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A review by helensbookshelf
Dear Reflection: I Never Meant to be a Rebel (A Memoir) by Jessica Bell
4.0
I'm going to start by saying I don't normally read biographies, but the description for this made me want to give it a go. Jessica Bell has lived a rock n' roll lifestyle, her parents were in a gothic rock band in the 80's and early 90's, she grew up around musicians and started bands herself. Well, this sounded far more interesting than the usual celebrity self-absorbed childhood stories!
I found it difficult to get into, picking it up and putting it down a few times before I really got going with it. Jessica's early years are interesting but described with a bit too much introspection for my liking.
It's when Jessica is a teenager in the 90's that I started to really connect with this. I'm a 90's teenager myself so it was a little bit like going back in time, with the bands that she talks about, and the feeling of being an outcast at her high school. I also started to see why the events from her younger self are important, and how they had effected her personality and the way she deals with things.
Jessica is unflinchingly honest as she unpicks the decisions that she made that lead her on a self-destructive path, and also kinda hard on herself too. She has done a lot with her life, as I was reading about her in the 90's I thought we were of the same generation, I guessed Jessica was a few years older than me. Actually, she's a bit younger but far more mature than I was at the same age. I think Jessica as a teenager was probably more mature than I am even now!
By the end of the book, I was 100% sucked in and racing through the pages as Jessica starts to find a way to forgive herself for the things she has done, and accept herself as she is, flaws and all. Jessica Bells's voice is unique and compelling, and her life story (so far) is interesting and well told.
Recommended if you like biographies, you like rock n' roll stories, or you were (or still are) a 90's riot girl.
I received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
I found it difficult to get into, picking it up and putting it down a few times before I really got going with it. Jessica's early years are interesting but described with a bit too much introspection for my liking.
It's when Jessica is a teenager in the 90's that I started to really connect with this. I'm a 90's teenager myself so it was a little bit like going back in time, with the bands that she talks about, and the feeling of being an outcast at her high school. I also started to see why the events from her younger self are important, and how they had effected her personality and the way she deals with things.
Jessica is unflinchingly honest as she unpicks the decisions that she made that lead her on a self-destructive path, and also kinda hard on herself too. She has done a lot with her life, as I was reading about her in the 90's I thought we were of the same generation, I guessed Jessica was a few years older than me. Actually, she's a bit younger but far more mature than I was at the same age. I think Jessica as a teenager was probably more mature than I am even now!
By the end of the book, I was 100% sucked in and racing through the pages as Jessica starts to find a way to forgive herself for the things she has done, and accept herself as she is, flaws and all. Jessica Bells's voice is unique and compelling, and her life story (so far) is interesting and well told.
Recommended if you like biographies, you like rock n' roll stories, or you were (or still are) a 90's riot girl.
I received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.