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Down the Drain
A Simon & Schuster book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
3648 people are currently reading
89732 people want to read
About the author
Julia Fox
3 books482 followersJulia Francesca Fox is an actress, model, and media personality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 17,186 reviews
October 11, 2023
Honestly one of the best celebrity memoirs I’ve ever read.
October 11, 2023
If Julia Fox has 0 fans I’m DEAD. An amazing story told by a fantastic writer and I need MORE
October 26, 2023
None of these words are in the Bible.
Iconic.
Iconic.
November 21, 2023
I support women’s rights and wrongs 🎀
December 18, 2023
Written from the point of view of the person who is the villain and doesn't have the self-awareness to admit, or even realize, they're the villain. The book is written as if she is still the hurt teenager and, dare I say, the mean girl; there is no real retrospection. She gets mad at others and victimizes herself for doing things she has done over and over to other people. To be clear, I'm not basing my opinion of the book on her character, however, I want to point out we get stories about her being betrayed, but nothing about how she feels about how she herself has betrayed others.
We get a lot of details about things that don't necessarily need a lot of detail and then nothing about what actually made her the "It Girl" and the minor NYC celebrity. She posed for street art, and it was in a TV show... what show? What artist? What did it look like? She had a fashion line. What was it called? She got into The New School, literally the only time we hear about it is "I graduated community college and I got into The New School." What did you study? How did you get in? What was your time like there, even it was brief? And beyond being a minor celeb, she writes a few pages about her "relationship" with Kanye but it was basically not a story at all and felt thrown in.
People pop into the story who are the absolute most important person in her life, then they just disappear, or aren't even properly introduced. She starts talking about Harmony, the person she can't live without, her best friend, a friend beyond compare - but she doesn't even have an introduction?? Multiple times, I found myself asking "who IS this person??" blink and you'll miss who some of these people even are or how they came into her life.
Her story is tragic at times, certainly chaotic, but not exactly self-aware. I don't know if that's the point and it's all part of the "art" and delivery, but I don't see this memoir as some kind of subversive art. I heard about her interview where she said this book is a masterpiece, and while I know that's 100% subjective... I can't go there with her.
A couple final questions: why did she dedicate this book to her dad and then proceeds to not tell one single story about him with a redeemable quality? If what she put in here was the best she could come up with about her dad... was that a joke? Why did she name her son Valentino after her dominatrix name, Valentina??
We get a lot of details about things that don't necessarily need a lot of detail and then nothing about what actually made her the "It Girl" and the minor NYC celebrity. She posed for street art, and it was in a TV show... what show? What artist? What did it look like? She had a fashion line. What was it called? She got into The New School, literally the only time we hear about it is "I graduated community college and I got into The New School." What did you study? How did you get in? What was your time like there, even it was brief? And beyond being a minor celeb, she writes a few pages about her "relationship" with Kanye but it was basically not a story at all and felt thrown in.
People pop into the story who are the absolute most important person in her life, then they just disappear, or aren't even properly introduced. She starts talking about Harmony, the person she can't live without, her best friend, a friend beyond compare - but she doesn't even have an introduction?? Multiple times, I found myself asking "who IS this person??" blink and you'll miss who some of these people even are or how they came into her life.
Her story is tragic at times, certainly chaotic, but not exactly self-aware. I don't know if that's the point and it's all part of the "art" and delivery, but I don't see this memoir as some kind of subversive art. I heard about her interview where she said this book is a masterpiece, and while I know that's 100% subjective... I can't go there with her.
A couple final questions: why did she dedicate this book to her dad and then proceeds to not tell one single story about him with a redeemable quality? If what she put in here was the best she could come up with about her dad... was that a joke? Why did she name her son Valentino after her dominatrix name, Valentina??
December 22, 2024
4.5 stars!!! This memoir was SO GOOD! I didn't know much about Julia Fox before starting it but was blown away by the resilience Julia Fox has. This book is at times funny, wild, and iconic (everything I expected), but most of the time it is heartbreaking. This book made me laugh and cry and covers so many incredibly hard things that Julia had to go through at such a young age.
And it was beautifully written! It's raw and vulnerable. Julia Fox spares no details. A must read in my opinion!!
And it was beautifully written! It's raw and vulnerable. Julia Fox spares no details. A must read in my opinion!!
December 10, 2023
“i don’t want men to like me anymore. i’m over it.”
November 1, 2023
julia fox is single-handedly making celebrity messy again and we love her for it! bring back celebrity memoirs that actually give the gossip and are honest.
but in all seriousness this was a great memoir detailing julia’s very interesting life, which was just as funny and entertaining as it was vulnerable.
but in all seriousness this was a great memoir detailing julia’s very interesting life, which was just as funny and entertaining as it was vulnerable.
Read
December 23, 2024julia fox has truly lived a thousand lives. this memoir could have been edited better as it does feel all over the place and has a million characters that get added and dropped, but even despite that it's still an entertaining book simply bc of all the wild things that have happened to her. hope she finds stability and contentment now <3
November 15, 2023
The people’s princess
August 31, 2024
One chapter of this would kill a founding father
November 4, 2023
Julia Fox is the kind of celebrity I love. She's fun, shameless and chaotic. She rose to fame in the film Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler but she became infamous for her barely 2 month "relationship" with Kanye West...or as he is referred to in this book " the artist". They shot a photo spread for a magazine on their 2nd date. It was insanity and I love that shit.
Julia Fox called this book a masterpiece. I love that for her. This book is cinematic and it needs to be a movie( come on A24). Do I believe everything in this book happens the exact way she says it did no....but this book is so much fun who cares. This book is sex, drugs and fame and I think you'll enjoy every minute...if you don't take things too seriously.
A Must Read!
Julia Fox called this book a masterpiece. I love that for her. This book is cinematic and it needs to be a movie( come on A24). Do I believe everything in this book happens the exact way she says it did no....but this book is so much fun who cares. This book is sex, drugs and fame and I think you'll enjoy every minute...if you don't take things too seriously.
A Must Read!
November 1, 2023
julia .. pls.. just a crumb of introspection
January 30, 2024
You know when someone is telling you a story and it feels like they're lying? This entire book felt that way.
I'm not saying I can't believe some of the things that happened to her...I can. I just don't know how accurate or authentic Fox has been in this memoir.
Further, there is NO reflection after any shocking event. So this reads like a string of stories slammed together with no reference for how long ago something was or how it impacted her. It made this book feel immature at best and at its worst, shallow.
I'm not saying I can't believe some of the things that happened to her...I can. I just don't know how accurate or authentic Fox has been in this memoir.
Further, there is NO reflection after any shocking event. So this reads like a string of stories slammed together with no reference for how long ago something was or how it impacted her. It made this book feel immature at best and at its worst, shallow.
Read
November 12, 2025I fucking loved it
October 17, 2023
A Lisa Taddeo character come to life, an icon, a legend
November 15, 2023
I didn’t know much about her other than she dated Kanye and was in Uncut Gems, so I was curious to learn more. However the more I learned, the more I didn’t like her. She’s kind of a terrible person. I couldn’t keep up with all the friends that she kept saying were like family because she went through them so quickly. She kept making terrible life choices and then being mad her life didn’t turn out how she expected because she’s pretty and should have everything she wants. Duh. I’m upset with myself for even checking this book out of the library and supporting it.
October 19, 2023
Reviewing memoirs is so tricky because… reasons. But this was just so full of life, honesty, humour, humility—I could go on. A tough read but also entertaining.
Read
October 16, 2023Call me old-fashioned, but I do appreciate a sense of reflection in my memoirs... This felt more like an essay collection in the way that it was more just a recitation of events. While Fox has clearly been through a lot in life, the major takeaway from having read this is the book feels shallow when compared to those experiences. This in some ways feels odd as the book talks about other ways some of these events had previously been turned into art that Fox could process some of these things through.
It's also possible that I'm just expecting too much, and the events are too recent for me to really expect something to come from a person writing about them to have a lot of insight to meaningfully reflect.
Ultimately I wouldn't tell people not to read it, because I of course did learn more about Fox as a person and their life. I would say that be prepared to read about drug use, overdoses, pedophiles, and abusive relationships. It's not an easy listen, but for fans or people just interested in hearing more I think there is a little something for everyone even if I was left wanting more.
It's also possible that I'm just expecting too much, and the events are too recent for me to really expect something to come from a person writing about them to have a lot of insight to meaningfully reflect.
Ultimately I wouldn't tell people not to read it, because I of course did learn more about Fox as a person and their life. I would say that be prepared to read about drug use, overdoses, pedophiles, and abusive relationships. It's not an easy listen, but for fans or people just interested in hearing more I think there is a little something for everyone even if I was left wanting more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2024
This memoir, written by social media phenomenon Julia Fox herself, has me confused: Without even a hint of self-reflection, the author depicts her journey through trauma, bad decisions and self-destruction, while glamorizing her ways as if she was some beat poet - and to me, that's one of the neuralgic points: If Fox was a man, people would probably compare her lifestyle to the likes of Dash Snow, who roamed downtown Manhattan with his circle of friends, caught up in a haze of drugs and sex, until he died of an overdose so high it was probably suicide. Fox is ostentatiously hedonistic, treats a lot of people like trash, and unapologetically strives to be famous for being a disturbing one-woman-show. The main difference to Snow is not that he was a man though, but that he was not only a flamboyant, attention-seeking drug addict with mental problems, but also a bona fide visual artist.
So I guess what puzzles me is not that she does all that shit as a woman, but that her work is just not that relevant, let alone up to the standard of artists like William S. Burroughs (another proponent of the downtown heroin lifestyle), so I don't know why I should care to ponder how the artist persona relates to the artwork in the case of Fox (and if you now wonder why I should even categorize Fox as an artist: She clearly sees herself as one, and she even attended the New School). To me, Fox comes off as someone who is per se not particularly interesting, but she's a master when it comes to playing the media game. She knows the attention economy of the digital age, she uses it openly, and she does not apologize - and people celebrate her for being honest. If you think about it, it's kind of sad.
And yes, Fox is honest and does not try to portray herself in a particularly good light, but then she switches it up by selling it as being a bad ass. Look at me, I was shooting up heroin! I was a dominatrix! I slept with trashy men, and then I prostituted myself to trashy men, and then I slept with even more trashy men! I won't reflect upon it, I just puke it all out in a (admittedly rather well-written) book, and then I try to gaslight you into thinking that I'm culturally relevant!
In the end, Fox claims to have single-handedly invented all trends of 2022. I want receipts. In fact, I want receipts that Fox has created anything artistic outside of playing the attention game. I'm a huge fan of beat and pop lit, and I'm fascinated by messy artists, but I still don't see why I should care about Julia Fox.
So I guess what puzzles me is not that she does all that shit as a woman, but that her work is just not that relevant, let alone up to the standard of artists like William S. Burroughs (another proponent of the downtown heroin lifestyle), so I don't know why I should care to ponder how the artist persona relates to the artwork in the case of Fox (and if you now wonder why I should even categorize Fox as an artist: She clearly sees herself as one, and she even attended the New School). To me, Fox comes off as someone who is per se not particularly interesting, but she's a master when it comes to playing the media game. She knows the attention economy of the digital age, she uses it openly, and she does not apologize - and people celebrate her for being honest. If you think about it, it's kind of sad.
And yes, Fox is honest and does not try to portray herself in a particularly good light, but then she switches it up by selling it as being a bad ass. Look at me, I was shooting up heroin! I was a dominatrix! I slept with trashy men, and then I prostituted myself to trashy men, and then I slept with even more trashy men! I won't reflect upon it, I just puke it all out in a (admittedly rather well-written) book, and then I try to gaslight you into thinking that I'm culturally relevant!
In the end, Fox claims to have single-handedly invented all trends of 2022. I want receipts. In fact, I want receipts that Fox has created anything artistic outside of playing the attention game. I'm a huge fan of beat and pop lit, and I'm fascinated by messy artists, but I still don't see why I should care about Julia Fox.
August 7, 2024
If you’re like me, and you sit around thinking that every choice you made in your life has been a bad one- well, think no further- because Julia Fox might have us all beat! This poor girl didn’t hold anything back in this book, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she made a bunch of poor choices herself (especially in men). But we all grow up, and we all live and eventually learn.
Julia Fox was born in Italy, and as a little girl she moved to New York City with her father. Her mother would visit sporadically, and when she did she never showed any interest in Julia. Julia’s mother and father had a volatile relationship, which in itself left little attention for Julia. Julia took care of herself from a very young age, and often ran the streets as she always seemed to be in the way and her parents didn’t really want her around anyway. For a time she did travel between Italy and New York, but New York was definitely her home. I would also say Julia needed some guidance, and maybe a butt whooping or two- but she was certainly out doing her own thing (not her fault).
While running the streets, Julia made some not so nice friends and boyfriends. In fact, she reminded me of myself in some ways- because like her I was always a “loser magnet”. 🧲
As I stated, Julia doesn’t hold anything back in this memoir and she talks about her drug fueled days. She talks about the times she almost died due to drugs, and the dear friends she’s lost. Julia is now clean, and the mother of a beautiful son.
After reading this memoir, I feel like I personally know Julia Fox- and in reality I would love to meet her. She seems very real and down to earth, and that’s something you don’t find in most people anymore (especially when they are famous).
In my opinion, this is a five star memoir, but I am only giving it four stars because I would have loved to have seen some pictures in this book (there were no pictures, zero!). I kept going online and googling images of Julia Fox and other things that I wanted to look up. I also had a few questions about some of the people in her memoir that I feel were left unanswered. Such as what happened to her boyfriend “Ace” who got sent away to prison and yet still kept harassing her? Please tell me, because enquiring minds need to know!
All in all, this is a fantastic memoir that I highly recommend reading!
Julia Fox was born in Italy, and as a little girl she moved to New York City with her father. Her mother would visit sporadically, and when she did she never showed any interest in Julia. Julia’s mother and father had a volatile relationship, which in itself left little attention for Julia. Julia took care of herself from a very young age, and often ran the streets as she always seemed to be in the way and her parents didn’t really want her around anyway. For a time she did travel between Italy and New York, but New York was definitely her home. I would also say Julia needed some guidance, and maybe a butt whooping or two- but she was certainly out doing her own thing (not her fault).
While running the streets, Julia made some not so nice friends and boyfriends. In fact, she reminded me of myself in some ways- because like her I was always a “loser magnet”. 🧲
As I stated, Julia doesn’t hold anything back in this memoir and she talks about her drug fueled days. She talks about the times she almost died due to drugs, and the dear friends she’s lost. Julia is now clean, and the mother of a beautiful son.
After reading this memoir, I feel like I personally know Julia Fox- and in reality I would love to meet her. She seems very real and down to earth, and that’s something you don’t find in most people anymore (especially when they are famous).
In my opinion, this is a five star memoir, but I am only giving it four stars because I would have loved to have seen some pictures in this book (there were no pictures, zero!). I kept going online and googling images of Julia Fox and other things that I wanted to look up. I also had a few questions about some of the people in her memoir that I feel were left unanswered. Such as what happened to her boyfriend “Ace” who got sent away to prison and yet still kept harassing her? Please tell me, because enquiring minds need to know!
All in all, this is a fantastic memoir that I highly recommend reading!
October 15, 2023
On page 32 she describes her friend as having green eyes on page 33 the same friend now has blue eyes. +1 star for being a genuinely interesting person.
April 24, 2025
really enjoyed this!! felt similar to the "Who TF Did I Marry" storytime series (walk with me here lol) in how addictive it was and how great of a storyteller fox is. she keeps you glued to the page the entire time and the details of her life are fucking insane. im struggling to figure out a way to say that i liked how juvenile the writing felt without it sounding backhanded but i guess i just liked that the tone of this felt like you were hearing it from her in a bathroom rather than having an MFA varnish thrown on top of it through too much editing. i dont know why i held off on reading this for so long, great book to get you out of a slump!
October 8, 2024
It’s surprising to read rave reviews of this / yes it’s a somewhat extraordinary life but it’s recalled as if only yesterday (in a way that’s true). There’s no real reflection, no humility at all - and yet the OTT honesty is also kinda incredible. So it’s not the 5 star classic some might have you think - but it’s thoroughly worth a read.
March 24, 2025
julia fox you will always be famous
absolutely stunning memoir and perfect audio performance
absolutely stunning memoir and perfect audio performance
October 20, 2023
I have followed Julia for years, probably when the majority of non-New Yorkers heard about her. I loved her TikToks, her litany of zeitgeist seizing moments from her Juergen Teller shoot to her Ziwe appearance, and adored her performance in Uncut Gems, and similarly I made a mental note of her book release like everyone else with the viral “masterpiece” sound bite. So when I was eyeing purchasing this book, it had also come to my attention that Spotify had started including audiobooks on premium. This was perfect, of course I had to listen to the audiobook version read by Julia herself.
I couldn’t imagine any other way of consuming the book. Her cadence makes her stories so much funnier when they’re supposed to be, as well as solemn when she gets into the guts of her utterly insane life.
At times I wanted a lot more introspection, the reading sometimes devolved into what felt like rushed bullet points of events going on, the writing can be a bit choppy, and her final lines consist of generic platitudes which don’t end on the highest note as someone familiar with her wit. She also writes almost exclusivity in the present tense, which makes the lack of introspection even more jarring when describing events from when she was 11 in the same way as events from when she was 23. One example of this would be her relationship with Shane and her sugar daddy, which has a lot of back and forth, and the stories, while entertaining, would have greatly benefited from what she was thinking; why she was getting back with Shane, why she couldn’t commit to her sugar daddy, what was going on with her fashion label. This is purely from a narrative perspective and less to do with trying to analyse her moral scrutiny, and there are times when her writing reflects her anguish, i.e. when her abusive ex is harassing her over the phone even after she’s been institutionalised. At the same time, SO MUCH is going on. The choppiness typically happens near the end of the book when she is recounting more recent events, ones which she perhaps hasn’t fully processed or doesn’t wish to divulge in her first book, which is understandable given the nature of events and just how much heartbreak she has suffered throughout her whole life, which led me to cry twice when listening so let that be a warning.
That being said, the pace feels relentless, and it never feels boring. Any criticisms I have with the book are completely bulldozed by the sheer spectacle. Her depictions of hallways of dildos, explosive fights with exes, sex, references to her favourite music and films, and memories with girl friends. I can’t think of anyone in the public eye who is this unflinchingly honest, at times I worried or questioned what the reception to some of her stories would be, especially as to this day ‘The Artist’s’ fans continue to harass her and others want to blacklist her. But much like the situation mentioned in the book about her dominatrix photos leaking, she unashamedly owns her history with drugs, the abuse she suffered whilst beaming about her intelligence, resilience and her It Girl powers, so I feel like, in a more meta sense, Julia uses the book less as a soul-searching endeavour and more as a means of not only seizing her narrative, but also the zeitgeist.
She talks a lot in the book about how often she has felt alone, but she has always been a girl’s girl, and now she’s somewhat of a role model to women and a gay icon, and even watching her press tour for this book she has been on stage with Madonna and doing panels alongside children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, complementing the book and her ability to find herself in all kinds of situations, and I only hope with the release of this book that she’s just going to keep getting more successful.
I couldn’t imagine any other way of consuming the book. Her cadence makes her stories so much funnier when they’re supposed to be, as well as solemn when she gets into the guts of her utterly insane life.
At times I wanted a lot more introspection, the reading sometimes devolved into what felt like rushed bullet points of events going on, the writing can be a bit choppy, and her final lines consist of generic platitudes which don’t end on the highest note as someone familiar with her wit. She also writes almost exclusivity in the present tense, which makes the lack of introspection even more jarring when describing events from when she was 11 in the same way as events from when she was 23. One example of this would be her relationship with Shane and her sugar daddy, which has a lot of back and forth, and the stories, while entertaining, would have greatly benefited from what she was thinking; why she was getting back with Shane, why she couldn’t commit to her sugar daddy, what was going on with her fashion label. This is purely from a narrative perspective and less to do with trying to analyse her moral scrutiny, and there are times when her writing reflects her anguish, i.e. when her abusive ex is harassing her over the phone even after she’s been institutionalised. At the same time, SO MUCH is going on. The choppiness typically happens near the end of the book when she is recounting more recent events, ones which she perhaps hasn’t fully processed or doesn’t wish to divulge in her first book, which is understandable given the nature of events and just how much heartbreak she has suffered throughout her whole life, which led me to cry twice when listening so let that be a warning.
That being said, the pace feels relentless, and it never feels boring. Any criticisms I have with the book are completely bulldozed by the sheer spectacle. Her depictions of hallways of dildos, explosive fights with exes, sex, references to her favourite music and films, and memories with girl friends. I can’t think of anyone in the public eye who is this unflinchingly honest, at times I worried or questioned what the reception to some of her stories would be, especially as to this day ‘The Artist’s’ fans continue to harass her and others want to blacklist her. But much like the situation mentioned in the book about her dominatrix photos leaking, she unashamedly owns her history with drugs, the abuse she suffered whilst beaming about her intelligence, resilience and her It Girl powers, so I feel like, in a more meta sense, Julia uses the book less as a soul-searching endeavour and more as a means of not only seizing her narrative, but also the zeitgeist.
She talks a lot in the book about how often she has felt alone, but she has always been a girl’s girl, and now she’s somewhat of a role model to women and a gay icon, and even watching her press tour for this book she has been on stage with Madonna and doing panels alongside children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, complementing the book and her ability to find herself in all kinds of situations, and I only hope with the release of this book that she’s just going to keep getting more successful.
April 17, 2024
This is the messiest, most chaotic, most brutally honest and raw memoir I've ever read and I was SAT for it the whole time. Julia Fox is an icon and I love her for it. We follow her as she battles addiction her whole life, deals with neglectful parents, becomes a dominatrix, gets a few big breaks, overdoses multiple times, loses friends, survives horrendous relationships, and just keeps moving forward. It feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion, but she ends up fine in the end.
Highly recommend the audiobook, read by Julia herself.
Highly recommend the audiobook, read by Julia herself.
March 18, 2024
I always feel so guilty when rate a memoir poorly but this was, at max, 2 stars. Man, she had it hard, and there were so many moments when I felt so deeply for her! But the whole narrative felt like an apologist “I am entitled to be messy because I experienced trauma” when, whether she acknowledges it or not (and mostly she doesn’t), her behavior could be (and was!!) also quite trauma inducing. And did we all just look past the last chapter when she, without much preamble, plots a revenge murder? Absolutely insane that this book has been met with such wide acclaim.
January 4, 2024
TW: statutory rape, mention of drugs, abuse
*minor spoilers*
Fox’s life is so packed full of significant people/events and unique yet relatable experiences that could lend to an impactful memoir, yet, after finishing this book, I remember and feel almost nothing. Fox rarely emotionally dwells on these important events/people beyond the surface level: “I met this person and they were very funny, smelled like this, wore these clothes, had this color hair, their parents acted like this, and we would go out and do this. We were inseparable. One day we did this and I got high on this drug and then we did this. We got into a fight after getting in trouble with these people and I cried and sobbed and felt humiliated.” Everything is told to readers rather than shown. Fox’s life is so densely populated with significant life altering friendships and abusive relationships that she rarely has time to dwell on them for more than a few pages before moving on to the next event. Because of this format, I wasn’t able to truly get to the humanity of the book and people are lost/dropped from the book with barely a passing mention. Instead of trying to TELL me EVERYTHING why not SHOW me why I should care. What is the message? Why is this important to say?
Also, there are multiple instances of statutory rape and a young (sometimes 12 year old) Fox being pursued sexually by someone twice her age. These instances are used to show Fox “coming of age” sexually and are not giving the severity or maturity to dissect how she was manipulated and extorted in these moments. It is not mentioned how disgusting it is for a 23 year old to be romantically interested in a 14 year old. I’m frustrated that she goes into so much detail about a 14 year old having sex for the first time with an adult but doesn’t detail how this is a BAD thing. Also the detail of these scenes is disgusting because she’s underage. Why are these moments given more detail than her grandfather’s battle with cancer? So frustrating to read.
There are also minor inconsistencies such as describing her friends eye colors as two different colors, spelling her name differently one time, and so on which add to the feeling that this book was barely edited at all.
*minor spoilers*
Fox’s life is so packed full of significant people/events and unique yet relatable experiences that could lend to an impactful memoir, yet, after finishing this book, I remember and feel almost nothing. Fox rarely emotionally dwells on these important events/people beyond the surface level: “I met this person and they were very funny, smelled like this, wore these clothes, had this color hair, their parents acted like this, and we would go out and do this. We were inseparable. One day we did this and I got high on this drug and then we did this. We got into a fight after getting in trouble with these people and I cried and sobbed and felt humiliated.” Everything is told to readers rather than shown. Fox’s life is so densely populated with significant life altering friendships and abusive relationships that she rarely has time to dwell on them for more than a few pages before moving on to the next event. Because of this format, I wasn’t able to truly get to the humanity of the book and people are lost/dropped from the book with barely a passing mention. Instead of trying to TELL me EVERYTHING why not SHOW me why I should care. What is the message? Why is this important to say?
Also, there are multiple instances of statutory rape and a young (sometimes 12 year old) Fox being pursued sexually by someone twice her age. These instances are used to show Fox “coming of age” sexually and are not giving the severity or maturity to dissect how she was manipulated and extorted in these moments. It is not mentioned how disgusting it is for a 23 year old to be romantically interested in a 14 year old. I’m frustrated that she goes into so much detail about a 14 year old having sex for the first time with an adult but doesn’t detail how this is a BAD thing. Also the detail of these scenes is disgusting because she’s underage. Why are these moments given more detail than her grandfather’s battle with cancer? So frustrating to read.
There are also minor inconsistencies such as describing her friends eye colors as two different colors, spelling her name differently one time, and so on which add to the feeling that this book was barely edited at all.
September 20, 2024
i wasn’t really a big fan of julia fox mostly because i thought she was kinda all over the place and that a lot of her stances were performative and for attention but one day i was bored and watched a video of someone talking about this book. i was intrigued and decided to read it for myself and you know what im glad i did. i have a new found respect for julia and now i understand why she is the way she is. and boy had this lady lived a life!
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