Love Me as I Am
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- Create Date：2022-04-13 18:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Garcelle Beauvais
- ISBN：0063099586
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Summary
The beloved Black pop culture icon， entrepreneur， Hollywood actress and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star bares her life in this frank， funny， and fearless memoir about life， love and the pursuit of true happiness。
Love Me As I Am is Garcelle Beauvais's smart， inspiring， and raw memoir--an entertaining and unforgettable emotional rollercoaster ride that moves from her early childhood years in Haiti to her adolescence in Boston; from her heady days as a young model in New York--her first taste of real freedom--to Los Angeles and the many ups， downs， and then more ups， both personal and professional， she experienced in her three-decade acting career， including her massive fame as a star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills。
Throughout her life， Beauvais has suffered from an emotional battle between her wild， rebellious nature and her desire to be a "good girl。" No matter how many cover stories she earned， "Most Beautiful" lists， or coveted roles in iconic series such as The Jamie Foxx Show and NYPD Blue， Beauvais could not cure herself of her "disease to please" or learn to put herself first。 She also had to learn how to unapologetically put herself first。 In Love Me As I Am， she brings together the voices of both the good girl and the rebel to deliver an unflinching examination of her successes and ongoing challenges as a mother， wife， daughter， sibling， and friend。
Beauvais fearlessly talks about how she boldly embraced her sexuality in her 40s， and her determination to break free of the stereotypes that define and limit African American women in popular culture。 Most importantly， she reveals how finally putting herself first led to better relationships with her three sons and even her ex-husband。 Beauvais dishes too--offering juicy behind-the-scenes stories from movie sets， red carpet events， and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills。
Love Me As I Am is an unflinching look at one woman's extraordinary journey to create a new and more exciting life--and to become the woman she was meant to be。
Love Me As I Am is Garcelle Beauvais's smart， inspiring， and raw memoir--an entertaining and unforgettable emotional rollercoaster ride that moves from her early childhood years in Haiti to her adolescence in Boston; from her heady days as a young model in New York--her first taste of real freedom--to Los Angeles and the many ups， downs， and then more ups， both personal and professional， she experienced in her three-decade acting career， including her massive fame as a star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills。
Throughout her life， Beauvais has suffered from an emotional battle between her wild， rebellious nature and her desire to be a "good girl。" No matter how many cover stories she earned， "Most Beautiful" lists， or coveted roles in iconic series such as The Jamie Foxx Show and NYPD Blue， Beauvais could not cure herself of her "disease to please" or learn to put herself first。 She also had to learn how to unapologetically put herself first。 In Love Me As I Am， she brings together the voices of both the good girl and the rebel to deliver an unflinching examination of her successes and ongoing challenges as a mother， wife， daughter， sibling， and friend。
Beauvais fearlessly talks about how she boldly embraced her sexuality in her 40s， and her determination to break free of the stereotypes that define and limit African American women in popular culture。 Most importantly， she reveals how finally putting herself first led to better relationships with her three sons and even her ex-husband。 Beauvais dishes too--offering juicy behind-the-scenes stories from movie sets， red carpet events， and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills。
Love Me As I Am is an unflinching look at one woman's extraordinary journey to create a new and more exciting life--and to become the woman she was meant to be。
Reviews
Book Reviews by Tara aka Queen of Memoirs
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𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐀𝐦 by Garcelle Beauvais is an inviting narrative in which Garcelle writes affectingly about many topics including her family， career， love life， and so much more。⠀I didn’t know much about Garcelle before reading this book。 I’ve seen her on television shows and movies including𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘹𝘹 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 and 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘰 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢。 I also vividly remember her modeling work from back in the day。 But， I’ve never heard much about her personally。 I’ve always viewed here as part of a small group of ac 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐀𝐦 by Garcelle Beauvais is an inviting narrative in which Garcelle writes affectingly about many topics including her family， career， love life， and so much more。⠀I didn’t know much about Garcelle before reading this book。 I’ve seen her on television shows and movies including𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘹𝘹 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 and 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘰 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢。 I also vividly remember her modeling work from back in the day。 But， I’ve never heard much about her personally。 I’ve always viewed here as part of a small group of actresses that allow their work to do the talking for them。⠀Consequently， everything I read in this book was new information to me。 And although I’ve seen her scripted work， I have never watched her on 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴， or 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭， the unscripted projects。 Making this my first time hearing her life stories。⠀In this memoir， Garcelle strikes a perfect balance between her personal & professional life。 I found it authentic and relatable in many ways。⠀What I enjoyed most is that she doesn’t shy away from sharing the challenging parts of her life。 She writes about everything from racial inequality， to the devastation of infidelity。 There’s a chapter where in which she writes about her oldest son Oliver， who once battled addiction。 In this chapter she courses gracefully over an obviously painful subject。 She does an amazing job of walking the tightrope of sharing how his addiction impacted her life， without unintentionally telling too much of his personal story。 I thought this was such a classy move and unwavering display of a mother’s love！⠀𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐀𝐦 gave me everything I was looking for。 It was an entertaining， easy read。 I think readers will be undoubtedly charmed & inspired by her story。 。。。more
Misi
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I wanted to learn more about Garcelle because although I knew who she was from the “Jamie Foxx Show”， I hadn’t known much about her personally until she joined RHOBH。 This was a chance to see what makes her tick。 It’s hard to critique a memoir because that is someone’s life， whether you find it interesting or not。 Nonetheless， I thought the organizational structure and what was included to be a bit random。 Garcelle certainly shared some private things， but they were done like a sprinkle here and I wanted to learn more about Garcelle because although I knew who she was from the “Jamie Foxx Show”， I hadn’t known much about her personally until she joined RHOBH。 This was a chance to see what makes her tick。 It’s hard to critique a memoir because that is someone’s life， whether you find it interesting or not。 Nonetheless， I thought the organizational structure and what was included to be a bit random。 Garcelle certainly shared some private things， but they were done like a sprinkle here and there so her memoir seems a bit surface level。 It’s a fine， quick read but just not one of the more memorable memoirs I’ve read。 Perhaps the audio version adds that connection。 3 stars ⭐️。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review。 。。。more
Lilly
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I was excited when she joined RHOBH based off her previous work， and loved her strong presence as a loyal friend that will be straight up with the other cast members。 Love Me as I Am is a great tribute to her hard work and background that made her the woman she is today。 This memoir had a perfect balance of touching on aspects most of us are looking for （RHOBH tea for me） but also detailing individual stories and memories that shaped Garcelle’s life。 It was such a quick read because I couldn’t g I was excited when she joined RHOBH based off her previous work， and loved her strong presence as a loyal friend that will be straight up with the other cast members。 Love Me as I Am is a great tribute to her hard work and background that made her the woman she is today。 This memoir had a perfect balance of touching on aspects most of us are looking for （RHOBH tea for me） but also detailing individual stories and memories that shaped Garcelle’s life。 It was such a quick read because I couldn’t get enough， and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about her journey and self discovery！ If you love a celebrity memoir this is a great one to add to the list！Check it out on its PUB date 12 April 2022！ Thank you @netgalley and @amistadbooks for the ARC！ Can’t wait to see what’s next for Garcelle！ 。。。more
Kristina | wanderingpageswithkp
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As a major Real Housewives fan， I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of LOVE ME AS I AM by Garcelle Beauvais。 I didn’t know much about Garcelle before she became a Beverly Hills housewife a few seasons ago， but I instantly loved her on the show！ My thoughts on this memoir:-absolutely loved her chapter about joining the RH franchise and her experience the first season -her Bill Cosby & OJ stories were wild 😳 -she dishes out some great pieces of advice such as creating your own happiness & not relying As a major Real Housewives fan， I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of LOVE ME AS I AM by Garcelle Beauvais。 I didn’t know much about Garcelle before she became a Beverly Hills housewife a few seasons ago， but I instantly loved her on the show！ My thoughts on this memoir:-absolutely loved her chapter about joining the RH franchise and her experience the first season -her Bill Cosby & OJ stories were wild 😳 -she dishes out some great pieces of advice such as creating your own happiness & not relying on others for it All in all， I really enjoyed learning more about Garcelle’s history， but would have loved some more tea 💁🏼♀️ If you’re a Housewives fan， pick this up for a quick read！ Thank you netgalley and Amistad Publishing for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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I made quick work of this brief memoir。 I had never of Garvelke Beauvais before she joined the Housewives franchise。 I watched her for one season and then I dumped all the Housewives。 What I saw of her on the show I liked。 She was a straight shooter and called people out on their malarkey。 Her book discusses her life and I found it interesting to discover more of her background story。 That she even talks to her second ex husband after what he did shows that she has a very forgiving nature。For an I made quick work of this brief memoir。 I had never of Garvelke Beauvais before she joined the Housewives franchise。 I watched her for one season and then I dumped all the Housewives。 What I saw of her on the show I liked。 She was a straight shooter and called people out on their malarkey。 Her book discusses her life and I found it interesting to discover more of her background story。 That she even talks to her second ex husband after what he did shows that she has a very forgiving nature。For anyone who likes a Housewives story， be sure to check this one out。Thanks to Amistad and NetGalley for the early read。 。。。more
Glenda Nelms
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I love Garcelle when she was on the Jamie Foxx show。 Garcelle's memoir is bold， intimate and honest。 She focuses on her Haitian heritage， family， career， marriage， divorce， motherhood and life。 She shares on her life experiences that led to she who is today。 I love Garcelle when she was on the Jamie Foxx show。 Garcelle's memoir is bold， intimate and honest。 She focuses on her Haitian heritage， family， career， marriage， divorce， motherhood and life。 She shares on her life experiences that led to she who is today。 。。。more
Molly Sullivan Donnelly
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I am a huge Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan， and an even bigger Garcelle fan！ I loved learning more about Garcelle’s early life， her husbands and divorces， her fertility journey with her twins and how she got where she is in Hollywood。 Garcelle is impressive and this book made me appreciate her more！ She spills some Hollywood and RHOBH tea， so get ready！ Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for giving me an advanced read’s copy of this book in exchange for a honest review。 I am so excited to tel I am a huge Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan， and an even bigger Garcelle fan！ I loved learning more about Garcelle’s early life， her husbands and divorces， her fertility journey with her twins and how she got where she is in Hollywood。 Garcelle is impressive and this book made me appreciate her more！ She spills some Hollywood and RHOBH tea， so get ready！ Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for giving me an advanced read’s copy of this book in exchange for a honest review。 I am so excited to tell my other Bravo friends to check this book out when it comes out in April。 。。。more
karlaisallbooked
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An amazing and intimate memoir by Garcelle。 It was so touching and honest。Thank you Netgally， HarperCollins-Amistad for the advanced readers copy。
Celene Seals
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I love Garcelle so much。 I was needing my Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fix， so reading this book came at the perfect time。 From the moment she stepped on to the show， I liked her and could tell she was going be one of my favorite Bravo Housewives。 This book soldifies that for me even more！ Garcelle is real， loyal， honest， and warm and those qualities shine throughout her book as well！ I loved learning more about her childhood and how she became who she is today。 I loved diving deeper into he I love Garcelle so much。 I was needing my Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fix， so reading this book came at the perfect time。 From the moment she stepped on to the show， I liked her and could tell she was going be one of my favorite Bravo Housewives。 This book soldifies that for me even more！ Garcelle is real， loyal， honest， and warm and those qualities shine throughout her book as well！ I loved learning more about her childhood and how she became who she is today。 I loved diving deeper into her life and learning more about stories she has covered briefly on RHOBH。 There was some interesting stories and some that literally gave me chills。 If you are a fan of Garcelle， I recommend reading this book。 You won't be disappointed。 **Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。 I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication。 。。。more
Anika Todalen
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I'm a huge fan of Garcelle Beauvais on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and this memoir reads like I'm listening to Garcelle's witty and poignant confessionals on the show。 （For me， I imagine it's her iconic periwinkle purple monochromatic look from Season 11）。 So I came for RHOBH， but I stayed for the inspiring story of a Black immigrant woman finding her way in the world。 I enjoyed the way that the novel was written， focusing on each topic that has played an important role in her life rather t I'm a huge fan of Garcelle Beauvais on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and this memoir reads like I'm listening to Garcelle's witty and poignant confessionals on the show。 （For me， I imagine it's her iconic periwinkle purple monochromatic look from Season 11）。 So I came for RHOBH， but I stayed for the inspiring story of a Black immigrant woman finding her way in the world。 I enjoyed the way that the novel was written， focusing on each topic that has played an important role in her life rather than chronologically。 It would have made it easier to read in sittings if you were busy， but fortunately I had the time to rip through it in one sitting。 I learned a lot about Garcelle's life， enjoyed the interesting celebrity name drops （Michael Jordan！ Bill Cosby！ Halle Berry！ Whoopi Goldberg！） and her story of raising Black and mixed race sons in a world of white Hollywood privilege。 A must read for Real Housewives fans， fans of Garcelle from her earlier work like The Jamie Foxx show and anyone interested in an immigrant from Haiti's experience with race， faith， love， motherhood and Hollywood。 I received this ARC from Netgalley and Harper Collins （Amistad） in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sasha
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I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review Garcelle Beauvais has been something akin to a staple in my life since I was a small child watching her on The Jamie Foxx Show after school。 Even before I knew her name so I was so happy when I got approved to read and review her memoir a month and a half early。There's this quote from Modern Family "You can learn a lot about someone by reading their biography" and although it's supposed to be a silly quote， it wasn't wrong。 I learned m I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review Garcelle Beauvais has been something akin to a staple in my life since I was a small child watching her on The Jamie Foxx Show after school。 Even before I knew her name so I was so happy when I got approved to read and review her memoir a month and a half early。There's this quote from Modern Family "You can learn a lot about someone by reading their biography" and although it's supposed to be a silly quote， it wasn't wrong。 I learned more about her from this memoir than I have in my entire life of watching her on television， in movies， and listening to her podcast。 She leaves nothing out， everything is detailed， and there's such a brave transparency there。 Everything was shared in this book。 Her early life in Haiti， her relationship （or lack there of） with her father， both of her divorces， the infidelity， the infertility， roles she wanted but didn't get because racism， relationships， her relationship with her body and sex。 You name it， it's in here。 I received my ARC on 2-22-22 （which ironically is actually her oldest son's birthday） and finished it on 2-23-2022 the very next morning。 Ms。 Beauvais has such an honest， vulnerable， and witty way of writing that it made it so easy to get through this even with my attention span。 I knew this would be my longest and most thorough review because not only have I adored this woman since my early childhood， this book was good。 The book was real good。 。。。more
Kelsey
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“You see， that’s the love-hate relationship that many first-generation immigrants have with the process of assimilation。 We are never running from the richness of our culture; we are running toward the new perceived opportunities” This is the perfect book for any fan of Garcell Beauvais。 Right away she is honest， real， and effortlessly hilarious。 Each chapter touched on a different important aspect of her life， letting the reader into ever her most vulnerable moments。 She had me laughing at one “You see， that’s the love-hate relationship that many first-generation immigrants have with the process of assimilation。 We are never running from the richness of our culture; we are running toward the new perceived opportunities” This is the perfect book for any fan of Garcell Beauvais。 Right away she is honest， real， and effortlessly hilarious。 Each chapter touched on a different important aspect of her life， letting the reader into ever her most vulnerable moments。 She had me laughing at one sentence then crying the next。 I would suggest this book to anyone， not just a housewives fan， go in with an open mind。 。。。more
Mackenzie H
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Housewives fans will appreciate this in-depth look into the life of one of Beverly Hills’ finest in Love Me As I Am。 Garcelle Beauvais tells her story as a Haitian immigrant making her way in modeling and acting， all while navigating relationships， divorce， Hollywood and raising 3 sons。 She holds nothing back and spills the tea about everything from smooching with certain celebrities （no spoilers here！） to a behind-the-scenes look at the housewives （my favorite chapter）。Thanks to NetGalley for p Housewives fans will appreciate this in-depth look into the life of one of Beverly Hills’ finest in Love Me As I Am。 Garcelle Beauvais tells her story as a Haitian immigrant making her way in modeling and acting， all while navigating relationships， divorce， Hollywood and raising 3 sons。 She holds nothing back and spills the tea about everything from smooching with certain celebrities （no spoilers here！） to a behind-the-scenes look at the housewives （my favorite chapter）。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Read with JD
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Love Me as I Am was actually quite interesting。 I really enjoy Garcelle。 I actually learned a lot about her。 Other than Real Housewives， I did not know much of her background， and it was fascinating to learn about her growing up in Haiti and Massachusetts。 I appreciated her honesty。 I also really appreciated the fact that she did not go into deep detail about her oldest son because it is his story to tell， which I really respect。 I loved hearing the details of her career。 The Real Housewives bit Love Me as I Am was actually quite interesting。 I really enjoy Garcelle。 I actually learned a lot about her。 Other than Real Housewives， I did not know much of her background， and it was fascinating to learn about her growing up in Haiti and Massachusetts。 I appreciated her honesty。 I also really appreciated the fact that she did not go into deep detail about her oldest son because it is his story to tell， which I really respect。 I loved hearing the details of her career。 The Real Housewives bit was quite small， so I think readers will be somewhat disappointed with that， but the true honesty I was LOVING and living for was her talking about her experience auditioning for The View。 One thing I would change about this book is the title。 I think I saw this was originally called "Just as I Am，" which is actually more fitting。 Garcelle isn't a person begging us to love her as she is。 She is someone who is independent and strong and more of a take me or leave me type of person， so I would love a title that more reflected her strength and independence。 All in all I really enjoyed this book， and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Garcelle。 I enjoyed it and I did not know much about her to begin with。 So， it's definitely worth it。Thank you NetGalley， Garcelle Beauvais and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cassandra Haywood
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Garcelle Beauvais memoir is a good read。 You can tell that she chose a good title that describes who she is in the life she lives and with her family。As a Hollywood actress and celebrity she didn’t let it run her life。 She took control and lived by the morals that was instilled in her by her mother and older sisters。 Gracelle could have dropped some juicy information with other celebrities she had friendship and relationships with but she was very tasteful and didn’t bash others as you have seen Garcelle Beauvais memoir is a good read。 You can tell that she chose a good title that describes who she is in the life she lives and with her family。As a Hollywood actress and celebrity she didn’t let it run her life。 She took control and lived by the morals that was instilled in her by her mother and older sisters。 Gracelle could have dropped some juicy information with other celebrities she had friendship and relationships with but she was very tasteful and didn’t bash others as you have seen other celebrities done or people do。I voluntarily received a ARC of this book from Netgalley and this review is of my own honest opinion and thoughts。 。。。more
Natalie
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I’m a huge fan of RHOBH and I’ve enjoyed seeing Garcelle’s personality shine through these past few seasons。 Right away， you can tell she’s a woman with strong family values， a sensitive soul， hard-working， and has amazing fashion sense。 I was excited to read her memoir through an ARC by NetGalley。 I like that she touched on various aspects of milestones in her life- childhood， her Haitian heritage， motherhood， marriage and divorce， life in the entertainment industry。 This is not a book where sh I’m a huge fan of RHOBH and I’ve enjoyed seeing Garcelle’s personality shine through these past few seasons。 Right away， you can tell she’s a woman with strong family values， a sensitive soul， hard-working， and has amazing fashion sense。 I was excited to read her memoir through an ARC by NetGalley。 I like that she touched on various aspects of milestones in her life- childhood， her Haitian heritage， motherhood， marriage and divorce， life in the entertainment industry。 This is not a book where she divulges many stories about colleagues in Hollywood or gives the tea or bashes anyone。 This is very much her story， and she is a beacon of positivity for not just black women， but all women。 。。。more
Sarah Buron
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3。5 stars！ I watch Garcelle on RHOBH and there were times I could totally picture her talking as I was reading。 She covered lots of topics: her childhood， marriages， reality TV， and acting career just to name a few。 I really enjoy memoirs so this was a good reminder to make them more of a priority in 2022。 Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review！
Chris breeh
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Love love love！Strong 5 ⭐️This book was so good Netgalley provided me this ARC and honestly i was so happy when i got it because i loveme some garcelle！ and memoirs Watching garcelle on housewives and then her getting a spot on the real and watching her daily made me love her even more and her outlook on alot of topics discussed daily！ she is great so reading more about her life and start and everything was really nice because alot of these things i didnt know about her。 She was also very vulner Love love love！Strong 5 ⭐️This book was so good Netgalley provided me this ARC and honestly i was so happy when i got it because i loveme some garcelle！ and memoirs Watching garcelle on housewives and then her getting a spot on the real and watching her daily made me love her even more and her outlook on alot of topics discussed daily！ she is great so reading more about her life and start and everything was really nice because alot of these things i didnt know about her。 She was also very vulnerable in her book regarding her divorce etc and somethings she went through like her awkward uncomfortable time on the view。 This was one of the books i was looking forward too reading in 2022 so getting to read it earlier was the best！ 。。。more
Karen
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I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I first found out about the author when she appeared on RHOBH。 Found her to be refreshing！ So when I saw she had written a book， I was hopeful。 And I wasn't disappointed！ Some parts went by too quickly， others dragged， but all in all I liked this book。 Really enjoyed hearing about her early life。 An easy book to read！ I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I first found out about the author when she appeared on RHOBH。 Found her to be refreshing！ So when I saw she had written a book， I was hopeful。 And I wasn't disappointed！ Some parts went by too quickly， others dragged， but all in all I liked this book。 Really enjoyed hearing about her early life。 An easy book to read！ 。。。more
Paula
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I am a fan of Garcelle on the Real Housewives， so I was excited to get an advance copy of her book。 The book is well written and insightful。 I liked learning even more about her and her journey。 She indeed has strength and determination。 I really enjoyed getting to know her a little bit more in this book。#LoveMeasIAm #NetGalley
Heather
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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Amistad and #NetGalley for my honest opinion。 Opinions expressed are completely my own。 A raw， honest， transparent look at her life。 I’d highly suggest it to anyone that’s a fan or likes autobiographies。
Mandy Hazen
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I am a huge fan of the entire real housewives series and was so excited to see this book！ Garcelle is what I believe to be a misunderstood housewife who has quite a background and I loved reading about her history and what she has been through and really hope she decides to come back to the franchise。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。
Trish Benson
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I need to preface this review by saying I am a HUGE Garcelle fan。 I've loved her since Coming to America。 Even in my young girl's mind， I thought the Rose Bearer was the prettiest woman ever！ Fast forward to present day， I've watched her on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills （guilty pleasure） and she is the best thing about that show。 However， this book is in desperate need of a copy editor。 I received an advance copy of it so I'm hoping it hasn't hit the editors yet。 Garcelle does have a cowriter I need to preface this review by saying I am a HUGE Garcelle fan。 I've loved her since Coming to America。 Even in my young girl's mind， I thought the Rose Bearer was the prettiest woman ever！ Fast forward to present day， I've watched her on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills （guilty pleasure） and she is the best thing about that show。 However， this book is in desperate need of a copy editor。 I received an advance copy of it so I'm hoping it hasn't hit the editors yet。 Garcelle does have a cowriter which I find a bit odd considering all the punctuation， syntax and sentence structure errors。 In my mind， it was detracting from me getting lost in her story because I was constantly editing things to make it sound more fluid or concise。 Editing issues aside， Garcelle's voice is very evident in this book。 You feel like you're sitting down and having a drink with a new girlfriend while she tells you her life story。 There are a couple revelations that are surprising （BILL FREAKIN COSBY！！！） but I don't think she goes too deep。 It's a very light， superficial conversation without a lot of emotional ties to what she's saying。 Even when talking about her estranged father， it just felt very matter-of-fact。 Maybe that's due to therapy， maybe it's due to years and years of water under the bridge， not sure。。。。 just didn't feel a ton of emotion when talking about personal things。 Again， I definitely feel this book could use a really good editor to make it really great。 It's a good book for fans of Garcelle but if you're looking for a deep， emotional journey into someone's life， this is not it。**Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy to review！** 。。。more
Leanne
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She held nothing back。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Love Me as I Am
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Love Me as I Am&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Love Me as I Am&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0