#1 [2026/CBR18] Say Everything by Ione Skye

I was probably about twelve years old when I first watched Say Anything with John Cusack and Ione Skye, and it made a deep impression on me. In fact, it shaped my goals for most of my teenage years. I still have a very clear memory of Ione Skye's character, Diane, marking every word that she looked up in her giant dictionary. I thought she was beautiful and smart, and I wanted to be just like her. In fact, because of Diane, I was intent on becoming my high school valedictorian and going to Harvard (neither of which actually happened).

So, when I saw Say Everything (2025), a memoir by Ione Skye, I knew I wanted to read it. Despite my obsession with Diane as a child, I knew virtually nothing about the woman who played her. I had never noticed her in any other movies, and I knew nothing of her career or her personal life.

Ione Skye was born in 1970, making her about nine years older than me. We are close enough in age that I am familiar with many of her contemporaries. In fact, I had a crush on many of her friends and boyfriends as she grew up. Skye has had a fascinating, challenging life, and I admire how openly she discusses aspects of her young-adult life in this book. With that said, Skye does not go into much detail about her life with her current husband and daughters. I imagine it's easier to talk about things farther in the past than current events. I also assume her life has stabilized some since her teens and twenties.

The simplest way for me to finish this review is just touch on some parts of the book that I found especially interesting.

    -Ione Skye's father was famous Scottish folk singer, Donovan Leitch, who left her mother before she was born and had no interest or contact with her for most of her life. This definitely influenced some of Skye's actions later in life. For instance, Skye dated primarily musicians and had some very unhealthy relationships.

    -When Ione Skye was hired for her first movie at fifteen, she was told she had to become emancipated so the studio would not have to comply with child labor laws on the set. This was apparently commonplace for teenagers in Hollywood.

    -Ione Skye made out with Keanu Reeves when she did a movie with him. She was young at the time, and Keanu very nicely rejected her advances for more. (I am so glad he wasn't a creep with her, but I would expect nothing less).

    -Ione Skye was friends with River Phoenix.

    -Ione Skye dated Antony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers for years, beginning when she was sixteen and he was twenty four. He was also a heroin addict and cheated on her relentlessly. This relationship was not healthy, to say the least.

    -After Kiedis, Ione Skye married Adam Horowitz from the Beastie Boys. She talks about how she truly loved him, but she was pretty messed up and cheated on him constantly--often with Madonna's ex-lovers.

-This was fascinating because I also listened to Brooke Shields memoir, but Ione Skye was only six years or so younger than Brooke Shields. Skye watched Shields' controversial film, Pretty Baby, and was entranced by Brooke Shields. 

I found this book very interesting. I had no idea how entrenched in Hollywood and famous musicians Ione Skye was--even as a kid. I did find it somewhat difficult to read her story when she was still young and obviously struggling. She was lucky that she didn't end up with AIDS or other STD's after being with Kiedis. And her constant cheating despite her love for her husband was like watching a deliberate car crash. The inside look into what it was like filming Say Anything as well as some of her other projects was also absorbing. Finally, it was interesting to see how directly her father's rejection and indifference affected her, and I was happy to see that she was able to move past that and create what sounds like a good life for herself.

Recommended.