Pretty Mess

I really like Erika Jayne, but this book was incredibly uninteresting (for a book about someone interesting). I had extremely high expectations for this book that totally collapsed after the first 3 dreary chapters. Save your money and just watch RHOBH.

I really enjoyed reading this book and read it in one day! I thought author was open and honest with telling about her life. I appreciate what she shared and think I will have much more respect for her as a person

Loved the book. I love that you have always remained true to who you are, no matter the circumstance. A true inspiration to women. Wishing you many more years of self reflection and peace......it’s the only way to grow and move forward.

This book was written by a woman with high school/life education and a ghostwriter, ok this isn’t Emily Brontë. This story is about her life and how she got to where she is now. It’s an easy, fun read and introduces you to a different Erika, an Erika without all the money and the glam. If you’re a fan! It’s defiantly worth a read.

This book was every bit of inspirational as I was hoping that it would be. I had preordered my book only a day before it’s release. As I was waiting for my book to arrived I checked out the reviews and was surprised to see so many negative reviews. I saw that a lot of the reviews weren’t from verified purchases but I was a bit confused how they were so many bad reviews that popped up on the same day the book was released. I loved Erika on the RHOBH, she didn’t seem that she would write “just another housewife book” but since all I know of her is what I’ve seen on TV and don’t know her personally was I completely wrong about the whole thing?

Once the book arrived I understood everything. I’ve only written one other book review in my life but wanted to write this review in case anyone else was wondering “ what the heck is going on here?”

When I opened a book and started reading I was wondering if the rest of the book would be written like this and how come, even though I had just received the book – how come her tone sounded so familiar?
Then I realized that I had heard the tone before and probably used it myself. I feel terrible saying this but it’s almost like a coping mechanism for being in a traumatic situation. The book starts out very matter of fact (even with the complicated relationships) with her shows being as her benchmarks. It's almost like she lived through her childhood without fully LIVING her childhood because she wasn't allowed to have one. So she went into survival mode and as a single child with no other reference point she did her thing.

When her life shifted YOU feel the shift in the book. She takes you further into her world. Through her rejections, the numerous times she jumped for it, and the stories that you didn’t even see coming at every turn of the page. I respect her on an entirely new level now.
The book isn’t going to be for everyone, but I think that’s the point.
It doesn’t have to be for everyone.
Even if she is on reality television she seems kind of a private person and maybe it was her way of letting us into her world with the hopes that a little bit of Erika Jayne might inspire someone and lift them up along the way.
If your are looking for a “spill all” secrets with dirt about everyone this book isn’t it.
But if you need to escape to another world where there is a real life “Pretty Woman” scenario, someone is fighting to the odds to make it- does, and still continues pushing the boundaries in a world that people feel more comfortable when they can define it with similarities and rules.
Then this is the book for you and for anyone else who finds hustling inspiring and admires anyone else who goes out there and “does her thing”, even when she’s scared.

I love watching Erika on RH of Beverly Hills, when I heard she was writing I book I knew I had to have it. I pre-ordered and it was delivered on the release date.
The book is a must read, I finished in two days because I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed finding out about her childhood and how she made it as Erika Jayne. I highly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates girl power!

Pretty mess is enticing and written well. I loved getting a deeper look into the life of Erika. Her story is so inspiring and full of triumphs and valleys. The fact that she was able to live her life and become something for herself is very empowering to me. When life handed Erika rotten lemons she completely seeded and replanted to bust her back to make a lemon tree that flourished. I normally hate reading books but bought this to read on the plane and I finished it on the way home. I highly recommend this book not only as a woman but as a true fan of Erika heart and hard working drive. Keep it up you slay all day! You are one of a kind don’t you ever forget how special you are.

While the first half of the book circles around the author's adolescence, youth, growing up, and becoming herself, the second part lets this book down severely. Even though this book is written much in the same short and no-nonsense manner in which the author speaks on "Real Housewives", and there are a few real gems to be found here - notably on her relationship with her mother, and how her world turned once she became famous - there's a lot of filler here, e.g. far too many pages of faff from "Dancing With The Stars", which sums up what a far leap she is from common life. She even defines her own "me too", which has nothing to do with what you probably think it means. She gives no rich-person excuses for her lifestyle, while offering no true insight into it, which simultaneously lends a veneer to the book as a whole; I was hoping for more internal insights from this place, but got more pages of the times spent Erika gets flown in her Gulfstream private jet plane. All in all, if you chuck the book after the first 60%, I'll say the experience is probably the better for it.

I loved this book/eBook. There is nothing more fun than taking a sneak peek into someone's personal life and the path to where she is today. Regardless who they are, it’s entertaining! If you’re a fan of RHBH you will enjoy taking a look into the life of Erika G/Erika J life. I could feel her struggles with each page that turned, her struggles of being a young gal, and the emotional struggle with wanting to follow her dreams, while being a mother at such a young age, and her being on the fence with motherhood and Hollywood, also her relationship with her mother. I appreciated how candid she was thought-out the book. It’s the one thing I think many women love about Erika. Now, with that.....I think this is the very thing that most people admire about her on RHBH. Even being some will say she’s cold, and if I was to be honest, I might have even though that very thing about her, back when she first started the show. Yet, as time went by and now reading the book, I realize she is essentially really bright, to the point, and actually really optimistic, over and above being a strong woman. Yet, I will tell you there is a very childlike part of Erika, that pops out here and there, that I felt sadness for (when she was younger and speaking of her mother, when she was teased as a young girl). And btw, I love the dynamics between Erika and Tom, it’s a true love story!!!! It’s clear she loves him, and respects him immensely, and he with her. I also think it’s awesome, that she is truly being who she wants to be, without a care in the world. The book is an easy read, as the pages turned, before I knew it, I finished the book in 2 days. I admire any one person, who can actually write a book from start to finish, it takes discipline (regardless if you have a ghost writer or not), and for that, I give her so much credit. Good Job Erika! Thank you for the fun read!!!

It was terrible and while it confirmed ms Jayne has an interesting there was nothing stellar about it. The editor did a half awful job and the errors are insane. It makes Gudices book seem like the stuff dreams are made of and this one look like space junk.

She is a most interesting woman with much baggage but through sheer determination and hard work has made a very, very good life for herself and son. Erika aims high in all that she does. I loved the way she "finally" accepted her future husband's invitation to have dinner. Erika, you are absolutely correct. The gentleman always calls the lady for a date. She has set her standards high and expects the best from herself and for herself. And, oh my goodness is "Erika Jayne" ever the performer!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!

Erika Jayne is my favorite housewife of all time. But, I was disappointed in this book. She didn't open up enough to make it juicy or even revealing. The writing and editing are terrible, and the book is stripped of all the Erika Jayne personality she is known for. She sounds like a robot (for example: I did this. Then I did this. Then I moved. Then I went on auditions. Then I worked as a waitress.) The same information and ideas are repeated over and over. There is no flow. She goes from talking about being 5 to being 20 to being 3. It's written like her ghost writer/editor just printed everything she dictated to them in a conversation, with no thought to story, timeline or the fact that the reader has a functioning brain. Hello, I am capable of remembering who Mikey and Laia are. You didn't have to put their job titles/descriptions in one of the last chapters of the book after talking about them for half the book. Sigh. She kind of opened up during her Dancing With the Stars chapter. That was the first time in the whole book I actually got a glimpse into what isn't on the surface. I love Ice Queen Erika, but in order to write a book, you're going to have to dig a little bit deeper. And hire better writers.

I was interested in her life, her upbringing, how she got to where she is today, and what her life is really like now, and she does talk about that, but a good portion of the book is about her Erika Jayne persona which I did not find interesting at all. A lot about the videos she shot on location, the producers she worked with. Nothing really that interesting or juicy about it, more factual. It was a bit surprising how seriously she took the whole thing. You do have to give her credit for doing what she wanted to do without making any apologies for it.

Confession...I love the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo. I only watch a few of the groups, but I feel especially fond of the CA housewives since that's where I am from. When Erika Girardi joined the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast a couple of years back, I was immediately a fan. She is a strong, fierce and all around bad ass woman. I thought it was incredible that she created a fabulous alter ego named Erika Jayne who performs chart topping club hits regularly at clubs around the world. I root for her in everything she does which is why I called and voted for her as many times I was allowed to when she was on Dancing With The Stars. I am so happy for Erika and her continued success. She challenges the traditional views that women shouldn't be overly sexy in the public eye, especially once we hit a certain age. I applaud her for fighting against the stereotypes people assign to her and her constant challenges to herself to try new things and to think bigger and newer in each new project she starts.

Erika's book was exactly what I hoped it would be. I chose to listen to the Audible version and loved that she was the narrator. Now she can add Audio Book Narrator to her long resume! It was touching at times and she didn't hold back when describing her life and the complicated relationships she has had over the years with her family, especially her mother Renee. I enjoyed hearing how Erika Jayne came to be and what it took to build her into the character she is today. Erika's relationship with her son and her husband Tom are strong and loving which really comes through in her book. In the acknowledgments section I found myself choking up when Erika thanks her son for the love he gives her unconditionally. If you are a fan of the Housewives, or are just looking for an interesting and short memoir, support our girl Erika!

PRETTY MESS takes us into the life of Erika Girardi/Jayne with the same no holds barred attitude we have seen on TV. For fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and of her music, this is a book you will definitely want to read.

I will say this. At certain points, I wanted more from the author. I know every memoir is the journey of that person. We should respect what they are willing to give us, but sometimes I felt as if she was holding back. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed getting a glimpse into her life and her history. There is something about Erika Jayne. She makes me want be more of a badass. Her strength and no bull attitude is empowering.

Absolutely nothing worth reading in this book. What it boils down to is that she would be nothing without her husband Tom. Whether he provided financial means, his own fame and success to high end business connections and networking for her, she would have nothing without him. Even being cast on RHOB came from his connection with David and Yolanda which later she became friends with too, none of this was done on her own.