First published 2012
Taylor Armstrong lived two lives. On camera for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she threw elaborate parties and mingled with wealthy friends. Behind closed doors, her husband Russell controlled what she wore, how she acted, and who she could be. For six years, she endured emotional and physical abuse while hiding the truth from cameras and costars. The marriage cracked under public scrutiny as their secrets began surfacing on the show. One August evening, Taylor discovered Russell's body in his California home after he took his own life. The tragedy forced her to confront a painful reality. She had become so accustomed to abuse that she felt lost without Russell's control. She missed the fear and pain because they had defined her existence. Taylor traces her story from an abusive childhood through years of low self-esteem to her destructive marriage. She examines how she learned to survive by running from herself and accepting treatment she never deserved. This account reveals how domestic violence can trap someone in cycles of dependency even when the relationship appears glamorous from outside.
Genres: domestic-fiction, abuse, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: abusive-relationship, hidden-truth, trauma-recovery
Setting: Beverly Hills, California
Period: 2000s
272 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, suicide