Make a Home Out of You

Born to an abusive mother and a drug-dealer father, Ginelle Testa is not exactly set up for success—and her early years are just as troubled as one might expect. By the end of her thirteenth year, she’s started experimenting with alcohol and drugs, has fallen prey to anorexia, and has been sexually assaulted. And that’s only the beginning of her spiral down into addiction and disordered eating.

As Ginelle progresses into young adulthood, she hits several substance-related bottoms. In her senior year of college, after blacking out and ending up naked in her dorm’s community shower, she goes to Alcoholics Anonymous and gets sober. But steering clear of drugs and alcohol, she discovers, is not a cure-all; despite the positive changes she’s made, her sex and dating life continue to be troubled and turbulent. Then she finally finds Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous . . . and begins to truly heal.

Raw, relatable, and powerful, Testa’s is a riveting tale of climbing up from rock bottom—and learning to make a home in oneself instead of in substances and other people.

Author: Ginelle Testa
Publication Date: September 3, 2024

Categories: Fall 2024, Memoir

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About the Author

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2024 Living Now Book Awards Bronze Medalist in Memoir — Female

“Raw and uncompromisingly honest, Ginelle Testa’s memoir takes readers on a whirlwind journey through her story of addiction, recovery, and the search for her soul. Like me, you’ll cry at her failures and rejoice in her triumphs. I guarantee you won’t be able to put down this beautifully crafted memoir.”
—Susen Edwards, author of What a Trip: A Novel

“Testa’s intimate memoir is a harrowing and ultimately triumphant tale of her decades-long odyssey of self-destructive addiction. From the first page, as each painful episode of her obsessive compulsive behaviors plays out, we are hooked. With superhuman courage and conviction, Testa transcends a life of setbacks and despair to emerge as a powerful, purposeful woman. So many will be inspired by her brave story.”
—Shary Hauer, author of Insatiable: A Memoir of Love Addiction

“A raw and honest portrait of unhealed trauma and its ripple effect on a young life. With an intense yearning for things, people, and vices, the author earned a heap of battle scars on the journey to self-love and acceptance. This story reminds us that love starts at home, and that home resides within.”
—Suzanne Simonetti, USA Today best-selling author of The Sound of Wings

“Make a Home Out of You shines with honesty and introspection. Reading it feels like taking in the intimate diary of a friend as she grapples with body-shame, sexuality, and longings to feel safe and loved. At times heartbreaking, Testa’s memoir is more a story about perseverance, resiliency, and the transformation of trauma’s aftermath into something meaningful and brimming with hope.”
—August McLaughlin, author and podcast host of Girl Boner

About the Author

Ginelle Testa (she/they) is a writer originally from Hudson, NH. She has an MS in digital marketing and design from Brandeis University and a BA in sociology from Rivier University, and has been featured in Insider, Byrdie, Tiny Buddha, and other places. She’s a queer person in recovery. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys doing restorative yoga, playing video games, and thrifting eclectic clothes. Ginelle lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Author: Ginelle Testa
Publication date: September 3rd, 2024