My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler Review

Title: My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands

Author: Chelsea Handler

Genre: Autobiography, Comedy, Memoir

Page Count: 213 pages

Book Type: Paperback

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

ISBN: 9781582346182

Picture from Amazon:

This book is for semi-mature audiences only... you have been warned!

From Goodreads: In this raucous collection of true-life stories, actress and comedian Chelsea Handler recounts her time spent in the social trenches with that wild, strange, irresistible, and often gratifying beast; the one-night stand. You've either done it or know someone who has; the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend's irritating wedding, or the only relief from a disastrous vacation. Often embarrassing and uncomfortable, occasionally outlandish, but most times just a necessary and irresistible evil, the one-night stand is a social rite as old as sex itself and as common as a bar stool. Enter Chelsea Handler. Gorgeous, sharp, and anything but shy, Chelsea loves men and lots of them. My Horizontal Life chronicles her romp through the different bedrooms of a variety of suitors, a no-holds-barred account of what can happen between a man and a sometimes very intoxicated, outgoing woman during one night of passion. From her short fling with a Vegas stripper to her even shorter dalliance with a well-endowed little person, from her uncomfortable tryst with a cruise ship performer to her misguided rebound with a man who likes to play leather dress-up, Chelsea recalls the highs and lows of her one-night stands with hilarious honesty. Encouraged by her motley collection of friends (aka; her partners in crime) but challenged by her family members (who at times find themselves a surprise part of the encounter), Chelsea hits bottom and bounces back, unafraid to share the gritty details. My Horizontal Life is one guilty pleasure you won't be ashamed to talk about in the morning.

My Review: I love the covers of Chelsea’s books. This one showcases how pretty she is while also showing her comedic side. These books are obviously for a more mature crowd and not for children; however, her show isn’t geared toward children either.

This isn’t my favorite of Chelsea’s books [that honor goes to Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea] but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. In fact, I loved it. To me, Chelsea can do no wrong. She makes me laugh non-stop. Reading this book in public was embarrassing because I was laughing so hard that people would look at me. Who knows how truthful her stories are, but I do know that I can live a humorous life vicariously through her. 

Chelsea starts off with telling the story of her sister offering her $5 to take a picture of her parents while they were having sex. In the middle, there are various sexual romps with “little nuggets” and other people. She finishes with the story of what made her decide to take a break from “sleeping around” and how her friend and father came up with the idea to write a book about the men she has been involved with. Thank you to them for the suggestion! I never thought reading about someone’s sexcapades would be so funny. 

Reading this book, I can almost imagine what it would be like to hang out with her for a day. It would absolutely be a crazy day. It really takes some guts to share these stories with the world. She is vulgar and raunchy, but ultimately very funny and brutally honest. If you don’t like crude humor, than this book probably isn’t for you. If you can laugh at other people’s sexual mishaps and drunken adventures, then this book is definitely for you. 

Have you read any of Chelsea’s books? Do you have a favorite? Would you be courageous enough to write a book like this? Let me know in the comments!