The best celebrity memoirs to read in 2025
Updated
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There seems to be a highly anticipated autobiography being released left, right and centre by actors, musicians and celebrities. Everyone wants to know their deepest, darkest secrets and get an inside scoop into lives we can hardly imagine.
With the much-talked-about biography of Gwyneth Paltrow being released next month, we've rounded up some other celebrity memoirs you should definitely be reading this year.
Check out some of the most memorable, thought-provoking, heartwarming (and equally heartbreaking) memoirs and autobiographies you should be adding to your list.
Happy reading!
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
Gwyneth: The Biography, by Amy Odell
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You'll notice that this book isn't written by Gwyneth herself, meaning it's not quite a memoir. However, it's still expected to be one of the biggest releases of the year, offering a deep dive into the enigmatic actress.
Touching on major moments like her separation from Brad Pitt and her falling out with ex-bestie Madonna, you'll learn all about her life in and out of the spotlight. Scheduled for release on August 5, you can preorder your copy here.
Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old, by Brooke Shields
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Now 60 years old, Brooke Shields claims to have entered a new era in her life, one of reclaiming agency and power. Having grown up as a child actor and a model, she is accustomed to scrutiny, but has decided that these are the years she'll get to decide how to live and write her own story.
Interwoven with research and reporting on age-related bias, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old addresses the overall "power and promise" of midlife.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One, by Cher
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There is only one Cher, and she's finally sharing her story.
With a second part still to come next year, Cher is telling her story, offering intimate details about her decade-spanning career. Topping Billboard charts across seven consecutive decades, winning Academy Awards, Emmys and Grammys, Cher has seen incredible success and inspired many along the way.
Described as "a life too immense for one book", you can pre-order part two here ahead of its release.
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, by Dolly Parton
Combining stories from her childhood growing up in a poor family, her enduring music career and her experiences off the stage, Behind the Seams showcases the life of Dolly Parton with a focus on fashion. With 450 photographs included in the book, readers will learn more about the life of the country music icon through her outfits, costumes and ensembles – from the sacks her mother had to sew together to make a dress to the larger-than-life wigs, shoes, makeup, and dresses.
A Very Private School, by Charles Spencer
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In A Very Private School, Charles Spencer – the 9th Earl Spencer and younger brother to Princess Diana – details his experiences growing up in boarding school from the age of eight and the difficulties he suffered being away from family and living under a strict system. Looking back at his experiences using the letters he wrote home and memories he shared with fellow boarding school students, he writes about how his youth was impacted by his educational upbringing and how the difficulties stuck with him throughout his adulthood.
Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, by Crystal Hefner
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After entering the Playboy Mansion in 2008 at 21, Crystal Harris quickly rose the ranks to become notorious Playboy editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner's favourite bunny, marrying him in 2012. Now, Crystal Hefner is speaking candidly about her life in the Playboy Mansion and as Hefner's wife and how her life was coerced by misogynistic values.
In Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, she speaks on having to change aspects of herself from her physical appearance to how she acted and carried herself and reflects on the impacts it had on her mental health.
The House of Hidden Meanings, by RuPaul
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Growing up as a queer, black child from a poor family in San Diego, RuPaul Charles found solace in performing, travelling across the USA and making a name not only in the drag world but in the entertainment industry. In their memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings, RuPaul reveals how they grew their brand from drag queen to TV producer and star to – as they said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – the Queen of Drag. They also lift the lid on their personal life, including details on their marriage, their sobriety and how they accepted their true identity.
The Woman in Me, by Britney Spears
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Britney Spears is one of the biggest names in pop culture. Over the last 25 years, we've seen her life play out in the media – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now able to speak following the termination of her conservatorship in 2021, Spears is finally telling her life story from the one perspective we haven't heard – her own.
Spears' memoir The Woman in Me reveals details about her early career, the lead-up to her conservatorship, and her eventual release. It also addresses her relationship troubles with key figures in her life, including her parents Jamie and Lynne, her siblings Jamie Lynn and Bryan, and her teenage sons, Jayden and Sean, as well as the details behind her romance with Justin Timberlake.
I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
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You often think of child stars as the types to fall off the wagon due to the bad influences in the world of celebrity. Former Nickelodeon star and iCarly actress Jennette McCurdy didn't seem to follow that route. Since the show's end, it would seem she returned to an ordinary life – but as you read the gripping tale of her childhood, you'll learn that's not the case and never was, even prior to her big break.
McCurdy retells a story of devastating mistreatment and abuse by her mother in her autobiography, I'm Glad My Mom Died, as well as her coercion into show business and the troubles that came along with it. The content doesn't make the book the easiest of reads, but it's certainly gripping and hard to put down.
PARIS: The Memoir, by Paris Hilton
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From early '00s 'it-girl' to beloved modern icon, Paris Hilton's brand has shifted massively over the last few years. Now, with warmth and authenticity, she's stepping up to share more of her story in PARIS: The Memoir, which takes us through a childhood and adolescence fraught with rebellion, and a series of 'emotional growth boarding school', where she was allegedly subjected to years of abuse. With fresh insight into the 'bimbo' we loved to hate for years, you'll finish this memoir with a brand new perspective on this tenacious and intelligent heiress.
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, by Matthew Perry
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Friends made Matthew Perry a star, thanks to his role as the hilarious and sarcastic Chandler Bing. In the wake of his sudden death in 2023, fans flocked to his book Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
In his memoir, Perry recalled in great detail his childhood troubles, his big break, his journey up the celebrity ladder, and his battle with addiction. It is an incredibly revealing tale, worth a read.
Love, Pamela, by Pamela Anderson
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Known worldwide for her iconic beauty and pictures on the cover of Playboy Magazine, Pamela Anderson's image is easy to call to mind. However, as her star rose throughout the 1990s, her name was found among the tabloids as she became the first well-known victim of image-based abuse. Now reclaiming her narrative, she shares her life through her memoir, where she talks of her love for her children and the causes close to her heart. Get ready to have all your perceptions shifted when it comes to this highly recognisable, but slightly mysterious blonde bombshell.
Spare, by The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry
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There was no way we could leave this juicy and much-discussed memoir off the list. After an early leak in 2023, readers had a glimpse of what to expect from Prince Harry's Spare, but that is just the start of it. There is so much more to read and learn from the former HRH about his life behind palace walls, his relationships with those around him and the impacts of his mother's premature death.
READ MORE: The royal books to read once you've finished Prince Harry's memoir
Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey
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Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has taken a deep dive into his past, revealing the weird and wonderful tales of his life, sharing an honest take on his childhood, the words of wisdom he has carried throughout his life and the mistakes he has learned from.
This New York Times bestseller is separated by important life lessons he has learned throughout his life instead of chapters. Inside are copies of handwritten notes that McConaughey started documenting and writing in diaries at age 15. This is a great read for fans of his work, as well as others who want a unique perspective on life.
My Dream Time, by Ash Barty
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From winning international grand slams right back to when she first picked up a tennis racquet at age five, Ash Barty goes into depth about the important moments of her life so far in My Dream Time.
The Australian sporting hero reveals details of the hard work behind her sporting success, how she dealt with being number one, and how she coped with losses as the top of her field. She also delves into personal moments and memories, as well as her pride as an Indigenous Australian.
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