Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - The Woman in Me

5.00/5.00

Britney Spears is a living legend. We are so lucky she is still here and was willing to be so vulnerable with the public, who has historically treated her so wrong, and tell her story. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone with any interest in Britney, pop culture/music, mental health, feminism, or conservatorships taking the time to read this book. So many quotes have stuck with me since reading this memoir, and regardless of how well you think it was written or not, it does what it was meant to: tell the unabashed truth about what happened to Britney Spears and the poor treatment she received from the vast majority of people close to her as well as the public eye throughout her life, particularly at the height of her stardom and career, and give a glimpse into one of many unnecessary conservatorships used to strip people of their personal, professional, and financial freedoms, all from the point of view of Britney herself.

What an absolute icon.

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rainy_8's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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lindcherry's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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cmlalonde's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Spice Rating: 🫑 / 5 🌶️

What a gut-wrenching story told from a prominent celebrity voice. Britney was a staple in so many peoples' lives, and I'm so glad she's finally speaking up.

Britney Spears is a household name today, but in this memoir, Britney speaks on her humble beginnings and how she got to celebrity status. Though she has been through so much, Britney still has her faith, humor, and good heart.

The Woman in Me had me laughing and tearing up within the same chapter. It just goes to show that if we put our minds to it, we can truly be unbreakable. I have even more respect for Britney after reading her memoir and am so proud of her for what she has accomplished and where she's at today.

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lara_ayrolla's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

It was really fun to read and listen to Britney's entire discography. I highly recommend it in case you haven't heard all of her music yet.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from this book but I knew I was going to learn details about some gossip and I hoped I was going to understand who Britney really is and what she felt through different periods of her life. I expected to cry and feel bad for Britney, but I definitely did not expect to feel inspired and eager to turn around my own life.

I didn't expect to read about an incredibly kind and strong woman, and I didn't expect it to be exactly what I needed to read about at this moment of my life, but it was and I loved it.

Sadly, the experience wasn't perfect. The reading was a little bumpy because of the writing style. That is the only reason the book lost some points in my evaluation, not at all the content itself.

Pros:

I loved how Britney used her experiences and how she reacted to them to exemplify how her brain worked at certain times in her life.
Britney's kindness and strength are inspiring and awesome to read about. She seems like a great person.
The way the book starts and ends referencing the same moment of her laying down on the rocks as a child was clever and satisfying, tying it all together.

Cons:

The tone of the writing is a little distant and too straightforward. There aren't many details and it feels like an enumeration of everything she's lived.
The connection between paragraphs and sometimes even sentences is not very cohesive. The subjects change way too quickly and out of the blue.
A few iconic moments and pictures are mentioned but the images aren't included in the book. That would've made the reading experience much nicer, as I had to look up a lot of pictures.

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zesha's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

C – I can’t really speak for the credibility of this book. It feels trustworthy to me, and that’s about all I can go off of. But because of that, this book leaves me deeply sad and angry for Britney. She was wronged in so many ways, most of all by her own family.

A – I feel this book is authentic. It brings what Britney felt, and probably contradicts her mom’s and sister’s books that they put out. I may try to find and read those sometime, just to see what they say. But only if I can find them through the library or somewhere free—I refuse to give money to either of them.

W – The writing felt really good to me, easy to read and it flowed well. It kind of reminded me of how I write, so perhaps that’s why I like it so much.

P – There was… a lot in this book. It hit me hard. I had only known bits and pieces from the media, and we all know how the media loves to contort things. But this does show that sometimes, you have to fight for yourself. It might mean waiting until the right moment, but your own freedom is important to your mental health.

I – I wanted to keep reading this book whenever I looked away from it, and often had to keep myself from going back to it because I knew I needed to sleep/do other things.

L – I mean, the conservatorship didn’t make a bit of sense, but it happened anyway, didn’t it? Ridiculous. I’m just glad she managed to get out of it. Thirteen years though…

E – Is “enjoy” the right word for this book? I learned a lot about Britney through it, but I’m not sure if I’d say I enjoyed learning those things. But I do feel like I understand her better now, so for that I’ll give her high marks.

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