Review: Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe

 

Publication Date: June 2016

Publisher: Scholastic

Blurb:  [ Goodreads ]

An inspiring, uplifting and sympathetic story about sexuality and self-acceptance, Lucy Sutcliffe's debut memoir is a personal and moving coming out story. In 2010, at seventeen, Lucy Sutcliffe began an online friendship with Kaelyn, a young veterinary student from Michigan. Within months, they began a long distance relationship, finally meeting in the summer of 2011. Lucy's video montage of their first week spent together in Saint Kitts, which she posted to the couple's YouTube channel, was the first in a series of films documenting their long-distance relationship. 

Funny, tender and candid, the films attracted them a vast online following. Now, for the first time, Lucy's writing about the incredible personal journey she's been on; from never quite wanting the fairy-tale of Prince Charming to realising she was gay at the age of 14, through three years of self-denial to finally coming out to friends and family, to meeting her American girlfriend Kaelyn.

As June is pride month, I spent the month reading a lot of LGBTQ+ book. This book had been on my physical TBR since it came out 10 years ago. That is way too long to have a book on my shelf, granted I probably have older ones, so I knew I wanted to read this autobiography. 

Lucy Sutcliffe was a prominent UK Youtuber at the time of publication who mostly shared her relationship with her long distance partner Kaelyn on their channel Lucy & Kaelyn. I didn't follow them at the time so going into the book I didn't know much about them, and unfortunately, I sort of felt the same finishing the book. 

Review: Real Girl by Mutya Buena

 

Publication Date: November 2025

Publisher: Bantam Press

Source: Borrowed from library  [ Goodreads ]

Blurb: 

Mutya Buena was only thirteen when she became one third of the original line up of the iconic girlband, Sugababes.

Launching into fame, her life became unrecognisable overnight. Suddenly she was going straight from the studio to school in the early hours, rubbing shoulders with music royalty, and hearing fans scream her name.

This is the story of the girl the tabloids never saw.

In Real Girl Mutya takes us through the highs of her spectacular career and the lows that came with a life in the limelight and shares for the first time the struggles she’d kept hidden from the public eye.

Now the Sugababes are back and shining brighter than ever, Mutya is ready to share her story on her own terms.

Growing up, I was a big Sugababes fan. Especially the original line up as there was an Irish girl in it, Siobhan, that made me so happy. Nothing will beat the original trio for me and after seeing them perform last year it really cemented that fact that Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan are born entertainers. When I found out that Mutya had written this book, I got onto my library website and ordered it as soon as I could! 

Mutya was always portrayed as the quiet one, and I am so glad she is sharing her voice with everyone now and letting us readers in on the highs and lows of her life. 

Mutya candidly talks about her childhood, being half-Filipino, and living in London. Her time spent at school and how she hung around with the naughty kids. Her parents really fostered a love of music in her and her siblings and encouraged her to reach for the stars. This led to her meeting Keisha and Siobhan and signing a record deal for the girl band Sugababes at only 13 years old. I was shocked when I read that, as I had no idea they were so young when they first became a band. 

The autobiography delves into Mutya's struggles with fame, trying to juggle a normal life while at the same time trying to appear grateful for everything they received, even though sometimes 14-year-old Mutya would have rathered gone to the park with her friends than fly on a plane to the other side of the world to do an interview. 

Mutya also bravely talks about falling pregnant with her daughter at just 20, and how struggles with addiction, self harm, body image and abusive relationships all had an impact on her life. Her leaving the band due to the dark place she was in caused her to spiral further and eventually seek treatment at a facility. I really was amazed at how much she had been through in her life and how she had come out the other end stronger and swinging. Mutya is definitely a fighter and a shining star. 

3 Celebrity Memoirs I Recommend

I have read some fantastic non-fiction in the time I have been away from my blog. 

An area I have fallen in love with is the celebrity biography memoir genre. I love reading the history of someone's life, the ups and downs and the inside information that can be gleaned from the pages. 

I thought I would share some of my favourites from the last couple of years with you in the hopes that it encourages you to pick them up too. 

Mrs Hinch: This Is Me by Mrs Hinch (Sophie Hinchcliffe)

Mrs Hinch is an Instagram icon. If you have never heard of Mrs Hinch, she is an Instagrammer who rose to fame simply by sharing her love of cleaning her home. Her Instagram page has amassed millions of followers who love not only her posts but her. 

I loved this memoir as it gave the reader an insight into Sophie, without the Mrs Hinch persona. 

Reading about Sophie's childhood, her insecurities with her body which led to her having gastric band surgery and almost dying from complications and how she started her Instagram page and changed her life forever. 

I think the reason this book resonates with me is the same for a lot of her followers - it is Sophie's honest voice, her ability to be vulnerable and her incredible positive outlook on life. 

Mrs Hinch drives home the message of happiness in the everyday things in her book Mrs Hinch: This Is Me.