My Love Story: A Memoir — A survivor's path to joy and real love

I was designing a logo for a wellness brand when Tina Turner started talking about almost dying from kidney failure, and I just... stopped. Put my stylus down. Stared at my screen while Frida judged me from her perch on my desk lamp.

This book wrecked me. But not in the way I expected.

The Parts That Made Me Ugly-Cry (Yes, Multiple Times)

Look, I knew going in that Tina's life was hard. The Ike stuff, the abuse, the fighting her way out. What I wasn't prepared for was how she talks about her mother. The coldness. The rejection that followed her into adulthood. There's this moment where she describes trying to connect with her mom as an adult, and the wall she hit—my heart. MY HEART. I had to pause and text my own mom just to hear her voice.

And then Craig. Her son. She doesn't sensationalize his death by suicide, she just... sits in the grief with you. It's raw and it's real and I was a mess at my desk for a solid twenty minutes. Abuela would have been sobbing right alongside me, clutching her rosary and muttering prayers.

But here's the thing that surprised me—this isn't a trauma memoir. It's actually, genuinely, a love story. The title isn't metaphorical. When she gets to Erwin, her husband, this warmth just floods everything. After all that darkness, watching this woman find real, actual, healthy love in her fifties? The vibes are immaculate. It felt like hope.

Heather Alicia Simms Carrying This Story

Tina didn't narrate this herself, which—honestly, I get it. The woman was in her late seventies when this came out, dealing with serious health stuff. Heather Alicia Simms steps in with this warm, grounded voice that works really well for the material. She captures Tina's spirit without trying to do an impression, which is the right call.

That said, I'll be honest—there are moments where I wished I could hear Tina's actual raspy voice telling these stories. Some reviewers mentioned the accent can be a little distracting in spots, and yeah, I noticed that a couple times. When there are multiple people in a scene, it's not always crystal clear who's talking. But Simms nails the emotional beats, and that's what matters most to me. When Tina's describing her Buddhist practice or the moment she knew Erwin was different, Simms brings this quiet reverence that made me tear up all over again.

The pacing is solid—eight hours feels right for this story. Not rushed, not dragging. I listened at my usual 1.0x because I wanted to sit in it, you know?

What Hit Different Than I Expected

I thought this would be mostly about the music career. The comeback, the hits, the iconic legs, the Thunderdome. And that stuff is there, sure. But Tina spends way more time on her spiritual journey, her health struggles, her relationship with Erwin. She's not interested in relitigating the Ike years beyond what's necessary—she already told that story. This is about what came after. About building a life worth living when you're finally free.

There's this section about her kidney transplant—Erwin donated one of his kidneys to her—and the way she describes falling in love with him all over again in that moment? This is a rainy Sunday book. Pour yourself something warm, get under a blanket, and just let yourself feel things.

Some folks might find certain parts a bit surface-level. The historical context isn't super deep, and some of the supporting people in her life don't get fully fleshed out. But honestly? This isn't a biography. It's Tina telling you what mattered to HER. And I respect that.

Who Needs This In Their Ears

If you've ever survived something that should have broken you and came out the other side wondering what's next—this is your book. If you love memoirs that prioritize emotional truth over chronological completeness, Heartland has that same unflinching honesty about what survival actually costs. If you need a reminder that it's never too late for love, for peace, for joy.

Skip it if you want a deep dive into the music industry or a comprehensive career retrospective. That's not what this is.

Save Yourself First

I finished this one while working on a particularly frustrating rebrand, and something about Tina's voice (via Simms) in my ears—her absolute refusal to be defined by her worst experiences—it just shifted something in me. She fought for her happiness. She didn't wait for permission.

Abuela would have loved this one. She always said the best love stories are the ones where you save yourself first.