Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love

I preordered this book and received it this afternoon. After I put my babies to bed I sat down and read this in one shot. Yes, its that interesting.

Let me start by saying when I first started watching Queer Eye I did not like Jonathan. He was just too much. He was loud, bold, and invaded personal space. I just couldnt wrap my head around it. The more I watched and learned from each episode the more I realized I wasnt being my authentic self. I became a shell of who I once was. A loud, bold, invading peoples person space, fierce woman. I couldnt watch JVN because he was who I wanted to be, yet didnt realize. When this self awareness clicked I became a huge fan and supporter. I knew I had to buy his book.

I had a misconception that this was going to be a fun, light, happy for lucky book as JVN is often presented as. My sister informed me that there was some thick subjects in it. I tend not to read things that could trigger me. I was tempted to not read this book, but when I read the sensitivity warning I was so thankful! I wanted to include a photo of the warning so if you too are worried about this you can see what it says. Any sensitive matter was gracefully and tactfully done. Im really appreciative that JVN took this approach and was aware that his book could harm others if it wasnt handled properly.

How JVN approached every. Single. Topic. Was so well done and empathic to his readers. This book isnt just for one type of person its really a relatable book for everyone. Its a book that celebrates who you are and also teaches you to forgive yourself.

If youre like me and thought that book was going to be light, fluffy, and funny, then youll be in for a surprise. Yet, its a great surprise. JVN peels himself back layer by layer in each chapter until he gets to the core. As he put it in the book, a perfectly imperfect mess. So perfect that it made me love him more. Yes JVN, I love you even though you’ve shown the other sides to yourself.

I love the cover of the book and the script is nice and large. The one thing that would really have put this book over the top would be personal photos. The Bill Clinton report was sweet, but I wouldve loved to see some family photos. Maybe next time?

Overall, this book was great! I cant remember the last time I sat and read a book all the way through in one go. This book leaves you wanting more and I look forward to reading about the next chapterS of JVNs life in the future. I highly recommend this book!

You cannot go through this book without listening to JVN reading it through the Audible version. After I found out that he was the narrator, I just had to buy it in that format. JVN reading his life story with all his quirks and emphasis, his pizzazz and snaps makes this story, HIS story so much more meaningful.

Youll laugh, youll cry, youll see yourself in his words, his life experiences, his choices, his mistakes. At the end, youll love him even more and will learn to love yourself once and for all.

So what are you waiting for hunty, get it Natalia!

I could not put this book down amidst a grueling grad school schedule working on my doctorate. It is so honest, raw, and brave. JVN has been through it… my gosh. Working in the medical field I think this book sheds incredible light on the stigma surrounding HIV, change comes from knowledge, girl say it “LOUDER” for those in the back! I am not fan of autobiographies but JVN is so lovable that I pre-ordered his book to give my brain a break. So glad I did, a fantastic read. Congratulations JVN this book is something to be very proud of, thank you for sharing.

I read this book in one sitting. Insightful, humorous, witty, shocking and poignant. I love Jonathan Van Ness more now than I did yesterday, and that’s saying something because I really freaking loved him yesterday. This book is surprisingly relatable and just seriously good. Read it.

So far I have read 66 pages with great difficulty and skipped through many boring long winded sentences, of which there are too many. Will I finish it? Maybe I will finish it and skim through it on my next long flight. I really do not recommend this book and please dont waste your money on a very poorly written book.
*****A couple of days later and after reading some more pages I have decided I cannot either waste my time nor my brain on a book that was hastily written by a celebrity in order to make both the publisher and writer richer. This is the work of a middle school student and not a fully grown man.

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