Disjointed, challenging to follow chronologically, incredibly verbose

Tommy Dorfman details her life in this shockingly open and vulgar memoir. The first half of the book included more details about sexual acts than I ever needed to hear about. It was incredibly difficult to remain actively engaged with the book when the author wrote so openly and used horribly foul language to describe his experiences with drugs, sex and more.

The recurring theme of tarot cards throughout the book may have landed better if there was more explanation, but I listened to the audiobook version of this work, so it's possible context was left behind in the translation. While I can certainly appreciate the aspirations of this book, it felt disconnected, with no real sequence of events, aside from the occasional reminder of the tarot cards.

Overall, I think this would have been better released as a linear work.

I'm still giving this book 3 stars because the author's vocabulary is spectacularly impressive, when it's not laden with vulgarity.

The way this memoir is structured made for a very interesting read. I was drawn in my the Tarot card chapters and their relation to Tommy's experience(s). I enjoyed the way the story jumped back and forth between Tommy growing up and Tommy now; it was a realistic way to see her life through her own eyes as she's recalling memories.

This listen was sometimes hard, so trigger warnings for grooming and pedophilia (grown man and teenager). I really appreciated the way Tommy wrote about her difficult experience - through the eyes of her younger self. The desire to "be cool" and "be grown" to the point where you don't fully understand what's happening to you is wrong resonated so deeply with me.

This was a beautiful listen, and Tommy has a lot of guts to narrate a book that must have been difficult for her to live through again. I can't wait to see what she does next.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audiobook copy!

This book details the journey of Tommy Dorfman's life in healing and embracing her true self as a transgender icon in today's society. When I began this book, I knew of Tommy and had seen her in Romeo + Juliet in NYC last fall. I had been looking forward to reading her book and to learn from her journey. What I did not expect was her desire to reach deeper within herself to understand her inner self, the emphasis on tarot she weaves throughout the novel, and the journey of healing being chaotic, sometimes messy, and in no way linear.

When you read this novel, you have to understand the depth Tommy writes with such grace that I as a reader had to unpack. Her healing and her life story is not in isolation nor alone -- she utilizes her entire family, every person she encounters, and every difficult moment to tell her story.

To understand and to grow in a time where transgender rights are under attack and to continuously know that you yourself were born into the wrong body is a lenses Tommy speaks through with every word she writes. As a queer individual, I could resonate and grieve with her for future that is wholly LGBTQIA+ friendly and loving. Yet, this novel really showed me as a queer person that there is love and joy in this world for LGBTQIA+ persons and individuals.

I would like to note that this novel does dive into addiction and healing through addiction. While these parts are difficult to read, they are worthy of a place in Tommy's life. Those moments were shown as weaknesses to overcome to become the beautiful human she is today.

As I said before, Tommy embraces healing without a linear mindset. Tommy allows the reader to breath into the nature that your healing journey may have setbacks and difficulties but it is still your healing! This book is one I have re-read a few times and I have loved every re-read.

A special thank you to Tommy Dorfman, Harlequin Audio, and Netgalley for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you can listen to the audiobook, it is a must!! Tommy narrates the book and brings power and light to her story!

I found this memoir to be one of the most interestingly told ones I've read in a long time. Tommy weaves her story through a tarot reading (which I'll be honest I'm not super familiar with and appreciated when she would give some background into what each card meant) and while the structure sometimes worked really well it did sometimes feel a bit confusing. Now that confusion could mostly be my own fault for not knowing very much about tarot, but I will note that when someone writes a memoir in a nonlinear fashion they have to do it in a way that I find doesn't confuse me as a reader.

But other than my critiques about the nonlinear storytelling style, I found this to be one of the most honest memoirs about addiction, coming out, finding yourself, and what art can do for a person. I of course know Tommy from 13 Reasons Why on Netflix (that was a wild time am I right?) and when I read an excerpt of their memoir in an article a couple weeks ago I just knew I had to read it. Tommy is very honest about her drug and alcohol addiction, growing up as a gay boy in the South, coming to the realization that they were trans and how a lot of their addiction troubles could be traced to that, and learning to navigate the world as an out trans woman.

In a time where trans women are continuing to be attacked for simply existing in this country, it's so important that more of these stories are being published. Especially ones as messy and honest as this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio review copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love celebrity memoirs, and I found this one pretty interesting. One thing that confuses me in memoirs sometimes (and it’s probably just a “me” thing) is when timelines get skipped around, as it can be hard for me to follow. There was a lot of sexually explicit content, too, that I wasn’t quite expecting. A lot of that content happened to Tommy as a young teen, which really concerned me and was hard to read about. Being a teen and coming into yourself in general is such a hard time, but adding in being LGBTQ when there aren’t a lot of others at your high school, made me just want to give Tommy a hug.

One of my favorite parts of the memoir, though, (besides Tommy’s biting humor) was the use of Tarot cards being markers between parts. I loved that she incorporated something that meant a lot to her, too. Tommy was also extremely open about everything that happened in her life, and I hope writing this book was cathartic for her.

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Anyone wanting to relate to Tommy- artists, addicts, people going through transitioning. Or those that just want more understanding of those subjects.

𝑨 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:
Tommy narrated this herself and did a wonderful job. I loved that you could really hear her humor through her voice.

Listening to Maybe This Will Save Me was a deeply engaging and emotional experience. From the moment Tommy Dorfman began narrating, I was hooked. Her voice is magnetic, raw, and vulnerable. There's something uniquely powerful about hearing a memoir in the author's voice, and Tommy's narration elevated the story in a way no one else could. She doesn't just read her life, she relives it with you. Her pacing was natural, the tone shifted appropriately between heavy and humorous moments, and her delivery felt like a late-night conversation with a close friend. The flow of the audiobook was seamless, and I never felt lost, even when the structure moved through different time periods or topics, thanks to her clear and emotionally anchored transitions. There were no sound effects or added production elements, but Tommy's presence alone was more than enough.

As for the memoir itself, it's an honest, unfiltered glimpse into identity, addiction, fame, creativity, and queerness, all told through the lens of a single tarot card reading. The structure is clever and original, and while some parts felt more developed than others, I appreciated the balance between confession and restraint. Dorfman doesn't spill every detail, and I admit I wished she went a little deeper in certain chapters. But as she herself might say, she doesn't owe us everything, and maybe I'm being selfish by wanting more. Still, the vulnerability she does share is powerful and impactful, and I walked away with a greater sense of empathy and understanding. As someone who has always felt confident in who I am and who I love, I'm grateful for memoirs like this—they help me better show up for the people in my life whose journeys have been more winding.

I've been following Tommy since 13 Reasons Why (which, as a high school English teacher, was a major talking point with my students at the time), and more recently, I was lucky enough to see her on stage in Romeo + Juliet, where she absolutely stole the show as Mercutio. Her creative voice is distinct, and this memoir feels like an extension of her artistry: a thoughtful, sometimes brash, often beautiful reflection on becoming. I gave it 4 stars because while I was captivated from beginning to end, I wanted just a bit more depth and introspection in a few areas.
I'd recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys memoirs by bold, introspective artists like Jennette McCurdy (I'm Glad My Mom Died) or Michelle Zauner (Crying in H Mart). It's especially powerful for readers curious about queer identity, life in the entertainment industry, and the messy, nonlinear process of self-discovery. Just a heads-up: this book can get pretty explicit at times, and it does touch on heavy themes, so definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.

I highly recommend Maybe This Will Save Me specifically in audiobook form. Tommy's narration makes this story feel intimate and immediate. It's one of those books where the audio experience truly adds something extra.

A vulnerable, messy, raw reflection about growing up and growing into yourself. Using a tarot reading as a guide, Tommy Dorfman tells her story of growing up queer, dealing with addiction and fame, transitioning, and learning to love and accept herself. The story is chaotic and harsh and deeply introspective. I don't love non-linear timelines because they're usually hard to follow, but the tarot narrative gave the book some structure that (mostly) made sense.

This book was a little chaotic, a little all over the place, but somehow worked. I loved 13 Reasons Why, so when I saw that Tommy Dorfman wrote a book, I knew I wanted to read it. This was very interesting to read and not at all what I was expecting. It captured my interest from the prologue and while it didn't always hold my interest, it was still an enlightening read. I wasn't expecting so much graphic sexual content in this one, but it was there. A lot of it. It honestly kind of threw me back a bit, but I get why Tommy wanted to tell her story the way she did. I wasn't expecting the basically child sexual abuse that happened. The book didn't seem to go in any particular order and jumped around a lot, but in a way, I felt like it made me want to keep reading. I read the majority of it as a physical copy and read the last 20ish% on audio. I don't think you could go wrong with either way if you want to read this. This book will not be for everyone, but I'm glad that Tommy was able to share her story with the world how she wanted to.

Extremely raw memoir of her upbringing, challenges, and addictions she faced while transitioning into her new self. Honest & open about the difficulties including drugs, sensual trendances, alcohol, and abuse. Eye opening & can be triggering / hard to read for some imo.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The strength and bravery it takes to open up and lay yourself bare on paper for everyone to read is empowering and inspiring. I appreciate how candid Tommy is throughout the entirety of the book. You can see her growth. This book is also narrated by Tommy. I loved the audio. It’s very rare that I will read memoirs or Non fiction in general but I found that this one was very inspiring.

📚 Pub Week Review 📚

Maybe This Will Save Me by @tommy.dorfman
Publisher - @hanoversquarepress
@htp_hive @htpbooks
Out Now

Thanks so much to @htp_hive @hanoversquarepress #partner for reaching out and sending me a #gifted copy. I absolutely appreciate and love being a #HiveInfluencer 😍

I am supposed to be doing a LFL drop off but it is raining in Waco… I’m going to wait until it stops.

This is a real and raw account of Tommy Dorfman’s life. She is known for being on the Netflix hit series 13 Reasons Why. She is now a director, writer and actor. She did a fantastic job narrating her life story!! I was hooked!

She struggled with drug and alcohol addiction at an early age. While she explained wanting to escape the feelings of fear and identity, and just numb herself, I knew all too well how that felt. She would pick up that phone and call her sponsor. Guys, I admired the hell outta her because at that time she was still pretty young.

There are details of past relationships and sexual encounters (very detailed). My jaw was on the floor for some of it. Girl, you let it all hang out 😱. How she struggled with a crippling marriage. No matter what, she never wanted to be alone.

What I loved is how she found who she wanted to be and transitioned. Her father and family always supported her and loved her. I love that. Btw, my seventeen year-old daughter is gay and I will always love and support her.

Through the years she went to counseling, got help, used tarot cards for spiritual guidance and fell in love with art and theater. She truly found herself.

This is a tale of love and identity. I absolutely loved it. I listened to this on audio and alternated between the book.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF @ 35%

I love that Tommy has found the freedom to write about her story. It's messy and raw in a way I'm sure will resonate with many people. Personally, I'm just not in the right head space for detailed depictions of CSA at this current moment so I decided to put it down. I really wish that the ARC had come with trigger warnings because this book deals with heavy topics and readers deserve to go in knowing how graphic it will be.

I love listening to memoirs in the author's voice and Tommy's is no exception. If you're looking to pick up this book I definitely recommend this format.