Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: a painful and gritty memoir with humor, wit and stark realism

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry is a painful and gritty memoir. The opening line: “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead” says it all. The riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry from his childhood and his dream of fame, to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. A story of a young boy being shuffled from his mother’s in Montreal to his father’s in Los Angeles. A story of a fourteen year old nationally ranked tennis star in Canada. A story of a twenty four year old who would land the role of a lifetime and the fame he always dreamt of. To the outside world, Matthew Perry had it all. However, hidden behind the smile and wise cracking jokester was a man who was lonely, feeling unworthy of love and in a dark battle of addiction to drugs and alcohol. Matthew Perry’s journey to sobriety is filled with his trademark humor and a stark realism that many have never seen and he takes readers on this journey with frankness, self-awareness and extreme vulnerability. 

Many who know me know that I love Friends. It is my comfort show. A show I watch when I want to laugh and to relax. My favorite character has always been Chandler Bing. The vulnerable man who uses humor to hide his fears, insecurities and loneliness. Matthew Perry has been one of my favorite actors for years and his death in 2023 hit me hard. When he released this memoir, I was torn about reading it. I wanted to read it and yet, I was afraid. Recently, I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I usually don’t listen to audiobooks; but there is something about this book and listening to Matthew Perry narrating it. It was difficult to listen to. It is deeply intimate and eye-opening. I was in tears, knowing he had come so far, so filled with hope and yet he is gone from this world. His voice reminds me of someone else I know who battled with addiction and it added to the pain of his story. He intended his memoir to help those who struggle with sobriety and I pray that it does. I highly recommend Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. 

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing 

is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

 

Noble Intent: a steamy friends to lovers romance with lots of fun banter and heavy emotions

Noble Intent is the first book in the Rapturous Intent series by Cadence Keys. Trent Bridger is the lead singer of Rapturous Intent, a chart topping rock band, and lives the rock and roll dream. However, something is missing. Then he runs into Becka Edmonson, a woman he knew as a child and she knows him and they easily fall back into their childhood friendship. Soon, Trent realizes that Becka is everything he has been looking for but he is not willing to sacrifice their friendship. After one night of passion, he finds himself choosing between the friend who has grounded him and the woman who lights a fire in him. Even when Becka acknowledges she has always hoped for something more, can they take that chance? Could he have both a friend and a lover? Can his noble intent to keep his distance mean he is also making a biggest mistake? 

Noble Intent is a steamy friends to lovers romance with sweet memories. The story also deals with heavy topics of addiction, parental abandonment and feelings of inadequacy with lots and lots of emotions. Connected to the author’s other series, the LA Wolves, Noble Intent grabs readers from the opening chapter and leads them on a wild ride of emotions, personal growth and romance. I loved Trent and Becka. Their playful banter was fun and the chemistry between them was undeniable. I wasn’t expecting the emotional topics but it added depth to the characters’ past and their present choices. My heart broke for both characters as they discuss their past and deal with how those events inform their present. It was definitely something I could relate to. I enjoyed the connectedness with the other series. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I highly recommend Noble Intent. 

Noble Intent is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Carrie Fisher: more than just Princess Leia

Carrie Fisher is best known as Princess Leia from a little film called Star Wars. But did you know that she is also an accomplished novelist, screenwriter and mental health advocate. Recently, I can able to get a few of her books and I will review them briefly.

Postcards from the Edge is her best known book as it was also made into a blockbuster film which starred Meryl Streep and Shirley Maclaine. It is the story of Suzanne Vale, an actress from an acting family who finds herself in a rehab facility after overdosing on Percodan. As she completes rehab, she must find a way to restart her life that she says “I narrate a life I’m reluctant to live.” This story was inspired by Ms. Fisher’s own struggles with her drug addiction and recovery. The story explores the question who someone is and why he/she does or doesn’t do things. It had some great insights that caught my attention. 

Wishing Drinking is her first memoir was she explores her life was it was entangled in the greatest scandal of Hollywood. Her childhood began as the child of America’s Sweethearts: Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Her playgrounds were studios and backlots. She discusses her highs as her brief relationship and marriage to Paul Simon. When she writes about him, you can tell she really loved him but it just didn’t work out. And her lows as life with a philandering father and her growing drug addiction. She discusses the events which lead to her diagnosis of manic-depression. She has learned to deal with the manic episodes which leads her on a “wild ride of a mood” and the depression which leads her to “piss and moan.”  I love that Ms. Fisher is very candid and doesn’t mince words. She says it as she sees it.

The Best Awful There Is is the sequel to Postcards from the Edge as Suzanne Vale must deal with the revelation that the father of her child as left her for another man. She must pick of the pieces and learn to live with new situation. It soon becomes too much and she is institutionalized as manic-depressed. Ms. Fisher once again draws inspiration from her own experiences and brings a touching and sometimes hilarious fashion.

Shockaholic is her second memoir in which she discusses her life in recovery, her continuing struggles with sobriety due to her bipolar disorder and the reconciliation with her father near the end of his life. She calls herself a “fairly intelligent person who does stupid things. Incredibly stupid things.” She is brutally honest and pokes fun at her Hollywood pedigree.

I love Ms. Fisher’s brutal honesty and while her humor is a little too vulgar for my tastes, I did find some of her comments hilarious. I also found her to be deeply insightful and gives such an honest look of what life is often like with a mental illness. She often poked fun at the comments about her looks since everyone expects her to look like Princess Leia even at the age of 58. I think she is still very beautiful and looks wonderful.