Book Review: Told You So by Mayci Neeley

Title: Told You So

Author: Mayci Neeley

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Autobiography, Nonfiction,  Adult

Pages: 288

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year Published: 2025

Format: Audiobook (Library Copy)

"From TikTok and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mayci Neeley, a deeply personal story of love, grief, motherhood and resilience.

Mayci Neeley and the women of MomTok burst into the center of pop culture when Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives took the world by storm. But the show barely scratched the surface of Mayci's personal story. From becoming a mom at twenty, to losing her son's father in a tragic car accident, to going back to college as a single mother, she's only ever given us glimpses of the challenging things she's been through. Now, finally, she's ready to tell us everything.

In this inspiring and darkly funny memoir, Mayci lifts the veil for readers on what growing up Mormon is really like and how it's strict standards completely blow up for many young people when they get to college. When Mayci arrived at BYU on a tennis scholarship, she was unprepared to manage the temptations she'd been taught were sins. She found herself drinking too much, stuck in an abusive relationship and on the verge of falling down a dark and dangerous path. Suddenly, she was pregnant at nineteen and mourning a boyfriend she'd been building a future with. Mayci capture the period of college to adulthood with brutal honesty, grace and humor, offering up a heartfelt portrait of a woman finding her voice and her strength.

All of these trials led to her current love story, her journey with IVF, and of course the inside story of MomTok. Fans looking for a juicy play-by-play on the friend group drama will get everything they want- and then some- but more than anything, readers will walk away with a sense of confidence in themselves and an ability to wear their scars proudly."

My Rating: N.A

This is one of those stories I don't feel comfortable rating. The reason being its such a personal story, and based on trauma and very personal experiences. I have watched alot of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, I'll admit I love reality tv. So I knew who Mayci was and had a brief overview of her past but had no idea the detail this book would go into. I appreciate Mayci sharing her story and hope it touches those who feel unseen, etc. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Naturally Tan by Tan France

 Title: Naturally Tan

Author: Tan France

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography, LGBT

Pages: 304

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year Published: 2019

Format: Audiobook

"In this heartfelt, funny, touching memoir, Tan France, star of Netflix's smash-hit QUEER EYE, tells his origin story for the first time. With his trademark wit, humor and radical compassion, Tan reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional Muslim family, as one of the few people of color in Doncaster, England. He illuminates his winding journey of coming of age, finding his voice (and style!), and how he finally came out to his family at the age of 34, revealing that he was happily married to the love of his life-- a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City.

In Tan's own words, "The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance, and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be."

My Rating: 2/5

I think I'm coming to realize that celebrity autobiographies/memoirs are not for me. I just find that they appear a bit performative and while they do touch on important topics, it's just not for me. That being said, Tan France speaks about growing up in a predominately white neighbourhood, racism, homophobia, religious beliefs, marriage, media diversity etc. Many important topics, I just didn't find that the audiobook did much for me. And that's fine, not every book is for everybody to get something from. So for me, this was just ok. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny