The Half of It Review by Nicole Olayiwola

Nicole Olayiwola

If you want to pick up a memoir that is both short, but also very powerful and memorable, this is it. I have personally been a small Madison Beer Fan, listening to her music from time to time, but you know - I still really liked her. I am not rating this based on the contents of it as it is a memoir about someone's life, but the impact this made on me was just so big that giving it 5 stars just felt right.

Last year, or even early this year, I never thought that I would pick up a memoir - but here I am. This memoir is very well-written, and its contents are nothing but heart-breaking. Reading about what she has gone through was overwhelming, she has struggled so much from  such a young age.

Despite us being very different people, I have not lived a life in Hollywood being famous, I still saw myself in her story. It made me feel seen. She shares her story and her experiences in such an inspiring way.

Before reading make sure to please check the trigger warnings. I would also really recommend listening to it and reading it at the same time to really get the full experience.

Here are some quotes that resonated with me: 

“So different types of pain can all exist at once. It’s not a competition of who has it worse. And someone else’s pain doesn’t take away from your own.”

“You have to acknowledge that the wound is there before you can take the steps to heal it,”

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to reach certain milestones by certain markers. We compare ourselves to our friends and put ourselves in silent competition with the people around us. I need to have everything planned out by the time I turn eighteen, we tell ourselves. If I don’t have my dream job by twenty-five, I never will. If I’m not making this much money by thirty, I’m a failure.”