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Just for the Record
In 2002, Just For The Record was the book that everyone was talking about. Then in 2003, repackaged in a new, compact mass-market format, Just For The Record did it all over again being one of the most read books of the year.
Since the break up of the Spice Girls, Geri has continued to intrigue the media and the masses. But how many of the stories are true? Just For The Record reveals all. With particular focus on her personal battle to overcome the eating disorders that have plagued her since childhood, and the stark reality of weight obsession, Geri shares the facts about life after the girl band. This is Geri's story: revealing, frank, brutally honest, and at times shocking.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
37 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Geri Halliwell
38 books89 followersGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell (born 6 August 1972) is an English pop singer-songwriter, clothes designer, author and actress. Halliwell came to international prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of girl group the Spice Girls. On 30 May 1998, Halliwell left the Spice Girls due to depression and differences within the group. In 2007, it was announced that the Spice Girls had reunited, and that Halliwell had rejoined the group. Together they embarked on the Return of the Spice Girls tour and released a Greatest Hits album. Halliwell has reportedly amassed a $30 million fortune during her last two years in the group.[5]
In 1999, Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut album Schizophonic, it spawned three number ones at the UK Singles Chart: "Mi Chico Latino," "Lift Me Up," and "Bag It Up," while the lead single, "Look at Me," peaked at number 2. In 2001, Halliwell followed up with her second album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster; the first single, "It's Raining Men," was a major hit worldwide, it peaked at number 1 in the UK and peaked in the top 10 in over 27 countries, becoming Halliwell's biggest hit to date. Halliwell released her third studio album, Passion, in 2005. Geri has been nominated for four Brit Awards (in 2000 and 2002). After a few years of relative obscurity, in April of 2010, Halliwell announced that she had started working on new music.[6] In April 2013, the Nine Network announced that she would become the fourth judge on Australia's Got Talent.[7] On 12 September 2013, it was announced that Halliwell would return to the music industry in Australia with the release of her first solo single in nearly eight years, "Half of Me".[
In 1999, Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut album Schizophonic, it spawned three number ones at the UK Singles Chart: "Mi Chico Latino," "Lift Me Up," and "Bag It Up," while the lead single, "Look at Me," peaked at number 2. In 2001, Halliwell followed up with her second album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster; the first single, "It's Raining Men," was a major hit worldwide, it peaked at number 1 in the UK and peaked in the top 10 in over 27 countries, becoming Halliwell's biggest hit to date. Halliwell released her third studio album, Passion, in 2005. Geri has been nominated for four Brit Awards (in 2000 and 2002). After a few years of relative obscurity, in April of 2010, Halliwell announced that she had started working on new music.[6] In April 2013, the Nine Network announced that she would become the fourth judge on Australia's Got Talent.[7] On 12 September 2013, it was announced that Halliwell would return to the music industry in Australia with the release of her first solo single in nearly eight years, "Half of Me".[
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 16, 2016
Also posted on Eva Lucias blog
I read “If only” (Geri Halliwell’s first autobiography), who mostly dealt with her childhood, her younger self living in London, traveling and trying to make a career of herself. It also deals with her time being a part of the Spice Girls and currently the time after her leaving it. I was very interested in reading it, because it had a lot of photographs from the early years in the Spice Girls and it was possible to see how their career went on. Her second book “Just for the Record” deals with her trying to figure out what to do after leaving the Spice Girls, it also focuses on her solo career and causes she wants to take part in.
Anyone who ever dealt with eating-disorders will seek comfort in this
and knowing that you’re never alone, even though the road seems lonesome and cruel. Anyone who ever had the feeling of losing yourself will be able to relate to Geri’s own personal journey out of bulimia.
A great deal of the book deals with eating-disorders, and how Geri struggled with it in many periods of her life. She describes how she counted calories, exercised very much, had bingers and how she tried to move onwards and get well again. It shows tiny bits of handwritten diary pages and makes it even more personal. The whole story shows the backside of fame and the question of you want to sacrifice this much just for fame?
The title “Just for the Record” (2 become 1) ♫♫
After reading the book, I browsed through it, looked at the many pictures and finally closed the book and looked at the front cover. The title made me smile because there are different ways of interpreting it.
“Just for the Record” shows the honest and personal story from Geri Halliwell’s point of view and it leads back to the theme of fame; if all of the hard work, sorrow and confusion are enough in the end. Geri Halliwell describes this herself: what will become of her? Is fame the right path for her? Is all her hard work just for the record?
My opinion on the book:
Some say that you should only read this book, if you were (are) a mayor Spice Girls-fan, but they couldn’t be more wrong. “Just for the Record” is a book about moving on, finding yourself again after a crazy period of time, conquering the obstacles on your way and deal with the loss of life. I found it very beautiful to be allowed to peek inside of Geri Halliwell’s mind, her personal fears and dreams, and her revelation, when she realized that all of her fears were due to the loss of her father and that she never let herself be allowed to mourn after his death.
In the beginning I chose to read it because of all of the Spice Girls-stories, secrets and how it was to experience it all from the inside. But in the end, I was more drawn to Geri’s self-journey towards revelation – and in the end, salvation.
Geri is a jewel in a rough and I’m grateful for being allowed to get a peek inside of her mind.
Blog ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Youtube ~ Spotify ~
I read “If only” (Geri Halliwell’s first autobiography), who mostly dealt with her childhood, her younger self living in London, traveling and trying to make a career of herself. It also deals with her time being a part of the Spice Girls and currently the time after her leaving it. I was very interested in reading it, because it had a lot of photographs from the early years in the Spice Girls and it was possible to see how their career went on. Her second book “Just for the Record” deals with her trying to figure out what to do after leaving the Spice Girls, it also focuses on her solo career and causes she wants to take part in.
Anyone who ever dealt with eating-disorders will seek comfort in this
and knowing that you’re never alone, even though the road seems lonesome and cruel. Anyone who ever had the feeling of losing yourself will be able to relate to Geri’s own personal journey out of bulimia.
A great deal of the book deals with eating-disorders, and how Geri struggled with it in many periods of her life. She describes how she counted calories, exercised very much, had bingers and how she tried to move onwards and get well again. It shows tiny bits of handwritten diary pages and makes it even more personal. The whole story shows the backside of fame and the question of you want to sacrifice this much just for fame?
The title “Just for the Record” (2 become 1) ♫♫
After reading the book, I browsed through it, looked at the many pictures and finally closed the book and looked at the front cover. The title made me smile because there are different ways of interpreting it.
“Just for the Record” shows the honest and personal story from Geri Halliwell’s point of view and it leads back to the theme of fame; if all of the hard work, sorrow and confusion are enough in the end. Geri Halliwell describes this herself: what will become of her? Is fame the right path for her? Is all her hard work just for the record?
My opinion on the book:
Some say that you should only read this book, if you were (are) a mayor Spice Girls-fan, but they couldn’t be more wrong. “Just for the Record” is a book about moving on, finding yourself again after a crazy period of time, conquering the obstacles on your way and deal with the loss of life. I found it very beautiful to be allowed to peek inside of Geri Halliwell’s mind, her personal fears and dreams, and her revelation, when she realized that all of her fears were due to the loss of her father and that she never let herself be allowed to mourn after his death.
In the beginning I chose to read it because of all of the Spice Girls-stories, secrets and how it was to experience it all from the inside. But in the end, I was more drawn to Geri’s self-journey towards revelation – and in the end, salvation.
Geri is a jewel in a rough and I’m grateful for being allowed to get a peek inside of her mind.
Blog ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Youtube ~ Spotify ~
May 21, 2013
I loved the majority of this book, but she (and I) sort of petered out at the end. In the last few chapters there are bits "from" her diary, handwritten. It seems like it was done to make a connection, a more personal looking book but really I think it was also a choice to take up more page space. I really struggled to read her handwriting, so I glazed over these bits.
Besides this one complaint, it was a very interesting and easy read. To get a better understanding I would look up the youtube videos of what she was describing.
Besides this one complaint, it was a very interesting and easy read. To get a better understanding I would look up the youtube videos of what she was describing.
November 28, 2014
Two words: image management.
I didn't read If Only, which (I assume) covers her younger life up through her tenure with the Spice Girls. In Just for the Record, she picks up the story more or less right after leaving the Spice Girls, talking briefly about (among other things) writing If Only...so I suppose she wrote this in part because it felt like she was really a different person since then.
That's fair. But -- cripes. Okay. There's not actually a ton of writing here -- much of the book is taken up by photographs (which I wish had more interesting captions, or were arranged to tell a story...if they were, I couldn't make out what that story was) -- but for all that it took me about a week to get through this because I just...couldn't be bothered. Maybe I am not the right audience for this -- no, scratch that; I am definitely not the right audience for this. (So bear that in mind when you read this review.) But it feels an awful lot like, oh, she's trying to get her cleaned-up side of the story out there because things she said in If Only and in interviews and whatever didn't go over quite as well as she'd hoped.
But it's wildly frustrating in places for being so tone deaf. I realise that standards are a little different in show biz, but let's be realistic here. Much of the book felt very poor-me, and while I am not discounting her (real, relatable) struggles...number two on the charts? Uh, no, that's not a total failure. Come on now.
I don't know. It's possible that I missed some Really Important Parts in her diary excerpts (I couldn't read her handwriting). It's possible that this was all written entirely in earnest, and that there's more depth to the photos that I'm missing. It's possible...I suppose...she had a reason to think that draping a measuring tape around herself was a great idea for a cover photo. (Seriously, that, and all the other half-naked skinny pictures, are really weird for a book in which she's really earnest about recovering from an eating disorder.) It's probable that some of my crankiness is just, erm, my crankiness.
But there's some desperation here, and it's not that interesting to read desperation, at least not when it's in the context of desperate to be noticed. Maybe she doesn't -- as she suggests -- feel that clawing need to be famous anymore. Who knows? But that's not what I get from this book.
I didn't read If Only, which (I assume) covers her younger life up through her tenure with the Spice Girls. In Just for the Record, she picks up the story more or less right after leaving the Spice Girls, talking briefly about (among other things) writing If Only...so I suppose she wrote this in part because it felt like she was really a different person since then.
That's fair. But -- cripes. Okay. There's not actually a ton of writing here -- much of the book is taken up by photographs (which I wish had more interesting captions, or were arranged to tell a story...if they were, I couldn't make out what that story was) -- but for all that it took me about a week to get through this because I just...couldn't be bothered. Maybe I am not the right audience for this -- no, scratch that; I am definitely not the right audience for this. (So bear that in mind when you read this review.) But it feels an awful lot like, oh, she's trying to get her cleaned-up side of the story out there because things she said in If Only and in interviews and whatever didn't go over quite as well as she'd hoped.
But it's wildly frustrating in places for being so tone deaf. I realise that standards are a little different in show biz, but let's be realistic here. Much of the book felt very poor-me, and while I am not discounting her (real, relatable) struggles...number two on the charts? Uh, no, that's not a total failure. Come on now.
I don't know. It's possible that I missed some Really Important Parts in her diary excerpts (I couldn't read her handwriting). It's possible that this was all written entirely in earnest, and that there's more depth to the photos that I'm missing. It's possible...I suppose...she had a reason to think that draping a measuring tape around herself was a great idea for a cover photo. (Seriously, that, and all the other half-naked skinny pictures, are really weird for a book in which she's really earnest about recovering from an eating disorder.) It's probable that some of my crankiness is just, erm, my crankiness.
But there's some desperation here, and it's not that interesting to read desperation, at least not when it's in the context of desperate to be noticed. Maybe she doesn't -- as she suggests -- feel that clawing need to be famous anymore. Who knows? But that's not what I get from this book.
May 29, 2010
Yes I was a Spice Girls fan (I was a young girl when they first came to light, I kinda had to be) and Ginger was my favourite so I had to buy this book when it first came out. I really liked her raw details about everything that happened after leaving the Spice Girls and the struggles she faces now. I think she is a lovely lady with a great mind once she is thinking straight and this book shows she had to leave the Spice Girls to do that. I have since lost the book after letting someone borrow it and would love to buy another copy as it's a must for the shelves.
September 3, 2014
No where near the quality of Geri's first autobiography "if only" I felt this was almost not needed. A reasonable read but nothing to rave over.
September 6, 2022
Geri leaving the Spice Girls has been the defining and most polarizing moment in modern civilization, but despite her explanation in this book, I still do not fully comprehend her reasoning.
The book was kind of all over the place for me, I felt like some of the chapters were too long and some bits seemed redundant. In the big picture, she was a mess but it must have been a wild moment coming off such a high with the group.
With that being said, Victoria will forever be the superior Spice Girl for me, but I can't find her memoir to be downloaded illegally. Help, David Beckham!
The book was kind of all over the place for me, I felt like some of the chapters were too long and some bits seemed redundant. In the big picture, she was a mess but it must have been a wild moment coming off such a high with the group.
With that being said, Victoria will forever be the superior Spice Girl for me, but I can't find her memoir to be downloaded illegally. Help, David Beckham!
July 14, 2009
How I Came To Read This Book: My sister got it for Xmas a few years ago.
The Plot: This book somewhat overlaps Geri's first autobiography, and thus is more of a memoir than anything. It starts out by examining - in slightly more detail, while self-admittedly failing to come up with any solid answer - why Geri quit the Spice Girls, and how her life and career evolved and devolved in the 5 years following that, including her struggle with bulimia and anorexia.
The Good & The Bad: Truthfully, the only thing that felt genuine in this book was Geri's desperate cries to be proven relevant in a community that is quickly forgetting about her. The fact this book is packaged as a memoir about her struggles with eating disorders is almost insulting as it's much more about the launch of her solo career and her supposed desire to bury Ginger Spice. The endless name-dropping and reminders that Geri is quite wealthy and fabulous overshadow most sympathy I could possibly have for her (and really, this book feels more like it's trying to grab headlines than educate young women).
I'm not going to discount the good here though. The book was entertaining - clearly, as I read it in one day - and Geri's willingness to reveal all, whether for sympathy, fame, or desperation, is what made it very entertaining. She also has a weird sense of self-awareness that doesn't quite translate. She frequently mentions how she has no right to complain about many aspects of her life and that she is really quite lucky, yet she'll reneg on that five seconds later and bitch about this that or the other thing. I get that she's just a girl, but the contradictions on this book screamed fame whore.
Also interesting? Reading these books - I read If Only just a few months ago - quite awhile after they were published. So many things Geri touches on have changed since this book was published in 2003. When asked about a Spice Girls reunion, she said it would likely never happen as it was too hard to recapture 'that moment'. 5 years later...? Nope. Another part of the book deals with a documentary on Geri that she felt ill-equipped to make and was terrified of airing. When I went to YouTube that documentary, I came across yet another one that came out in 2005 called 'There's Something About Geri' that opens with her screaming 'It's all about me me me me me!'. In terms of the book being about her eating / exercise / body image issues, when the girls reunited in 2007, Geri was determined to be the thin one and looked scarily gangly. Additionally, her book ends on a slightly creepy personal ad note as she hunts for a baby daddy - which I suppose she achieved since she's the mom of 'Bluebell Madonna'.
The Bottom Line: A vanity project that trivializes eating disorders with its endless photos of a scantily clad, scarily thin Geri.
Anything Memorable: No Spice Girls references in the last day, sorry!
50-Book Challenge?: Book #29 in 2009.
The Plot: This book somewhat overlaps Geri's first autobiography, and thus is more of a memoir than anything. It starts out by examining - in slightly more detail, while self-admittedly failing to come up with any solid answer - why Geri quit the Spice Girls, and how her life and career evolved and devolved in the 5 years following that, including her struggle with bulimia and anorexia.
The Good & The Bad: Truthfully, the only thing that felt genuine in this book was Geri's desperate cries to be proven relevant in a community that is quickly forgetting about her. The fact this book is packaged as a memoir about her struggles with eating disorders is almost insulting as it's much more about the launch of her solo career and her supposed desire to bury Ginger Spice. The endless name-dropping and reminders that Geri is quite wealthy and fabulous overshadow most sympathy I could possibly have for her (and really, this book feels more like it's trying to grab headlines than educate young women).
I'm not going to discount the good here though. The book was entertaining - clearly, as I read it in one day - and Geri's willingness to reveal all, whether for sympathy, fame, or desperation, is what made it very entertaining. She also has a weird sense of self-awareness that doesn't quite translate. She frequently mentions how she has no right to complain about many aspects of her life and that she is really quite lucky, yet she'll reneg on that five seconds later and bitch about this that or the other thing. I get that she's just a girl, but the contradictions on this book screamed fame whore.
Also interesting? Reading these books - I read If Only just a few months ago - quite awhile after they were published. So many things Geri touches on have changed since this book was published in 2003. When asked about a Spice Girls reunion, she said it would likely never happen as it was too hard to recapture 'that moment'. 5 years later...? Nope. Another part of the book deals with a documentary on Geri that she felt ill-equipped to make and was terrified of airing. When I went to YouTube that documentary, I came across yet another one that came out in 2005 called 'There's Something About Geri' that opens with her screaming 'It's all about me me me me me!'. In terms of the book being about her eating / exercise / body image issues, when the girls reunited in 2007, Geri was determined to be the thin one and looked scarily gangly. Additionally, her book ends on a slightly creepy personal ad note as she hunts for a baby daddy - which I suppose she achieved since she's the mom of 'Bluebell Madonna'.
The Bottom Line: A vanity project that trivializes eating disorders with its endless photos of a scantily clad, scarily thin Geri.
Anything Memorable: No Spice Girls references in the last day, sorry!
50-Book Challenge?: Book #29 in 2009.
October 5, 2015
The second of two autobiographies by former Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell. "Just For The Record" tells the story of what happened after her first book "If Only" ended - focusing on her solo career, bulimia & self acceptance.
Personally, of the two books, I preferred "If Only" as I liked getting to know Geri before the fame but obviously this book doesn't contain much of that side to her as she's already established in her career when this book starts. However, this book is still very interesting and I enjoyed learning of the behind the scenes of her solo career.
One thing that sticks out in my mind about this book in particular though is Geri's disappointment. In particular, Geri's disappointment over a chart position for a single. Whilst she hopes the song will become Number 1, Geri openly admits to being very disappointed and angry when it only reached Number 2 - I think that this is ridiculous, as having a song that is the 2nd most sold song that week is still AMAZING, yet Geri felt like giving up her solo career because it didn't reach Number 1! Sorry, what?! It made me think slightly less of her (but only for a minute) and I couldn't believe that it wasn't good enough for her - it's still an incredible achievement! I still love her though ;)
There is a heavy theme of bulimia and Geri's battles with her food addiction in this book too, which was interesting to read about and it helped me understand why Geri's weight has always fluctuated and why at times she's been unhappy.
I would give this book 4/5, and will say that any Geri Halliwell fan should definitely pick up "If Only" and "Just For The Record" if they haven't already!
4/5
Personally, of the two books, I preferred "If Only" as I liked getting to know Geri before the fame but obviously this book doesn't contain much of that side to her as she's already established in her career when this book starts. However, this book is still very interesting and I enjoyed learning of the behind the scenes of her solo career.
One thing that sticks out in my mind about this book in particular though is Geri's disappointment. In particular, Geri's disappointment over a chart position for a single. Whilst she hopes the song will become Number 1, Geri openly admits to being very disappointed and angry when it only reached Number 2 - I think that this is ridiculous, as having a song that is the 2nd most sold song that week is still AMAZING, yet Geri felt like giving up her solo career because it didn't reach Number 1! Sorry, what?! It made me think slightly less of her (but only for a minute) and I couldn't believe that it wasn't good enough for her - it's still an incredible achievement! I still love her though ;)
There is a heavy theme of bulimia and Geri's battles with her food addiction in this book too, which was interesting to read about and it helped me understand why Geri's weight has always fluctuated and why at times she's been unhappy.
I would give this book 4/5, and will say that any Geri Halliwell fan should definitely pick up "If Only" and "Just For The Record" if they haven't already!
4/5
August 17, 2016
Not as fascinating as her first book, but still a good read. All the behind the scenes stories of her solo career were interesting, but the heart of the book deals with her struggles with eating disorders and depression.
Oddly, the book seems to be a chapter too long. Just as the story seems to have come to a satisfying end, there's a bizarre off-the-rails chapter in which she ponders her tv appearances, presents a list of qualities of her ideal man, and a list of her favourite activities. Another annoyance are her diary entries presented in her own chicken scratch writing, which are a chore to read. Overall I enjoyed this book but don't feel like her editor was doing their job.
Oddly, the book seems to be a chapter too long. Just as the story seems to have come to a satisfying end, there's a bizarre off-the-rails chapter in which she ponders her tv appearances, presents a list of qualities of her ideal man, and a list of her favourite activities. Another annoyance are her diary entries presented in her own chicken scratch writing, which are a chore to read. Overall I enjoyed this book but don't feel like her editor was doing their job.
August 12, 2008
I was not a Spicegirls fan at all. When I moved to England in 99, it wasn't too long before Geri came out with a solo album and I grudgingly liked it. I picked up this book and really loved it. She's just too cute not to love. It's not genius and it's light reading but enjoyable.
June 19, 2024
I was never a Ginger fan for some reason, so on my recent Spice Girls kick, I wanted to be fair and read everyone’s books (who has one, that I could find, yada yada yada). I have to say, this book did make me like Geri a lot! It was really interesting to hear about her personal life and post-Spice career. I hadn’t followed that, so I looked up some of the songs mentioned in the book and liked them - ESPECIALLY her 2000 Brits Award performance - epic! She’s still not my favorite Spice but I think that’s ingrained in me from the 90s by this point, so I’ll just say I do recommend this book for Spice Girl fans and think it’s a quality celebrity memoir.
September 3, 2018
This Book was Full of half naked yes barely clothed photoshop of her and a Bit of a memoir, considering she had eating disorders IT felt a Bit wrong tomoption all of this super skinnyshes half naked Pictures of herself in this Book. I dunno I just felt a Bit weird about it like maybe IT was Kind of ' promoting' eating disorders. IT just didnt sit right with me. Otherwise the writing was a Bit. Iring and at times I had to Force myself to Read and Finish this Book.
Not my Cup of tea this One..
Not my Cup of tea this One..
August 13, 2025
I needed a light beach read while I was on vacation, and I was very curious about why she left the Spice Girls when she did in 1998. I still don't understand the fascination with celebrity culture, but it was fun to read about someone completely blowing up their life and starting all over again, in public.
February 4, 2020
I’ve always been a spice girls fan and it was not until now that I got to read this book.
It has shown me a different side of Geri, not ginger spice, but Geri Halliwell. It’s interesting how fame can help but also damage your own image.
It has shown me a different side of Geri, not ginger spice, but Geri Halliwell. It’s interesting how fame can help but also damage your own image.
February 11, 2022
Very engrossing.
October 20, 2025
So the one thing I liked about this book was that it had inserts from her diary
The one thing I didn't like from this book is that they were written in her hand writting and I couldn't read them
The one thing I didn't like from this book is that they were written in her hand writting and I couldn't read them
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