A very honest and heartfelt memoir of a former addict as she tries to navigate sobriety, marriage and marriage. I didn’t read her first book but after reading this I immediately ordered it. She’s a great writer and she doesn’t hold back.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 5⭐️

I read the author’s first book years ago and hoped there would be a development in her storytelling. While her story is interesting, it’s hard to read past every foreshadow and “cliffhanger” each chapter. I did not realize she was an Instagram personality, so those that follow her journey may feel more kinship to the story versus the writing.

Tiffany Jenkings has done the work and got herself clean, but now her life is once again a mess.... a Clean Mess.

A very heartwarming personal experience of a persons experience dealing with life after coming to terms with her addiction. It was very refreshing to read a down to earth realistic look of life struggling with the aftermath of addiction, an unexpected pregnancy, death of a loved one, postpartum depression, anxiety, and loss. This was an easy read with tough topics, but it reads so smooth.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tiffany Jenkins, and the publishers for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest opinion.

Tiffany Jenkins’s memoir, A Clean Mess, is eye-opening, heartbreaking and inspiring. Jenkins’s transparency about the hard work and determination it takes to overcome addiction gives the reader a glimpse into the mental and physical battles an addict must power through each day just to stay sober. Kudos to those who choose sobriety every day despite the urge to numb the pain that life throws at them.

After an opiate addiction that left her in prison and rehab, Tiffany becomes a mom of three in just two years but it’s not an easy path.

I read Tiffany’s first memoir and wondered how interesting a second one could be when we already heard the story of her past and addiction. I shouldn’t have wondered that because there was plenty more to tell. While this story was more focused on her recovery, it was far from boring or dull. I typically shy away from recovery stories because I can’t get into the steps and the “higher power” but this one was perfect. It shyed away from those spiritual aspects of recovery and stayed true to her emotions, mental health, and roadblocks along the way. It portrayed the start of her family and motherhood, and all the ups and downs that come with. I would have loved to see more of her career and internet explosion, but maybe that’ll be a third memoir!

“I couldn’t imagine doing those things today, but I also know that Addiction is doing push-ups in the parking lot, waiting for a weak moment to pounce.”

A Clean Mess comes out 6/3.

I have been following Tiffany for a while and read High Achiever not long after its release.. Tiffany doesn’t hold anything back in this book. A Clean Mess is about her journey trying to maintain sobriety during the roadblocks of life. Tiffany explains her struggles and victories. I enjoyed this book because she really goes into PPD and other mental health issues. I struggled with PPD in ‘20 with the birth of my first son and didn’t understand why I was crying everyday. I found Leslie Jordan (yes, the well crap guy) during that time and he’s the only person who pulled me out because my husband that I was crazy. I guess that I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one.

There were some minor typos (location 412, chapter 8 has a random period in the paragraph that starts with “But I couldn’t do that”, chapter 33 location 1955 - dDad, and chapter 50 location 2897 “mean me more”.

A well written and thoughtful memoir about what comes next. I missed Jenkins' first book but this was fine as a sorta standalone. She chronicles her struggles, her happiness, her life after addiction. It's not a smooth path but it's one that I suspect will resonate with many. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Rounded to 3.5 stars. I read and enjoyed High Achiever, the author’s first book about her drug addiction. This book is the next chapter. As a former probation agent, I have worked with many addicts and their treatment teams. I can so clearly see the mistakes Tiffany makes in her new sobriety. It’s always easy to see from another perspective, Tiffany knows she is on the razor’s edge. She gets involved in a relationship with another recovering addict within the first 60 days after her release from jail. Alcoholics Anonymous recommends waiting a year and preferably not with a fellow addict. Things quickly spiral. That said, Tiffany and her partner make a good effort to be strong together, she is mostly working her program despite some expected pitfalls. It’s very tough to be in the world after addiction, to change your peer groups, be judged by everyone, own your shit and constantly be strong despite all of those things. Relapse is often a real part of recovery. I don’t think addicts even know who they are until they are really and truly sober, so bringing other people in during the roller coaster of often disaster. Hence, A Clean Mess.

The author is very real and candid about her life. She doesn’t pretend to be something she is not, her esteem is battered from her experiences. I found myself rooting for her to be successful. She has so much to be proud of.

First of all, I love love loveee the title, just because you got clean doesn’t mean you’re still not a mess😂😂
This was a memoir that read almost like fiction. It wasn’t just about Tiffany persevering through recovery it was about her surviving motherhood as well. Which let’s be real, can be extremely hard and fulfilling all at the same time. I loved that she also included her struggles with PPD and how she found the strength to be honest and get the help she needed. There was so much vulnerability in her writing and I’m all about living in your truth. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I usually hate to rate memoirs but I’d give this 4 ⭐️’s.

Enjoyed this, it was very inspiring and different to what I normally read, it was written very well that I was able to stay engaged.

Tiffany did an amazing job at making you feel like you were right there with her as she told us her story. You went thru every high, and every low. She kept you hooked with her humor. In even the most trying of times where most women wouldn’t have shared the darkest times, Tiffany did with such poise, and pure honesty. Making her even more relatable. I would suggest that anyone loving an addict during their addiction read her books to get a peek into their mind in an honest way, so you can show up and love them thru it until they get to recovery. I always close her books instantly wanting to reread them and feel so encouraged.

What a great book this was. It is full of information about her life. The trials she endured to the joys of Motherhood. This is well worth your time.

I loved that Tiffany was open, honest and vulnerable. This felt like an authentic read. It is great to be able to see that people who are succeeding have had their own hills to climb to get there.

Read her first book and her story was inspirational. Getting a follow up to what's happened is amazing! Well written.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of A Clean Mess: A Memoir of Sobriety After a Lifetime of Being Numb, by Tiffany Jenkins, from Rodale Inc. | Harmony/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Of course I jumped at the chance to read this book because Tiffany Jenkins has made me laugh so much, and because I enjoyed her first book, High Achiever (here’s the link to that Book Report: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).

Sadly, A Clean Mess wasn’t that good. Felt very forced, like she felt she had to follow some publishing “formula” or something, and the insta-intimacy seemed slick/fake.

I actually forgot to write this little summary for more than a day, because I promptly forgot that I’d read the book. No lie! Like, within minutes of putting it down.

But, hey. More power to her for getting and staying sober and making a good life for herself and her family. And if part of that involves churning out a memoir every few years to make some bank, then so be it.

PS
I whined a little in my review of her first book about her not sharing what led to her addiction/s. Yes, yes, I know that’s prurient interest. I had kinda the same complaint with this book. So I did a little googling and found this story, which is enough info for Nosy Me: https://nypost.com/2019/07/06/sick-an...

DESCRIPTION
The bestselling author of High Achiever chronicles life after addiction—the raw, the dark, and the hilarious—from setting out with nothing but a backpack to discovering her marriage was built on a shakier foundation than she’d ever imagined to staying sober when life fell apart.

“Tiffany Jenkins illustrates that recovery is not just about sobriety, but about learning to live and feel again. Her compelling story is a testament to the power of resilience, humor, and hope.”—Sarah Levy, author of Drinking Games

A Clean Mess opens with the moment that changed everything. Tiffany is about to go on stage when she receives an odd message from her husband: “Hey Babe, some of the guys here are making some stupid decisions. Not me. But I just wanted to let you know in case you heard it from some of the other wives.” By the end of the night, Tiffany knew her life would never be the same.

This wasn’t the first time she had to start over. After the opioid addiction and jail sentence that she chronicled in her bestselling memoir, High Achiever, Tiffany was ready for a fresh start. A chance to try life again, this time without drugs coursing through her veins. In A Clean Mess, she takes us back to those early days of recovery, and the whirlwind that she entered the moment she was out of prison. In just two years, she went from inmate to married and sober mom of three.

Told with humor and honesty, A Clean Mess is Tiffany Jenkins’s story of how she learned to live and feel for the first time without numbing herself with drugs—and how she discovered inner reserves of strength she didn’t know she had. From her tentative first days of sobriety, to seeing two pink lines on a pregnancy test weeks later, to navigating anxiety, a new marriage, and motherhood at the same time, to surviving betrayal and divorce, Jenkins shows how she got through it all when her crutches and Band-Aids were taken away from her. An inspiring memoir that reads like fiction, A Clean Mess is a book that will buoy anyone seeking a life raft in hard times.

⭐⭐.5

Pre-Read Notes:

I tried this one once before and the absurd amount of ableism and stigmatizing addiction sort of threw me (such as the author calling herself stupid when considering the possibility of her own relapse and when she called a bunch of *friends of hers* scumbags for relapsing). Addiction is a disabling mental illness that some people never recover from, some recover and relapse, and some recover and never relapse. All addicts deserve dignity and none of them are morally superior or inferior to each other or other disabled or mentally ill people like me.

A CLEAN MESS is the memoir (kind of? With its experimental time line and glossy narrative voice, it reads more like auto-fiction than memoir.) of an addict, a professional funny woman, Tiffany Jenkins, so I thought I would give it another chance, having been warned so to speak about the author's mindset and narrative voice.

I'm guessing I will find a valuable story here, despite the author's internalized ableism. And also, that's very common among people with mental illness, including addiction. It's not her fault she was taught her life only has value in recovery.

"After unpacking I lay down and closed my eyes, but my mind raced. I had so much to do: get a job, find my new probation officer’s office, pay my dad back, repair broken relationships , save money, buy food, and get a sponsor. You know what sounded better than all that? Saying fuck it and snorting ten pills at once. Then I wouldn’t have to do a single thing." p37

Final Review

The opening scene is really emotional and definitely an excellent hook to get readers interested in the rest of the story. I mean, it hooked me, despite my obvious quibbles with this book.

But also the circumstances are hard to believe. Who buys drugs on a plane? Especially when they are on the way to Vegas, where it is very easy to obtain drugs with little to fear from the law? Also, who *sells* drugs on a plane? I mean it just...doesn't really make sense.

Which is what led me initially to consider this not a memoir, a work of nonfiction from memory, but auto-fiction, a fictional story based on the author's own experiences and (sometimes) featuring them as character. And I'm guessing some readers will enjoy the funky fictionalized timeline, but I found it confusing in a memory inspired story.

I do have a lot of quibbles about this book but I also liked it. It takes real courage for addicts and mentally ill people in general to talk about their lives. I'm absolutely delighted that Jenkins has garnered such a huge audience to whom to tell this story, and it's an important one.

I recommend this book to fans of memoir or auto-fiction, addiction or trauma recovery narratives, authentic mental illness rep, stories about family.

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ Great opening scene, I'm pretty much hooked for the ride.

✔️ Best and funniest description of childbirth you'll ever read. It is vulnerable and detailed without being gross or squishy, somehow. I laughed several times during this scene.

✔️ One of the best descriptions of anxiety I've ever had the pleasure to read.


Notes:

1. Getting pregnant unexpectedly does not make someone a ho. Relapsing doesn't make someone stupid or a scumbag, and sleeping with more than one person in someone's past, doesn't make someone a wh*re. There are just so many of these underhanded judgments scattered throughout the book.

2. Content warnings: drugs, drug use, needles, injections, ableism, misogyny, early childhood stress, trauma and recovery, addiction and recovery and relapse, cheating (suspected and suggested), bad parenting, divorce, ppd, thoughts of self-harm

Thank you to the author Tiffany Jenkins, publishers Harmony/Random House, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of A CLEAN MESS. All views are mine.

I read Tiffany's first book and I was a lifetime fan. So when I saw this one I knew I was going to love it. It pulled at all of my heart strings. Laughs, crying, happiness and sadness. This was her life struggles and I loved that she shared them with us and did not sugar coat it or made it something it was not. She let us in for the good, bad and the ugly. It speaks to me and those I love dearly. Thank you Tiffany for letting us see the real you and know that life is hard but we can overcome!

I hadn’t heard of Tiffany Jenkins, nor did I read her first book, but A Clean Mess has made me a fan. In this memoir, Jenkins shares the journey of her early recovery from addiction, with pieces of her current day marriage crumble woven through. A Clean Mess is an easy read on a tough topic: the chapters are short, flying by with Jenkins’s vulnerable and relatable writing style, while detailing the challenges of reentering society after jail time, living in a halfway house, unexpected pregnancy, and postpartum depression. While Jenkins is a comedian and there is levity in A Clean Mess, I wouldn’t describe it as funny—just smart, occasionally pithy, and extremely down to earth. I really, really liked this book. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tiffany Jenkins has done it again—and this time, she goes deeper, darker, and more honest than ever before. A Clean Mess isn’t just a memoir—it’s a mirror, a balm, and a beacon for anyone who has ever battled addiction, mental health struggles, or the overwhelming pressure to keep it all together for the outside world.
If you’ve followed Tiffany from her wildly relatable Juggling the Jenkins TikTok to her breakout book High Achiever, you already know her knack for balancing gut-punch truth with laugh-out-loud humor. But A Clean Mess is something else entirely. It’s not just a continuation—it’s an emotional excavation. While some moments overlap with her first book, the second digs beneath the surface to reveal the raw, unfiltered thoughts, struggles, and triumphs that Tiffany bravely kept private, even while performing joyfully for her millions of followers.
Reading this book is like being handed the secret diary of someone you thought you already knew—except the pages are drenched in courage, vulnerability, and wisdom earned the hard way. Tiffany opens up about the relentless rollercoaster of sobriety, the unexpected monsters that still hide in the corners of a "clean" life, and the postpartum anxiety and depression that clouded even her brightest days.
As someone personally touched by the impact of addiction—both in those who have overcome it and those heartbreakingly lost to it—A Clean Mess hit me on every level. This book doesn’t just speak to people in recovery; it speaks to the friends, families, and silent sufferers who orbit around addiction, mental health challenges, and the masks we all wear online.
What makes Tiffany’s voice so powerful is that she never claims to have it all figured out. She’s still in the ring, still taking punches, still getting up. That kind of authenticity is rare—and deeply needed in a world of filtered perfection and curated vulnerability.
Inspiring? Absolutely. But A Clean Mess is also witty, uplifting, and surprisingly empowering. Tiffany Jenkins doesn’t just share her story—she hands you the flashlight and says, “Here’s the mess. Let’s walk through it together.”
Whether you're in the throes of your own battles, supporting someone who is, or just trying to understand what strength truly looks like behind a smiling screen, this book is essential reading. It reminds us that healing isn’t linear, perfection is a myth, and sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is say, “I’m still here.”
Read this book. Then share it. Because someone in your life needs it more than you know.
Thank you NetGalley, Rodale Inc., and Tiffany Jenkins for allowing me the opportunity to read this advance copy and to provide my honest feedback.

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know how I could possibly say anything bad about this book. Tiffany Jenkins was so honest about so many difficult experiences- recovery, anxiety and depression, marriage. I think that people often suffer and she unashamedly does it aloud. This is a book that every mom should read. I expected an addiction/recovery memoir, but it was so much more than that.

As soon as I finished this, I ordered High Achievers. Thank you to Tiffany Jenkins for sharing your story - so many people can learn something from it.