This was an extremely captivating memoir. When this book was announced, I will admit I had certain expectations for what it would be about. However I was pleased with the direction it took.

I liked the format of this book (alternating chapters between Tendler’s time in a psychiatric hospital and stories of her coming of age/encounters with the various disappointing men in her life). Her mental health journey was quite heartbreaking in the beginning but was glad to see how it progressed towards the end. This reminded me of another famous memoir, Girl, Interrupted, due to similar mental health struggles as well as the challenges and successes with mental health professionals along the way. The chapters in the psychiatric hospital were my favorite. I was intrigued to learn about the people the author met along the way as much as I was interested in her own journey. Just a warning that this could be triggering for some readers, but may also be comforting for others going through the struggle and a peak into options to get their own care if necessary. Overall, this was a very powerful memoir and glad I had the opportunity to read this early. (Also, RIP Petunia, you will be missed dearly).

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Anna Marie Tendler for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up. Tendler is very self-aware and gives a truly transparent look into her life during her stay at a psychiatric hospital. She discusses parental relationships, her relationship to herself, romantic relationships, therapist-patient dynamics, relationship dynamics in general really. She is a gifted storyteller, and the format of the book was done really well in my opinion. I think that a lot of women will feel seen when they read this, in the ways that women have to exist and operate in the world. A lot of this resonated with me personally, and I am excited to see what others have to say about it upon it's release. Definitely do not miss this one.

this is such a raw and emotional memoir. I only know Tendler through her social media and by way of whom she was married to but my eyes are open now. I relate to her in so many ways and seeing that she has the strength to get help, is giving me the courage to start talking to doctors again. I could reread this day after day. I especially resonate with her anxiety revolving petunia — i had identical feelings with my dog too

I stayed up until 4am finishing this book, something I haven’t done since I was a kid. I read constantly and there have been countless books I’ve loved as an adult, but none that I genuinely could not put down in the way I couldn’t put this book down. I related so deeply to Anna in so many ways throughout this book, and I think that seeing so many explicit similarities between her experiences and feelings and my own was almost addictive.

Beyond my personal experience of Men Have Called Her Crazy though, this book was gorgeously written and so well-paced. If you’re picking it up because you want sordid details about the end of her marriage to John Mulaney, you won’t get that. In fact, I think he’s mentioned a grand total of three times and never by name or in detail. Tendler’s memoir is about her own life, her experience with mental health, and the parts of her life that led her to where she was in 2021 and where she is now.

The memoir ‘Men Have Called Her Crazy’ is about Anna who had to stay in a psychiatric hospital for an evolution. The reason for that due to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Also, the memoir tells about her past, including her parents' separation and her relationships. Anna going through her mental health relates me in some form of way.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this memoir and do a review.

I enjoyed this book and related to many of Anna’s experiences. I was disappointed that she chose to exclude any information about her former marriage to a public figure. I thought the purpose of the book was to examine the ways men affected and shaped her life; I imagine her ex-husband affected her life significantly. I was underwhelmed with the writing style. Overall, this book held my interest and I wanted to find out what happened.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler due to be published August 13, 2024.
Anna Marie Tendler suffered from anxiety, depression, and self-harm. She checked herself into a psychiatric hospital and went to numerous therapy sessions and met some wonderful friends.
Anna recalls her hospital experience as well as moments in her life that led her to where she was – many failed relationships with men, divorced parents, etc.
Men Have Called Her Crazy related Anna’s feelings about men and women in the 21st century in an honest, wonderful way. I enjoyed her stories about her past and had to realize several times while reading that this was a memoir and not a novel. I enjoyed this book immensely since I had never hears of Anna Tendler before – a very interesting and informative book and look into her life.
#NetGalley #AnnaMarieTendler #Simon&Schuster #MenHaveCalledHerCrazy

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC! This was a hard read. Anna’s tone itself leans more conversational, which was appreciated and provided an interesting dynamic with the darker subject matter. Even though I was incredibly captivated by Anna’s words, I found that I had to spread the reading out over multiples days, where I’m usually a “read it all in one go” kind of person. If you are going into this hoping for tea on The Divorce, you won’t find it here - and rightfully so. Anna’s experiences throughout her life, from her childhood stories to her recount of her time being inpatient at a mental health facility are written so rawly and vulnerably. I’m a big fan of this memoir, and of Anna Marie Tendler. TW for anxiety, IVF, men being horrible, and death of a pet, among other things. RIP Petunia <3

I started this book feeling pretty indifferent towards Tendler and finished it feeling deeply moved and connected to her. Men Have Called Her Crazy is well-written and propulsive as it bounces between Tendler's time spent in a mental health facility and reflections on her relationships. She's incredibly honest and raw about her mental health crises, feelings toward men/the patriarchy, her complicated relationship with her mother, and of course - Petunia! One important relationship she doesn't delve into, however, is her marriage. I found myself a little bothered that she barely mentioned what's arguably one's most impactful romantic relationship, but by the end of the book I felt differently. There's so much power in Tendler writing this book about herself, for herself, and not for the headlines and pull quotes about her ex.

When I say I read this book in one sitting, it's no hyperbole. The book traces Anna's experience through the lens of various relationships with men throughout her life, interspersed with Anna's inpatient stay at a recovery center in 2021. This book hit so close to home, and I know it'll resonate with readers around the world.

Thank you to Anna for writing this memoir. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I can't wait for this to be out in the world!

Thank you., NetGalley and Simon&Schuster, for the opportunity to read Anna Marie Tendler's memoir in advance.

Anna's story glued me to my Kindle's screen for two days. When I was at work or driving, I'd find myself wishing I could be reading it instead.

This memoir is pure emotion. It doesn't need any preface on what to expect. The title alone sets the tone of Anna's story.

I thoroughly enjoyed her narrative style, it was casual without being flippant - detached but not cold. The interweaving of past and present throughout the memoir wasn't difficult to read or jarring in how the stories contrasted.

Readers of this memoir looking for gossip or scandal will be disappointed - I was not.

It's the best memoir I've read in a long, long time.

#MenHaveCalledHerCrazy #NetGalley

Thank you for the ARC. I've been anticipating this book as I love memoirs centered around mental health and, given her public divorce and comments, I knew her debut memoir would be candid and unapologetic - and it is. At times I found myself giving an audible YAS GIRL and others cringing over male behavior, and even her behavior towards men and the choices she made to leave or stay with them.

I don't want to say too much else about this book because I think it needs to read without giving too much away. What I will say is that if you're looking for a tell all on her relationship with Mulaney, you're not going to get it and the book is much better for it. She alludes to the divorce throughout the book as a catalyst for her hospitalization, but this is not a salacious tell all, it's a story about a woman's struggle with her mental health and the patriarchy.

A vulnerable and candid memoir. The chapter in particular that shined brightest to me was the one about Petunia - I sobbed, like blowing-my-nose-multiple-times sobbing. It felt like I could sense through the pages how important the experience of writing this book was to the author.

I loved this memoir. Anna speaks with so much vulnerability and honesty about her personal struggles with mental health and hospitalization, as well as the ways that her life has been affected by living under patriarchy.

This is not a traditional "celebrity memoir." There is really no gossip about famous people and the subject of her relationship/divorce with her now ex-husband is only mentioned throughout as necessary to explain where she was at in her own journey. She does not expand on that particular subject at all, so those looking for the tea may be disappointed.

However, I was not disappointed at all and really enjoyed hearing her point of view as a young woman who has, simply put, dealt with a lot. It was very relatable and comforting to see many of my deepest insecurities and frustrations reflected back at me in her words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this arc for me to review.

Rounding up from 3.5. This is a powerful and insightful memoir. The author is honest and vulnerable in sharing the details of her stay in an inpatient health facility as well as her work to manage her long-term recovery. The first half of the book is a strong five-star read. I could not put it down. The narrative alternates between her work in the facility and childhood/past relationships that have been part of her journey. Although the author comes to recognize that she associates volatility and dismissal and struggle as conditions of love, I'm not sure she ever fully connects the childhood trauma that (it seems) created these associations. The more distance she gains from the inpatient facility, the more she disagrees with their findings, instead critiquing the broader issues of patriarchy and misogyny. It seems so clear in the early relationship with Sam how these issues are connected in some complex way, but the author seems unwilling to unravel that particular thread. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my review.

This book. I hardly have the words. Anna Marie Tendler has tenderly crafted a backwards glance over the entirety of her life leading up to having to check herself in to a psychiatric facility in January of 2021, which seems to have been the best thing she could have ever done for herself. Tendler has clearly lived a colorful life, and while I was reading, it was almost like I was reading a fiction novel. I had to continually remind myself that this was her life. And every time I remembered that this was someone's real lived experience, I felt devastated for her. I think that's a feat in and of itself: to write in a way that your readers lose themselves in your life story. I hope she will keep writing. She has a real talent for it.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this eARC via Netgalley link. If you read and enjoyed Jennette McCurdy's "I'm Glad My Mom Died," or Britney Spears's memoir, I think you'll love this one.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced readers copy!! For that, it gets a real book review:

I went into this expecting something very different than what I got. And that's okay! I really enjoyed what it was- a memoir from a woman who went through something deeply personal and quite frankly, relatable. I was so shocked by how many things I could relate to- either from my own personal experience of going to an intensive outpatient program, or from working at a residential unit specializing in PTSD for three years. There was so much I wanted to respond to, because it felt like a friend talking to me. Also, all the mentions of Petunia are so special! She would be so proud of her mom. I definitely recommend this to anyone who went through/is going through mental health challenges, or to anyone who works in that field. It gives such great insight into what it's like in a modern psychiatric hospital setting- as well as being a very raw and candid story of a woman who is not afraid to say, "Sometimes it's okay to choose the bear over the man." The bear in this case being, of course, Petunia the French bulldog.

I read this in one night and a lot of it resonated with me. From her experiences with older men to her sometimes tumultuous relationship with her mother, I related very deeply. At some points, it was clear that this book was Anna’s therapeutic output. At some times, it felt like she would let you in as a reader, and then go back to keeping you at arm’s length. You can feel her hurt, anger, and disdain pouring through the pages of her book. Anna did very well for her breakthrough memoir and it was lovely to see her perspective of what I’ve seen play out as an outsider. Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster for allowing me to experience the book early.

Men Have Called Her Crazy is Anna Marie Tendler’s memoir in which she deals with mental health issues and the patriarchal society we live in. We follow Anna to a psychiatric hospital following a year of unhealthy coping mechanisms for anxiety and depression. We follow her journey as she takes assessment after assessment and numerous therapy sessions. We watch as she creates connections with the girls she meets while there.

Juxtaposed with her hospital stay, we are taken on a tour of tortured romances past. We see the relationships that form Anna’s distrust of men. We see how those relationships shaped her adulthood and watch her make important life choices like freezing her eggs while her friends are starting families.

Like all memoirs, I thank Anna for the courage to tell her story in her own words. She owed no one a look at her stay in the hospital and her history of mental health issues, but she gave it to us. I loved the exploration of her hospital stay. The comforting mundanity she experienced and the girls she met and instantly bonded with. I think those were some of the strongest chapters in the book. The female solidarity runs deep.

The chapters where we explore Anna’s past relationships at once compelling, quickly turn repetitive around the last 30% of the book. I feel she discounts all the work she does in the first 60% of the book by bringing a woe is me attitude into the writing. I understand that men, as thought of by the gender binary, are the root of most if not all societies problems. However, the I hate men discourse included in this memoir feels counterproductive. Saying this is no way shape or form of me discounting the abuse she endured at the hands of men, I believe her and every horrific story she’s told. I just feel she could have done more of an inward take on the issue and not just a surface level take. We all hate men I just wish it were spoken in the beauty the first 60% of the book were.

Another major issue I had with this memoir is Anna’s lack of awareness of her privilege. She attempts to acknowledge class privilege at certain points throughout the memoir, I just feel, once again it was spoken with more depth.

Overall I liked, but did not love this one. I am thankful to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Full Rating: 3.75 stars rounded up

Anna Marie Tendler's "Men Have Called Her Crazy" is a candid, raw exploration of mental health, gender dynamics, and personal trauma. Tendler's stream-of-consciousness style is fresh, witty, and darkly humorous, offering a poignant reflection on her struggles with anxiety and depression. Her narrative seamlessly jumps between past and present, providing a layered insight into her deep mistrust of the world around her.

From the very first page, Tendler hooks readers with her evocative prose and brutally honest introspection. She addresses the "good girl complex" and its manifestation in her life, even in places like psych wards. This exploration is represented by standout passages about her time in the psych ward: “Most of my life, my outward presentation has not matched my inward reality, but with my body gaunt, my face droopy and puffy at the same time, I'm forcing the outside world to confront a more honest - and probably scary - version of my mental state.”

One of the book's strongest elements is its portrayal of feminine solidarity. Tendler’s experiences with the other women in her treatment facility highlight the complexities of female relationships, marred by her initial anxieties but eventually offering a form of solace and understanding. This camaraderie is beautifully illustrated, yet the lingering effects of her anxieties persist, capturing a very real struggle many readers can relate to.

However, while the book shines in many areas, it has its shortcomings. Tendler’s aversion to men and the subsequent exploration of her past relationships with them are compelling but become repetitive towards the end. The narrative's focus on her relationships post-hospital feels like a shift from insightful mental illness analysis to a more straightforward "I hate men and my life sucks" sentiment. This pivot diminishes the earlier depth of her reflections.

Moreover, Tendler's acknowledgment of her privilege, or lack thereof, is a glaring omission. Her ability to renovate a home to a "haunting Victorian mansion" post-divorce highlights a class privilege that goes unacknowledged, leaving a gap in the narrative. A simple acknowledgment of this privilege could have added a layer of depth and awareness to her story.

Despite these critiques, Tendler’s exploration of trauma, especially regarding her "good girl complex" and control issues, is both enlightening and relatable. Her poignant reflections on how these issues have shaped her life and relationships are some of the book's most compelling aspects. For instance, her reflection, “I cemented my role in relationships as a pleaser, a convincer, a girl who, well into adulthood, would contort and conform to the desires of a man, overlooking his easy dismissal, and dampening her self-worth, all to be loved,” is a powerful commentary on the internalized struggles many women face.

In conclusion, "Men Have Called Her Crazy" is a mixed bag. Tendler's writing is undeniably powerful and evocative, particularly when discussing her time in the hospital and her struggles with mental health. However, the narrative's latter sections and overall lack of class consciousness make it fall short of its potential. This book will likely resonate with readers who appreciate raw, introspective narratives and those who relate to Tendler’s experiences. Compelling and beautifully written in parts, “Men Have Called Her Crazy” ultimately lacked the cohesion and depth needed to make it a standout memoir in my mind.

📖 Recommended For: Readers who appreciate raw, introspective narratives, Admirers of Stream-of-Consciousness Writing Styles, Those Interested in Exploring Gender Dynamics and Trauma, Fans of Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”

🔑 Key Themes: Mental Health and Recovery, Feminine Solidarity, Good Girl Complex and Control Issues, Gender Dynamics and Trauma, Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Self Harm (severe), Suicidal Thoughts (severe), Eating Disorder (minor), Mental Illness (severe), Alcohol Abuse (minor), Sexual Harassment (minor), Adult-Minor Relationship (severe), Divorce (minor), Harry Potter Reference (minor), Burglary (minor), Grooming (minor), Terrorism (minor), Toxic Relationship (moderate), Infidelity (minor), Substance Abuse (minor), Sexual Content (minor), Animal Death (severe).