Book Summary
In DOLORES: My Journey Home, Catherine Paiz—known to millions as the matriarch of YouTube’s ACE Family—pulls back the curtain on her seemingly perfect life. Co-written with New York Times bestselling author Riley J. Ford, this memoir chronicles Paiz’s journey from multicultural Montreal to Los Angeles fame, where she built a digital empire with 4 million+ followers . Behind the glamorous facade, however, Paiz faced betrayal, public scrutiny, and a gradual loss of identity. The book’s most compelling moments detail her decision to step away from the spotlight, alchemizing pain into strength through spiritual awakening and motherhood .
Structured as a three-act transformation (Part One releases June 6, 2025), the narrative balances celebrity memoir candor with universal themes of self-reinvention. While some sections about YouTube logistics may interest only superfans, Paiz’s vulnerability about postpartum depression and the paradox of “influencer isolation” resonates widely. The prose—polished by Ford’s experience with celebrity collaborations—shines in passages about quiet moments of doubt between curated Instagram posts .
Key Themes
The memoir’s core explores authenticity versus performance. Paiz reflects on how playing “perfect mom” for the camera distorted her self-perception, particularly when facing fertility struggles she couldn’t share with followers . Her description of filming a cheerful family vlog minutes after a marital argument lays bare the emotional labor of digital fame. This duality peaks when she discusses the “spiritual awakening” that occurred unnoticed by her audience—a poignant metaphor for the disconnect between her public and private selves .
Another central theme is redefining success. The book critiques the influencer economy’s unsustainable demands, contrasting Paiz’s early hustle (48-hour filming marathons, brand deal pressures) with her later realization that “no amount of views could fill the hole where my voice should be” . Her journey from metrics-driven validation to creative fulfillment—through writing, philanthropy, and unscripted motherhood—offers a blueprint for anyone feeling trapped by others’ expectations.
What Makes It Unique
DOLORES stands out in the celebrity memoir genre by exposing the algorithmic pressures behind viral fame. Paiz details how family vlogging requires constant self-editing, sharing how she’d reshoot mundane moments like breakfast to appear “more relatable.” These industry insights—combined with Ford’s narrative pacing—create a gripping metanarrative about storytelling itself . Unlike most influencer books that glorify the grind, this one questions its cost, particularly when discussing how her children became “unwitting cast members” in their own lives.
The collaboration with Riley J. Ford (New York Times bestselling author and CAA-represented writer) elevates the prose beyond typical ghostwritten memoirs. Ford’s experience with Netflix adaptations shows in cinematic scenes, like Paiz staring at a wall of unopened PR packages while crying over a pregnancy loss no one knew about . The book’s structure—using seasonal metaphors (winter for her ACE Family exit, spring for rebirth)—avoids linear clichés, instead mirroring the nonstop content cycle it critiques.
Reader Reactions
Early reviewers praise Paiz’s “brave vulnerability,” with one noting, “She could’ve written a fluff piece about YouTube fame, but chose radical honesty instead” . Readers particularly connect with her passages about motherhood in the spotlight, like when she describes panicking that her toddler’s tantrum wouldn’t get “enough likes” to justify including it in a vlog . The audiobook version (read by Paiz, releasing July 1, 2025) is already generating buzz for its emotional delivery of these moments .
Some critique the book’s uneven pacing—childhood chapters feel rushed compared to detailed ACE Family years—while others wish for more about co-parenting post-fame. However, most agree the spiritual awakening chapter (“The Night I Realized 10M Followers Didn’t Know Me”) delivers a payoff that recontextualizes earlier material. As one NetGalley reviewer wrote, “This isn’t just an influencer tell-all; it’s about what happens when the world knows your name but not your soul” .
About the Authors
Catherine Paiz is a Montreal-born creator, entrepreneur, and mother of three who co-founded the ACE Family YouTube channel (18M+ subscribers). After building one of digital media’s most-watched platforms, she pivoted to philanthropy and writing. Her background in modeling and brand collaborations informs the book’s sharp critiques of influencer culture, while her experiences with postpartum depression and fertility struggles ground its emotional core .
Riley J. Ford, a New York Times bestselling author and UCLA graduate represented by CAA, brings narrative polish to the project. Known for collaborating with major influencers, Ford helped structure Paiz’s story to resonate beyond YouTube audiences. Her upcoming Netflix adaptation experience shows in the book’s visual storytelling, particularly in scenes contrasting Paiz’s highly produced videos with raw private moments .
Memorable Quotes
“I built a castle of views and likes, then realized I was the prisoner inside it.”
— Paiz on the paradox of digital fame “Motherhood shouldn’t come with a call sheet, but mine did for years.”
— On filming parenting moments instead of living them “My awakening happened in front of 10 million people—and not one of them noticed.”
— The spiritual turning point
Where to Buy
DOLORES: My Journey Home releases in multiple formats: