Honestly I didn’t know Naya Rivera wrote a memoir, and I’m not sure I would have picked it up if I did. But the news of her death compelled me to learn more about her life. I read this in two sittings. It’s witty and fun and honest to the core. She spends less than half the book talking about Glee, which really frames how she approached acting as a job, first and foremost, and only a part of her story. It reads a little like a story in Seventeen Magazine, which I think is the point, but with some time and wisdom and a smart non-linear chronology mixed in. I’m not afraid to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This memoir is a bit out of order chronologically which made it a bit hard to follow at times. Each chapter goes based on a theme, but the book is mostly structured from Rivera’s childhood to adulthood. So, I was always a bit confused when it’d go backwards and forwards in time. The timeline of her romantic relationships was pretty murky, but those are the structural issues I had.

Overall, this was an interesting read. Rivera discusses her career start, ups and downs, and how basing worth around when she was working affected her personal life. Most of the issues she seemed to have were related to that, in my opinion, but she seemed to be in a good place at the end of this book.

It’s hard reading how many times she referenced future things she never got the chance to do. It’s so sad remembering she truly was gone too soon.

The book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. There’s a lot of discussion of her eating disorder. The chapter about Cory Monteith’s passing was very sad. I’m unsurprised to read about Sean being an ass. I was surprised she touched on what happened with Mark Salling. I haven’t forgotten Heather Morris getting in hot water for expressing some sentiment seemingly empathetic towards him. Rivera describes him as the kind of person you wouldn’t be surprised to learn was a creep. It made me wonder how many other cast members would’ve said the same thing.

There are some uncomfortable moments in reading this. The “r” word is tossed out kinda casually considering this had to have been written post 2016. The public stopped saying that word because it was ableist. (Though Gen Z brought it back for some weird af reason). The crack baby joke, while made when Rivera was a child, seems weird to reveal when I’m pretty sure no one would’ve remembered that. Some of Rivera’s humor was a bit… not my thing, but it felt authentic. I felt pretty sure she had a big hand in writing this book unlike some other memoirs I’ve read.

Ultimately, it’s not my favorite memoir I’ve read, but I still got something out of it. I wish we’d gotten to see what things she would’ve gone on to do.

This book obviously takes on a different light in the wake of Naya's passing - there are several points where she talks about growing old and it's sad that she won't have the chance to do that.

That said, other parts of this books were Y I K E S. Again, Hollywood/LA in a strange, weird, dysmorphic, dehumanizing animal.

I really liked this - at one point she talks about writing a no-fucks-given memoir when she's 85, and I wish that she was still around, that she would have gotten to write that. She was talented, beautiful, and had a good heart. I liked how this was stylistically written as if she were just chatting with a friend.

Better than Lea Michele's book...by miles.

I thought there might be more about her time in Glee in this book but it really covered her whole life and career which I was surprised to read started as a very young child. It read like a conversation, quick and easy.

She was sassy :-(

I loved the frank and to the point narrative style of Naya. It sounded like she was curled up on the couch next to you with a cuppa having a girly heart to heart.

It’s not the most well-written memoir I’ve read, but that’s because of her goal to be honest with her audience, not wow people with flowery phrase and symbolism, or shock and awe with some tabloid tell-all. And I have to applaud her with this raw and revealing autobiography.

I did get a certain tone coming across – an ‘I’m good and I know it.’ But as she states in this memoir it’s a product of the entertainment industry she’s been a part of since she was 5 years old. You have to be ballsy and confident, put yourself out there to win roles. Toot your own horn. So I don’t fault her for this attitude because it’s gotten her to where she is today and will see her through a successful career in the future.

There were some topics touched on with that same realism, like identity, eating disorders, family, as well as events around her ‘Glee’ co-stars like Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Lea Michele. Which to be frank the latter is the biggest reason many pick up this book. She handled everything with aplomb and I loved her attitude in dealing with conflict, friendships, and the public eye.

The theme of reflection is inevitable in a memoir, and with Naya tackling sex, past relationships, and her marriage, she comes at slut shaming head-on. I just about cheered at her take on letting women explore their own sexuality. We’re allowed to have slutty years, make bad decisions, party a little. It’s how we learn life lessons and grow wiser. It should be embraced and celebrated, not shamed.

Her discussion on abortion, race, and religion would have to be of the most controversial topics she raises. All from her own personal experiences. A warts and all approach. It was refreshing to read a realistic portrayal, her regrets, mistakes, and what she did to pick herself up afterwards and keep on going. It showed true strength of character and determination, and had me even more envious of her resolve.

My first introduction to Naya was through ‘Glee,’ and I loved her acting, her singing, and comic timing. I wish I got to see more of her on the big screen as think she is truly talented. This autobiography also showed me how much more there is to her professionally. And living vicariously through her words, I know I am an even bigger fan. She seems to have come full circle.

A fun quick light read with a surprisingly quaint philosophical point. But I’d probably only recommend it for fans of her work. The writing style is very contemporary, frank, and while delivering an important message, references a lot of social media and tabloid goings-on. So if you’re not connected to that world, you won’t really get into Naya’s life battles. But she is definitely one woman I’m expecting an amazing future from.

Not bad, but not great. After her death, I was curious about who she was as a person, but this book is pretty surface level.