First, I should tell you non-fiction books are mostly slow reads for me. Unless they are pithy audiobooks to be consumed like podcasts. Second, I still enjoyed this book despite it taking me over a month to read.

I first heard of Chelsea Devantez through her podcast, Glamorous Trash, when it was first called Celebrity Book Club. She and her guests would breakdown celebrity memoirs and really go into the details. It was fun and, yes, a little trashy. When I saw her book was available as an advanced reader's copy, I jumped at the chance. Chelsea, who made all memoirs fun, was writing a memoir I was in.

The book is comedic, but sometimes harrowing, essays about her life. I really liked the essay about an intense friendship called Rebecca. The chapter on her epic wedding called Bridesmaids, that she captured on social, was fun and light.

My only bump with the book was that there was a chapter that was mainly blacked out for legal reasons. It's explained and makes sense by the end. But as a reader, it made for a frustrating read.

Thank you, Hanover Square Press, for this advanced reader's copy.

This book was so funny! I was initially interested in it because I heard the author on a podcast and found her charming. I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the Wreckage of my Presence, Bossypants, etc. I think it would be an excellent book club book, especially if the group included women aged 20-50. Even the often upsetting/heartbreaking personal stories about a tough childhood, horrific relationship, and even a hard friendship ending were engaging.

I’ve known for a long time that I adore Chelsea Devantez. As soon as I listened to the first episode of her podcast covering Jessica Simpson’s book and saw various deep dives on Instagram, I was hooked. I was absolutely thrilled when she announced her memoir and actually squealed when I received the notification that her publisher was sharing an ARC with me (thank you!!)

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I’m Going to Anyway) is raw, compelling, candid, and funny. Each chapter reveals snippets of Chelsea’s life, the moments that stuck with her, and the women who impacted her every step of the way. (Each chapter is named after a woman in her life). I laughed out loud, I cried, and my admiration for Chelsea increased. There were experiences she’s had that deeply resonated, and others that I read with awe and empathy in response to her grit, tenacity, and vulnerability.

And yes cookies, there’s a psychic moment!

Instead of reading a memoir, I felt like I was having a long overdue catch up with an old friend. You know the ones with the person who just knows you at your core, where you weave seamlessly between deep, intense conversations about traumatic experiences, sprinkled with gossip and advice, and the next thing you know you’re in a fit of side splitting laughter and/or tears that won’t stop flowing?
Like that.
In book form.
From a writer & comedian who hosts a podcast about female celebrity memoirs.

I loved this book and devoured it in the span of a few hours.

Thanks again to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and iquick read. It is always interesting to read the stories of other people to see where they come from. I enjoyed this book.

I loved this book. It gave me everything I could want for a memoir - honesty (especially about the hard parts), self-reflection, female friendships, a realistic love story, a great mother-daughter relationship and a laugh-out-loud sense of humor.

Like me, Chelsea grew up in domestic violence and I love how honest and unflinching she is about the experience and the cPTSD healing process (it’s never over)!

This book has whole pages covered in black bars, I assume because of court case and documents relating to what Chelsea calls the “big scary domestic violence” thing. As a podcast listener, I’ve heard this story (I think) and I hope one day she gets to tell it publicly (if she wants to).

If you like strong women, funny women and crazy female friendship antics (her godmother!!), read this book.

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This by Chelsea Devantez was a book I chose to read purely based on the title & I am so glad I did! Very honest & raw - this book made me want to check out Chelsea’s podcast immediately. This is definitely one of my favorite memoirs to date!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, & Hanover Square Press for an ARC copy of this book.

As a fan of the podcast, when I saw this on Netgalley I jumped on it. I tried to read it slowly but around the 60% mark I couldn’t put it down. We are very different women but I found so much connective tissue throughout the book that I deeply felt passages that I wouldn’t have thought I related to and highlighted at couple of lines every few pages. I liked the tone of the writing, more conversational like a friend telling you a story one on one rather than a public figure. I imagine the audiobook would be really enjoyable for that reason but it’s also good in print.

It was a quick read and I do wish there was more to every story rather than short vignettes but that’s just me wanting every decade to be its own book. Greedy! I laughed, I cried, she was vulnerable, and she shared her truth.

I had a hard time really getting interested in this book but because it's written where each chapter is it's 'own' story it was fun to read piece by piece. I didn't know who this author was before jumping to the book, the cover drew me in. The book is written is multiple drama filled stories but each story retelling feels very raw and like the author puts a lot of trust in her audience. The communication style in the book comes off as close conversations between friends and even had me laughing multiple times. The author follows her life story and her rise in the comedy world and all the hardships that came with it. This was a good book and it's written well, it just wasn't the book for me. I would recommend this if you like memoirs or have Intrest in the behind the scenes of the comedy world.
I received an ARC through NetGalley.

First, I want to say that I didn’t know who the author was before reading this, I went solely on the vibes I got from the book cover (honestly thought it was a thriller at first glance). Second, this isn't my usual book pick, but I must say, I was impressed by the writing and honesty of the author. Great memoir, I'd like to hear her read as an audiobook.

Funny, emotional, and raw. As a fan of Devantez, it was interesting to hear about some of the things she details in the book- and makes me an even bigger fan of her in the present. I didn’t care for the redacted sections, although I understand the point of them and the statement being made by leaving them in. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the arc.

First of all I am so happy to have been given the opportunity to read this book early. I am a fan of Chelsea's podcast but really didn't know much about her history or career before reading this book
If you don't know Chelsea has a podcast that discusses celebrity memoirs. So she's read a lot of them! I was very cognizant of that while reading hers. I think her thought process in putting together I Shouldn't be Telling You this, payed off. The book is not chronological but each chapter has a specific theme. This really worked for me.
The point of a memoir is to get to know someone and to see their growth. This book did that in such a fun and entertaining way! Childhood trauma, abandonment, violence, career challenges, friendship, family relationships and her relationship with her body and food. I related with her in many of her stories. She managed to make me feel sad and heartbroken but also be entertained and laugh on the flip side. Open about her struggles with mental health, Chelsea is very raw but polished in her writing.
She is a comedian and has a sarcastic and self deprecating nature that laces her stories,, which is totally my cup of tea.
I read this book in one day. My favorite chapters were the one's about her godmother and the one about her mom. ( I read this chapter twice and sort of wish I could have attended her grandmother's funeral.)
I find many memoirs to be pretty insufferable but this one is NOT AT ALL.. It is worth a read!!

this was so good. real and raw and honest, funny in places, with a tone that made the writer feel like a friend sat down to coffee to discuss life. i really enjoyed this.

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: But I'm Going to Anyway is Chelsea Devantez's captivating memoir. Her book is a compilation of essays, each one dedicated to a woman who has made a significant impact in her life.

Through these stories, readers are given a glimpse into the good, the bad and the ugly moments from Chelsea's upbringing. Her recollections of growing up in abusive homes, her years of pursuing her passions, an abnormally large tumor and even her time as a drag queen.

If you enjoy memoirs or are just in need of an amazing read, you need to pick up I Shouldn't Be Telling You This! It broke me, made me laugh hysterically and inspired me. Everything I hope for when reading memoirs.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the honor of reading a digital copy of this book ahead of its publishing date. Opinions are my own.

Wow! I Shouldn't Be Telling You This is a heart warming, then breaking, then rebuilding telling of how to make it and how to fake it until you get there. Hearing these life moments you think there is no way that this has all happened to one person. But, then you check and the cover of the book you are reading has not changed. I thought the style in which this was written was like bumping into an old friend from when you were kids and you ask 'So, how have you been?' and their world unleashes. It was chaotic, it was provocative, and it was down right scary at times, but over all I really enjoyed it.

This was an incredibly difficult book to read on several levels.

First, the blacked out portions made most of the first chapter and last chapter almost completely illegible. I’m not sure if the epub version made the blacked out portions extend over to other pages than where it was intended but it made everything difficult to read.

Second, the storyline jumps around quite a bit, timeline-wise. It made everything very hard to follow.

It seems like it will be a great book for some people.

First, I want to say that I didn’t know who the author was before reading this, I went solely on the vibes I got from the book cover. Second, I wasn’t disappointed at all. I found myself laughing many times. I’ve been on a memoir kick and I’m so glad I can list this one with the other ones I’ve been reading this month.

My favourite chapter has to be the one where she did drag, and that her drag name was so close to my real name so I had to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Chelsea Devantez for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you decide not to read this entire review, let me say this first: This is joining my list of favorite memoirs. I loved every second.

I discovered Chelsea Devantez when she was a guest on The Stacks Pod and I learned that she had a podcast that was entirely dedicated to memoirs exclusively by women. Excuse me, WHAT? I proceeded to binge listen to every single episode even though I was three years late to the party. Through the podcast, I started feeling like I knew Chelsea because she was great at weaving her personal stories and connections into her recaps and commentary of the books she was covering. Also, she is funny as hell.

So, she is a friend in my head. Reading this book was like taking a girls’ trip with a newer friend who you know has STORIES but, so far, you've just had some happy hours and dinners with them so you've heard great snippets but you can only get so far in one outing. Then you finally have a whole weekend together and they tell you the whole story behind that one wild comment they made on a rooftop bar one random night. And you are laughing, crying and just in total awe.

All of this said, even if you don’t know her (or feel like you do), but you like memoirs and/or stories about women, you should read this book! A specific woman is the focus or inspiration for every chapter. A genius approach. But also, so on brand for Chelsea and not a surprise at given the way she always emphasizes the value of her relationships with women. So, for example, while her wedding is detailed in a chapter, the real story is about her bridesmaids.

The day I finished reading this, I woke up with two chapters remaining and very little time but was desperate to finish that morning. I was also committed to 30 minutes on the treadmill. So, I did both together. This turned out to be a risky move because the final chapters include an emotional one to her mom and I could not see through my tears. Luckily, I didn’t fall off and now I've always have the memory of crying on the treadmill while I finished this book.

What a gift. This memoir is intense and traumatic, insightful and smart, and truly laugh-out-loud funny. Chelsea Devantez should not be telling us a lot of this. But I am glad she did.

Ratings
Quality of Writing 5/5
Value for Intended Audience 5/5
Pacing 5/5
Vulnerability 5/5
Overall Enjoyability 5/5

I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried from this being amazing. I recommend it for those looking for a good suspense book. My only complaint is that in order to make it a standalone, the author gave away too much of the plots of the previous books.

I went into this book knowing nothing about the author or who she was. She made me laugh out loud with the stories she shared in the memoir. I later discovered she discusses celebrity memoirs on her podcast and you can tell she is well educated in the subject. Each story is about a different woman that helped mold her into who she is today.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC**

I’ll admit it: I didn’t know who Chelsea Devantez was before picking up this memoir, but when Jon Stewart says a book is “f$%king great!!!” (with three exclamation points!!!) then who I am to argue? So I dove in, and I quickly discovered that Chelsea is an accomplished comedian, writer, and podcaster who has been through some things – and that both she and her book are indeed “f$%king great!!!”

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I'm Going to Anyway) is an homage to the women who shaped Chelsea’s life, both the good and the bad. The writing is raw, honest, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny in turns. She doesn’t shy away from tough topics or from taking ownership for her struggles, and her growth and empowerment are so inspiring (and especially relatable for a girl like me who suffers from imposter syndrome in a male-dominated career field). Now, I could say something flowery about prose and narrative and all that stuff, which would be totally deserved because this memoir is objectively well written and entertaining. But honestly, this book is so intimate and vulnerable and delivered with perfect comedic timing that it feels more like you’re having a one-on-one chat sesh with your new bestie Chelsea as she shares her journey.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.