Laugh It Up! by Candace Payne

Payne placed a live video on Facebook that went viral and is the most viewed to date. Because of that, she became somewhat of a sensation. She reveals her life story in this memoir.

Payne is pretty much the kind of person to whom many can relate. She's over weight, struggled with her self concept when young, was a promiscuous teen, has had marital difficulties, has fought depression, etc. Her life story could be any of ours. She would have been one of a million moms and wives except for her video.

Payne's book is an encouragement for all of us. She wants us to be real, not hiding behind a mask. She wants us to fight for joy as that has sustained her through her life events. She wants us to get rid of the “can'ts” and “shoulds” and be authentic.

The millions of people who have viewed her Chewbacca Mom video will enjoy getting to know the person behind the laughter. For me, never having seen the video, I appreciated this memoir but was not amazed by it. I didn't think it was very funny and never laughed while reading it. I did appreciate her honesty about her life experiences. My biggest disappointment is that Payne never wrote about the true source of joy. She had a good opportunity with her moments of fame to reveal Jesus as her ultimate source of joy and strength but did not.

I recommend this book to those who have seen her Facebook video and want to know more about her.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Candace Payne recorded a video of her trying on a Chewbacca Mask and it has become the most viewed Facebook Video to date (170+ million views). She has been featured on numerous media outlets. She recently launched a video series with TLCme and has written her first book. She lives in Texas with her husband and their two children. You can find out more at https://candacepayne.me/.

Zondervan, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Icon Media. My comments are an independent and honest review.