Book Review: Enough Already

Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today by Valerie Bertinelli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the most unpretentious celebrity confession book I’ve ever read. When you ‘connect’ in friendship with someone, whether it’s through their writing or in person, it’s easier to take their advice and life-lessons to heart. Valerie makes it clear that she’s not preaching from a higher place, but that we’re all in this together, we’re all connected. As she says more than once, she’s literally grown up on-screen with us. This book is a biography, a self-help guide, a cookbook, and yes, if you were enthralled with Edward Van Halen too, it’s their never-ending love story, too.

Beyond her rather glamourous job, at the end of the day Valerie is a mom—Wolfie is clearly an amazing son!—a friend, a woman who bakes pizza, watches cat videos on TikTok and has a dysfunctional relationship with her bathroom scale. She’s relatable, likeable, honest. And if you are near enough to reach for a plate, she *will* cook for you.

As she works her way through life’s lessons, she learns more about herself and her family. Her mindset evolves from ‘food is my enemy’ to ‘food is a way to say I love you’.

And love is necessary for living our best life. Love, and joy. Real joy. Immersing in Valerie’s memories, confessions, and stories is now a part of the good memories of my own life. I appreciate the time I spent learning more about her, while she fed me with recipes, acceptance, encouragement, and bravery. This could not have been an easy book to write—and in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, no less! I wish her all the love and joy in the world in her 6th decade and beyond.

My thanks to author Valerie Bertinelli, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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