Adele’s partner Rich Paul says it was difficult for her to read his new memoir

Adele‘s partner, top sports agent Rich Paul, had a traumatic childhood, which is why he tells People it was hard for Adele to read his new memoir.

The book, Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds, is out October 10 and details Paul’s upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, where his mother struggled with drug addiction and was often absent, and he was forced to duck gunfire and occasionally run for his life in the crime-ridden section of the city where he lived.

Since Adele also had a difficult childhood, including an absent father, Paul tells People her response to the book was “very emotional,” adding, “I think a lot of it probably hit home, so yeah, it was a difficult read [for her].”

“When you read the book, you get to dive into a lot of the things that I had to overcome,” Paul continues. “But … I was lucky enough to be able to continue down a path where there wasn’t a ton of light, but the door was cracked with a little light and I was smart enough not to invest in the pitfalls that were there for me every day in my environment.”