Open Book

A Memoir

By: Jessica Simpson

Narrated by: Jessica Simpson

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The number-one New York Times best seller

Includes six new songs by Jessica Simpson, available exclusively in the Open Book audiobook. Performed by the author featuring her music throughout.

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age 15, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. She walked away from the offer, and nobody understood why. The truth is that she didn’t want to lie. 

Jessica couldn’t be authentic with her listeners if she wasn’t fully honest with herself first. 

Now, America’s Sweetheart, preacher’s daughter, pop phenomenon, reality TV pioneer, and the billion-dollar fashion mogul invites listeners on a remarkable journey, examining a life that blessed her with the compassion to help others but also burdened her with an almost crippling need to please. Open Book is Jessica Simpson using her voice, heart, soul, and humor to share things she’s never shared before.

First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world, whether for music and fashion, her relationship struggles, or as a walking blonde joke. But now, instead of being talked about, Jessica is doing the talking. Her audiobook shares the wisdom and inspirations she’s learned and shows the real woman behind all the pop-culture clichés - "chicken or fish", "Daisy Duke", "football jinx", "mom jeans", "sexual napalm..." and more. Open Book is an opportunity to laugh and cry with a close friend, one that will inspire you to live your best, most authentic life, now that she is finally living hers.

Includes the songs "Heartbeat", "Practice What You Preach", "Sweet Temptation", "Your Fool" (featuring Willie Nelson), "Party of One", and "Free Will" by Jessica Simpson.

©2020 Jessica Simpson (P)2020 HarperAudio

Narration alert!

"Not all authors should read their own books". I read that on a review once and never understood why not.
That is until this book. Ugh...
I had to increase the speed to 1.10 because she talks as if she's a high valley girl. Speeding it up helped a bit the valley girl style of speaking is such a turn off. I'm not sure if she was trying to be funny and it didn't translate.
But when it was a sad sentence or story that required a cry, she inserted the proper fake tears, voice cracking, perfectly on time. It was like she was running the laugh track on a sitcom. Very forced emotions coming through her voice and sometimes even a lisp came through.
All the highlights of the book have been featured in magazines so no surprises for me.
I've listened to over 200 audiobook and never had I listened to one so badly narrated.
I'd recommend getting this book and reading it rather than listening.
The bad narration also took away from the stories in the book, but I never questioned what emotion I was supposed to feel. Just cue up Jessica's tone of the sentence.

Narration is bad

Jessica Simpson should not have narrated her own story. There were times when she would get to an emotional point and she would put on this sad, cracking voice that just sounded fake.

i wanted to like this

put it down at chapter 6 I just couldn't anymore. I grew up loving her music and show, but this book was a snore fest. her tone was very windy and monotone. I cant

Just “opened the book”

I woke up so excited because today was the day I would get to download Jessica’s book on Audible. I started listening to it on my way to work. I already know I am totally in love, obsessed, and going to be able to relate to her story in so many ways. I loved Jessica at the beginning of her career and still love everything about her today. I am hoping to gain some insight on how to be “REAL and OPEN” just as she has done in this book as I venture through her story.

I Love her even more now

Jessica comes across as real and raw. She did an amazing job! I loved every minute of it.

Waiting for Years

I’ve waited for years to hear some of these stories. The songs are actually really great. It’s awesome to hear her singing again. This is nice to listen to and very inspiring. I love the fact that this isn’t some quickly written 150 page celeb book. It’s a long, well thought out incredible journey in words. Thank you, Jessica, for this gift!

It's Just Okay but slurry drunk narration

This book is just okay in my opinion. I, like many others are always curious about the lives of celebrities. Especially given what you see of them in the media. This book was a little dramatic for my taste. The emotional breakdown from her drinking she had. The woe is me attitude. It's a little too self serving for my taste. Just my opinion, but I feel like she fabricates a lot of the drama for herself for no reason. Also, she sounds drunk or high reading it. Very slurry speech sometimes followed by this fake almost crying voice cracking at times when it's "suppose" to be emotional. Not sure why they let her narrate it. Again, just my opinion.

Boy you let people into the real world know parts of the real you unvarnished! Beautiful

Thanks for letting us into parts of your life that surely could not have been easy! I’m sure your book will help many. Thanks for your willingness to write unfiltered. I especially loved the constant through your book. God. You’ve demonstrated what a Christian looks like not what others confused view of who Christians actually are. God uses the broken parts of us for his glory! Great job!

Your My Bestie!

Love Jessica. Always have. In this book she talks to you like she is having a conversation with her best friend...YOU! She explores her highs and lows and how she overcame all her adversities with GOD at her side. She is vulnerable funny and deep. This book gives me all the feels. Love you Jess. It was worth staying up till midnight anxiously waiting to press play!

Can’t get more open than this...

The overall story is so good. I’ve been looking forward to the release of this book for a while now so I’m trying to stay objective. Jessica told her stories with such grace and paints a picture as if I’m watching it on TV.

Authentic, emotional and beautiful

Great book, gives such a great insight in to Jessica’s life. Some people didn’t like her voice narrating it but I loved it! She even became emotional at times and it really added a sense of genuineness to the narration. I like her even more as a person now too. She talks a lot about God but I didn’t find it overbearing to be honest. Well worth the credit, totally recommend this especially if you’re like me and you were a teenager in the late 90’s early 00’s and you followed Jessicas career back then.

Only audiobook I've listened to. Emotional listen.

I loved this audiobook. Which I never expected in all honesty, as I'm not the best listener and never listened to an audiobook before.

I have always loved Jessica's music, but to listen to her tell her story of her life, had me hooked.

It was at times very sad, and raw. It was also at times, happy, beautiful, and encouraging. At times it reminded me of myself in many ways.

The bonus songs are fantastic.
it really is so lovely to have Jessica back.

Well done Jessica.

Very good read

I really loved this book. It was really nice hearing about Jessica's life and how she got to were she is now. The is constant talk of God( which is OK) throughout. Sometimes it's a bit over kill and sometimes spoken as if she isn't in control of her life at all. 8/10

About what I expected

I wasn’t expecting much from this book but I read some reviews and thought I’d give it a go. I thought it started off well but about two thirds through I found myself wishing the time away a little bit but please understand that as an artist she’s way out of my demographic.
She did an okay job of narrating it at times it felt a bit too forced, almost acted at time’s and I like the narration to sound natural.
There’s a lot of GOD talk in this book and I felt she used God as an excuse for her making some morally dubious life choices, indeed she preaches the girl next door, butter wouldn’t melt persona but in reality she’s far from it.

Worth a listen, if not just to hear from a side of life you might not be familiar with.

Raw and real

I loved this so much. She is so raw and real with everything she went through. You can feel her pain through her voice talking about hard times and she’s so genuine and up front about her struggles.
I grew up listening to her so full of nostalgia for me. Absolutely loved it and the songs are beautiful and compliment the book perfectly

A good listen but not sure why she did the book

I have always been a huge fan. But this book really made me see how little she knows about the real world, victim, and generally how little awareness she has for her privilege. She sounds like she’s going to cry majority of the book, over things that aren’t that major (vs us common folk)

The crying over being “finally able to have my own home”… for $5.6m on the spot, at 24 years old…

Wish her all the best, but her lack of awareness was quite shocking..

insightful

Feels much more personal with Jess herself narrating this audio book.
Brilliant really enjoyed listening.

Nice easy listen, down to earth girl

Really easy listen, she’s deep down a really nice women how grew up to fast ! Glad she has found her happiness

Absolutely heart-touching.

I cried and laughed with you, Jessica. You are my angel. Finished your book within less than 2 days. Love you

Powerful

Thank you for taking me on a journey that was both unfamiliar and totally relatable. A wonderful tale of the underestimated and misjudged. You are brutally honest yet tactful, vulnerable yet fiercely strong and totally deep yet whimsical. You’re a force Jessica, thank you for every word. I’ll take so many of them along my journey too xx