BLURB:

Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, way too close to the Hollywood dream machine, Jenna Tico’s self-worth wanes to invisibility when her identity becomes enmeshed with validation from celebrities and spiritual F-boys . . . until she claws her way back to empowerment. Here, Tico shares vulnerable personal essays, stories, and poetry—all grouped following the cycles of the moon—chronicling her journey from late bloomer to full grownup. Observing the world of twenty-something relationships from perspectives as diverse as a bachelorette houseboat, a music festival afterparty, and the airplane ride to a death bed, she validates the experiences of women who feel like they have been abandoned by the generation that came before them. Her self-reflective stories encourage healthy life choices for young women without telling them where, what, or how to live their lives—and always with a healthy dash of humor on the side.

MY THOUGHTS:

Thank you Books Forward for the ARC! Now let’s dive into this ARC. Okay the title of the chapters are absolutely brilliant! The font type of each chapter is lovely and really sets a great tone. The font makes me want a margarita, if that makes any sense. The Introduction was exceptionally well written, it’s truly one of the best Introductions I’ve read all year. It made me really want to sit and enjoy the book. Then we got into the book and I guess I was not really prepared for the writing style. So, the book is A LOT. I blame the chaotic relationships. The book is just as chaotic as her relationships. So sit back and hold on tight. It weaves in and out of prose and there is a lot going on in this book. I blame the cancer moon at this point LOL I understand Jenna’s decision to not touch the works in her memoir as noted in her introduction:

” I collected these pieces, many written in my early twenties, and decided to not fuck with them too much. I accept them as they are, not for what I wish they were. I kept many in the present tense, because the woman who wrote each one is still alive within me- and she is a gift””

In theory, this is absolutely beautiful! At times, it had me rolling on the floor laughing. I mean, who doesn’t love a good giggle, right? Jenna really nails it when she chats up the reader like we’re her BFF. I mean, talk about friendship goals! I’m sure lots of women will read this book and be like, “Yep, that’s me!” But seriously, I got lost more times than I’d like to admit while diving into this book. Perhaps, just maybe, I wish she would have touched it a little bit. It’s like a whirlwind of events in there! I love it, but phew, it’s a wild ride.

Happy Reading Folks!