Finding My Voice

by Rachel Stevens

The inspirational first book from S Club 7 legend Rachel Stevens Whether as part of the iconic S Club 7 or as a successful solo artist, Rachel Stevens was in the eye of the 00s pop storm. Catapulted to fame at 18, her life took a whole new direction, and the whirlwind began. Constantly stereotyped and controlled within the industry, she has privately struggled with her self-worth and mental health, and has since gone on a journey of personal growth. Following a personal break-up and an S Club reunion – and having found her confidence and voice – Rachel is ready to be completely open and honest for the very first time. Finding My Voice is Rachel’s unfiltered story about discovering her true self in a manufactured world.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2024

Reviews

[Alex Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is fine if a bit dull. Absolutely nothing about other members of the group. Bland would sum it up in one word.

[Tan Markovic · Rating 2 out of 5]

needed more s club goss

[Elise Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful and inspiring read - going to be blasting those S Club bangers at full volume for the next few days!!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really was hoping for more about S Club, their relationships, and their experiences.

[Bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved reading this book, I just wish the stuff she talked about in the last part of the book, were things she illaborated on more. Personal growth and her strategies on dealing with her dad etc

[Chloe Pope]

This was fine.

Felt very compartmentalised chapter to chapter sometimes, not much depth to it to be honest

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely no depth or anything of substance , read like one massive OK magazine article. Some Girls is one of the best songs of all time though I suppose

[Katie Rankine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. I feel it lacked any depth or detail. I dont feel like I really got to know her as a person

[Fictionatnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I really think that the book could have been stronger with more stories of her career and life in S Club.

[Patrick Lynden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel Stevens (and S Club 7 in general) were my absolute heroes growing up. They were God's and Goddesses in the eyes of this child. So when I heard that Rachel, who was my absolute favourite, was releasing a book I knew I needed to read it.

As a note, I never, EVER read autobiographies or anything non-fiction in general but I wanted to make an exception for Rachel; especially after having served her at a restaurant that I was managing a few years back with her family and realising that she is actually a very, very lovely person in real life that was interested in actually learning about me and what had brought me to London despite me being just 'her waiter'.

I think the book was perfectly fine. I think it was a nice insight into where and how she has grown in her life in terms of her self-confidence and sense of self worth. Learning about her history with her family and growing up in a fairly difficult environment was actually quite enlightening and tales of her always feeling like she couldn't speak up for herself and allowed others to steer her personal and professional life really, REALLY spoke to my soul; I have been somewhat similar for a long time in my own life.

Where I think that the book could have been stronger is the behind the scenes stories of her career. I enjoyed learning about the self-help aspect of her life but I was looking for more details on her life in S Club as well as during her solo career days. I remember her career being a constant talking point, especially after she was close to being dropped by her label after her second solo single, "Funkydory", didn't achieve chart success. I would have loved to have known more about things like that. Or about her relationship with S Club and how they bonded (or fought) at times. I didn't expect her to be too scandalous about such topics but I think the book glossed over the most famous point of her career quickly.

I think that this book is definately for anyone who is a fan of Rachel's and is worth a read/listen. Rachel narrates the audiobook herself and reads it particularly well. I am glad that I read it.

[N.S. Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog - https://nsfordwriter.com - on 5th July 2024.

Rachel was my favourite S Club 7 member (along with Paul - RIP). I haven't really followed her career since but I was interested to read her autobiography and find out more about her. She has a reputation of being aloof, guarded, a bit mysterious. I'm glad that in this book she claims to have found her voice, but I'm afraid it's quite a bland reading experience. There are some nice details - the kitten which arrived on her doorstep at the right time, for example, and her attendance at a party hosted by Prince - yet a lot of the writing is vague, repetitive and not meaningful. I felt that she rather skimmed over her early career, including her S Club years, which are what people will most want to read about. There is much about her appearances on various celebrity TV talent shows, most notably the time when she broke her wrist and was brave about it (there is a photo of her looking glamorous with her arm in a bucket of ice water). I think she could have told more stories like that, and cut out most of the self-help reflective stuff. Some of her favourite words are 'nurturing', 'as a parent', 'working on myself' and 'vulnerable'. I don't want this to sound mean, because she seems like a pleasant person who has made great progress in her emotional wellbeing. It's just that I expected 'More More More'.

In summary, if you're looking for gossip, funny anecdotes or an engaging writing style, you'll be disappointed. If you're a fan of Rachel or simply interested in what she has to say for herself, give it a read.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed by this book. As someone who grew up listening to S Club & watching them on TV, I was really looking forward to hearing behind the scenes stories & revelations. There’s so much to be told.

What about how much cash the record company made compared to the band given how hard they worked, including the time their publicist physically dragged them off the set of Liquid News mid-interview when Claudia Winkleman asked them about the issue?

How Hannah & Paul’s relationship started? Life making all those TV series? (Gotta have been some stories there, they did them for years!) S Club Juniors? The real reason Hannah didn’t take part in the tour?

What about Rachel’s awkward interview on Popworld with Simon Amstel? Her thoughts on Jo O’Meara’s Big Brother stint? When some of S Club started performing as a 3? Other celebrities she/the band met & stories about that?

None of it. I get she doesn’t want to speak for other people & the 7 of them weren’t actually that close, but she could’ve told us so much more than she did. Her solo career & S Club are pretty quickly glossed over.

Are there a couple of stories? Yes, one or two, but very short & not the things you really want to hear about. You learn more from one of the last newspaper interviews Paul did before his tragic passing than you do from this book, or the various other interviews from different people over the years.

Apparently Hannah Spearitt’s book is also light on S Club stories. Anyway fair play to Rachel, she evidently wanted to keep most things private, but I hope one of the other band members does a more involved book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It stood out from a lot of celebrity memoirs for me. So much of it felt like reading from my own mind growing up, especially my teenage years and twenties. Rachel speaks a lot about her deeply hidden anxieties and fears in such an honest way. I really appreciated that. She has clearly done a lot of work on her personal growth. She writes about her life and career and relationships and then relates how she really felt on the inside throughout these experiences. She was always my favourite member of S Club 7 and she is so even more now that I know I relate to her so much. If you are looking for celebrity gossip you won't find it here. Rachel is very respectful of her former celebrity partners and her fellow S Club members.

[Laura Haines-Burke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely feel bad giving it one star, Rachel seems like a nice woman.
The book itself is very bland, she mentions her relationship with her Strictly partner and says she wished she could have gotten to know him on a more personal and deeper level - well the same goes for you Rachel, same girl.
She said she wasn't well recieved by some magazines because she never really gave much of her personal life, I feel like in this book we learn about things that shes been through, but we don't actually learn anything about Rachel (other than her anxiety, and fear of being sick). It had the potential to being a brilliant memoir, but left me feeling dull, bored and happy to have finished it.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Positives: Rachel is thoughtful of others perspective and shows great understanding of her parents and doesn't speak for her bandmates- she never complains. She reflects well on what religion means to her, I would like to see her on BBC show Pilgrimage.

Negatives: so dull, it appears she takes whatever jobs she is offered/ is suggested and never has an idea or goal of her own. If this is not how it was she doesn't tell us otherwise.

The book doesn't really give much context to anything in the wider music/ UK landscape. Key topics like being underpaid, were not touched.

[Lizzy Hannaford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this having been a huge S club fan but honestly it lacked any depth or emotion. Everything was skimmed over like it was a race to the end and as much as I hate to say, it gave off a real victim mentality vibe.

As someone who is a huge fan of autobiographies and life stories, I felt as though she downplayed a lot of things in her life that most ‘normal’ people don’t experience and would like to know more about.

I’m sure there’s a lot she can’t discuss legally about her fame and time in s club, but I��d say I didn’t learn much from her book. Sorry Rachel!

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Agree with other reviews about this being very shallow without any more than Wikipedia level detail. Blink and you'll miss the bit about S Club because that section really is that short.

The only really interesting personal information about her life was her Jewish heritage and her continuation of some traditions, but everything else just feels like a portfolio piece/career showcase. Found her assertion that getting on the cover of FHM and winning "Rear of the Year" being some of her greatest achievements so superficial.

Readable but disappointing.

[Sean Flatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great autobiography book on an S Club 7 legend

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this autobiography book of Rachel Stevens from S Club 7 as I grew up with them in the late 1990's and early 2000's the tail end of Brit Pop.
I remember clearly where they were and their hits songs as well.
Overall I loved this fine book and definitely recommend it for anyone whom interested in the show business world.
Best wishes Sean

[Swee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read for me, everything from finding out about Rachel's life story and to learning that she too has struggled with anxiety throughout her life. I had the pleasure of meeting her last week and she is a very nice woman with such a calming presence about her.

[Nadia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished it in 2 hrs. She skipped over a lot of emotions and events it seems. Suddenly S Club were famous with no further info on how they got there or relations between them. Everything brushed over very quickly. Had no idea she had broken up with her husband. Boring read.

[Kat ✧ ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Listened on audiobook, felt very like reading a script and just quite dull unfortunately. I found some of it hard to listen through as she seemed quite out of touch at times. But hearing about her different career opportunities she's had over the years was interesting.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a Daily deal on Amazon last month out of true nostalgia and nosiness.

It was a simple story, no bombshells, dramas or secrets shared. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style and didn’t really feel it was fluid but more procedural.

[Lukas Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Rachel Stevens fan, I loved this. Only wish there was more information about her solo career. It was definitely a book for her fans, anyone expecting just SClub stuff probably wont be as pleased as I was.

[Kevin Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, hearing how Rachel first started out and how she was when she was younger

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5–3/5

[Becca Packer]

"That was always what S Club was about, being whoever you are or want to be."

Upon finishing this, I did find the entirety of S Club Miami on YouTube. So see you all on the other side.

[Emma Carlyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping to love this book. And it was fine, it was nice, it just skimmed the surface a little bit. I wanted more.

[Marina Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book Rachel Stevens has had an amazing life and gone through the milll and has always come out the other end anyone who likes a good quick autobiography please pick this one up

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight into Rachel's life. She comes across as a very nice person, although a little unconfident but the book explains that as well

[Claire Pooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a ok read