Girl Gets Real: A Teenager's Guide to Life

by Danielle Fishel

Complete with a full-color photo insert, an autobiographical book provides middle readers with an insightful look at the life of one of today's most popular teen-age television actresses from Boy Meets World. Original.

Genres: Biography

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

An American actress and television personality best known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on the 1990s TV sitcom Boy Meets World. She is set to reprise the role for the upcoming 2014 spinoff Girl Meets World. She is also known for being the host of Style Network's The Dish. Fishel also appears in National Lampoon's Dorm Daze and its sequel, and was a spokesperson for NutriSystem. She is also a resident reporter on PopSugar, and their spin-off YouTube channel, PopSugar Girls Guide.

Reviews

[Nita Nelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom gifted me this book as a preteen. I had been diagnosed with scoliosis and put in a back brace, went through some pretty significant deaths back to back, a few close friends moved away, and the list goes on but I basically became such a recluse (now I know I was significantly depressed). This book was a light in the darkness of it all. It was the first time it hit me that we all have our ish, even celebs, who knew! 😅 It didn’t resolved anything for me but it did help me to be empathetic of others at a pretty young age. I think I skipped that selfish ‘it’s all about me’ ‘my life sucks’ ‘no one understands’ stage. My life was definitely sucky but I preferred to be a little light for others going through their own struggles the way this book was a little light for me in mine.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. This book is Danielle Fishel's teenage memoir. In the book, she explains how she began her acting career and her upbringing. The book then details how Danielle maintained a somewhat "normal" life by having many pets and attending school on set. Danielle gets candid about her struggles with self-image. Multiple other topics showcase ways Danielle is a typical teenager, but I digress. Overall, I found this book wholesome and a delight to read. I enjoyed the conversational tone of the book.

[Melissa Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had this book for several years now and I finally read it. It's nice to know there are celebrities just like real people.

[Evangelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! I read this book over the summer, and I'm going to read Danielle's most recent book soon.
I like how this was written by Danielle at 17-18, because that way you get a teen's perspective. I liked the anecdotes of her personal life. I would've thought playing Topanga growing up your life would be perfect, but Danielle assures that it's far from it. I enjoyed how she had best friends, got grounded for missing curfew, and boy drama just like any other teenager.
She stresses that she's not like Topanga , and that she's too much of a nag to be like Danielle herself. Personally I think Topanga started becoming like that in the beginning of Season 5, because Seasons 1-4, she was awesome.

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book probably a little over 10 years ago in a thrift store and naturally bought it because of Danielle, but I never actually read it until now. Being that she has written a second book and is now doing Girl Meets World, this book was fun to read in the sense that you get to see what she thought her life would be like now in 1999, and you can make comparisons. I don't even know if this book is still in print but fans should definitely pick this up if given the chance. It's just little insights on what her life was like back in 1999, and the pictures included are a nice touch.

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up watching BMW and when it ended I was so sad that when I found this I just had to pick it up, mind you I was about 13. But to this day it had a place in my collection and I'll never part with it. Silly I know but I adore the show and this book was a nice peek into behind the scenes of the show I loved and still do.

[JoAlice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish the book was thicker.