Eat, Pray, #FML

First of all, I picked this up thinking this was a piece of fiction, and the whole time I'm reading this craptastic word vomit fest, I was like, "this has to be self-published because no agent in their right mind would have picked this up." Lo and behold... it's REAL. And she's already "famous" (though I've never seen anything she's been in... I check on IMDB) so that's why it got picked up.Look, I get it. Her life sucked. Welcome to the club, honey. It's not all rainbows and unicorns. But this was just bad. On a personal note, yeah, sorry about your jerk of an ex-husband and Javier being all locked in himself (as someone who has lost a brother to suicide and has a tendency to lock myself away in myself, I just have to say... sorry, sometimes we just deal with thing in different ways--we can't all be like you and talk it out, mmmmkay?). You have definitely surrounded yourself with some worthless men. And I'm sorry for you for that.Every pet peeve I have in writing style, Gabrielle Stone seems to have. She doesn't describe anything--she just tells you. "It was so big and pretty." Like the beauty of it all is some kind of secret she wants to keep... yet she wants you to shell out money for this book and she won't tell you anything. I mean, honestly, a ghostwriter or an editor would have been so helpful here.I hate DNFing a book, I really do, and I have slogged my way through some bad ones in the past, but I just cannot finish this one. I really don't care about her path to enlightenment, and you shouldn't either.

Thiss is the most poorly written book I have ever read all the way through.And I have to stipulate that I just skimmed the second half. Turned it into a sort of drinking game:Arrives in new city:talks about how little sleep she got✔️(at 28)Tells new people her whole bloody story✔️People are amazed ✔️Talks about writing this book✔️People are amazed ✔️Hooks up with hot guy✔️Talks about how much older than him she is✔️ (at 28)“Freaking cool”✔️✔️✔️✔️“Literally”✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️(Chris from Parks and Rec would be so proud)SO many missed opportunities. I get that it’s supposed to be a journey of self discovery but a little interest in other people would be refreshing. Who is this boho chick in Amsterdam with the amazing apartment? Where does she go all day while her guest is sleeping in? What does she do? Who are all these fellow travelers outside of what they say to the pretty blonde from America? We literally don’t know anything but how they served her.And a travel book should tell me SOMETHING about the places visited beyond the Eiffel Tower is high.

Let me be clear about this…. I’m a 45 year old divorced man that doesn’t spend my spare time reading. A friend suggested I read this book with the hopes of me finding some relatability. I went ahead and purchased it only for it to sit on my table for a week. I finally opened it. Truth be told, the next time I closed it was when it was finished. I could not put it down. Gabrielle’s adventure was certainly relatable in many more ways than I could’ve imagined. Each experience was written on a very human level where everyone can relate. Aside from being wildly entertaining, it was sad, it was hilarious, it was heart wrenching, and it was heroic. She kept me captivated from cover to cover and made me evaluate my own life’s choices each step of the way.I highly suggest giving it a read. It may change your life much the same as it changed mine. You won’t be disappointed.

I bought 2 copies of “Eat, Pray, #FML!” by Gabrielle Stone as soon as I had finished reading the 10 free pages available on Amazon. I HAD to read the whole book, now, and have a copy for my Sister-in-Love (that’s what we call each other married to brothers), because she’s been wanting to write her book for 30 years, and didn’t have the balls to get truth to the page. Because of Gabrielle Stone’s “Eat, Pray, #FML!” redemption story, we both have the courage to speak our truth. She sure has.I was mesmerized by her easy-going, approachable, (see vernacular) prose and her fascinating story. Most of all, though, I am in awe at her capacity for raw honesty. In the time it took to get to my Sister-in-Love’s July 4th family gathering and feast, I’d already read to page 144. I couldn’t put the book down, calling other women at the party, to hear passages from the book and we roared with laughter and “You go, girl!”. I didn’t want the book to end, savoring it over the course of the weekend every chance I got.Granted, this very young woman is from a family of actors so weaving a tale is probably second nature to her. But, “Eat, Pray, #FML!” isn’t some tawdry tell-all made-up Hollywood bullshit story to sell copy. It is a raw, honest, hopeful, ridiculously funny, courageous story about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. Gabrielle Stone gives her life’s journey to you in poignant, often heart-wrenching human tones that mark her redemption as a woman, and a brave human being. She really gives it to you in plain English and shares so much of herself, you’d think a Grandmother school teacher would have to cringe and hide behind her petticoat. Not for a moment. Gabrielle Stone’s remarkable journey to redemption over the course of just a few months reveals to her readers that self-love is true love and it heals everything. I loved her “Thought Onion” too and use it regularly. What this beautiful, courageous, extraordinarily gifted storyteller has done for me in her defiance of mediocrity and her determination for integrity, is the realization that my past is only negative, destructive, bad or worse if I choose to attach that kind of meaning to it. “Eat, Pray, #FML!” showered me with fresh audacity and a willingness to look at my life, differently, deeper, and from a place of self-love. I am every so grateful. All my relationships are the better after reading it. Even my sex life has improved!Thank you, Ms. Stone!

This is an amazing book!! Currently going through similar to Gabrielle (although I'm older and covid has stomped on travelling ideas for now) what she speaks about has really inspired me to learn self love. Although its a difficult subject Gabrielle strikes the right balance between honest and funny. It took me a week to move on the last chapter, I didn't want it to end but I have and it made me think about my next steps.Highly recommended

To all my fellow solo female travellers out there, I implore you to add this book to your list of packing essentials! Funny, moving and motivating, the story captivated and inspired me when I needed it most on my own epic solo travel journey. The way Gabriele writes brought me a certain comfort. She makes it feel like you’re listening to a friend you’ve known for ages, who is sat next to you on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, sharing her amazing story with you. Just what I needed after months away from home. I couldn’t put the book down! I gasped, I sighed, I laughed, I cried! Gabriele’s story is raw, real and relatable. I urge anyone who is traveling solo (or thinking of doing so) to read her story and get inspired!

Wow, what an absolute amazing book! Finished this in a day, I just wanted more and more and was so engrossed in Gabrielle’s story. This book is so well written, no bulls#*t, nothing but cold hard truth. I needed this book, so much of the story resonated with me. And has only reinforced that I am enough and need to put myself first. I have made plenty of mistakes too, but they are part of me and made me stronger and who I am. If you do one thing this year, read this book.Thank you so much for sharing your story with the world.

Gabrielle came into my life out of the blue when I was in need of fresh inspiration for my self-discovery journey. I instantly felt connected to her because she speaks my language with no bullshit. When I read her book, it's my own voice I could hear. It's like it was my life I was reading somehow, even though I haven't done the same trip. It is funny and genuine and I like the journal-type books.I finished the book in a couple of days and it gave me all the courage and inspiration I needed to continue my journey. Thank you Gabrielle.Annie (the one with the bracelets)

Stumbled across this through a tic tok and downloaded. Read it in a couple of days and now want to travel the world! funny and sad and and a great read