I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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⭐ 0.5/5 — I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: The Book Everyone Loves (Except Me)

👉 Grab I’m Glad My Mom Died on Amazon

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🚨 Trigger Warnings

This memoir covers:
💔 Emotional abuse
🧠 Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)
😢 Childhood trauma & manipulation
⚰️ Parental death
🧍‍♀️ Body image & self-harm
🍸 Substance abuse
🎭 Toxic Hollywood culture

If you’re sensitive to any of those, tread gently.

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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

This review contains full spoilers and a lot of unpopular opinions. Proceed at your own risk (and maybe grab some popcorn 🍿).

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🎬 The Setup

Jennette McCurdy grows up in a chaotic household in Garden Grove, California, with her parents, grandparents, and three older brothers. Her mom — a breast cancer survivor — dreams of being an actress, and when that dream fails, she passes the torch (or spotlight 🔦) to little Jennette.

At just six years old, Jennette starts acting — not because she loves it, but because she wants to keep her mom happy. Her mom micromanages everything: auditions, meals, showers, and even her anatomy (yes, that part 😳). Jennette convinces herself that this is normal because her mom says it’s love.

As Jennette grows older, she books commercials and bit parts until finally landing her big break as Sam Puckett on iCarly. The show becomes a hit, and Jennette becomes a Nickelodeon star — but her private life is a mess.

She struggles with disordered eating, OCD, religious guilt, and an overbearing mom who dictates her diet, her hair color, and even her emotions. When her mom’s cancer returns, Jennette is torn between resentment and guilt.

After her mom’s death, Jennette spirals: bingeing, purging, drinking, and dating men who treat her poorly. She eventually starts therapy, begins to face her trauma, and steps away from acting — finally finding her own identity.

That’s the book in a nutshell. Sounds intense, right? It is. But here’s where things get messy…

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💬 My (Very Unpopular) Opinion

Look, I know this book is universally adored. It’s a TikTok darling, a critics’ favorite, and people call it “brave,” “raw,” and “darkly funny.”

I must have read a different book.

Because what I read felt deeply sad, occasionally contradictory, and surprisingly humorless for something marketed as “funny.” I’m not saying Jennette’s story isn’t tragic — it absolutely is. But funny? Not so much.

Let’s start with the big one: her mom.

Do I think Jennette’s mom made serious mistakes? Sure. But do I think she was a “monster” or that Jennette should be glad she died? Absolutely not. That title still makes me wince.

Here’s why 👇

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🧩 Point 1: Forcing Jennette to Act

Yes, her mom pushed her into acting. But honestly… so do a ton of parents. Some want their kids to succeed where they couldn’t. Others just want to help financially. It’s not ideal parenting, but it’s not pure evil either.

And Jennette even admits that she told her mom she wanted to act. Repeatedly. So who’s to say her mom even knew she didn’t want to?

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🩺 Point 2: The Medical Boundaries Thing

The part about her mom doing “exams” and showering together up to her teens is obviously uncomfortable. But was it malicious? Or just deeply misguided and health-obsessed after battling cancer? Jennette never clarifies — she just drops it and moves on. I doubt her mom did it for “fun.” It reads more like paranoia than predation.

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🏠 Point 3: The Hoarding

We hear about sleeping on Costco trifold beds in the living room — rough, yes, but the topic barely gets explored. I wanted more. That could’ve been a powerful lens into her mom’s mental state, but it’s just… glossed over.

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🍦 Point 4: Everyday “Offenses” That Aren’t Really Offenses

There’s a chapter where Jennette’s mom takes her out for ice cream with a kid’s scoop coupon. Jennette frames it as pathetic. I saw it as resourceful and loving. Remember how she mocks her mom for driving early in the morning to avoid highways? I saw that as commitment. Perspective matters.

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⚖️ Point 5: Cultural & Generational Context

Her mom telling her to lose weight? Not great — but also not unusual in many cultures. Where I grew up, people telling you to “watch your weight” is practically how we say “I love you.” It’s concern, not cruelty. And frankly, the foods Jennette was binging weren’t healthy anyway. (Sorry, chips and cheeseburgers are not nutrition goals 🥴.)

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🧨 The Chapter That Broke Me (and Not in a Good Way)

Chapter 74. Jennette’s boyfriend Steven repeatedly tells her he wants to be celibate. Jennette decides to give him oral sex anyway.

I’m sorry — but that’s assault. If the genders were reversed, people would be furious. Yet no one talks about this. It’s wrong. She should know better, and it deserved reflection — not a one-line “oops.”

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🎭 Contradictions Everywhere

In the book, she says her mom stopped going to church but she was trying to get her mom to keep going. In interview, she said she was the one that wanted to stop going to church.

In the book, she says acting was her mom’s dream. In interviews, she says it was her idea first.

The hero/villain framing doesn’t always add up.

And the way people defend every inconsistency as “trauma” just proves this book is too sacred to criticize.

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🤷‍♀️ The “Funny” Memoir That Isn’t Funny

People call this book “hilarious.” I laughed exactly once — when Steven thought he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. That’s it. Otherwise, it’s heavy, bleak, and angry.

And that’s fine! But don’t market it as a dark comedy when it’s 99% dark and 1% comedy.

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💡 Final Thoughts

I think Jennette’s story deserves to be told. I think her pain is real. But I also think her mom loved her — in her own chaotic, controlling, desperate way.

The tragedy is that Jennette couldn’t see that love for what it was.
The heartbreak is that she’s now built a career on resenting it.

⭐ Rating: 0.5/5
Harsh? Maybe. But honesty counts too. This book wasn’t empowering or healing for me — it was frustrating.

At least, her mom passed away believing her daughter loved her. And maybe that’s the one comforting truth in this whole story. 💔

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📚 If You Liked (or Didn’t Like) I’m Glad My Mom Died, Try…

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls — dysfunctional family, but nuanced love.

• Educated by Tara Westover — trauma and control, but with empathy.

• Unfiltered by Lily Collins — fame, family, and figuring it out without the bitterness.

• It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too) by Nora McInerny — authentic grief with actual humor.