Brutally Honest: The Sunday Times Bestseller
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- Create Date：2024-03-26 14:20:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Melanie Brown
- ISBN：1837831564
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Summary
As a Spice Girl， TV talent show judge and Broadway star， Mel B a。k。a Scary Spice， has been a global icon since her twenties。 But behind the glittering façade of fame， the struggles and pain of this working-class， mixed-race girl from Leeds are laid bare in her critically acclaimed best-selling memoir， Brutally Honest。 With deep personal insight， remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour， the book tells how she went from Girl Power to girl powerless during her ten-year emotionally abusive marriage。 Tracing a path through the key moments in her life， she reflects on her childhood， rise to fame and her chilling downward spiral before she finally broke free。 In this brand new， updated and expanded edition written with Louise Gannon， Mel brings her story up to date。 With her trademark honesty， she tells the unfiltered story of piecing herself back together， dealing with trauma and new heartbreak whilst becoming a champion for survivors of abuse， performing once more with the Spice Girls and receiving her MBE from Prince William。
Reviews
Suzanne E
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If it can happen to a Spice Girl …。
Melissa Hollis
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The book was great， and Mel B。 put herself out there fully; however， the editing was lacking。 There were many grammatical errors。
Jodie Devereaux
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I found this book quite interesting， I was a big fan of the spice girls back in the day but wanted to read this particular book to find out about her relationship with Eddie Murphy。I found the chapters to be quite repetitive and the book itself wasn't that interesting。 I found this book quite interesting， I was a big fan of the spice girls back in the day but wanted to read this particular book to find out about her relationship with Eddie Murphy。I found the chapters to be quite repetitive and the book itself wasn't that interesting。 。。。more
Tabb
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Like Pamela Anderson's recent memoir， this one really surprised me。 I couldn't put it down。 Like Pamela Anderson's recent memoir， this one really surprised me。 I couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Amy Baukol Zertuche
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I love reading a book where I can learn from the author - Mel takes a deep dive and writes honest reflections of her life and shares it all vulnerably and beautifully。
Wayne Hill
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Bought for the missus & was getting annoyed that it was just gathering dust。 Found it really hard to engage with her story & find any sympathy for her。 One minute she’s telling us how down to earth she is the next she’s making elaborate purchases & showing off about how much money she has。
Scouticus
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Loved it！ Fascinating and read by Mel B。
S。 Reid
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As MY FAVORITE SG， MEL B/MELANIE BROWN'S STORY DID NOT DISAPPOINT ME NOT EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST WAY。THE TITLE SPEAKS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRUTHS。 As MY FAVORITE SG， MEL B/MELANIE BROWN'S STORY DID NOT DISAPPOINT ME NOT EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST WAY。THE TITLE SPEAKS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRUTHS。 。。。more
Christina
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Couldn't put it down！ It's really disjointed， but the content about her relationships with men is compelling。 I hope she finds true happiness！ Couldn't put it down！ It's really disjointed， but the content about her relationships with men is compelling。 I hope she finds true happiness！ 。。。more
Giulia
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Mel B's second memoir is a honest storytelling of her relationships with 3 of the most prominent men in her life: her father， Eddie Murphy and Stephen Belafonte。 Perhaps unexpected to fans this book is not focused on the glory days of the Spice Girls （this is likely covered in her previous memoir "Catch A Fire" - although I haven't yet read it）。Mel B unpacks how her childhood experiences， particularly her relationship with her father， impacted her future relationships。 However the narrative of t Mel B's second memoir is a honest storytelling of her relationships with 3 of the most prominent men in her life: her father， Eddie Murphy and Stephen Belafonte。 Perhaps unexpected to fans this book is not focused on the glory days of the Spice Girls （this is likely covered in her previous memoir "Catch A Fire" - although I haven't yet read it）。Mel B unpacks how her childhood experiences， particularly her relationship with her father， impacted her future relationships。 However the narrative of the book primarily follows the abuse she experienced in her marriage to Stephen Belafonte and her journey to leave him。 This book helps raise the general public's understanding of what is now known as "cohesive control"， breaking down long held judgements about why people don't "just leave" abusive relationships。An uninhibited and powerful story， breaking down myths about family violence and offering support and validation to those who have had similar experiences， "Brutally Honest" is much more than a celebrity memoir。 。。。more
Emma Louise
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First book I’ve read in years on my Kindle！ Glad I did as I have this in hardback but I don’t enjoy reading heavy books。This book is very honest， raw in places and tells the story of her marriages and relationships- mainly centred around her abusive marriage。 I admired Mel’s narration but it did jump back and forth a bit too much for me。 I’m glad she’s now free and can live her life freely。
Polly March
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Stephen would say if you wanted to kill a frog， you heated the water very slowly and then the frog would never realise that it was being boiled。I was a frog。 It happened very slowly。I’ve read this book straight off the back of Mel B’s first memoir， ‘Catch a Flame’， published in 2002。 That book left off after; the Spice Girls had agreed to take an （indefinite） break， her solo album had been released， she had her first daughter Phoenix and was divorced from her first husband， backing dancer Jimmy Stephen would say if you wanted to kill a frog， you heated the water very slowly and then the frog would never realise that it was being boiled。I was a frog。 It happened very slowly。I’ve read this book straight off the back of Mel B’s first memoir， ‘Catch a Flame’， published in 2002。 That book left off after; the Spice Girls had agreed to take an （indefinite） break， her solo album had been released， she had her first daughter Phoenix and was divorced from her first husband， backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar， and she’d moved to LA to take on more roles in acting and TV - which， going into this one， is ever so slightly heartbreaking as you know what is to come。 This is a memoir primarily about Mel’s relationships with men。 If you’re looking for memories of her time with the Spice Girls， this isn’t the book for you （although they are mentioned， and it’s a joy to read when they are）。 It’s squarely focused on all the men who’ve made an impact on her life， starting with her father， through to Jimmy her first husband， Eddie Murphy （the supposed ‘love of her life’） and， of course， Stephen。 She discusses what she feels caused her to pick the worst kind of man imaginable， and also offers up that grain of hope that even if you are stuck in an abusive relationship there’s always a way out。 So， going into this - and already as a lifelong Spice Girls fan - I felt I had a strong idea of who Mel B was/is。 I was also acutely aware of the tabloid fodder that had become her marriage and subsequent divorce - from the night of the infamous X Factor final， where she walked out on stage， head held high， showing the world her bruises， and perhaps most poignantly of all， her ringless fingers， having removed her wedding ring backstage before appearing on Live TV; to the revelations of threesomes， sex tapes and drug abuse that went on within their marriage。 Unfortunately， her most private and traumatising moments were already being flogged for public consumption。 However， what I wasn’t aware of， was that she subsequently， and ‘humiliatingly’ （in her words） went back to him almost immediately after that show stopping message on the X Factor - and it would take a further 3 years before she could leave for good。 I didn’t realise he had essentially kidnapped her youngest child， and that due to UK and US jurisdiction， she had no legal rights to stop him。 I didn’t realise she hadn’t seen and had barely spoken to her family in eight years， nor that this entire relationship was one regrettable rebound after her split from Eddie。 And what was made abundantly clear is that her ex husband was an out and out predator。 One who was a skilled narcissist， gaslighter， and fame hungry animal who would have destroyed anyone - even the informidable Melanie Brown。 “It has taken me a long time to see how I lost control of my mind， my reason and my future from the moment I said 'I do' in Vegas。 I was a strong， independent woman。 I had been the one who called the shots。 Of the Spice Girls， I was notoriously the one incapable of holding her tongue， incapable of being made to do anything I didn't want to do。 My whole Scary Spice persona was built on the fact that I was intimidated by no-one。” Where Mel succeeds most is spelling it out to people carefully and considerately， that abuse can happen to anyone。 From her years of work with Women’s Aid （first introduced in her 2002 memoir！） it is clear that Mel has done the work， both personally and professionally， to understand this societal issue and get this message out to thousands。 She discusses coercive behaviour; damaging their self esteem， leaving scars way deeper than bruises and driving people to the edge… it’s hard to recognise it’s happening， it’s hard to speak about it and it’s very hard to prove， the feelings of worthlessness that help the abuser maintain control; Those feelings of worthlessness don't disappear。 They stick with you like a filthy stain you can't get rid of。 You can be absolutely fine， happy， and then you feel it knock you off balance， clouding everything。， and how the day to day reality of abuse is an environment governed by terror， psychological control and total disorientation; If you're in it， you don't see it。 Horrible events happen time after time and you see no connection other than 'I can't believe this is happening'。 Violent things。 There is， there always is， trouble simmering between the two of you， but you remember it wasn't always like this。There were countless moments where I would be reading this and shaking my head， just feeling desperately sad and heartbroken for all those impacted by one man's selfish， narcissistic actions。 A man who was clearly weak， insecure and desperate to find his own identity - but lacked the emotional intelligence to do so， so just plugged his life source into the most vibrant of women he could manipulate in her weakest moments。Alongside the terror， Mel describes the cringeworthy， embarrassing， infuriating and even pity she felt towards him - how she desperately believed that this man - who could switch on the charm and bewitch her like no other- just needed to be saved and supported。 A story that one too many women can relate to。 The narrative can jump around at times which often made the timeline a little difficult to connect， but really I believe that this reading should be offered to young women everywhere， so they can at least begin to spot the signs early - （even as someone who understand this subject matter， just diving back into it made me hyper aware of all the toxic traits men have and the subtle， insidious ways they belittle the women around them。 PATHETIC。）I also want it noted that - although Mel speaks highly of her interactions with the police （perhaps owing to her status） - her story highlights how women are repeatedly failed both in reporting acts of violence， and when facing your abuser in the family courts。 An example of this is how she had to drop the domestic violence charges in order for the 64 sex tapes not to be shown in court and thereby become public domain。 Once again， the courts are enabling the abuser to blackmail their victim in plain sight。 I was also very alarmed to read that it was her family therapist who suggested she go back to Stephen after the night of the X Factor finale。 Considering she had already made one suicide attempt - and their Dr was aware of his aggressive nature - this felt hugely irresponsible and dangerous？ Thank God she was strong enough to survive the next 3 years， but I fear anyone reading this might actually consider that sound advice。 I will always be grateful for Mel for speaking out about this - sharing some of the darkest moments of her life， at risk for being mum shamed， ridiculed， gossiped about and worst of all; not believed。 But if someone as strong， confident， rich and successful as Scary Spice can be the victim of such horrific abuse， then it really can happen to anyone。 Hopefully， this will help take away the shame from victims， where no shame belongs。 。。。more
Aly Belcourt
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This is not your typical “story of my life” celebrity memoir。 This is the story of a woman trying to break free from an abusive relationship， and she just happens to be the famous Mel B。 My only complaint is that this book was not edited very well， there were a lot of spelling and factual errors （at one point Geri is described as leaving the Spice Girls in 1988， not 1998） We love you Scary Spice and we are so glad you are free！
Jacqueline
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Oh my， what a life she has led so far。 Extremely honest， in-depth honest， very eye opening and so sad in places。 We all have choices … thanks for sharing Mel。
Ashleigh Seale
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"Because if we are honest， if we are kind， if we are compassionate and if we are just there for each other， we are unstoppable。 We are goddesses。" I've been a Spice Girl fan since forever （sure i was only a couple years old when they first came out but lucky for me my aunt introduced me to them （（no not personally boy what a dream come true that would've been）） and I've loved them ever since。 Spice World is still one of my favourite movies。） And although i do love them all Mel B was always my fa "Because if we are honest， if we are kind， if we are compassionate and if we are just there for each other， we are unstoppable。 We are goddesses。" I've been a Spice Girl fan since forever （sure i was only a couple years old when they first came out but lucky for me my aunt introduced me to them （（no not personally boy what a dream come true that would've been）） and I've loved them ever since。 Spice World is still one of my favourite movies。） And although i do love them all Mel B was always my favourite alongside Mel C （i guess i have a thing for Melanies 😅）。My heart and soul broke into pieces every time i read what she went through at the hands of her ex。 I truly am proud of her and my admiration for her has since grown。 She had the vulnerability and the courage to be brutally honest （which is also the title of this book） with the world about EVERYTHING she went through for the ENTIRE world and their grandmas to judge （you better believe she faced some harsh judgements） and yet she didn't let that stop her at all from sharing her experiences。 I couldn't be happier that she escaped the toxicity of that relationship。 Many are not as lucky。 I'm glad she used her platform to bring awareness to such atrocities and hopefully in the future we can do and be better。 。。。more
Sarah
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i managed to read this entire book in two days （which may not sound fast to a lot of people， but to me who has dyslexia， it's a real achievement） and i have gained so much more respect for Mel。 i love the spice girls so much and i love all five of them for different reasons but after reading this and hearing about all the things she faced i made me realise that there is so much more to unpack in terms of her story （and im sure you could say the same for the other four girls）。she went into a lot i managed to read this entire book in two days （which may not sound fast to a lot of people， but to me who has dyslexia， it's a real achievement） and i have gained so much more respect for Mel。 i love the spice girls so much and i love all five of them for different reasons but after reading this and hearing about all the things she faced i made me realise that there is so much more to unpack in terms of her story （and im sure you could say the same for the other four girls）。she went into a lot of detail for most of the book and it genuinely shocked me with some of the stuff i read， sometimes she didn't （whether that be due to memory loss， her brain protecting her from those memories by blocking them out or it was something she wasn't comfortable sharing） and that's okay， i really think it was a good balance of both。i read a few reviews about how this book was poorly written and i think that is a very close-minded way to think。 yes， it's not perfect， there were a few errors grammar-wise， but that's not her fault。 the minor errors that were made weren't detrimental， you still understood what was happening， however， i think a lot of people were very critical in the way she decided to tell her story。 people need to understand that life isn't linear， it has ups and downs， certain events happen in people's lives that make them remember a past event in their life， it's normal。 i think the reason why a few people weren't a fan of the structure of the book is because they genuinely don't understand who Mel is as a person。 she bounces around from thought to thought， thinking about one thing and then quickly shifting to something else if she is reminded of something from the past and then she'll go on a tangent on something else， it's a common thing that people with ADHD do and i think because of that it confused and possibly made people lose interest in reading the book because they probably don't understand the way he brain bounces around。 i was able to follow along but that could be because i think and process things in the same way。overall i'm really grateful for all the things she was comfortable covering because i can only imagine it takes a lot of strength to openly admit those events that happened in her life to the public eye， especially if it involved reliving the trauma。 i hope that her book is a helpful source for women who are put in positions such as hers and i hope this book makes domestic violence against women a less taboo topic。 。。。more
Jean Watkins
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A page turnddEvery honest， horrific damaging relationship。 So thankful she survived and had the courage to write it。 My perception of her changed completely。 She's a phenomenal lady。 A page turnddEvery honest， horrific damaging relationship。 So thankful she survived and had the courage to write it。 My perception of her changed completely。 She's a phenomenal lady。 。。。more
Daniella Uzice
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Very emotional and Brutally Honest
Tiffany Devlin
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This was a heartbreaking read。 Loved hearing her stories and her process for writing the book。 Good book， not a lot of Spice Girls content in case that’s what you were looking for。 Very powerful story of womanhood。
Phil Hodgkiss
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Found this hard going， flitting back and forth between years and also very repetitive。
Stacy Mach
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Poorly written， jumpy in timelines， incredibly difficult to follow。 Her story should be told and she’s brave for doing it， but editors and her coauthor should have assisted in making this easier to follow。
Steph Ollman
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An interesting read， I had no idea what Mel B had gone through and found this a brave book for her to have written， real girl power！
Krystal Cook
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I did not realize how troubled she was until this book and her one ex was just horrible。 Glad she broke free and is living a better life
Claire
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Wow！ I only choose this book following Melanie C’s book making reference to it。What a harrowing read。 What Melanie brown went through at the hands of all the men she dated is shocking。 She is honest and raw in this book and holds absolutely nothing back。As an audiobook， she had her Mum and daughter tell their story personally and it reduced me to tears。Utterly heartbreaking but inspiring that she now supports women’s charities to help others
Alanna Inserra
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This is a tough one。 It’s hard not to judge Mel B harshly for allowing her daughter to be abused by her new husband， when she has so many resources at her fingertips。 You have to keep reminding yourself that she’s a victim too and that coercive control is insidious。 This whole novel is a character assassination of Stephen Belefonte， which seems completely fair and well deserved， but Mel B could have given this a good edit and thought about a structure so readers weren’t being constantly bombarde This is a tough one。 It’s hard not to judge Mel B harshly for allowing her daughter to be abused by her new husband， when she has so many resources at her fingertips。 You have to keep reminding yourself that she’s a victim too and that coercive control is insidious。 This whole novel is a character assassination of Stephen Belefonte， which seems completely fair and well deserved， but Mel B could have given this a good edit and thought about a structure so readers weren’t being constantly bombarded by scenes of domestic abuse and her vitriol。 The repetition wasn’t needed to make the point， and at the end I was skipping through to try and find scenes that didn’t just depress me unnecessarily。What strikes me is the complete lack of responsibility she takes for any of her three serious， dysfunctional and high profile relationships that broke down。 She demonises Eddie Murphy for saying something totally acceptable about her on the red carpet， but glosses over the fact that she left America for Leeds without telling him？！ From the outside it looks like she played a pretty critical role in that relationship breakdown， but has reframed that relationship as a controlling one （in the context of then entering a 10 year abusive marriage） to absolve herself of any personal responsibility。 。。。more
Sarah the reading addict
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This is such an awe inspiring insight into Mel B's life。 It's so emotionally charged and I cried on more than one occasion。 The amount of crap people go through in privacy of their own homes。 Mel B was abused and felt worthless and it's so sad that anyone would feel that way。The way she was able to hide this behind her humour a seemingly brash personality。 I always loved her in the spice girls， Mel B and Mel C we're my favourite spice girls and having read both their autobiographies now I just l This is such an awe inspiring insight into Mel B's life。 It's so emotionally charged and I cried on more than one occasion。 The amount of crap people go through in privacy of their own homes。 Mel B was abused and felt worthless and it's so sad that anyone would feel that way。The way she was able to hide this behind her humour a seemingly brash personality。 I always loved her in the spice girls， Mel B and Mel C we're my favourite spice girls and having read both their autobiographies now I just love them even more。 The interview at the end of this book is amazing。 It's so open and honest， as is the book。 The editor had a panic attack during the book because of how bad the things Mel B had been through， were。From start to finish this book is gripping and so amazing。 The things that Melanie went through and that Phoenix， her eldest daughter also shares how she felt during some of the times discussed in the book。 It's an incredible book and very emotional， what a strong and amazing woman to have been through all of this and then share it with the world。 I hope this prevents it from happening to anyone else。 。。。more
Heather Shaw
，
I liked hearing her story and the message that domestic violence happens even to celebrities。 However only giving it 3 stars… there were a lot of grammatical errors it was hard to read 😖 she needs to hire someone else to proofread her book。 But love hearing her story and how she worked so hard coming from nothing。 Very inspiring！
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
，
MY FAVORITE SPICE GIRL T_TShe made me feel better about wearing glasses as a kid :D
ROSA MICKENS
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This was a brutally honest book that was not well written， which I feel is because of all the abuse she has experienced。 I feel that his book was written to convey what actually happened to her and her family while dealing with the people who abused her mentally & financially。It was instances while reading this book， I felt was hard to complete， because it became boring， because she kept remaining in the same place。 She never did anything to remove herself from the situation。This book took me a This was a brutally honest book that was not well written， which I feel is because of all the abuse she has experienced。 I feel that his book was written to convey what actually happened to her and her family while dealing with the people who abused her mentally & financially。It was instances while reading this book， I felt was hard to complete， because it became boring， because she kept remaining in the same place。 She never did anything to remove herself from the situation。This book took me a long time to read， because， I was just not really tuned in to it because of the way it was written and what was written。It is really sad that she lived through this along with dragging her family through this nightmarish life。In any event， she finally removed herself and family from this situation， just so sorry it took her so long。The title suits this book to a tee！ 。。。more
Jenny Penny
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