My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Open Book

Author: Jessica Simpson, Kevin Carr O’Leary

Format: eBook (Overdrive Library)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 2/4/20

Publisher: Hey Street Books

Categories: Memoir, Autobiography, Celebrity, Addiction

Jessica tells of growing up in 1980s Texas where she was sexually abused by the daughter of a family friend, and of unsuccessfully auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club at age 13 with Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling before going on to sign a record deal with Columbia and marrying 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey. 

Along the way, she details the struggles in her life, such as the pressure to support her family as a teenager, divorcing Lachey, enduring what she describes as an emotionally abusive relationship with musician John Mayer, being body-shamed in an overly appearance-centered industry, and going through bouts of heavy drinking. But Simpson ends on a positive note, discussing her billion-dollar apparel line and marriage with professional football star Eric Johnson, with whom she has three children.

• Just some background – I was in college when Britney, Christina, Mandy More and Jessica Simpson were taking over the airwaves. So my interest in this book is definitely part curiosity and nostalgia. She may not be putting out music anymore like back in the early 2000’s but it’s hard not to see her brand at like Ross Dress for Less haha – I’m wearing Jessica Simpson house slippers right now as I’m typing this. And I didn’t buy it for the brand, but it was comfy and super affordable.
• Jessica’s childhood story is eye opening. She is definitely a preacher’s daughter because faith is a big thing throughout all her ups and downs in the book. But so many things happened in her life that started a domino effect and would culminate into her drinking to cope.
• A lot of the book is about her relationships since she was in the media a lot because of them. First her marriage to Nick Lachey, then dating John Mayer and Tony Romo. I definitely related to her on some of the challenges she went through in the relationships whether it was about marriage, bad communication or just all the drama comes with “falling in love”. I also found her self worth struggles relatable not only when she was in some of these bad relationships but also when she became a mother of two back to back and not knowing who you are anymore.
• I applaud her for her honesty on the relationships, the coping mechanisms, the struggle to survive in an industry that never appreciates you for yourself but always wants to you to be something else.

Triggers: sexual abuse, divorce, alcoholism, addiction

• Obviously her life is not about her love life but most of this book is like all the gossip you wanted to know about her marriages and ex-boyfriends. I enjoyed it of course but I think I liked knowing about her brand business as much, we get a little of it and I found that fascinating.

I don’t read a lot of memoirs but I picked this up because I grew up in my late teens and twenties with Jessica Simpson all over the radio and mtv. And a few years ago I remember seeing those clips of Jessica on Home Shopping Network acting strange and now looking back, it was because she was an alcoholic. I wondered what had happened to her and now we know what did. I appreciate her honesty in everything she decided to share in this book from the sexual abuse, her failed relationships, and the good things like her doing concerts for the troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, finding the love of her life and having her three beautiful children. She has a good heart and I’m glad she’s around to share her story.

📚~ Yolanda