Sophia Bush has told her story on screen for more than 20 years. In her first book, she tells it in her own words.
And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress was released on October 27, 2026, by Flatiron Books. The hardcover is 304 pages, and the audiobook is read by Bush herself. This is not a full review of every chapter. It is a clear guide to what the book covers, what Bush says it is and is not, and who will get the most from reading it, based on the publisher’s description and Bush’s own interviews about the book.
What is the book about?
The book follows Bush from childhood to the present. The publisher’s description of the book says she writes about a bohemian childhood in Los Angeles, the move from journalism student to actor, and the decade she spent on One Tree Hill.
That decade is a large part of the book. Bush played Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2012. In the book, she writes about relationships on and off screen during that time, and about fighting for her character’s integrity. She also writes about marriage and divorce in the spotlight, and about her years in Chicago on Chicago P.D., where she played Detective Erin Lindsay from 2014 to 2017.
The book is not only about work. Bush also writes about activism, friendship, chosen family, and funny moments from her life, including vacations that went wrong. The publisher describes the book as a journey through “becoming, un-becoming, and becoming again.” In simple terms, it is about learning who she is after years of other people telling her story for her.
Is it a tell-all?
Bush says no, not in the usual sense. In an interview about the memoir, she said the book was never meant to be a list of everything that happened. She described it as an attempt to understand what happened to her.
That matters for readers. If you are looking for a book that names names and settles old scores page after page, this is not framed that way. If you want to understand how Bush looks back on fame, work, and personal choices with more distance now, that is closer to what the book offers.
Bush has also said she wrote hundreds of pages that did not make it into the final book. She is keeping some stories for herself. That choice fits the main idea of the book: telling her story on her own terms, rather than telling everything.
What does she say about her marriage to Chad Michael Murray?
This is the part of the book that has received the most attention, and it needs care. Bush and Murray met on the set of One Tree Hill and began dating in 2003. They married two years later, when Bush was 22 and Murray was 23, but separated after five months. Their divorce was finalized in December 2006.
Bush had mostly avoided talking about the marriage in detail before this book. She has called it the thing she never wanted to speak about. In the book, she revisits it because, as she explained, it was hard to leave out of a memoir about her life. Her editor, she said, pointed out that the story was already easy to find online.
In recent comments reported about the book, Bush has said she has moved on, wishes Murray well, and sees them both as adults and parents now. The book, in her framing, is less about blame and more about trust, boundaries, and how she understands her younger self now. Readers should read her own words in context, rather than relying on short excerpts shared online.
The book also touches on friendship during that period. Bush has said her One Tree Hill co-star Hilarie Burton Morgan warned her against dating Murray. That detail is part of a wider story about advice, youth, and learning from experience, not the whole book on its own.
What does the book say about Chicago P.D.?
Bush left Chicago P.D. after four seasons. In December 2018, she cited abusive behavior as the reason for leaving the show. The publisher’s description uses a strong image for that period: a dream job forced her into two lives, a badge-wearing protector on screen, and a woman in need of protecting in the other.
Readers who followed Erin Lindsay will find this section useful because it connects the public role with the private experience behind it. The book does not need to repeat every detail to make that point clear. It places the Chicago years in the same pattern as the rest of the memoir: a job that looked strong from the outside, and a harder reality that Bush only later felt able to name.
Bush has since taken other screen roles, including Dr. Cass Beckman in Grey’s Anatomy, and she has continued her podcast, Work in Progress with Sophia Bush, which she has hosted since 2019. She is also set to appear in the Hulu limited series Count My Lies. The memoir sits alongside that later work, not as an ending to her career.
Who should read it?
This book will suit you best if you:
- Watched One Tree Hill or Chicago P.D. and want to hear Bush’s own view of those years.
- Like celebrity memoirs that focus on growth and reflection, rather than only on headlines.
- Are interested in how fame, work, and activism can shape a person’s choices over time.
- Want a readable, personal book, rather than a formal biography written by someone else.
It may not suit you if you want a short, news-style summary only. The value here is in Bush’s voice and in how she connects different parts of her life. Short excerpts online can show one moment, but they do not show how the book builds its argument about becoming herself again.
Readers who like screen-career profiles may also enjoy the profile of actress Rebecca Ferguson on this site, which looks at another acting career in a similar profile style.
Book facts at a glance
- Title: And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress
- Author: Sophia Bush
- Release date: October 27, 2026
- Publisher: Flatiron Books (Macmillan in the United States)
- Pages: 304, hardcover
- ISBN: 9781250457899
- Audiobook: Read by the author, from Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books
- First book: Yes, this is Bush’s first book
These facts help you check you have the right edition before you buy or borrow it. The title is long, so search by the author’s name and the first part of the title, And I Will Tell You Mine, if a shop or library search does not find the full subtitle at first.
The bottom line
And I Will Tell You Mine is best read as Bush reclaiming her own story. It covers a long acting career, a short and public early marriage, difficult work experiences, activism, and the slower work of understanding herself. It is direct, but Bush presents it as reflection rather than revenge.
For One Tree Hill fans, the most useful parts will be her account of the show and what it cost her. For other readers, the most useful parts may be her honesty about boundaries, work, and change after turning 40. Either way, start with the publisher’s description and Bush’s own interviews, and let the book speak for itself before judging it by one excerpt.
Frequently asked questions
When was Sophia Bush’s memoir released? It was released on October 27, 2026.
Is And I Will Tell You Mine Sophia Bush’s first book? Yes. It is her first book.
Is the book a tell-all about Chad Michael Murray? Bush says the book was not meant to be a ledger of everything that happened. It does revisit her short marriage, but she frames it as an attempt to understand what happened to her, and she says she has moved on.
Does the book cover Chicago P.D.? Yes. It covers her years in Chicago, her role as Erin Lindsay, and why that period was difficult for her, alongside her wider career.
Is there an audiobook? Yes. The audiobook is read by Sophia Bush herself.
