“Why did you allow it? Why did you let it go on so long? Why didn’t you tell someone? And the worst question of all: why didn’t your mother stop it?

When I spotted this book on NetGalley suggesting it for fans of Jeannette McCurdy’s “I’m glad my Mom died”, I hit request, whilst entering into it cautiously.

We hear about a life changing bath that created hysterical blindness and also a wilful blindness that lasted decades. A father who abused, a mother who was complicit and a daughter who compartmentalised and disassociated.

This is a story of not being heard, listened to or seen, only when a chance subway grab, broke through her fourth wall, was she able to take a step back, seek help and break the stigma of incest, relearning to live and love.

It’s a tough read, so please do be conscious of triggers for child abuse.

This was a raw, gut wrenching, difficult but strong book. I can’t believe this was a memoir. I really liked this book however it’s definitely not an ‘easy’ read in anyway.

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an arc!

A dark and intense read, I definitely recommend checking trigger warnings before reading. A little hard to get through, but not because of the writing but the subject matter.

It is so hard for me to review a book of this nature. This book is raw, devastatingly sad and emotional. The trauma that Andrea experienced throughout her life is astonishing. It completely broke my heart I’m so thankful that she was able to find peace and healing in her life after all that she endured.

Wow, what a powerful, gut wrenching memoir about one woman's story of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, not an uncle, not a step-father, not a mother's boyfriend, but her own father.

Andrea is four and a half the first time the abuse occurs. Her mother, who actually walked in and saw the abuse, screams and suffers from hysterical blindness for weeks. One can say that she then suffers from deliberate blindness for many years to come.

The story then relates the rest of Andrea's and her sister's childhood years, Andrea being too afraid to tell anyone. When she does attempt to tell a teacher and even a psychiatrist, she is not believed and told she must be confused.

Finally, when Andrea is 33 and experiences an incident on the NY subway, she is able to get help and confront her past and the abuse.

What a compelling memoir. Such a difficult topic that is so succinctly presented. Thank you, NetGalley and She Writes Press, for the opportunity to preview this digital ARC.

raw, heartbreaking, and powerful memoir about an extremely dark and tragic subject matter. some parts are almost clinical, which seems to be Leeb's way of getting through it. a tough but worthwile read. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is the heart wrenching memoir of Andrea Leeb and the years of childhood trauma that she survived. This was a rough read and I was not prepared for the emotional turmoil. Several times I went to put it down but I was so impressed by the author’s bravery in speaking out about this difficult topic.

Leeb did an impressive job capturing the complex dynamics of family life. She included the tender, happy moments of connection as well as the terrifying confusion of unexpected behaviors. Her exploration of generational trauma and the journey to healing and forgiveness left a lasting impression.

Unable to read arc per the formatting. It was too hard to figure out where chapters end or begin with the file given.

Unrelentingly resilient Andrea Leeb weaves her truth in her heartbreaking memoir. Each word was a caressed whisper in my ear while she was metaphorically holding my hand walking with me on her life's path. I will never not sit down and take the time to listen to more women's stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
5/5 stars.

This memoir was a hard but incredible read and show of resilience.

Growing up meeting people around me who have also endured childhood abuse I was intrigued to read this book, often those facing or have faced such unimaginable trauma are the bravest and friendliest people I know who want to help others in life in any way they can and not let trauma define them of which I too draw from Andrea's story and her career choices and switch in time made with a desire from the darkest trauma find a light to spread hopefulness to others facing traumatic times too.

Does it feel better or worse to know some of us have had nearly identical childhoods? This memoir will make some extremely uncomfortable - too bad.

I will not provide a synopsis. Andrea, you are brave and thank you for sharing your story.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC.

This memoir is incredibly brave and emotionally raw. Andrea Leeb did an excellent job of telling her story in an honest, heart-wrenching, hopeful way. Great memoir.

I don’t even know where to begin. This memoir is heartbreaking and devastating, yet also deeply empowering and inspiring. Anyone brave enough to share their trauma deserves to be heard and believed, and the author does so with remarkable honesty.

Beautifully written, this raw and emotional account takes readers through her childhood of abuse and follows her journey into adulthood, where she ultimately finds healing and strength. It’s a difficult yet powerful read that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

What a heart shattering truth delivered flawlessly by the author. Andrea recounts the abuse she survived at the hands of her father, but also how her mother "turned a blind eye". Literally and figuratively. This story is told from Andreas point of view and what happens to her throughout most of her childhood. There is mental anguish, guilt, sexual abuse, and confusion. There is family turmoil, and dysfunction. At times this book was very hard to read, especially being a mom.
It's raw and powerful.
I hope the strength to tell this story helps other people who may have gone through an unfortunate, similar situation. I hope other women can read this and know they can leave, and that they don't have to put up with someones emotional abuse.

This book was devastatingly honest and raw. Told from a perspective of a survivor of some deep trauma and experiences with the hope for change. You cannot help but connect with and root for Andrea.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. Oof, this was hard to read at times. And not because it was poorly written (it wasn’t) but because the author wrote so candidly about the abuse she suffered. But I bet there’s some strength in that, to name the bad thing that was done to you, and take away some of its power over you. If you can handle reading about difficult stuff, I’d recommend this book for sure. Definitely not for the faint of heart or stomach- reader beware.

The author is brave to share her heartbreaking story, which had me gripped from the start. I wanted more at the end; how did she get to where she is today? Overall a compelling read.

A heart wrenching memoir- Leeb tackles a taboo subject with poise and dignity. As a mother, it was hard to imagine her father’s actions and her mother’s choices. So many times I wanted to protect this little girl, but instead readers are left to bear witness and see her strength and resilience through. While I wanted more of her journey to healing, I wouldn’t be surprised if Leeb provides further memoirs.

I usually try to avoid non-fiction books with incest as it’s subject.I find that subject so horrible for the victim as well as other members of the family not including the family member who is the perpetrator. Author,Andrea Leeb,shows how strong and resilient she tried to be for so many years after being abused from age four to eleven. Holding in what had happened,by age 33, and finally getting to be able to tell at a group session helped her somewhat to heal but the damage done to her at such a young age is hard to overcome.Andrea is a very intelligent woman but found it so difficult to confront the demons trying to destroy her life.It’s an important book to read especially for those who had experienced similar situations.
Thank you NetGalley,author,Andrea Leeb,publisher,SheWrites Press for the arc ebook.
Book on sale October 14,2025

This is absolutely the kind of book I would normally love to read. The topics and themes are what I am typically interested in.
That being said, the writing style of this memoir just did not fit with me. I felt like I was overhearing a boring conversation over and over again for each chapter.