TLC Book Tours Book Review: Its Messy

About It's Messy

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Wave (September 19, 2017)

In this deeply personal collection of essays, creator of the The Conversation Amanda de Cadenet shares the hard-won advice and practical insights she’s gained through her experiences as businesswoman, friend, wife, and mother.

Amanda is on a mission to facilitate conversations that allow all women to be seen, heard, and understood. Through her multimedia platform The Conversation, she interviews some of today’s most bad ass women—from Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga—in no-holds-barred conversations that get to the heart of what means to be female. Now, in It’s Messy, Amanda offers readers an extension of that conversation, inviting them into her life and sharing her own story.

From childhood fame to a high-profile marriage (and divorce) to teen motherhood to the sexism that threatened to end her career before it started, Amanda shares the good, the bad, and the messy of her life, synthesizing lessons she’s learned along the way. Through it all, she offers an original perspective as a feminist on the front lines of celebrity culture. Edgy, irreverent, poignant and provocative, It’s Messy addresses the issues, concerns, and experiences relevant to women today.

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Review:  Let me begin by saying, Amanda de Cadenet I want you for my bff. Going into this book I only knew her as Mrs. John Taylor, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that because I was a huge Duranie (though I prefer Nick Rhodes). Oh and I recall a joke or two about her and Simon Le Bon on an episode of Absolutely Fabulous.

Once I got into the book, I found that Amanda is truly the kind of person every woman needs in her life. She is strong, sassy and just pretty kick butt.

If you were expecting a tell all sort of book, you aren't going to find that, and that's part of the reason why it left me giving her more respect. I didn't want to end up hating John, though when I realized that when she was pregnant with their daughter she was 19 and he was in his 30s.

WTF John, seriously, WTF!

Though now Amanda's second husband is 9 years younger than her. Oddly though, that didn't feel as creepy to me as her relationship with JT, who I will forever think of as a creeper.

Her book does focus on her life, which is full of missteps and mistakes and loads of successes too. She offers up advice that every woman and mother should take heed to.

This book reads like a conversation with a close friend at a coffee shop. Its a snapshot of her life, which like the title states is messy, but that makes her full of insight. Its those insights that should make every woman feel better about herself.

She's gone through a lot and knows some fabulous people, who are mentioned here, but not in a way that it feels like she's name dropping. Again, this book feels like you're sitting across from a friend.

I would gladly sit across a table from Amanda de Cadenet. (And she could tell me all about interviewing HRC)

Rating: 5 flowers

About Amanda de Cadenet

Amanda de Cadenet is a creative force with a lifelong career in the media. She began as a host on British television at the age of fifteen and became a sought-after photographer shortly after—as a result her impressive photography career already spans nearly twenty years. She is the youngest woman ever to shoot a Vogue cover and has photographed many of the most influential figures in popular and political culture. As a media entrepreneur, Amanda is the creator of The Conversation, a series that showcases her in-depth interviews on real topics with celebrated women. Whether it’s in conversations with Lady Gaga, Sarah Silverman, Zoe Saldana, Chelsea Handler, or Gwyneth Paltrow, or in discussions with devoted followers of her social channels, Amanda delivers an honest and authentic voice. The series has aired in eighteen countries and is featured online, with over ten million viewers. In January 2016, Amanda conducted an exclusive one-on-one interview with presidential candidate Secretary Clinton. In February 2016, Amanda launched #Girlgaze, a digital media company utilizing user submitted content and highlighting the work of women Gen Z photographers and directors.

Find out more about Amanda at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.