Book Review: Drinking & Tweeting and Other Brandi Blunders {Brandi Glanville}

When I was choosing books to read during Spring Break, I wanted a mix of genres, and I picked things that were breezy and light, and things that were a bit heavier and required concentration. Andy Cohen’s book was definitely under the “breezy and light” category, as is the book for today’s review.

Brandi Glanville is on the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but perhaps outside of that, she is more well-known for her husband leaving her and their two young boys to take off with country singer LeAnn Rimes. Brandi’s first book, Drinking and Tweeting and Other Brandi Blunders, is a little bit about her previous modeling career, her marriage breaking up, dating after divorce, her dealings with LeAnn, and her start on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

If you’ve ever seen the show or heard Brandi in an interview, this book is written exactly how she talks. Pretty much no filter, no holds barred. In theory, I think that’s great. But as a mom to two young kids myself, I can only wonder about how she’ll feel when her kids are old enough to discover it and read it. She has a bit of a sailor’s mouth, shares many intimate details, and one of her favorite ways to refer to readers is by saying “ladies and gays.” The latter of which is done often enough that it feels like it’s more for effect, as opposed to being natural and unforced.

The bulk of the book’s content was about her post baby and divorce depression, and how she got through it, certainly underscoring the breeziness of the rest of the topics she dishes about. Hearing about how her marriage ended, and the resulting chaos that ensued, particularly since she wasn’t earning an income at the time, made me feel empathy towards her. And, of course, being a parent and divorced myself, I can definitely relate on some levels.

Since she is active on Twitter (and even references it in the title of the book), there are numerous (and sometimes really repetitive) hash tags written throughout the book. To the point that I wanted to say, yes, we get it, you tweet a lot.

The timeline throughout the book jumps around quite a bit and isn’t especially chronological, which, well, when it’s about what happened in your life isn’t the best thing. In the end, while the book is a perfect beach read and was quick to read and reasonably entertaining, it felt like an slightly angry but cathartic therapy session. Good for her, but you’ll have to be the judge on if that’s good for you.

That being said, I hear that there are rumors to turn this into a movie, and she’s already at work on a sequel. Oh yes, and it debuted in the #2 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. The book was pretty much what I expected, and was ideal while I laid on the beach, drinking a Coco Loco, watching the kids play in the ocean.

*This is the 6th book I’ve read in my quest to read 52 books this year.
1. Believe It, Be It
2. Touch and Go
3. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
4. Here I Go Again
5. Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture

Tomorrow? Atlantis Aquarium review!
Next week? Vacation review, a fun kids’ craft, a new vegetable recipe, and more!

PRINT