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Standby
40 year old Beth McDonough lived and breathed tv news.
Ever since she was a little girl, she wanted to be an investigative reporter, like the savvy women she watched on the nightly news growing up in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. Beth thrived on the adrenaline of breaking a BIG story, holding the corrupt accountable, exposing public demons and covering just about any kind of tragic disaster out 9/11, the 35W Bridge collapse, the overdose death of Prince, the confession of monsters like Jacob Wetterling's abductor, Jayme Closs' escape from her kidnapper and the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody along with the months worth of riots and racial reckoning protests that followed nationwide.
Beth worked her way up from a rookie journalist in small towns to becoming a high-profile crime & justice reporter in major cities. She earned a reputation for being tenacious and resourceful, and thriving under the pressure of constant deadlines that are the daily news machine. With every word of the scripts she wrote, Beth strived to be among the best of the best storyteller's in TV news.
But Beth had a dark secret of her own, one she'd tried to keep to herself for years, but couldn't contain it anymore.
She was forced to confront it in the worst publicly. Overnight, she went from being a star storyteller to the subject of scandalous news stories. Mugshots replaced her headshots on social media sites, stories about her arrests and criminal charges were all over the radio & tv news in Minneapolis and soon after, national gossip shows and sites. Beth became the news.
She was fired, broke, on the verge of bankruptcy and homelessness. And she only had herself to blame...would she carry this burden of being an alcoholic with her for the rest of her life and wallow in the weight of that. Or, could she summon up the strength to fight for the only life she has, sober up and perhaps one day, be the reason someone else refuses to surrender to addiction.
Ever since she was a little girl, she wanted to be an investigative reporter, like the savvy women she watched on the nightly news growing up in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. Beth thrived on the adrenaline of breaking a BIG story, holding the corrupt accountable, exposing public demons and covering just about any kind of tragic disaster out 9/11, the 35W Bridge collapse, the overdose death of Prince, the confession of monsters like Jacob Wetterling's abductor, Jayme Closs' escape from her kidnapper and the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody along with the months worth of riots and racial reckoning protests that followed nationwide.
Beth worked her way up from a rookie journalist in small towns to becoming a high-profile crime & justice reporter in major cities. She earned a reputation for being tenacious and resourceful, and thriving under the pressure of constant deadlines that are the daily news machine. With every word of the scripts she wrote, Beth strived to be among the best of the best storyteller's in TV news.
But Beth had a dark secret of her own, one she'd tried to keep to herself for years, but couldn't contain it anymore.
She was forced to confront it in the worst publicly. Overnight, she went from being a star storyteller to the subject of scandalous news stories. Mugshots replaced her headshots on social media sites, stories about her arrests and criminal charges were all over the radio & tv news in Minneapolis and soon after, national gossip shows and sites. Beth became the news.
She was fired, broke, on the verge of bankruptcy and homelessness. And she only had herself to blame...would she carry this burden of being an alcoholic with her for the rest of her life and wallow in the weight of that. Or, could she summon up the strength to fight for the only life she has, sober up and perhaps one day, be the reason someone else refuses to surrender to addiction.
160 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2025
6 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 26, 2026
ARC REVIEW
This memoir by Beth McDonough offers a candid look at her professional life and the challenges that led her to use alcohol as a means of escape. Her story of overcoming adversity and finding recovery is both inspiring and well-written. It was an engaging and fast-paced read.
Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review
December 24, 2025
An honest story about a woman in crisis, and how she finds a way forward.
Beth is a successful journalist, and from the outside looking in, all is well- but in reality she is overwhelmed, stressed, and full of grief. Her life is out of control. She must find the strength to ask for help.
I received a copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Beth is a successful journalist, and from the outside looking in, all is well- but in reality she is overwhelmed, stressed, and full of grief. Her life is out of control. She must find the strength to ask for help.
I received a copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 16, 2026
I downloaded an ARC Kindle version from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
My honest review is I really enjoyed this book for the following reasons:
1) it’s a true life memoir
2) it’s a fast, easy and short read
3) Beth is honest about her addiction, struggles and has helped others and appears to have rebuilt her life
4) Beth sought help and sobriety and seems to have maintained the sobriety part
I definitely recommend this book. It’s raw and emotional too at the end and had me in tears.
My honest review is I really enjoyed this book for the following reasons:
1) it’s a true life memoir
2) it’s a fast, easy and short read
3) Beth is honest about her addiction, struggles and has helped others and appears to have rebuilt her life
4) Beth sought help and sobriety and seems to have maintained the sobriety part
I definitely recommend this book. It’s raw and emotional too at the end and had me in tears.
January 17, 2026
Standby is a memoir by Beth McDonough, focusing on her relationship with alcohol. We are able to see the slow descent into alcoholism. We see the excuses that can be made and how they don’t see it as a problem until it slams into them and how even then it can be hard to get help. While memoirs are deeply personal and intimate, I felt that this one was more so than the average. You can feel the descension into the alcoholism through her thinking and actions. You can see and feel the derailment of her career, one she worked so hard for, and her relationship with her family. It paints the picture of the alcoholism and its relationship with her career, her family, and personal life.
I really enjoyed that she showed the importance of her relationship with her family as it’s imperative to her memoir’s events. We see how deeply she cared for her parents and how she still lied and still succumbed to the addiction and lost her dad due to it. It shows the devastating side effects, not just losing your car, your license, your freedom, but the important and loved relationships you can have. And I think that is crucial to show because people don’t understand addiction. This is an intimate portrait of what addiction is, what it can do to you even when you love people and your job. People do not choose this. I think this is an important book because it can show people a truth of what can happen. If people want to understand alcoholism a little better, and addiction itself, this is a great book to read.
I really enjoyed that she showed the importance of her relationship with her family as it’s imperative to her memoir’s events. We see how deeply she cared for her parents and how she still lied and still succumbed to the addiction and lost her dad due to it. It shows the devastating side effects, not just losing your car, your license, your freedom, but the important and loved relationships you can have. And I think that is crucial to show because people don’t understand addiction. This is an intimate portrait of what addiction is, what it can do to you even when you love people and your job. People do not choose this. I think this is an important book because it can show people a truth of what can happen. If people want to understand alcoholism a little better, and addiction itself, this is a great book to read.
January 16, 2026
Standby was a quick, interesting read, probably more so if you’re already familiar with the author from her journalism and tv career, which wasn’t the case for me.
The main narrative was interspersed with backstory and anecdotes which sometimes felt a little sparse. I would have preferred a little more focus on the main narrative, especially the aftermath and recovery.
Sadly, the editing job was less than stellar, there were a few questionable verb tenses, some awkwardly worded sentences, and far, far too many chapter breaks.
Many thanks to Book Sirens and the author for the chance to read an ARC copy.
The main narrative was interspersed with backstory and anecdotes which sometimes felt a little sparse. I would have preferred a little more focus on the main narrative, especially the aftermath and recovery.
Sadly, the editing job was less than stellar, there were a few questionable verb tenses, some awkwardly worded sentences, and far, far too many chapter breaks.
Many thanks to Book Sirens and the author for the chance to read an ARC copy.
January 23, 2026
Standby was an easy and engaging read overall.
Reading about her experiences as a reporter and the things she witnessed on the job really opened my eyes to how difficult and traumatizing that line of work can be. I grew to have a lot of respect for journalists and reporters—not just for what they face in the field, but also for the constant criticism they receive from viewers, even down to comments about their appearance.
While it doesn’t excuse her drinking, I could empathize with why she turned to numbing as a way to cope. The book helped me better understand the pressures and emotional toll of that career, and for that reason alone, it was worth the read.
Reading about her experiences as a reporter and the things she witnessed on the job really opened my eyes to how difficult and traumatizing that line of work can be. I grew to have a lot of respect for journalists and reporters—not just for what they face in the field, but also for the constant criticism they receive from viewers, even down to comments about their appearance.
While it doesn’t excuse her drinking, I could empathize with why she turned to numbing as a way to cope. The book helped me better understand the pressures and emotional toll of that career, and for that reason alone, it was worth the read.
February 11, 2026
I am grateful to have received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a very well written memoir. It starts out strong and connects you to the author, then brings you back to the past and returns you to a more present time period. It is a heat breaking story, and I deeply appreciate the vulnerability and strength it takes to share this with the world. It is a very valuable read; especially for anyone who is dealing with addiction, either directly, or through a loved one.
September 18, 2025
Standby is a transparent self disclosure of a prominent big market crime reporter whose struggle with alcohol addiction led to a sudden fall from the pinnacle of her career to rock bottom in a matter of hours. In recovery for over 16 years, she delivers hope, resilience and insight. This is the story of her fall, her second book to follow will walk us through the rise back to work and rebuilding friendships.
October 31, 2025
Alcohol Addiction Life’s Destruction Is Transformative Into A New Life. Nobody THINKS Happen Too Them, But ESCAPE From Emotional PAIN, Stress, Etc. Slips Into An Intoxicating Addiction. AA Stories Are Acceptable With Meetings, But Book Brings Beth’s Confession Too Readers. Lesson Of Living Is GROWTH As A Person, New Identity, And Helping Others To Heal. Beth, A Former News Reporter; Entire Life BLEW UP Job, Loses Car, Home, & Broke! STOP BOOZE Folks, NOT WORTH IT Before Happens Too YOU!
October 14, 2025
Such an important book!
Wow. Beth’s story is powerful and definitely worth reading.
It’s so painful that it’s almost hard to read, and yet I couldn’t put it down. It’s so raw and so real. I admire her tenacity courage. And she teaches us all about what it really means to be an alcoholic.
Wow. Beth’s story is powerful and definitely worth reading.
It’s so painful that it’s almost hard to read, and yet I couldn’t put it down. It’s so raw and so real. I admire her tenacity courage. And she teaches us all about what it really means to be an alcoholic.
December 22, 2025
Suitably reassuring for those battling alcoholism and suitably terrifying for those who have a problem with alcohol but don't know it yet, Standby is a tale of increasing alcohol lows, followed by the help that Beth finally got.
For people with substance problems, I'm sure this would be an automatic 5 star read. Received from Booksirens for an honest review.
For people with substance problems, I'm sure this would be an automatic 5 star read. Received from Booksirens for an honest review.
September 17, 2025
This is good and I don't like to read....I can't put it down, Beth's writing made me feel like I was there. The last two chapters made me cry.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews