Audiobook Review: This is Me: A Reckoning by Hayden Panettiere
This is Me: A Reckoning
Author: Hayden Panettiere
Narrator: Hayden Panettiere
Published: May 19, 2026
Audiobook: 7 hours 47 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened: August 30- September 4, 2026
Book Description:
Hayden Panettiere’s career in entertainment began before she was old enough to walk. From early commercials to film and television roles in hits like Remember the Titans, her career unfolded in the public eye, resulting in tremendous success by her early teens. She had become a fixture of early-2000s pop culture, earning acclaim for performances in Heroes, Nashville (which earned her two Golden Globe nominations), and beyond—while quietly carrying the weight of expectations that came with being Hollywood’s “It girl.”
Behind the image was a far more complicated reality. As Hayden entered adulthood, the industry that once felt playful grew unforgiving as she learned by experience the pressure placed on young performers, the hefty price that often comes with fame, and how quickly someone else can take control of your story. She recounts being scrutinized by tabloids, watching her body and private pain become public property, and performing storylines on-screen that echoed trauma she was living through off-camera.
In this memoir, Hayden shares a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss. She holds nothing back as she reflects on the moments she calls “lifequakes”— experiences that fractured her sense of self and forced her to rebuild it from the inside out. In This Is Me: A Reckoning Hayden showcases her most vulnerable role yet. . .this is her story, on her terms.
Jessica’s Review:
Hayden Panettiere’s life began August 21,1989 and she passed away on August 16, 2026. Just a few days shy of her birthday, Hayden was only 36. This memoir was released on May 19, 2026 and through it Hayden shares with us her life in the way she wants. Hayden shares from her childhood through giving up custody of her daughter. She also shares about her life in between.
From the time she was eight months old, Hayden was involved in show business. While listening to this she never had a chance to have a ‘normal childhood’: A childhood not in the spotlight. I never had children, but who would want to expose their infant to this kind of life? Hearing about her leaving school and then going to work as a young girl was frustrating for me. She grew up in the spotlight dealing with everything the children go though but exposed for the public to see.
Hayden had many battles in her short life: post-partum depression, the unexpected loss of her younger brother, giving up custody of her daughter and addiction. And addiction is how we have ultimately lost her as it has been determined that Hayden overdosed on drugs.
While talking about her life, Hayden also doesn’t give extreme details. She talks about two events when she was 18-19 years old in Hollywood and what happened but does not give names; she only alludes as to who these ‘mystery men’ are. I think that was most likely that if she gave names, then it would have become a ‘he said/ she said’ situation and a possible battle that she did not want to fight. She does speak on her relationship with Mila Ventimiglia while filming Heroes and their significant age difference. The biggest surprise for me was that Hayden came out as bi-sexual with a preference for women. She stated that she knew this from a young age.
We get to hear about her life working on soap operas, Heroes, Nashville, and a couple of the Scream films. We also get to hear about her filming Remember the Titans, which was filmed in Georgia, so I enjoyed hearing about that time in her life. I remember going to see the movie in the theater. We also experience her addictions, her relationship with the father of her daughter Wladimir Klitschko, her postpartum depression, and more.
There was so much more that she could have shared, but so much was glossed over. But again, look at the title of this memoir: Hayden told the story of her life in the way she wanted. I listened to the audiobook and she narrated it. I am choosing to not give this memoir a star rating and just leave my thoughts to it. May she finally rest and have the peace in death that she failed to have in life.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Birthday Blitz: Feel-Good Stories by Sarah Swatridge
Today is the book birthday for Feel-Good Stories by Sarah Swatridge and it’s a blog blitz! This book is made up of heart warming stories! And today on this site Sarah is sharing an extract from the story Hey Mr Postman! She is also having a giveaway if you live in the UK!
Book Description:
An eclectic mix of heart-warming stories, full of memorable, quirky characters. Read about the heroic postie, the eccentric duke, a spoilt parrot, a true friend and a determined would-be husband. Perfect bite-sized reading with your favourite drink.
Buy Your Copy Here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
A note from Sarah:
Hey Mr Postman! – One for romantics! Set around Valentine’s Day, a postman goes the extra mile to make sure he delivers a message…general feel-good story and the sort of postie everyone would like to have.
Hey Mr Postman!
Simon, the postman, looked again at the postcard. It definitely said ‘49 Franklin Avenue’ and yet there only seemed to be thirty well-established homes.
He was fairly new to the area, having moved on his thirtieth birthday! Perhaps there was a Franklin Road, Street or Crescent? He checked his phone. The signal wasn’t great but eventually he found there were no other similar road names.
Of course, that didn’t account for any new-builds. It seemed to take an age before new postcodes were updated.
He studied the postcard. The picture was of a bunch of roses. The warmth of the red made him smile. They cheered him on a bitterly cold February morning. It was almost Valentine’s Day; this card could be really important…
It was addressed to Lizzie Halladay, so he looked up that name, but the search wasn’t helpful. Time was getting on and he needed to finish his round. He slipped the postcard in his pocket and continued on his way.
He returned to the depot and spoke to his supervisor. Together they examined the postcard but even the postmark wasn’t clear. They had no clue as to who had sent it. It wasn’t even signed, and the message seemed rather cryptic. “So, what do we do now?” Simon asked.
“There’s nothing more we can do.” His boss shook his head. “The policy is to place it in the ‘undelivered’” tray for one month, after which it’s shredded and the paper recycled.”
Simon wasn’t happy with that. “I don’t like to stand in the way of true love,” he said. “Can I try and track her down?”
“Not officially,” his supervisor said, then added, “It’ll have to be in your own time. “And don’t do anything to give the post office a bad name! And remember, we haven’t had this conversation?”
Want to read on? Buy your copy now!
About the Author:
Sarah Swatridge’s name can often be seen in women’s magazines worldwide such as My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, Fiction Feast. She also writes novels, mainly historical, which can be found in the Large Print section of your public library. These novels are standalone and the themes vary from – women setting up a co-operative together in response to dishonest traders in the area (United we Stand) to stories set around employees in a biscuit factory (Biscuit Wars, Gentle Annie, Cakes in the Biscuit Factory etc) to the work of pawn brokers (Adam’s Emporium) or a woman in 1900 wanting an adventure before agreeing to marry (Biddy’s Big Adventure – also available from Calibre Audio if you have problems accessing print in the traditional way).
Contact Sarah:
Website
Facebook Profile
**UK Giveaway**
Enter to win one of two paperback copies of An Honourable Wager by Sarah Swatridge
Enter to win here!
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box above. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
[Top]My September 2026 Reads
Today is the last day of September, it’s crazy how tomorrow will be OCTOBER! YAY, it’s ‘scary month’! I LOVE HALLOWEEN! But for now, it is time to share what I read this month. I went in between reading one arc and listening to an alc of the same book. The rest of my books were audiobooks.
Here are the books I completely read this month. They are listed in the order that I finished them:
This is Me: A Reckoning by Hayden Panettiere
The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker – 4 stars- Advanced copies, I went between reading and listening to this one.
Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict- 4 stars
The Survivors Guild by Gabriella Saab- 4 stars
I declined to rate Hayden Panettiere’s memoir. Memoirs can be tricky things as it is someone’s life, and they will share what they choose to share. It is harder to rate a memoir once a person has passed as she recently has. And this memoir was only published a few months before her death. My review for her memoir will be forthcoming.
My other reads each received four stars. Out of those three my top read was The Survivors Guild. It is historical fiction and based on the aftermath of the Titanic sinking and two women of different classes and an infant. This book was compelling listening!
What did YOU read in September?
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