Amanda Prowse has built a bestselling career on the lives of fictional women. Now she turns the pen on her own life.
I guess the first question to ask is, what kind of woman am I? Well, you know those women who saunter into a room, immaculately coiffed and primped from head to toe?
If you look behind her, you’ll see me.
From her childhood, where there was no blueprint for success, to building a career as a bestselling novelist against all odds, Amanda Prowse explores what it means to be a woman in a world where popularity, slimness, beauty and youth are currency—and how she overcame all of that to forge her own path to happiness.
Sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious and always entirely relatable, Prowse details her early struggles with self-esteem and how she coped with the frustrating expectations others had of how she should live. Most poignantly, she delves into her toxic relationship with food, the hardest addiction she has ever known, and how she journeyed out the other side.
One of the most candid memoirs you’re ever likely to read, Women Like Us provides welcome insight into how it is possible—against the odds—to overcome insecurity, body consciousness and the ubiquitous imposter syndrome to find happiness and success, from a woman who’s done it all, and then some.
What did I think?
I adore Amanda Prowse novels but they never fail to make me cry and I thought I wouldn't need my tissues for her memoir, Women Like Us, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Yep, you got me again, Amanda!
Firstly, I really must applaud Amanda Prowse for sharing her intimate and personal story with us. Now I know how she can write such heartbreaking and true to life stories as she draws from the wealth of feelings and emotions from her own experiences. I felt incredibly honoured to read this true story and couldn't believe how much resonated with me; it was almost as if Amanda was talking directly to me through her book.
Much like her fictional novels that mirror real life, it's not all heartbreak in this memoir; it's often amusing and there are some tea spurting out of your nose laugh out loud moments - thanks to Amanda's Aunty Kit's advice for that one!
The book is well named as I think everyone will see something of themselves in Amanda's story; I lost count of the amount of times I thought 'me too' when I was reading. I can't believe how many trials and tribulations Amanda has gone through in her life and still remained as bubbly and positive as she is. You just never know what's going on behind a person's smile; I love Amanda's beautiful smile, by the way.
This book also helped me with something I'm going through at the moment: the dreaded 'change'. It was incredibly enlightening to read about her own experience of the menopause. I expected hot flushes but I was really puzzled by the snaps of bone chilling coldness that I experience on occasion. I didn't know the chilly willies was also hormone related, so it's nice to know I'm not going completely bonkers!
Women Like Us really is for all women like us. It's beautifully written with humour and heartfelt emotion that I found incredibly moving. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, Amanda x
I received a gifted paperback for the LoveBooksTours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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