Bad Mormon Book Review: A Memoir by Heather Gay
In today’s Bad Mormon book review, we’re going to be discussing the 2023 memoir by television personality and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay.
The reason why I decided to read this book now is because I recently watched The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that came out on Hulu. It’s basically my first foray into reality television in many, many years. I used to watch some Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom on MTV but that was it. I had never seen a Real Housewives show or anything of the like.
Anyway, my biggest takeaway from the show was that the values of the Mormon church are so ingrained into its members from childhood that it can be very difficult for them to live without feelings of guilt and shame. And that must be such a hard way to live. So when I heard about Heather’s memoir I was immediately interested to hear about her viewpoint of growing up Mormon and how that affected her. She gives very detailed descriptions of her religious journey and experience of the temple.
If you like celebrity memoirs and stories about people breaking free from the lds church, I think you’ll find this book very interesting. Heather Gay’s Bad Mormon is an interesting combination of the two.
If you enjoyed today’s book review, you can read more of my book discussions here.
What is Bad Mormon by Heather Gay about?
Straight off the slopes and into the spotlight, Heather Gay is famous for speaking the gospel truth. Whether as a businesswoman, mother, or television personality, she is unafraid to blaze a new trail, even if it means losing family, friends, and her community.
Born and bred to be devout, Heather based her life around her faith. She attended Brigham Young University, served a mission in France, and married into Mormon royalty in the temple. But her life as a good Mormon abruptly ended when she lost the marriage and faith that she had once believed would last forever.
With writing that is beautiful, sad, funny, and true, Heather recounts the difficult discovery of the darkness and damage that often exists behind a picture-perfect life, while examining the nuanced relationship between duty to self and duty to God. “An eye-opening firsthand account of religious indoctrination told with candor and sincerity” (Interview magazine), Bad Mormon is an unfiltered look at the religion that broke her heart. (from Amazon.com)
Who is Heather Gay?
Heather Gay is a reality TV star best known for her role on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, where she gained attention for her candidness and humor. She co-owns a beauty and med spa business called Beauty Lab + Laser in Salt Lake City. Heather is also known for her journey of questioning her Mormon faith and navigating single motherhood.
My Initial Thoughts
I wound up listening to the audiobook of Bad Mormon because I enjoy listening to celebrity memoirs while I walk. I was especially interested in Heather’s story because of the topic and I was pleasantly surprised that the audiobook is read by the author. I always love listening to someone read their own story.
Heather starts her story at the very beginning, describing her life with her mormon family and her early childhood. Her parents are devout Mormons and Heather is proud of her family and her religion. Although she knows that some people are Mormon while others are not, as a young girl she doesn’t realize how different her family is from others.
But as she grows older and realizes that not all families are like hers, she starts to have an internal struggle. Especially when she becomes a young adult and the church tries to get more involved in her personal life. The story of her religious journey and finding her way into adulthood is one that a lot of people can probably relate to.
My Biggest Takeaway
I found Heather’s business minded brain so inspiring. She described at least 4 or 5 businesses that she’s had or been a part of in this book. From jewelry design to photography to running a med spa to being star of Bravo. Not to mention that she’s also a mother of three. She’s done so much in her life and I find it really inspiring. I was really rooting for her as she told the story of how she first got involved with the med spa as a social media manager of sorts and then had unforeseen success.
One story that really stands out to me is about how in college she worked at a tanning salon and was solely responsible for most of the tanning oil sales. Then when she goes on her Mormon mission she holds the record of like, being responsible for 16 baptisms. While the rest of the missions only have maybe 1.
It’s really clear from all of her stories that she was meant to be a business owner. I’m glad that her complicated relationship with her religion didn’t hold her back from doing what she was good at.
I actually Learned a lot about Mormonism
I would say about 50% of the book is about Heather’s life before marriage. That includes growing up going to church with her family, joining the temple, becoming a graduate of Brigham Young University, serving a Mormon mission in France, and eventually meeting her now ex husband.
I was aware of some of mormonism’s sacred rituals thanks to Secret Lives and from watching this youtube channel, but Heather really explained things in her book. She talked about her temple ceremony and her mission that she served in France.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
I would say maybe the last 15% of the book is about Real Housewives. She talks briefly about Lisa Barlow, Jen Shah, Mary Cosby, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, and a few other people form Bravo. I was worried I wouldn’t understand this part because of not having seen the show but she does a good job of explaining how the show came to be and how she became a tv sensation.
You don’t have to know every Bravo personality to understand this story because she does a good job of explaining. But for fans of the show, I think you’ll find the little bit that she shares about the casting process very fascinating.
In Conclusion
Gay’s book is an incredibly interesting and vulnerable memoir. She doesn’t sugar coat things. She shares both the good and the bad with us, and I think that’s what makes her book feel so real. I appreciated her unfiltered revelations about growing up, trying to live her life in a way that pleased her church and her family, and eventually figuring out what would make her truly happy.
I think she is really brave for sharing everything she did in her first memoir. Apparently she has a new book coming out called Good Time Girl that I’m sure will be a captivating read as well. Her charismatic personality shines through in Bad Mormon and it has me looking forward to anything she publishes in the future.
Thanks for reading my Bad Mormon book review! If you enjoyed today’s post, you can read more of my book reviews here.
