My Good Side: A Memoir

by Scheana Shay

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An intimate memoir from Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, delving into everything from the origin story of the iconic show, to her struggles with fertility and pregnancy loss, and the behind-the-scenes moments that were left on the cutting room floor.

Before eleven seasons of record-breaking TV, Scheana thought that signing on to the Real Housewives' spin-off show, Vanderpump Rules, was a stepping stone to reaching her ultimate goal of becoming a successful actress in Hollywood. But from the very first season, Vanderpump Rules pit Scheana against her fellow cast members. Barbs were thrown, friendships dissolved, and Scheana was left in the rubble trying to parse fact from fiction.

On camera, she got used to being called every name in the book, from homewrecker to a pick-me and bad friend. But off camera, there's always been a different side of Scheana, pieces of her she couldn't share on screen or that were trimmed out of tidy forty-minute television episodes.

In My Good Side, Scheana pulls back the layers of who she really is and shares all sides of her—the good, bad, and messy—bringing readers on a wild nostalgia trip through the early days of Vanderpump Rules, while recounting jaw-dropping stories from her Hollywood black book, including setting the record straight on her relationship with Eddie Cibrian. She reveals how her outlook on love has evolved and led her to a daughter she was told she may never have.

From being bullied as a kid to being bullied by the Witches of WeHo, Scheana has seen it all, and together she and her fans can laugh, cry, and reminisce on all the drama, heartbreak, and celebrations over the years.

Genres: Audiobook, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Pop Culture, Biography Memoir

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2025

Reviews

[Celine]

Should have been called "My Victim Complex".

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all happening! I have been a VPR fan since day one. I think there is a certain level of love/hate with every single cast member at one point or another. In that same vein...I loved parts of this book, and hated others.

While I appreciate Scheana's back story and her sharing the hard parts of her life, I cringed SO many times during the first 75%, or more. Lots of humble brags that often felt out of place or unnecessary. It felt like she'd sugar coat something or add in an excuse. I often wondered if this is just her personality or a result of being judged so harshly for so many years. I do think Scheana redeemed herself with the last couple chapters and her openness and honesty about her OCD, mental health, and motherhood. I wish the whole book would have given more of those vibes. One of the later chapters in the book, as well as a few lines in the next chapter, of the ARC I read were redacted. I am curious to see what that is all about when the book is released.

Perfect for fans of Vanderpump Rules, reality tv, Hollywood gossip, or anyone who has ever tried really hard to fit in only to realize maybe it's more about standing out.

4 stars

[Anjie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait Scheaner kinda hit with this

[Keely · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me, this book lacks true reflection and shows Scheana has not truly processed a lot of things. This book further highlights a lot of the VPR fandom’s issues with Scheana. As the viewers of VPR, of course, we do not truly know Scheana but the Scheana portrayed in this book is the same exact Scheana on VPR. Everything always happens to her and everything is always in relation to her in a way that is directly about her. When something bad actually happens to her, it is difficult to feel for her because she is constantly campaigning for it.

While it is Scheana’s memoir, it comes across as overly self-indulgent. She is consistently praising herself over “her long beautiful hair” as a child or the long list of famous people she has hooked up with “Jesse Metcalfe, Eddie Cibrian, John Mayer, Shemar Moore, Josh Hopkins, Shane West, Jesse McCartney, JC Chasez, Adrian Grenier, Ricardo Chavira, William Tell, two actors from The Notebook, and a few NFL, NBA, and MLB players, to name a few…”. There is literally no point in the story for that blurb to lend itself to the development of the book.

The whole premise of the book is to show the readers different sides of Scheana, but it legitimately showed just her “good side”. She never talks about how she’s messed up. She never takes accountability for her part in the affair with Eddie Cibrian, passing around inappropriate material of Stassi, or the initial plan of eloping at James and Raquel’s engagement party. Just because you weren’t going to tell people that you were eloping there doesn’t make it any better ?!?! She then blames production for making them share that they were engaged. She continually blames production for a lot of things. While people have autonomy and should have the ability to express what they want on a show, that is not how reality tv shows work and I think she is still being by naive with how she views VPR. Yes Scheana was an OG and her affair probably was a catalyst for the show, but it is called Vanderpump Rules for a reason. The book needs true reflection, accountability and evolution but has none of that.

Scheana was vulnerable about talking about her Hooter’s lawsuit, Postpartum OCD, and how her ex-husband treated her poorly. While they are difficult topics, Scheana does not dive into them anymore thoroughly than she already had on the show or her podcast. Well except for Brock’s affair, but it’s very minimal. Rather than actually working through things that have happened to her, it feels like she is just putting people on blast. Overall, the book was very disappointing.

[Olivia Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh Scheana…. Listened to this on audio she’s so annoying but I finished it so what does that say about me.

[Emma Griffioen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I can definitely tell Scheana really wrote this! I can't believe there was no mention of Madison Marie Parks-Valletta lol

[Lindsay Stenzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is pretty much exactly what you would expect from Scheana. Had to give it an extra star because I did appreciate how she talked about her OCD. Other than that, it was a lot of her listing famous people she’s slept with and rewriting every past narrative we’ve seen/heard about to describe how she was totally not in the wrong ever. If you’re a big VPR fan, I would say it’s worth the 3 hours to listen to it on 2x speed.

[Haley Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ ”I’ve called Summer ‘mini-Scheana’ since before she was born, and if this little girl really is a mini version of me, I’m intent on being strong, fierce, and forgiving. That is the kind of mother I want to be for her, and the kind of woman I want her to be some day.”
scheana shay. my scheeshu. continuing to prove time and time again that there is NO situation she cant somehow make about herself. & i say that with so much love.

i appreciate how revealing & honest she attempted to be, even if it didn’t seem genuine during certain moments. divulging about celebrity hookups & affairs as a young girl in LA, to family drama with relatives, to her traumatic miscarriage and difficulties with Summer’s birth and delivery, to finally exposing Brock for the cheating, lying POS we have always known him to be.
next challenge: leave his broke ass!!! 👏
she drops the bomb about her marriage in typical scheeshu fashion: piggybacking off scandoval and waiting YEARS to expose that her husband cheated while she was pregnant … seemingly to sell more copies of her book and/or get booked on the valley for season 3. don’t get me wrong, brock is the worst and i feel horrible for what scheana went through, but i find the timing of her confession equally entertaining as it is hilarious. 🤣

until Brittany or *shudders* Jax releases a novel, this was the final and without a doubt my favorite VPR castmate book.
but don’t count that as too high of praise considering my average rating for them was 2⭐️ .. while the VPR cast is reality tv GOLD, their books are pennies in comparison.

[Morgan Sullivan]

Exactly what you would expect from Scheana Shay (derogatory)

[Sam Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

She introduced herself as someone who survived a nationwide cheating scandal (which wasn’t even about her). The book is exactly what you would expect from Scheana. I did enjoy the behind the scenes details of VPR and she was quite open about certain things.

[Josie Cruea · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. No notes. A national treasure.

[Nicole Rizzo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a review I just wanted to say that I did NOT purchase this book & give her my money. I borrowed it from the library.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait… did I actually really enjoy this?? 😳📖✨

Okay, I am a ride or die VPR girlie, and when this landed in my lap courtesy of the publisher, I was gaggggeddd. Honestly, I didn’t go in expecting much (I’ve read way too many mid celeb memoirs), but babes… this one was GOOD AS GOLD. I ate it tf UP.

Scheana does not hold back. We’re talking:
✨ the Hooters scandal (this was new info to me, WTF!)
✨ the entire Eddie/Brandi/LeAnn/Scheana mess (it’s juicy vintage goss)
✨ shady Lisa Vanderpump tea (MY FAVE)
✨ 2000s dating stories with absolute bombshells (a lil name-droppy but I was living - JC CHASEZ!!)
✨ and of course, Scandoval. enough said.

But what really hit me was her vulnerability—she talks candidly about her miscarriage, fertility struggles, OCD, and yes… the adultery. There were moments where I genuinely saw myself in her story, and I didn’t expect that. It felt like the real Scheana finally stepped forward—and honestly, I wish production showed more of this side of her during her stint on VPR.

If you’re a VPR fan, none of this will totally shock you—but it’s still super satisfying to hear it all from her perspective. 10/10 for Bravo stans 🥂

Thank you to Hachette/Grand Central Publishing for this finished copy.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a day one VPR fan so I knew I had to read this one, Scheana is a polarizing person and her book is no different. So many chapters of this is just Scheana being Shishu and she’s braggy and a bit obnoxious but I expected that. On the flip side she shares a lot of vulnerable info like her mental health issues, motherhood and issues with her marriage that I found to be redeeming and that aspect made this a worthwhile listen for me. She gives some insight into what being a reality TV star is like for her and some behind the scenes scoop of VPR. Overall, if you’re a fan of the show you’ll prob enjoy this listen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Hannah Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is classic Scheana. She marks periods of her life by which man she was sleeping with at the time, and the name dropping never ceases! She brings up some of the controversial things she did/said in VPR, and then explains why she was the victim in the situation. She also includes digs at her “friends” for incidents in which she thinks they could have been better friends (she does this to Lala, Ariana, and others). And she stays a Tom groupie. Still don’t like her but i had to read it as a VPR girly, obv.

[Lackof_shelf_control · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Brennan Facchino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like being super hungry for some tasty, junky, comfort food and the only thing available was ice chips.

[Daniela Soria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scheana Marie Shay you’ll always be an icon, even if I’ve been hard on you over the years.

She started off this book by listing her achievements including “surviving her friend’s cheating scandal” and we may know her from “the tabloids where she slept with John Mayer. One thing about Scheana is she is true to herself.

While nothing revolutionary here, it was nice to hear things from her POV.

[jaz ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was hilariously bad, as a chronic bravo watcher & fan of VPR. I had to see what Sheana “It’s all happening” Marie had to say, it was the same victim pick me complex she has always portrayed!

[Amy Wagenknecht · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time. This book is so poorly written and it’s all over the place. There is no great info to come from it. More of a regurgitation of what we already saw on the show or see in tabloids. A lot of name dropping and minute details that no one cares about. It was painfully boring and that includes the chapter on the affair.

[Matt Yost · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst written book I’ve ever read and I loved every second

[Jack Tedone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scheana’s life fascinates me

[Riley Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

great job, Scheana

[Kait McCaffrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was unintentionally the funniest thing I’ve ever read. I made the mistake of listening to the audiobook and have had ear pain the entire time. A coincidence? I think not. Scheana is the most delusional human being on Earth. She’s made up of multitudes- and they’re all bad. She wrote AT LENGTH about how Scandoval made life unsafe for her daughter (wut) and how all she wants to do in this world is protect her and her family. So yes, by all means, devote several chapters to detail how her father cheated on you. For someone who referenced every 10 pages that she got bullied, she’s sure giving a lot of things for her daughter’s future classmates to work with. She also said she and Shay got together after their divorce to hash things out and she apologized for airing his dirty laundry on national television…so then she also wrote several chapters about it in her book. Truly remarkable how she continues to spin what happened to Ariana into how it impacted her. The name dropping was so incredibly unnecessary and so frequent. I actually listened to this while going to sleep on vacation and somehow both finished the book 6 times and was still listening to it. It was an endless loop of absolute trash. She should be jailed immediately for REPEATEDLY doing an LVP impersonation. The number of times she made sure to say she was “meeting up with friends” to just assure us that yes, chat, she has friends was laughable. Also, I beg of you to please read the section where she talks about being on the Masked Singer & wearing a bat head and she thought she’d be claustrophobic because her mom is (is…is that hereditary?) but she wasn’t (I feel like by the time 40, you’d likely know if you were claustrophobic?) and in the end, she was proud of herself for conquering her fears. The fear of claustrophobia…which she said she did not have.

To loosely quote Billy Madison- “what you’ve just written is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you zero enchiladas, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on 1.5x speed today and it was as juicy as promised. Basically it’s a podcast…god bless her she’s got a lot going on

[Tell]

Full SEVEN MINUTE review up on TikTok and YouTube.

In short: Scheana is gonna Scheana. Frustrating, delusional, optimistic, confounding... an experience!

Update 11/11 for Substack: '

I dragged poor Scheana for seven minutes on TikTok and YouTube. In short: are people born losers or do they have loserdom thrust upon them? Scheana is frustrating, delusional, optimistic, and confounding. On TikTok, I’ve talked about my…distaste for people who identify as Mirror Balls, like that one Taylor Swift lyric, and Scheana exemplifies this type of person to a tee.

There are several reality stars who contort themselves into various shapes in order to court the approval of the audience. The internet has been discoursing around people who identify as People Pleasers for years (name three people who are pleased with you): the more desperate you are for the approval of others, the more disingenuous you become. Scheana deeply believes she is being authentic while also admitting she only wants to make everyone around her like her, and it’s been her downfall for two decades (and part of the downfall of Vanderpump Rules).

There’s a self awareness chip that’s completely absent. I can’t speak to whether she’s a nice or good or kind person, because all we see is mirrors: She will only show us what she thinks we want to see. There was a possibility of her exploring what it was like to be biracial in all white environments, her abandonment by her father, her throwing herself at the gates of Hollywood in an attempt to court the approval she never got from her family, but all of that is missing. I have empathy for her, but empathy doesn’t go far when someone is this naked about their wish to be famous while also pretending it doesn’t exist. You can be honest about needing validation or be honest about wanting to be the most famous girl in the world, but pretending neither exist makes for a hollow memoir.

[Ally Haberman · Rating 2 out of 5]

perfectly delusional like she shu

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scheana Shay was born to be a reality star. She's insecure, ambitious and she's unintentionally funny. There would have been no Vanderpump Rules without Scheana and even though she chose Sandoval over Ariana along with the rest of the cast, I'm still excited that she's joining The Valley.

My Good Side is a quick and honest read. I would have liked a longer book. She definitely has more stories to tell and I hope she writes a part 2.

Also Good As Gold is a bop and if you disagree you are lying.

[ari · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ultimate pick me memoir. Poorly written, & way too much name dropping.

[lexluvsb00ks · Rating 1 out of 5]

male enabler core!