A hilarious, heartfelt, and refreshingly honest memoir and New York Times bestseller by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, and Cougar Town who has become “the breakout star of Instagram stories…Imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru” (The New Yorker). There’s no stopping Busy Philipps. From the time she was two and “aced out in … stopping Busy Philipps. From the time she was two and “aced out in her nudes” to explore the neighborhood (as her mom famously described her toddler jailbreak), Busy has always been headstrong, defiant, and determined not to miss out on all the fun. These qualities led her to leave Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of nineteen to pursue her passion for acting in Hollywood. But much like her painful and painfully funny teenage years, chasing her dreams wasn’t always easy and sometimes hurt more than a little.
In a memoir “that often reads like a Real World confessional or an open diary” (Kirkus Reviews), Busy opens up about chafing against a sexist system rife with on-set bullying and body shaming, being there when friends face shattering loss, enduring devastating personal and professional betrayals from those she loved best, and struggling with postpartum anxiety and the challenges of motherhood.
But Busy also brings to the page her sly sense of humor and the unshakeable sense that disappointment shouldn’t stand in her way–even when she’s knocked down both figuratively and literally (from a knee injury at her seventh-grade dance to a violent encounter on the set of Freaks and Geeks). The rough patches in her life are tempered by times of hilarity and joy: leveraging a flawless impression of Cher from Clueless into her first paid acting gig, helping reinvent a genre with cult classic Freaks and Geeks, becoming fast friends with Dawson’s Creek castmate Michelle Williams, staging her own surprise wedding, conquering natural childbirth with the help of a Mad Men-themed hallucination, and of course, how her Instagram stories became “the most addictive thing on the internet right now” (Cosmopolitan).
Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood–“if you think you know Busy from her Instagram stories, you don’t know the half of it” (Jenni Konner). Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From “candid tales of celebrity life, mom life, and general Busy-ness” (W Magazine), This Will Only Hurt a Little “is everything we’ve been dying to hear about” (Bustle).
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You guys!! Busy is a legit writer with a voice as clear as a bell. This book is honest, funny, intimate, and well-observed by a person who has observed some sh*t.
I first started following Busy Philipps on Instagram when she was filming a movie in Boston so that I could stalk her and her fellow actresses’ whereabouts around town. Even when the film wrapped and they all jetted back to LA, I kept following her because her IG stories were hilarious and authentic.
Busy’s memoir is just as hilarious and authentic as her Instagram, and the book format allows her an added layer of depth to share some moments of heartbreak and pain. For example, she’s very candid about her abortion as a teenager, her miserable experience on set with James Franco, and the fact that she actually came up with the idea/script for Blades of Glory and HER HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND STOLE IT FROM HER. I mean, who knew?!
If you like celebs, this is a quick read. It’s too bad her talk show show got cancelled.
I listened to the audiobook of This Will Only Hurt A Little and I highly recommend you do the same. Busy narrates herself and hearing the story in her own words made it seem so much more relatable as a reader. I thoroughly enjoyed her pull no punches take on Hollywood, her career, her sex life and even her marriage and motherhood. She didn’t hedge. She didn’t hide. She put her truth out into the world bravely and confidently so that other women that have similar experiences can relate to her. I laughed with her and cried with her and in the end, I was left with a feeling of pride for this woman that has gone through so much as if she was truly a friend of mine.
Unapologetically written.
Busy Philipps just wants to be loved, be seen, and feel heard. Her road to fulfill those wishes is BUMPY. Trouble always seems to find those who grow up too fast, but when you have a void so deep within you, trying to fill it is all you can do to try and survive.
This book may have some triggers for sensitive readers.
I cried for this woman, cheered for her, got angry at her bullies. Busy names names, whether it was a person from grade school or a celebrity who did her wrong, she’s not afraid to call them out on how she perceives their actions. Extreme empathy is an understatement. Very relatable content sharing how you aren’t too much for anyone, they just aren’t enough for you. Busy’s writing makes you want to stand up for yourself, vow that as a person you will be stronger and always do what is right, no matter the situation. Busy is an extremely good writer, actress, mom, boss, and lastly fierce woman. She swears and shares with the best of them, being as authentic as anyone can be. I love books with natural swearing in them!
I love how this memoir didn’t just focus on her acting and auditioning as much as it did share her navigating those ups and downs. My favorite part of “This Will Only Hurt A Little” was how the chapters wrapped up. The end of each one was so impactful and made such dramatic statements. —Dropping truths bombs. This would be a very fun book club read, as I want to discuss so many parts of this and would love to see what bits others found particularly shocking.
Previously, I had only seen this actress in the movie “White Chicks”, and then later on in the TV show “Cougar Town”. She is absolutely hilarious! Her book shares many roles she acted on, which I am taking as recommendations! I now look forward to seeing: Freaks and Geeks, ER and many others! I definitely recommend this book.
I’m sure Busy has many more stories to share, she is a writer after all. I’d be happy to read or watch anything she puts her sparkle on. She has triumphed much! Go Busy!
“This Will Only Hurt a Little” is the second audio book I’ve ever listened to (which does make me a little like ‘did I really READ it?’ but whatever), and I’m SO GLAD I did. I’m sure the book would have been just as compelling to read, but hearing Busy (who I feel like I know personally thanks to Instagram stories) read it the way she wanted, with the voices of the people she knew, was absolutely stunning. What a narrator! The book is honest and raw and beautiful and ugly and absolutely everything a memoir should be. Love. I shall update this review after she and I become best friends.
Judy Blume meets Karl Ove Knausgaard meets one brave woman from Arizona. On the page, Philipps’ toughness shines through—a rare and feminine ethical code; devoted and blunt. It’s a thrill to watch her stumble right up until the very moment she storms the f*cking gates.
/ 5
I listened to This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps on audiobook which is something I highly recommend doing. Busy is great at narrating her book and it made her story that much more real to me.
I won’t lie, I knew almost nothing about Busy Philipps going into this book. I had no idea that she was married with kids, I haven’t watched the majority of movies and TV shows she has been in, and I had NO idea she dated Colin Hanks when she was 19. This Will Only Hurt a Little was such a raw and emotional look into her life, and I commend her for being able to share it with the world.
There was so much in This Will Only Hurt a Little that made me laugh, but also so many things that had me nearly in tears. I didn’t know so many people she knew had passed away, and when I say her life has had a lot of ups and downs I mean it. She has been through a lot but luckily she also has a lot of great people in her life, and I adored the impressions she does of her mom. Her mom sounds just as amazing as she is. Also, I thought I was accident prone, but I literally have NOTHING on Busy!
Song/s the book brought to mind: Good as Hell by Lizzo
Final Thought: Listening to the audio of This Will Only Hurt a Little made it come alive for me and I really enjoyed listening to Busy read her book. If you are a fan of her, or if you were like me and don’t really know anything about her I would still recommending listening and/or taking a chance on this book. No judgement for this amazing woman who has made mistakes like all the rest of us, just love for her strength.
This autobiography of Busy’s life with over 1 million Instagram followers she tells the truth about how vicious Hollywood can be and how she triumphed to host her own talk show. She tells of her relationships, her work, marriage, motherhood.
I thought Busy in this book was very honest and self-aware. Her voice is engaging and her frankness extremely engaging. Sometimes, the reader is left with a bit of WTF? over some of her stories, but hey, why shouldn’t women be allowed to screw up and grow up just as messily as men? Hint: they SHOULD. Her rape experience was deeply upsetting. It does an excellent job of revealing that underbelly of misogyny and violence that young women are subject to far too often. An eye-opening and entertaining read.