How to Murder Your Life: A Memoir

This book is addicting - literally! Cat Marnell is a vivid writer and I couldn't put this down...the characters that come and go throughout her life and the way she handles herself suck you in to another world that is both colorful and exhausting. Highly recommended if you're looking for something outside your comfort zone - can't wait until book #2!

An addictive (get the play on words?!) read. My heart aches for some on the situations that Ms. Marnell had to deal with, especially as a child, however at the same time I'd like to shake her until her overly large head falls off her bulimic body! Admittedly, according to Cat's version, childhood is a living hell for everyone in the family even though the professions each parent has would suggest otherwise. Luckily the periphery of Cat's life has stable people who seem to genuinely love and care for her. The exact same choices she makes over and over, ad nauseam, in direct contradiction of what her mentors try to lead her towards (you know, the SOBER life) would seemingly wear on a person but it seems like her group has staying power. To be fair, though, I have never suffered a drug addiction but have read stories of people who have and it seems the drug has a pull on a person that is stronger than any human bond that person may have. Here's to the core group of people who want the best for a sober Cat!

Fast moving. Ms. Marnell tells us the story of her troubled adolescence and how she got hooked on prescription ADHD drugs at a young age which escalated into a larger drug problem in her adult life. We also learn about her the ups and downs of her media career during her addiction. Very candid and well written!

Anyone who judged this book as "glamorizing addiction" before reading it should really take a closer look. Sure, Cat's career is inherently glamorous, but she pulls no punches describing the mental, physical, and emotional pain and isolation she's gone through. It's a refreshingly honest memoir - and Cat's struggles will be familiar to anyone who has fought to balance ambition with self-destruction. There are so few female voices writing about self-destruction and addiction in such an upfront way that Cat's voice is valuable whether you're looking for something relatable or not. It's not a feel good redemption story, but if you're looking for that - honestly you could do with a look inside how addiction really effects people.

And whether or not you see yourself in some of Cat's story, it's just a compulsively interesting book! Cat's NYC and the people in her life are easy to get a feel for, and It really feels like a conversation with the reader. Finishing this book feels a bit like leaving a super cool meet up with a friend!

I apologize in advance for the rambling "review" here.

I read this in an 8 hour sitting. By the time I was done I looked at my phone and it was 3:30 a.m. Chapter after chapter I also felt numb and speedy and like I needed (not wanted) to keep going.

I followed Cat's writing on XOJane and Vice, and read all of the explosive and provocative things she said to reporters about body image and her writing, and her thoughts on the media in the early 2000s, as well as all the backlash following those interviews. That she was being enabled, that she was the poster girl for rich, white pretty privilege. Other people have real problems, get over her already. Reading what was actually happening in her life when she left the office and went home after the after-after parties, I felt gives a grotesque, funhouse mirror quality to those depictions that was fascinating.

I felt most of the book was absolutely brilliant and beautiful and sad. She wrote about her sister and her family in such a touching yet brutal way, and her darkest moments of being pulled into her addiction and eating disorder left me feeling empty and punched in the gut. I wanted to kick and vomit all over some of the characters surrounding her and using her; they were that terrible and recognizable.

What didn't work for me was some of the brand name drops as metaphors that might have been meant to sound ironic or funny, but just seemed too easy and sort of fell flat for me. "I melted like a Diptyque candle" is one example of this. I love Diptyque and know what she means. One or two I could have skimmed over, but there were a lot. I get the reason behind it. I think it was meant to drive home the rabid consumerism and superficiality of her lifestyle at the time, but I would have avoided going that route. Didn't ruin it for me, but as Tamra Judge of the Real Housewives of Orange County would say, "That's. My. OPINION!!!"

Anyway, this is a fast read, especially if you were up on the burgeoning blogger Gawker style scene of the early 2000s, or if you're someone who might have felt, watching the coverage of her unfold that at one point or another, "there but for the grace of God go I."

In this book, Cat Marnell does something entirely new with memoir, that has never been done before. This book is heckin incredible/is giving me life/is filling me with inspiration and fire. THANK YOU CAT.

I don't typically read memoirs. HOWEVER, having been a big fan of Cat's style, rawness, and sense of humor since her very first days at xoJane I knew I had to read this and bought it the day it came out.

I was worried that it would be a rehash of all the background stuff and stories she had already written about in her online content or that the tone would be all amphetamine arrogance without adequate accompanying introspection to balance it out. But luckily that was not the case! In fact, while Cat alluded to a lot of the stories in this book in her articles (e.g. having pink hair in the mental hospital), she never really went into detail about how she truly felt while she was living these stories. She was a dancing monkey at xoJane which she acknowledges when recounting her time writing the controversial and clickbait-y stuff that launched her career there. In this book we get the real story behind all the anecdotes that made us fall for her writing in the first place.

Was also surprised by how emotional I felt at times while reading this. I think a lot of girls/women have been through some of the relationship and family stuff in this book but are afraid to talk about it.

Cat, if you're reading this -- hope you keep up with Barry's and getting up early because this book got me caring about you and wanting you to win. Also what happened to the part in the proposal about failing spectacularly at stripping when you lived in SF? I need details! lol

I’m a big fan of memoirs, particularly those of musicians. I love the drug stories. I’m also a beauty product junkie and a Page Six devotee, both of which exposed me to Cat Marnell years ago. So…imagine my joy when I finally got my hands on this eagerly anticipated book after hearing about it for nearly four years. When I finished reading it, I immediately started again. I couldn’t put it down. Seriously. I mean, like, not-answering-my-phone-because-I’m-too-wrapped-up-in-this-book. Cat Marnell’s story is fascinating, and her storytelling is compelling. Pour yourself a glass of champagne, pop a couple of Xanax, slather on some self-tanner, and enjoy!

This memoir based on addiction is, well, addictive. I could not put it down once I started reading it and blew through it in three days. There is no flowery intro- you're hooked into her life from the very first page.

I had never heard of Cat Marnell before reading this memoir, so her story was 100% new to me. Well, that's untrue. As someone from a family of addicts and alcoholics, her story is all too familiar. The main difference between Cat's experience and so many others' can be summed up in one word: privilege. Cat grew up rich and white and pretty, and she used her family's money and social standing to get away with behavior that would have left her in prison or worse had others not consistently stepped up to bail her out. I can't tell if her story telling style is deliberately designed to make readers dislike her, or if her regular readership is so sheltered that any whiff of scandal is exciting, but to me, it was exhausting in a very familiar way. Ms. Marnell, despite the title of her book, hasn't murdered her life, she simply has taken advantage of her place in society that will not let her fail despite her best efforts. Her afterward seems to be aiming for a hopeful note, and I wish her the best, but I mostly hope that people who rad this realize that very few could live through her experiences without a sick family of enablers with the money and clout to prop her up.

I thought Ms. Marnell was very true to herself. She admits her horrors with humor but is aware of her illness in a way that allows you to root for her. Yes, she's privileged but so what? She captures perfectly a problem so many women face with pills, impossible beauty standards, and the modern world in general. Her book is so New York but accessible, unlike half of the world she lives in.

Cat's writing is fun and light considering the dark subject matter. Some of her content hits close to home for me. Adderal abuse is a seemingly socially acceptable dark secret in NYC. It was refreshing and courageous to have a peer bring this to light.

I honestly had never heard of Cat Marnell until The NY Times ran a Q&A with her about the book. I love memoirs and so bought the kindle edition yesterday morning. I could not put it down. Even though I was living in Tribeca the same as she was clubbing all over NYC, I lived a very different life - filled with non-stop and unhealthy working.

I really appreciated Cat's honesty and writing before she was ever totally 'healed'... whatever that means. People struggle - everyone struggles - and reading about someone's life who is so honest about their struggles is refreshing (even though it was hard to hear) sometimes.

This book is really good. If you
Like books about drugs and you like real stories, read this one. Ya she spoiled. You go into the book knowing that and she knows it too. But who cares it’s really good writing and a crazy life.

I absolutely loved Cat Marnell's memoir. This book accounts Marnell's disturbing substance abuse addiction - to both prescribed and illegal drugs - that lasted for more than half of her life. She writes with honesty (and much appreciated humor) about how her addiction affected (though sometimes also fueled) her career in publishing, her relationships with her family and friends, her intimate relationships with men, and how the abuse destroyed her ability to be able to take care of herself. I read this book in exactly one day. I enjoyed it so much. If you love fashion, beauty, good music, art, partying, and enjoy reading about downtown NYC nostalgia, you will enjoy the book tremendously. I was sad that I finished the book so quickly. I would have wanted to read more about Cat's struggles given that she was so honest and gave the reader such a raw account of her struggles and experiences. She has tremendous talent.

Cat has such an incredible story of rising to the top in her career and a social life any girl would dream of, while simultaneously plummeting to deepest and darkest lows she wouldn’t wish on anyone. When the two worlds merge its an explosion that people need to read about. Perfect title! -Melanie Gilmore

I really felt like I was living with her throughout the book. I was anxious when she made bad decisions and depressed while she was, I think thats a sign of a great memoir to really pull the reader in. It ended on a really positive note as well. I hope Cat continues her recovery and beautiful writing.

Man! What a great book! What an amazing ride! I've been in the insane fashion biz, I've been a model, too, and what Cat has to say really resonated with me. It's very well-written. I literally could not put it down: read til I fell asleep, woke up, picked it up again. THAT kind of good book. Cat's amusing asides kept me very entertained and her life message was received and integrated into my own life. Well done!

Upon thinking about this book again today, it seems to me that the only illustrator that would do justice to this book is, of all people, the elegant Hilary Knight who illustrated the wonderful Kay Thompson Eloise books: madcap, fine-lined, busy-busy, opinionated! What fun THAT would be!

Cat weaves an honest and entertaining tale of her life, her loneliness and her addiction. As someone who was young in New York during the same years it was easy to dive into her story. I am glad to know she made it out the other side, so did I.

Wow. Just wow. I was hooked. Dark, deep, grotesque, sickening, sad, heartbreaking, painful, saddening. Gives you hope, courage and faith that life works in miraculous ways. Amazing. Inspired. There were tears in my eyes reading certain parts but I am so glad to have read this. Just WOW.

Cat Marnell is an inspiration for people who have ever felt low and lonely. She doesn't sugar coat her addiction or her feelings to make other people comfortable, and she should never have to. She's a very talented writer.

Poetic. Purposeful. Magnificent. Chisels context where there was nothing but dark space, where blind ambition awakens to physically see the vibrant fabric which it has spun. Cinderella looks drop dead gorgeous.

I have been a fan of cats since her controversial days at xojane. I love her brutally honest and self depreciating style. I adored this book, I seriously could not put it down. I finished it at 5 am and felt as wired as she describes many times in the book. I had my doubts, but she really does make you care and has a lot of insight into her addiction. I'm pro-bimbo, but cat isn't just a bimbo and this is an important book.

(Potential Spoiler Alert) - While the book was written decently, alittle rambley but that's how an addicts mind works I was disappointed to find out she's not clean, is still high and seems proud of herself for it, like being clean/sober is a joke to her. I'm happy to read that she's "weaned back" a bit but to read a memoir that was advertised as a recovery memoir I'm saddened to find that wasn't the case. It almost comes off a bit like she's encouraging explicit drug use "until your ready to be done partying" ... best wishes to her and hopefully some type of recovery in her future

As a recovering alcoholic and past "life of the party" girl, I thought this book would be funny and relatable. That it is not. I gave two stars because I enjoyed the behind the scenes info and googling the names I didn't find familiar. I couldn't put it down because I was just willing it to get better but it didn't. Cat Marnell comes off as an annoying little rich girl who has no consideration for other people. I hope she gets the help she needs so she can write another book that I will be waiting to read to raise that two stars to five.