"i’m having a memoir moment. this was so good and i found it difficult to read because it was so heart wrenching - i feel surviving her life was no small feat. amazing read. "

"4.5 stars

Before even cracking open Moon Unit Zappa’s memoir, I figured she had an unconventional upbringing given her name and being the daughter of famed musician Frank Zappa. I assumed she grew up in a hippie style environment but as I read the book, it became apparent it went far beyond that, to the point my heart actually broke for her and her siblings. To say her parents were self-involved is putting it in the kindest way possible. Moon Unit’s honesty and ability to articulate her feelings are the driving force of this memoir. An important takeaway is a person’s support system does not always include blood relatives.

Thank you Dey Street Books for providing a free advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion."

"After reading an article on People magazine’s website about this book coming out, and some of what Moon Unit Zappa’s life has been about, I immediately knew I wanted to read this memoir. I was right in my feelings, because this memoir did not disappoint.

Growing up I had always heard of Frank Zappa and knew who he was, but the only song I know by him is that of the one he created with his daughter, Moon Unit for “Valley Girl��. I think everybody loved that song! “Valley girl, she’s a valley girl. Okay, fine. For sure, for sure. She’s a Valley girl, and there is no cure��. 🎼🎤🎸

Okay, on to the book�� After reading this, I just want to hug Moon Unit. I want to be her friend. I want to tell her that she’s not alone. That many people live the same type of life she did, and can very much resonate with her (although my family is not a bunch of celebrities). However, Moon was unfortunately the family scapegoat. She never came out and said that in the book, but it’s quite obvious. She lived in survival mode from a very young age, and had zero nurturing or support system. Frank loved his music and his women, and her mother Gail- well she loved herself.
While reading this, I googled pictures of the family and it’s clear to me that Moon Unit and Dweezil got all the good looks. Therefore, I think her mother was jealous and did everything to make sure Moon never succeeded. Dweezil (her brother) seemed to get the short end of the stick a lot as well. Regardless, everything that went on in her family home was dysfunctional!

There were many things that were heartbreaking to read in this book, and one of them is how many times people told her she was ugly while growing up. Moon says she had horrible acne, and yet no one in the home took her to a dermatologist/doctor or taught her basic hygiene. Moon says she always had a hard time finding a boyfriend, and said something that hit hard- “Inwardly I fear it’s because all guys are like my dad. No one loves honesty, directness, earnestness, vulnerability. No one loves a reader��. 😭

All in all this a great memoir that I highly recommend. For me, I found Moon to be very relatable. I just wish that more pictures were included (and maybe they are in the final proof 🤷🏻‍♀��).

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dey Street Books, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure to read. This book was published on August 20, 2024."