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A laugh-and-cry-out-loud memoir from the beloved star of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness
Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.
The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of … Van Ness
Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.
The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.
Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.
Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’re strong, and you’ve got this.
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Yes, this book isn’t perfect.
Yes, the tangents, out of the box references, long winded sentences, and sometimes struggling narrative flow can make this book hard to read.
But…
You will read this whole thing in JVN’s voice in your head, because it feels true and pure from their heart. JVN’s voice has not been taken, stolen, or mimicked. This feels like it comes from them.
They have shared so much in this book, so much vulnerability, honesty, and self truth – that it is hard not to follow on their emotional journey from their days as a fabulous gayby to the wise soul we get to enjoy time on our television with now.
Books don’t always have to have excellent structure, or flow to share a story with us – and nor should we judge their quality on those things alone. What this book has, that fills in for where it lacks is and abundance of heart.
These words are important, fun, funny, sad, difficult, and reflective.
Thank you for sharing Jonathan.
Jonathan Van Ness takes you through a reflection of his life from childhood to through his young adult life and into his 30’s. There are multiple moments of pain shared with the reader that he prefaces with warnings and slight humor. These moments gave me awareness to details of the 80s and 90s that I was unaware of or vaguely had an idea. I enjoyed reading about his childhood and being brought back to my own childhood with descriptions of shows, music and toys. Jonathan has overcome so much and this book was inspirational.
This book had a really interesting concept. It was an interesting exploration of jealousy in female friendships. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, though.
“So I’m telling my story – the whole story – to show that some masterpieces start off a mess.”
Jonathan Van Ness, known to the world as one of the Fab Five and host of Gay of Thrones, asks if we would love him if we knew his real story, who he truly was. After listening to him tell his heart-wrenching journey to self love and acceptance, I can say wholeheartedly that the answer is YES.
If you’ve watched Queer Eye, you see Jonathan as a sweet, enthusiastic, sassy, loving, and fabulous force of nature. I will admit that I had no idea what his background was other than what I saw on Netflix.
His life was hard. So, so hard. As a small child, he was violated by someone who was trusted. This abuse, the shame, the lack of communication and therapy – all of this affected his life through adulthood. His life was filled with addiction, compulsive behaviors, and self-destructive behaviors. You are in tears as he reads you his story, voice-breaking and crying. You know that Jack/Jonathan will make it to the other side, but you still empathize with the pain. You also recognize that she worked her booty off to become a sought after stylist and entertainment personality. This title was perfect because the book is completely raw, unfiltered, and powerful.
I highly recommend the audiobook version of this book. Jonathan is fun, sincere, heartfelt, and inspiring.
I have admired Jonathan Van Ness from the moment I first saw him on Queer Eye – he was so unashamedly himself on screen, buoyant and funny and vulnerable, and I especially respected his ability to encourage joy and self-love in others. After reading his story, I admire him even more. His is not an easy story to tell, and he speaks about the moments of darkness and despair in his life in a way that makes the person he shares with others on screen now even more remarkable. I’d recommend this memoir even if you aren’t a Queer Eye fan, though it certainly helps because I had JVN’s voice in my head the whole time reading this. It comes through as loudly as it would in an audiobook – his writing is just that authentic. It’s a stunning memoir and the kind of voice we need to hear more of right now.
This was such a powerful and emotionally honest book. Jonathan Van Ness really opens up and lays the details of his journey to self-love out on the table. It’s safe to say it was a pretty bumpy ride, but he narrates his story with his characteristic confidence and good-humour. He’s incredibly brave to be this open and this book has the power to give so much to so many people, LGBT+ and otherwise, because of how candid he has chosen to be about his struggles with self-esteem, abuse and addiction. And he taught me a lot about the history of American women’s gymnastics along the way! I am so proud of him and wish him all the joy of his hard-won peace, success and happiness, he is such an incredible role model.
If you are interested in the Fab Five you need to read this book. Over the Top is the perfect title. Sometimes it was a little TOO informative.
I love Jonathan Van Ness on Queer Eye and love him even more having read this book. He’s so open, honest and brave, heartbreaking and hilarious. Highly recommended.
A truly remarkable memoir, especially from someone so young. A lot of wisdom and courage here we can all use as an example for how to be our most authentic selves.