she turned 60: "Do what makes you feel good about yourself" and let go of the things that don't come from a place of love. For those looking for a memoir on her life, you'll get some history, but I would categorize this as part memoir/part self-help. A positive read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me with this electronic ARC of #EnoughAlready.

I am a huge fan of the Food Network and love the Kids Baking Championship which is how I know Valerie Bertinelli. I wanted to read her book because I knew her but I realized I did not know much about her at all. I knew she had her own cooking show also on the Food Network but I never knew that she started out as an actress and was married to Ed Van Halen.

Enough Already is Bertinelli’s new mantra against dieting and her constant goal of losing ten pounds. Though she previously has been a face for different diets she is denouncing her former ways and embracing a new lifestyle. I really enjoyed this positive outlook that she consistently came back to throughout the book. She talks a lot about abandoning food restrictions and just enjoying food as it is often a centerpiece for family, friends, and love. By worrying too much about what you intake, you are missing out on making memories.

I’ve never been one to diet, but I do consider certain foods “bad” and have deprived myself of a treat just because I thought I “shouldn’t”. Bertinelli still wants to be healthy, but she isn’t tying her happiness to the number on the scale. After just having my first baby and working to get the weight off, this message was important to me. I was weighing myself everyday to keep track of my progress toward my pre-baby weight, but after I hit my goal I stopped checking the scale and instead kept inventory by how I feel in my body.

Reading this book made me realize that I wasn’t gaining much by keeping the little restrictions on myself and I deserve to reward myself. When I passed a French patisserie, I stopped and got a chocolate croissant, something I previously would have thought a “bad” move. It tasted delicious, and I truly felt like I did something good for myself instead of feeling guilty for a change. Of course I don’t plan on using this as an excuse to overindulge, but instead as a change about how I feel about food. I feel good when I eat fresh, healthy foods, but I also feel good about treating myself to something I really want. I believe you can be healthy and happy.

Surrounding this central theme are stories about Bertinelli’s various career roles, her marriage to Van Halen, and her interactions with her son, Wolfie. This is where I was left disappointed. So many stories are randomly introduced, and nothing is in any particular order. I really wanted to know so much more about her life, and I felt like this book was only a tease. While she is very vulnerable, she only gave snippets about certain events that left me wanting so much more. This isn’t her first book so maybe she didn’t want to be redundant by repeating anything, but as this is the only thing I’ve read by her and I felt it didn’t cover enough. So my complaint is that I liked what I read but I wanted to read more.

Also, if this had at least been more organized I would have enjoyed it a little more but it was all over the place. She jumps around from story to story to make various points, and she throws in a few recipes too. Despite these dislikes, I did feel like her voice came very strongly off the page. I could truly hear her as if she were speaking to me and I found her writing pleasant to read. At one point she had me in tears.

All in all, I really like Bertinelli and her message, but this left me wanting so much more and slightly unimpressed with the organization of the writing. If you are a fan or have also struggled with body image, I would definitely still recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an ARC of this book.

Valerie and I are the same age ... I was a fan of One Day at a Time back in the day and she seems very likeable. I like reading bios/autobios so thought I'd check it out.

The book is about her coming to terms with her weight and her body image, which she has been obsessed about since she was young. She loves to cook and eat and loves cooking for others.

She talks about growing up and having fun cooking with her Italian paternal side of the family, not having a close relationship with her parents, meeting and marrying Eddie Van Halen, having and raising their son, splitting up with and divorcing Eddie, the series she's done since One Day at a Time, how she has been able to turn her love of cooking into a new career and more.

The book reads like a diary covering different parts of her life in chronological order (the chapters are labeled), which felt a bit odd since something from 2020, for example, is written about in current tense.

I knew she had remarried but didn't know Eddie had until I read about it in the book. She barely mentions Tom, her second husband, until the end when she mentions they had recently separated. She talks about Eddie and Janie, his second wife, by saying a few times throughout the book that their marriage was in the process of ending. It was nice that Valerie and Eddie could remain great friends and co-parents but it seemed like they were closer emotionally (physically and virtually) than they were with their recent spouses.

With her love of cooking, it was nice to have her include detailed recipes of some of the things she loves to make like chocolate cake, pizza, lasagna, etc.

One of Valerie Bertinelli's most attractive qualities is her relatability. Despite a career in Hollywood that has spanned more than four decades, she comes off more as a good friend who faces the same challenges that most women do--self-worth based on weight, imperfect family life, marriages that didn't work--than glamorous celebrity.

Her latest book, Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today, reviews her recent life with all of its triumphs and losses, particularly the death of former husband Eddie Van Halen. It is also a cookbook of sorts, featuring recipes for dishes that have served as backdrops for many of her major life events. Even to the non-cook, the recipes sound delicious.

The bottom line is that Bertinelli is looking for what all of us are: joy in everyday life. And that, and this book, are worth seeking.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Where do I even begin to describe how much I loved this book. Part cook book, part memoir, part self help and just plain lovely. I’ve been a fan of Valerie for as long as I can remember, she is always so genuine and warm and even on her down days she finds a way to see something good in it. I have a lot to learn and this book helps with just that. So thankful that she is so relatable and honest with her feelings. We have all been there and especially in these Covid days, we need to be kinder to ourselves and others.
There are several takeaways that grabbed me:
1. How can you change the narrative?
By being present and aware.
My body is perfectly fine. Why am I so critical of it? Why do I treat it like an emotional trash can?
Enough already.
2. The goal is to live in the moment, not on the scale. Remind yourself that it’s not the weight and it never has been the weight. It’s not those pounds. It’s the problems that are attached to those pounds…the pain and sadness that hasn’t been dealt with. Take a deep breath, muster the courage to confront the real issues…then do your best to move through and forward to a better, happier place. Don’t put it off. The time is today.
3. Everybody is kind of broken, and being kind of broken is actually normal and okay.

There’s so much more to take from this. I loved reading more about her relationship with her ex, Eddie Van Halen and his cancer journey. They loved each other right up to the end despite not being together anymore. And the recipes in several of the chapters were fun and not too complicated, which is perfect for me, who doesn’t like to cook. As someone who has yo-yo’d with her weight all my life, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Thanks to Mariner Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.
Publication date: January 18, 2022

ENOUGH ALREADY
BY: VALERIE BERTINELLI

Valerie Bertinelli has written a compelling memoir beginning during a breakdown on the Today Show. She has turned 61 years old by the end of this conversational memoir as if she is reaching out to the reader sharing both personal heartache and how she has finally after 59 years of beating herself up about: "If only I can lose ten or twenty pounds then maybe I will love myself more; Find more joy in life." Something to that effect. That is not a direct quote but she shares she has always struggled with her weight since a male teacher in grade school hinted that she was fat. I have always thought that she was quite beautiful when during my teenager years watching her play Barbara on the sitcom of "One Day at a Time." She shares that she always felt overweight and ugly when she looked in the mirror. This was written during the year of the pandemic of 2020, when the Country was on lock down and not being able to visit family, celebrate birthdays and her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen wasn't able to travel to Germany and get the best experimental drug treatments because his cancer had returned that he had been valiantly fighting returned to Stage IV Lung cancer and spread to his brain. Valerie and Eddie separated in 2002 and divorced in 2007. They shared one son Wolfie so they stayed friend's and both of their second marriages were failing during 2020 while Valerie wrote this. He died and she and their son Wolfie and Alex and his wife were there at the hospital when Eddie Van Halen died. Valerie has proven that she has come quite far on her journey towards self acceptance by sharing that happiness, joy and gratitude and forgiveness has been something that she set her intentions towards practicing everyday.

She has sprinkled some of her favorite recipes throughout this memoir. Some passed down from her mother who she didn't always have an easy relationship with. Both of her parents have died and from all of the grief she has suffered she no longer looks at the scale every morning since her teenager years. She has finally learned to enjoy food and she loves to cook and share food with other loved ones and dear friends and her family. She apologizes about her bikini cover of People Magazine in which she lost fifty pounds as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. She gained the weight back after and feels no longer defined by what she used to perceive as an ideal weight in her mind.

I had not seen her bikini cover of People Magazine nor did I know that she starred in another series since "One Day at a Time." She sort of fell of my radar during my teenager years. I had no idea that she was on the Today show or that she won two Golden Globes Awards and Two Emmy Awards. I wasn't even aware that she has hosted thirteen season's of a Cooking show. Now finally she has been able to come full circle and her ability to love herself and forgive other's and herself. She is truly happy now knowing love and kindness are essential and I am proud of her for appreciating the moment and being in the present is what matters because life is too short and none of us know how long we are given the gift of health and life. She is a wonderful mother and loves her son to the moon and back which is something that I can relate too because I feel the same way about my two sons' Valerie has learned not to take life for granted finally and I am happy for her. I can tell that she is a lovely person by her transformation and the goals that she shares which I find living a life appreciating and being grateful for what one has and treating every moment of life is a gift is the pathway to joy. She was inspirational and I want to read her former book. I ended up liking this book very much and am grateful that I had given it a chance and it paid off. I highly recommend this to women even if you don't have body image issues because Valerie has poured her heart out onto these pages and has been brutally honest. I was impressed by her candidness and her desire to help other's who may be struggling. I have missed a lot about her life and am interested in trying some of her recipes that she has interspersed throughout this memoir. I was never bored and am happy that she has developed a positive attitude towards herself.

Publication Date: January 18, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Valerie Bertinelli, and Mariner Books Publishing for sharing with me my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#EnoughAlready #ValerieBertinelli #MarinerBooksPublishing #NetGalley

I loved this book. It was relatable and honest and felt like reading something written by a best friend.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

I have never been a fan of Valerie Bertinelli nor watched her seventies series "One Day at a Time", but because she was married to iconic guitarist Eddie Van Halen, my interest was piqued. I was never a particular fan of him either, but after having read some biographies on him this past year, my admiration/appreciation of him blossomed.

Valerie's premise for this book is the fact that she has always been trying to lose that last ten pounds, especially being in the public eye as an actress. She comes from an Italian family and has the fondest memories of growing up in Delaware amidst her grandmother Nonnie cooking heavenly meals. These were wonderful family gatherings with exquisite food. Valerie didn't have the greatest relationship with her mother, but the one thing they could get close about was cooking. When she died and the kids cleaned out her house, Valerie took her Mom's handwritten recipe cards and cookbooks as prized possessions to be re-visited (when writing a cookbook). At 48, after being a Jenny Craig spokesperson and starving herself for a week prior to a photo shoot, she appeared svelte in a bikini on the cover of People Magazine. However, after the shoot she immediately went off her diet and started gaining weight. Obviously, being skinny while the world is watching and enjoying the wonder of food is a challenge, and finding that balance between that dichotomy- and ultimately achieving joy- is the goal.

Valerie has really bared her soul in this book, and there is a generous helping throughout of her love for first husband Eddie Van Halen- and especially their son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Touching conversations and experiences are sprinkled evenly among the chapters about their marriage, and their continued closeness following their divorce. This book was written during the pandemic, when Valerie's current marriage to Tom Vitale was crumbling (Eddie didn't know) and Eddie's to Janie Liszewski was also in shambles (Eddie told Valerie). The way this book reads, these second spouses are barely mentioned and their relevance is minimized. What's maximized is the enduring love that Valerie and Eddie had for each other, and that even in death...will never die. Valerie also shares in great detail the process of Eddie dying in the hospital, which was riveting and brought me to tears.

The book also incorporates many of Valeries' favorite recipies, as her cooking talents led her to a successful career with her own cooking show. As with the Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen references, Valerie's love of cooking is evenly dispersed throughout the book. There are recipes for Lasagna, Pizza, Tuna Melt and cakes.

This book was enjoyable on many levels: the Eddie/Wolfie revelations, enthusiasm for good food (and a way of showing love when cooking for others), and finding contentment in the simple pleasures of life. I can truly say I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I was reading some others at the same time and stopped them to devote myself to this one!

Thank you to the publisher Mariner Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I did not love this book, but I wanted to. A large portion of the book tells of Valerie’s struggle with body acceptance and weight. I appreciate that her story aligns with so many women (myself included), but I find an entire book written about it to be tedious. Nothing really new here.

Valerie’s successful cooking shows were mentioned along with the awards she’s won for them. But this segment seems very surface and “reporter” style. There is some discussion of imposter syndrome, but I had trouble empathizing.

The “real” story is her relationship with ex, Eddie Van Halen. They’ve forgiven each other for unnamed marital hurts. And Ed becomes a big part of Valerie’s concern as he grapples with and loses his battle with cancer.

"Enough Already" by Valerie Bertinelli is a mix of Love, Acceptance, Laughter and a sprinkle of Homemade Recipes!! Valarie takes you on a journey of her life, love, career and self discovery!! She tells you how she overcome hardships and sadness to experience happiness and joy!! Valarie shares her life long struggle with food and her weight and how with self acceptance and Love it lead to a Passion for Creating and Cooking!! With recipes of Joy she wrote a cookbook and hosted her own cooking show!! This book has a sprinkle of Delicious and Joyous Recipes!! The twenty-one gram diet was FASCINATING!! 🍝🥗

💫THANK YOU to Valarie Bertinelli, Mariner Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an Honest Review!!

#EnoughAlready
#NetGalley
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