This Will Only Hurt a Little: The New York Times Bestseller

(Hardback)

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'Busy is a legit writer with a voice as clear as a bell' Tina Fey

'Funny, refreshingly candid memoir about Hollywood, motherhood and BFFhood' Cosmopolitan

'Judy Blume meets Karl Ove Knausgaard meets one brave woman from Arizona' Miranda July

A memoir by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson's Creek, and Cougartown who has become 'the breakout star on Instagram stories . . . imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru' (New Yorker).

Busy Philipps's autobiographical book offers the same unfiltered and candid storytelling that her Instagram followers have come to know and love, from growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona and her painful and painfully funny teen years, to her life as a working actress, mother, and famous best friend.

Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood. Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From film to television to Instagram, Busy delightfully showcases her wry humor and her willingness to bare it all.

'I've been waiting my whole life to write this book. I'm just so grateful someone asked. Otherwise, what was the point of any of it'

'Candid, painful and extremely wryly funny' Stylist

'Like most women, famous or not, bad things have happened to Busy Philipps - as well as weird stuff, jawdropping stuff and heartwarming stuff' Refinery29

'This Will Only Hurt a Little has stopped me in my tracks completely' Sophie Heawood, Observer

Reviews

Judy Blume meets Karl Ove Knausgaard meets one brave woman from Arizona. On the page, Philipps' toughness shines through - a rare and feminine ethical code; devoted and blunt. It's a thrill to watch her stumble right up until the very moment she storms the f*cking gates. Also: just as casually addictive as her Instastories but no guilt because it's a book -- Miranda July
You guys!! Busy is a legit writer with a voice as clear as a bell. This book is honest, funny, intimate, and well-observed by a person who has observed some sh*t * Tina Fey *
To know Busy Philipps is to love Busy Philipps (and follow her on Instagram). And now, it's also to read her funny, refreshingly candid memoir about Hollywood, motherhood and BFFhood (with her Dawson's Creek castmate Michelle Williams, of course) * Cosmopolitan *
If you think you know Busy from her Instagram stories, you don't know the half of it. This book delves deeply and candidly into Busy's life in a way that will surprise and delight you. She does not shy away from the darker stories, but she'll make you laugh (hard) while you read them. You might not even know if the tears or from laughter or sorrow or recognition. You will see yourself in the book. You can't help it. We are lucky to have Busy's rigorously authentic book (personality) in our lives -- Jenni Konner
Ruler of Instagram and our hearts Busy Philipps brings her frank humour to the book world * Elle (28 Best Books to Read This Autumn) *
Busy Phillipps's frank and funny memoir highlights why she's our Instagram crush bar none * Red (Ten books to read this October) *
[Explores] the tricky path of growing from a girl into a woman, supporting friends through the hardest of times, grappling with motherhood and keeping things on the funny side. Busy's a lovely and entertaining voice to spend some quality time with * Stylist *
Calling out abuse on set, the expendability of being an actress/woman and the slings and arrows of love, friendships and selfhood, Philipps lets rip while inspiring readers on how to navigate life * Emerald Street *
Like most women, famous or not, bad things have happened to Busy Philipps - as well as weird stuff, jawdropping stuff and heartwarming stuff. Over her 20 years in the industry, she's seen it all, and she's here to share it all in her candid, thoughtful and hilarious book debut * Refinery29 *
Candid, painful and extremely wryly funny, this memoir from actor Busy Philipps deals with the heavy (assault, bullying, post-partum depression) and the happy (meeting best friend Michelle Williams, building a career, learning to speak her mind). All you need to know is Tina Fey is a fan * Stylist *
[Busy Philipps is] even more candid and even more loveable than in her famous Instagram Stories . . . hugely refreshing . . . She's a star ascending and everyone loves her for it -- Lucy Scholes * Independent *
[Busy Philipps is] a charismatic, relatable storyteller . . . the book is unabashedly honest and personal about everything: motherhood, marriage, family, friendships, anxiety, ageing, Hollywood, and sexual assault * Refinery29 UK *

This Will Only Hurt a Little has stopped me in my tracks completely and made me rethink everything
we think we know about shiny, sunny social media stars. Reading it felt like a punch in the guts . . .

-- Sophie Heawood * Observer *
Aptly, the cover of Philipps's memoir is Instagram bait: the star wears a Pepto Bismol suit, pussy-bow blouse and gold hoop earrings the size of curtain rings. It is bold, gutsy, pretty, but with an edge - and has nothing on the raw impact of the stories . . . Though true to the tenor of her Instagram posts, there are also anecdotes to make you cackle: from the gawky teen years in Arizona, via her early 20s on the febrile sets of teen dramas and on to motherhood catastrophes * Evening Standard *
As funny as her infamously iconic Instagram Stories, the moments chronicled [in This Will Only Hurt a Little] with her signature wit-from her friendships to 'staging her own surprise wedding, conquering natural childbirth with the help of a Mad Men-themed hallucination, and more'-will leave you with a smile on your face * Elle *
A funny, insightful memoir * Stylist *
A freewheeling tour through Busy Philipps's career, relationships and on-and-off-again stardom * New York Times *
Frank and often painful yet extremely funny, this memoir from actress Busy Philipps will have you hooked from the first page * Love It *
In the Hollywood actor's down-to-earth memoir, she writes about the sexual assault she experienced aged 14, plus the sexism that's still rife in the film industry. It's open, honest, and utterly wise * Elle (Best Feminist Books to Gift this Christmas) *
Perfect for fans of 1990s TV and pop culture in general. Actress Philipps covers her time in shows like Dawson's Creek and Freaks and Geeks, while also talking about growing up, making it in Hollywood and becoming a mum. I listened to it as an audiobook, which Philipps herself read. Really entertaining * BBC (Online) *

Author Bio

Busy Philipps is an American actress. She got her first break on the seminal high school show Freaks and Geeks, and went on to star in Dawson's Creek, ER, White Chicks, Cougar Town and I Feel Pretty. Philipps lives in Los Angeles.