I wanted to like this one, but couldn't quite get into it (Which seems to be a trend lately with a lot of books I've been reading). I'm familiar with Maitland because of Boy Meets World, but didn't find it...interesting I guess?

Up from 2.5 stars. I'll be the first to acknowledge that I've never seen an episode of Boy Meets World (I was just a little too old?), but can definitely identify with the author's recollections of how young women were supposed to be in the early '00s.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Maitland Wards Rated X is a sex positive memoir of embracing and accepting normalcy. It tells a story of overcoming shame and the tabooness of being a woman who enjoys sex, and it shows how sex being taboo can lead to shame and guilt and feelings of wrongness at embracing a natural part of humanness. Great read.

I enjoyed this book a great deal but felt some of the explicit scenes in the book was not what I was expecting when reading a memoir but I didn’t hate it. This story follows Maitland Ward as she grows up and becomes an actress best known for Boy Meets World. Little did she know that she would become huge after announcing she was doing porn. I thought this story was interesting as it explored about how sex workers are treated and the issues that took place in Hollywood. My only issue was at some points this book read more erotica and less memoir, at times it felt like it pulled me out of the story a little bit. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was a huge Boy Meets World lover and I guess somehow it's hard to imagine the actress crossing over to the porn side.

She does have an interesting background. Often, people rebel when their bringing is repressed and without freedoms. Maitland seems to have followed that pattern. Her natural curiosity about sex influenced her and remained a constant.

After enjoying success early in her career, she found herself typecast. Unable to break away from that mold, her options were limited. Unable to get any acting jobs, she explored other options. one being cosplay at events. Dressing up was a healthy outlet for her and she discovered a love for it. But she was advised it would prevent her from getting more acting roles. Kind of ironic when she wasn't getting any offers anyway.

When she delved into the world of porn she had a natural talent for it. Once you make that move, you pretty much say goodbye to going back to Hollywood and crossing back over. But she created her own path and now is in a position (no pun intended) to bring safety measures and actual story lines with realistic backdrops to porn movies.

Her story may not be for every one, but it works for her. She is true to herself and doesn't need the acceptance of anyone to give her their approval.

This book was a great insight to the world of Maitland Ward. This memoir is not for everyone. I enjoyed reading her story but it left me feeling sad and not one I would want to read again.

Ward proves she's a good storyteller as well as an adult film star in this engrossing, warts and all memoir.

I will say I did not know how she was when I began reading her story but as with others from Hollywood, she seemed to be typecast by studios and also by the people who were to be working for her. I found this to be a sad state of Hollywood and the way they treat their female actress not just from the studio heads but also from the agents and PR people who say they are working for their clients but they are not. What was really sad was some were women taking advantage of her and then when she took control of her career and went into porn and her movies really began to sell big those same people wanted her to meet with her because now she was worth something to them, good for her to say no. Also liked how her mother told her she believed in her and gave her the power of herself to continue to move forward and supported her so many parents let their children down, Overall this was a good read.

This is an entertaining read about the life of Maitland Ward. She tells us about her transformation of careers throughout her life. It’s interesting to get a glimpse inside someone’s mind and thoughts.

Growing up in the 90's, Boy Mets World was my show. There are just so many iconic moments that stick with me years later. Includes in these moments is the epic food fight between Eric, Jack and Rachel. The character of Rachel was first introduced in season six thus introducing the audience to actress Maitland Ward. Following the cancelation of the show, she found herself having difficulty booking new roles, and this forced her to make an unexpected career change. This career change and more is discussed in her new memoir Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me From Hollywood.

The career change which Maitland Ward made was to leave the Disney universe and join the world of adult entertainment. Now that is quite the change! Not being able to find roles that were darker was the main reason for the career change. She was tired of being put in the "good girl" Disney box. Her transition into the world of porn did not happen over night but as she became more comfortable, she started exploring more. Through out her memoir she references this change as her liberation as a woman.

It was interesting to read about Maitland Ward's move into the adult entertainment industry. She is very open about her experiences and does not appear to have any embarrassment or regrets in terms of these experiences. Many of these experiences are sexual in nature. These experiences are what cause the actress to really think about what it means to be a sexual woman within our society. To me, she brings up several good messages about body image, sex positivity, and the role of woman within society.

Like I said, this memoir is one of experiences and identity. Some of these experiences are highly sexual and involve various individuals both prior to her joining the world of porn and after as well. Admittedly some of this made me cringe internally because it's not exactly what I normally like to read. That being said, I recognize the way I have been programs to automatically think that that type of behavior is inappropriate, and I do admire her image of freedom and positive sexuality. Hollywood is well known for trying to keep sexuality under wraps and for not allowing women to appear "too sexy". I appreciated the way she called people within the industry out without fear of repercussions.

Rated X is a sex positive reflection of a women's past, present, and future. Maitland Ward has taken control of sexuality in a way that has been deemed unacceptable by much of society. As she was liberating herself in her eyes, society was still trying to put her in a box and shaming her for refusing to fit into it. She refuses to let shame stop her and finds ways to rise about it becoming a strong in the entertainment field of her choosing. It may not be the path for everyone but, it is the right move for her.

I don't know what I expected but I was wildly entertained and learned a lot more than I ever thought I would know about the adult film industry.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was a fan of Boy Meets Girl but wasn't that familiar with Maitland Ward, nor her subsequent career. Before I read the promotion for this book if you'd asked me where she was I'd have assumed she retired like many child stars did. This book was an interesting look not only at Ward's own path, but the broader intersection between Hollyweird and the adult film industry.

Quick, but in depth read. I'd definitely like to read more like this.

Rated X takes you through Maitland Ward’s journey from soap star, to sitcom star to a liberated porn star making her own path back into the sitcom realm. Maitland talks to you like a friend throughout the book with her humor shining through from start to finish. Her writing style is easy to follow and she doesn’t bore you with nonsense fluff to keep the narrative going. You’re on the journey with her as she discovers her sexual identity and it’s easy to cheer her on as she progresses from mainstream into the porn industry. I really enjoyed how authentic, raw and emotional she is in detailing her journey. She’s not afraid to name names and shine a light on how demeaning and one dimensional people can be.

The chapters surrounding her time on Boy Meets World really spotlight 90s sitcoms and how she was viewed as nothing more than dumb and pretty not just as a character but an actress as well. While that was typical of her and other actresses experiences during that time, it looks much uglier in today’s lense for the men behind those actions.

The book is obviously sex and body image positive and details her struggles and barriers getting to where she is today. She puts a positive light on her marriage which would seem unconventional to most but is founded on support and love. Maitland empowers women, and in describing her journey advises other women to trust their gut, push forward and create your own joy against mainstream standards. She has forged her own path to happiness even if it doesn’t look the same to others and it’s a great read.

Thank you to Atria Books for this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was actually surprised at how good this book was for me. One would think the worst of someone who went from being on a hit TV show (Boy meets World) to now staring in porn. I admit, I thought poorly of her. After reading her book though, I have a new found respect for her. It's a interested behind the scenes look at the porn industry as well as Hollywood. I really enjoy her story and how she found herself.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. :)

I want to thank Atria Books and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

Definitely an interesting read and in site into the porn industry. While I was not as familiar with her earlier work on Boy Meets World, I was familiar with her later career. All in all it was an enjoyable read and may not be fore some. She does go into detail that may offend readers, but I am guessing if you have picked this up you would not be too offend.

It was interesting to read the evolution of how Ms. Ward went from being a young actress in Hollywood to a trend-setting porn star. Initially, she was a young actress on a family show. It was successful which was great at the time. However, later on that success would prove to limit her as people would have difficulty seeing her as another character - - making her marketability plummet.

Various events that occurred combined to gradually lead Maitland to try her hand at porn. She was under extreme criticism when she did and people thought she was settling when she did. People didn't realize that it was an empowering experience for her. As time has moved forward, she has been a staunch supporter of the craft and wants people to understand that sex work is often very misunderstood.

I'm not usually one to read memoirs, but Ms. Ward's was quite intriguing. Her life has been interesting and it seems that she is quite happy with where she's landed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it.

Release Date: September 6, 2022

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I loved boy meets world growing up! When I came across @maitlandward book I was very intrigued.

Porn is often looked down upon but I tend to agree with Maitland that when it is regulated and done respectfully it is entertainment similar to a movie.

Maitlands journey from Soap Opera to Boy Meets World to adult film star is fascinating. Her experience and explanations are very provocative (sometime a bit graphic) but they really do make you think about the adult film industry as a whole. Sex work shouldn’t be looked down on if the people participating are legal, consenting adults.

I highly recommend reading this book, even if you don’t agree with it, it will really make you think!

#maitlandward #ratedx #howpornliberatedmefromhollywood #atriabooks #boymeetsworld #bookstagram #bookrecommendations

“Rated X” is a you’ll-either-love-it-or-hate-it book, i.e., no middle ground. I loved it. Following Ward’s journey of growth and discovery was intoxicating and entertaining. Her blunt style of writing was refreshing and enjoyable.

I would rate this book at 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Maitland Ward you may be familiar with as a star on a program called Boy Meets World that was popular on network television. She was on this program in years 6 and 7 of the series where she played the character Racheal. What you may not know is she got her start in the soap opera world. This story told by herself starts out with her growing up in Long Beach and how she made it into Television. After what she claims to have been discarded by Hollywood, she made a transition that few if any have taken from mainstream acting into the adult entertainment world and being very successful at it. Along the way she openly discusses her sex life starting with her first-time having sex up to and including some of her performances on film. She discusses her relationships with both men and women and her living in the life of an open relationship if you will with what her husband supporting with. Her claim in this book is to be seen as a beacon for sexually empowered women and strive to change the view of those that work in the various forms of the industry and noting that not all are forced to be there some are definitely willing participants. If you had any doubts, there are definitely some graphics description of sex acts both on personal and professional level and the chapter on Anal play was an eye opener. There were times that this book seemed sophomoric at best and while not one to be religious myself and cannot seem agreeing with her statement that she thinks doing porn made Jesus proud. Give this read and see what you think.

Finished this book in one sitting.

Everyone knows Maitland from her role as Rachel on Boy Meets World and now people are familiar with her role in porn.

She does a good job describing her journey to TV star and her subsequent snubbing for being "too sexy". It's the memoir women need now more then ever.