Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry

Here's to a legend; rest in peace, Matthew Perry. You'll be remembered not just for your role in "Friends" but for who you were and what you aspired to be beyond the show!

As a 90s kid, I've watched "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" countless times since. It all began with the desire to fit in with the cool crowd in school and eventually turned into a comforting background presence in my life. This sitcom introduced and influenced me to the Hollywood world, culture, and gave me a sense of liberation that I've longed for. I've cherished "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" for a significant portion of my adult years, and Chandler Bing became an iconic figure who influenced me in ways that are difficult to put into words. His blend of cool wit, universal appeal, goofy -but intelligent, stable- but occasionally unstable, clueless -yet confident is what and who I aspired to be. I formed a deep attachment to this character and oriented my aspirations around the hope of one day meeting someone like Chandler!

Over the years, "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" played on my TV, providing a nightly backdrop to my life. It served as my therapeutic lullaby, helping me relax, stay grounded, and feel secure as an adult.

When news broke about Matthew Perry facing personal challenges, I researched and educated myself about the "big terrible thing." I felt compelled to take action. I joined Employee Resource Groups (ERG) to support my co-workers who were struggling with similar issues. Learning more about the personal battles we all face daily made the show and its characters even more relatable and moving.

Today, as I mourn the loss of the beloved Matthew Perry, my Chandler Bing, I find it puzzling why I feel such profound sadness for someone I've never met or known. It's a mystery that may remain unsolved.

I read the book during a girls' trip to Puerto Rico, flipping through its pages on my airplane journey and lounging on the beaches of Puerto Rico.

I was blessed with a gentle, refreshing rain that added a perfect touch to the reading experience Matthew Perry provided in his book. Here's my review of the book:

In the wild world of "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir" Matthew Perry doesn't exactly give himself a standing ovation. He spills the beans about the truckloads of cash he hauled in during his "Friends" days, but let's be real, it's not like he's self-applauding here. He gives major kudos to David Schwimmer for engineering a sweet deal that was music to the whole gang's ears, not just his own. Perry's got this remarkable knack for humble pie

But here's where it gets as crazy as a barrel of monkeys – Perry doesn't hold back when it comes to his addiction struggles. If he's downplaying it, you can bet he was swimming in the deep end of the pool. Perry casually drops the bomb that he was gobbling up to 55 painkillers a day, which is like a one-way ticket to Slumberland. For the uninitiated, those painkillers can turn you into a human raisin and slow you down so much you're practically moving in reverse. How he survived that rodeo is a medical miracle for the ages.

But here's the kicker: Perry nearly had a front-row seat to the great beyond.One of his pals had to pull off a James Bond-esque rescue mission at one of his rehab pit stops, and the rehab folks tried to be the ultimate party poopers. If they'd succeeded, Perry would've been a goner. Frankly, even with the red-carpet treatment he got at the hospital, he should've been starring in a celestial drama. From what I remember, he said something like, "Only two percent of folks survive on the contraption that kept me ticking," and they even threw in a "Hail Mary" for good measure.

All in all, I found FLB to be a page-turner, and I devoured it in a single day. I couldn't catch a wink last night and kept reaching for my copy, like a moth to a flame, picking up right where I left off. People usually say, "I couldn't put it down!" but for me, it was more like, "I couldn't break free!"

However, FLB isn't flawless, not by a long shot. Towards the end, Perry appears to be on a deadline, and it seems like he just steamrolls through the last few chapters. Perry has a habit of overusing parentheses, which can be a tad distracting for the reader. Also, Perry blaming his parents for his addiction on multiple occasions was personally a bit off-putting for me. I believe that each day is a personal choice and it's self-destructive to blame your circumstances on others, in my humble opinion.

Now, I'm not personally bothered by this, but some readers might be: Perry delves into religion, or at least talks a lot about God, as we near the finish line. If you're not a fan of religious discussions,this book might not be your cup of tea. Perry seems to believe that a higher power had a hand in keeping him going, perhaps even aiding him in his battle with addiction. I can't prove or disprove it, and this is Perry's memoir, after all. I respect his honesty.

Perry admits to discreetly taking pain medication from unwitting home sellers during open houses. From a legal standpoint, if I were in Perry's shoes, I might have hesitated before revealing this hidden escapade in my memoir. While I'm not a legal expert, I can't help but wonder about the potential repercussions.

There's been some buzz about Perry "kissing and telling," but I'd say it's blown out of proportion. He does recount an amorous encounter with Valerie Bertinelli, just a stone's throw from a snoozing Eddie Van Halen after one too many glasses of wine. I'm here trying to look at it from Van Halen's perspective. Perry doesn't dwell on it, and if Van Halen were still among the living, I reckon he wouldn't have spilled the beans. Just a hunch.

If you happen to be a fan of "Friends," have a soft spot for Matthew Perry, and appreciate a captivating memoir, then I wholeheartedly recommend giving "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" a resounding endorsement. However, if these criteria don't align with your preferences, it might be worth delving into alternative reading choices.