The book is actually much heavier than I was expecting, I just finished reading it and while I'm glad that she's on the path toward healing, I feel a bit unsettled and sad for her. As a fan from the beginning, I felt like I knew how bad things had gotten with Blackground, but I didn't realize the extent of just how tumultuous her life had become even years after she was free from them. Especially in regards to her mother, her former manager, and Atlantic.
I sort of had the impression that things were fine after Mad Love, but the fact that there were still personal/label struggles up until last year is throwing me for a loop. I feel sorry for doubting her because I was low-key ready to drag her about the lack of new music, but she's clearly had a ton to process over the past twenty years and it seems like she's only just started to properly take care of herself. I know she made it clear that she doesn't want to be seen as just a victim, but my heart still feels heavy for her.
I will say that the pop music nerd in me really appreciated that she included lots of details about all of the singles and albums/mixtapes/EPs and all of the label fuckery that came along with it. Sometimes it can feel like popstar memoirs and documentaries make the music a mere sidenote, but she did a great job of intertwining stories about her popstar life with her personal life.