In about two weeks, I read all four of her books (the ones that talk about her life). I have to confess that I was hooked on her reality show for a few years. I'd wanted to read her books but was too embarrassed to check them out of the library, so thank goodness for e-books. Now, having read all of the books, I feel like I was reading the story of a narcissistic personality. I'm torn between feeling sorry for her and wanting to tell her to grow up already. In her quest to "have a normal life" she's bought houses she can't afford only to become disillusioned within a very short time and moving on to another poor choice. I feel sorry for her kids, constantly uprooted. I'm appalled that she allowed her oldest son to have a potty mouth, with the result that he shocks adults with his comments. Her birthday parties for her children seem less about them than about her being able to show off her taste in decorating. Her kids are used as models for her clothing line. They've grown up thinking that having cameramen follow them around 24/7 is normal. Her attempt at being a room mother at one of their schools seemed to be more about promoting herself, an opportunity to show people that she can bake cupcakes and decorate tastefully for holidays-she's not interested in the real duties of a room mother. On vacations, if the accommodations aren't up to her standards, instead of making do, she'll pack up everybody and move to another hotel or location. She's unashamed to admit that she looks for freebies and big discounts at hotels and resorts, but that always has a trade-off of a personal appearance (a lot of times she seems to become ill and can't fulfill her obligations). It seems that most if not all of her multiple hospitalizations result from her stressed-out lifestyle. While making allowances for her upbringing, why didn't she have the sense to learn to manage money and live on a budget? It's hard to feel sympathy for her money woes when she blithely admits to being a shopaholic and will drop hundreds of dollars (sometimes thousands) on stuff she doesn't really need or her kids don't need-but gee whiz, this outfit looks so cute on them! She's eager to tell us that one Christmas she spent all of $39.99 on Stella's dress. I bet that was the cheapest piece of clothing that kid ever had. Ranking high on my list of eye-rolling is her devotion to psychics and a reiki healer, and any other charlatan that will tell her what she wants to hear. Top of my aggravation list is her persistence in qualifying certain of her friends as gay- "my gay friend", "the 'guncles'", "my gay husband", "my gayband (combining gay and husband)". Or was it "gusband"? Whatever. WTH? If her best friend was a paraplegic, would she call him "my crippled friend"? Yeah, Tori, we get it-your friend is gay. He knows he's gay. Doesn't mind the world knowing it, seeing as he's been on your reality show countless times. Do you really have to keep calling him "my gay friend"? As I read the books, in chronological order, I came to think that her husband Dean is a saint for putting up with her and her craziness. He's probably the only truly "normal" person in their kids' lives. Thank God the kids have someone who isn't living in a fantasy world. It's my opinion that Tori is constantly thinking about how she and her family appear to the world, measuring everyday occurrences to gauge their worth on a reality show, even going to the lengths of re-creating some scenes for the show, which isn't surprising. It also looks like she plunges headfirst into ventures, carried away by the admiration of her own good ideas (that usually turn out to be bad). She should have kept on with a psychotherapist instead of relying on voodoo priestesses and psychics. I have no interest in watching her and Dean cry while they talk about his infidelity. I have no interest in watching any more reality shows featuring her and her family. I probably won't read her next book. There's such a thing as TMI, and she takes it to lengths few people are comfortable with. Her constant quest for enough money to maintain the lifestyle she wants is, in a word, sad. I'm a closet fan of tori spelling and I've read all the books and seen all the shows but this book was nothing but a whine fest about her poor life. Now that the affairs has come out and True Tori has aired it makes me feel less sorry for her. She lives a lifestyle she clearly can't afford and married a cheater and is a cheater herself. What does one expect? I'm probably not done with her though, as train wrecks go, it's hard not to watch.
What do You think about Spelling It Like It Is (2014)?
One star because she's so ridiculous but completely stress-relieving entertainment.
—JoesWifey5413
It's a good quick read if you don't have anything else to read
—mlonread
Really disappointing. Her fun loving spirit wasn't there.
—cachirulo
