What do you think?
Rate this book
Kim Kardashian
The definitive biography of the world’s number-one reality star, Kim Kardashian West—the savvy entrepreneur and fashion forward woman who has defined fame for today’s generation—from the UK's leading celebrity biographer.
A thoroughly modern woman, Kim Kardashian West, the daughter of headline-making lawyer Robert Kardashian, grew up like a princess in a Beverley Hills mansion. As a young girl, Kim’s ambition was to appear on The Real World, the groundbreaking hit series. But reality proved even bigger than her dreams, when just a few years later she became the star of her own smash show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
While Keeping Up with the Kardashians took us into Kim’s privileged world and made her a household name, the details of her life story—murder, elopement, domestic violence, a sex tape, a quickie divorce, religious worship, and unbelievably glamorous designer fashions—played out like an X-rated version of the 1980s soap opera Dynasty. But Kim’s story has only just begun. Married for a second time—to one of the biggest stars on the planet, Kanye West—she has begun her own dynasty with the birth of daughter, North, and another baby due in November 2015.
Filled with delicious, painstakingly researched, eye-popping detail, Kim Kardashian uncovers what it took for Kim to rise to the top—and how she intends to stay there. Sean Smith offers a multidimensional portrait of this remarkable woman, exploring her childhood, her family, her turbulent love life, and her glitzy multi-millionaire lifestyle. From her fabulous fashion-sense, to her world-famous physique, to her devotion to her family, including her relationship with her stepparent, Bruce Jenner and his transition to Caitlyn Jenner, this sensational, addictive biography tells the unvarnished truth about the undisputed Queen of Celebrity—the real story of Kim Kardashian.
A thoroughly modern woman, Kim Kardashian West, the daughter of headline-making lawyer Robert Kardashian, grew up like a princess in a Beverley Hills mansion. As a young girl, Kim’s ambition was to appear on The Real World, the groundbreaking hit series. But reality proved even bigger than her dreams, when just a few years later she became the star of her own smash show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
While Keeping Up with the Kardashians took us into Kim’s privileged world and made her a household name, the details of her life story—murder, elopement, domestic violence, a sex tape, a quickie divorce, religious worship, and unbelievably glamorous designer fashions—played out like an X-rated version of the 1980s soap opera Dynasty. But Kim’s story has only just begun. Married for a second time—to one of the biggest stars on the planet, Kanye West—she has begun her own dynasty with the birth of daughter, North, and another baby due in November 2015.
Filled with delicious, painstakingly researched, eye-popping detail, Kim Kardashian uncovers what it took for Kim to rise to the top—and how she intends to stay there. Sean Smith offers a multidimensional portrait of this remarkable woman, exploring her childhood, her family, her turbulent love life, and her glitzy multi-millionaire lifestyle. From her fabulous fashion-sense, to her world-famous physique, to her devotion to her family, including her relationship with her stepparent, Bruce Jenner and his transition to Caitlyn Jenner, this sensational, addictive biography tells the unvarnished truth about the undisputed Queen of Celebrity—the real story of Kim Kardashian.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2015
42 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Sean Smith
98 books58 followersSean Smith is the UK’s leading celebrity biographer and the author of the number one bestseller Cheryl, as well as bestselling books about Tom Jones, Robbie Williams and Kate Middleton.
His books about the most famous people of our times has been translated throughout the world. His subjects include Adele, Kim Kardashian, Gary Barlow, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and J.K. Rowling. The film Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story was based on his biography of the Harry Potter author.
Described by the Independent as a ‘fearless chronicler’, he specialises in meticulous research, going ‘on the road’ to find the real person behind the star image.
His books about the most famous people of our times has been translated throughout the world. His subjects include Adele, Kim Kardashian, Gary Barlow, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and J.K. Rowling. The film Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story was based on his biography of the Harry Potter author.
Described by the Independent as a ‘fearless chronicler’, he specialises in meticulous research, going ‘on the road’ to find the real person behind the star image.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 28, 2016
Please tell us more about your life because we haven't watched enough of keeping up with kardashians! Bette Midler wrote a hilarious tweet about everything kim does :D “Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera"
i couldn't agree more.
i couldn't agree more.
August 27, 2017
I'm an enthusiastic watcher of reality tv and love watching KUWTK. Judge if you want I regret nothing.
People often ask the question What is Kim Kardashian famous for?
The answer I always give is, She's famous for making money by simply living her life.
She and her family have found a way to make money off of every aspect of their lives. A lot of celebrities go out clubbing, the Kardashian's get paid to do it. A lot of people post pictures of Social Media, the Kardashian's make money doing it. Almost everyone I know is on a diet, the Kardashian's partner with diet companies and turn a profit doing it.
As someone with no talent of any kind I love that Kim and her family have become multimillionaires based solely off of their looks and crazy personalities. I would love to get paid to eat salad and go shopping.
I found this book or should I say it found me on Friday night at Half-Priced Books ( if I was Kim I would be making money to name drop) it was shelved in the wrong section(this is not a cookbook) and my eye was drawn to it. Also it only cost $4 so....Winning!!! I had to buy it. Had to! I started it that night and finished it on Sunday morning. Its nice quick read.
I didn't learn anything knew about Kim but seeing as Kim is an open book I doubt there's anything left unknown. The author is definitely a fan, at times his gushing was embarrassing. Like come on, no one believes Kim didn't make that tape to get famous. She was friends with Paris Hilton!
The book also tries to make Kim and Kanye seem like a couple from a romantic comedy who were meant for each other, while seeming to ignore the weird dynamics of their relationship. Kanye has admitted to watching Kim's sex tape thousands of times, he pretty much spent years stalking her, he has called her a thing on multiple occasions and talked about wanting to possess her. They spend the majority of their time living on different continents(she in North America, he in Europe) he wasn't in the room when his children were born and only saw Kim after she had put on makeup. I don't see Kim as Kanye's wife, she's more like his trophy or Barbie doll.
That being said it was a fun read, a little too much time was spent talking about Caitlyn(she was a boring man and she's a boring and deeply problematic woman) Also not enough Lord Disick(man I miss him). It wasn't life changing but it wasnt suppose to be. Its fluff just like reality tv, its mindless on purpose.
Only recommended for Kardashian fans and fans of brainless tv.
People often ask the question What is Kim Kardashian famous for?
The answer I always give is, She's famous for making money by simply living her life.
She and her family have found a way to make money off of every aspect of their lives. A lot of celebrities go out clubbing, the Kardashian's get paid to do it. A lot of people post pictures of Social Media, the Kardashian's make money doing it. Almost everyone I know is on a diet, the Kardashian's partner with diet companies and turn a profit doing it.
As someone with no talent of any kind I love that Kim and her family have become multimillionaires based solely off of their looks and crazy personalities. I would love to get paid to eat salad and go shopping.
I found this book or should I say it found me on Friday night at Half-Priced Books ( if I was Kim I would be making money to name drop) it was shelved in the wrong section(this is not a cookbook) and my eye was drawn to it. Also it only cost $4 so....Winning!!! I had to buy it. Had to! I started it that night and finished it on Sunday morning. Its nice quick read.
I didn't learn anything knew about Kim but seeing as Kim is an open book I doubt there's anything left unknown. The author is definitely a fan, at times his gushing was embarrassing. Like come on, no one believes Kim didn't make that tape to get famous. She was friends with Paris Hilton!
The book also tries to make Kim and Kanye seem like a couple from a romantic comedy who were meant for each other, while seeming to ignore the weird dynamics of their relationship. Kanye has admitted to watching Kim's sex tape thousands of times, he pretty much spent years stalking her, he has called her a thing on multiple occasions and talked about wanting to possess her. They spend the majority of their time living on different continents(she in North America, he in Europe) he wasn't in the room when his children were born and only saw Kim after she had put on makeup. I don't see Kim as Kanye's wife, she's more like his trophy or Barbie doll.
That being said it was a fun read, a little too much time was spent talking about Caitlyn(she was a boring man and she's a boring and deeply problematic woman) Also not enough Lord Disick(man I miss him). It wasn't life changing but it wasnt suppose to be. Its fluff just like reality tv, its mindless on purpose.
Only recommended for Kardashian fans and fans of brainless tv.
November 10, 2015
"Kim" is the latest biography by Sean Smith which chronicles the phenomenal mega success of all things Kardashian. Smith is a notable bestselling British celebrity biographer who has written about Robbie Williams, Kate Middleton, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Aniston, J.K. Rowling.
In addition to her influence and professional appeal as an actress, model, business owner/manager, Smith introduces Kim as an activist who has raised awareness of the Armenian Genocide, which has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 million people beginning in 1915. Kardashcoff was the original Russian-Armenian family name, Kim's grandfather Art was born in Los Angeles in 1918, married her beautiful grandmother Helen Arakelia, and built a business worth over 100 million USD. Kim's father Robert Kardashian was born in Baldwin Hills, (1944-2003) and in 1978 married Kim's gorgeous mother, a flight attendant Kristen Mary "Kris" Houghton (1955-). They had 3 daughters and a son, Kim was born October 21, 1980. After Kim's parents marriage ended in 1991, her mother married Bruce Jenner (1991-2014) and had two more daughters.
Within this large blended family, Kim had good relationships with her siblings and extended family. Kim adored her grandmother who died at age 90 in 2008, and had a close loving relationships with both her parents. Kim was 22 when Robert suddenly tragically died of esophageal cancer, devastating his family. Kim would face another family loss with the Jenner separation and divorce. The Kardashian-Jenner family saga continues on reality TV, the public commentary/photos speak volumes of this loving close-knit blended family. Kanye and Kim to their credit, were open-minded and supportive of Caitlin Jenner, which Smith explained in extensive detail.
The bio is divided into three parts- 1..Kimberly ~ 2..Kim Kardashian ~ 3.. Kim Kardashian West ~ Smith describes Kim's confidence, ambition, and astounding rise to success. By the time Kim married Kanye West (2014-) she had been divorced from Damon Thomas (2000-2004) and Kris Humphries (2011-2013). Thomas, initially avoided speaking to the press, later claimed Kim was desperate to be famous,(also other tactless comments) he filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Kim started as a fashion advisor to her celebrity friends and made guest star appearances on their reality shows. Smith reveals the inside details of the famous "sex tape" and Kim's settlement with Vivid Entertainment. When Kim began selling shoes and clothes on e-Bay her first sale made her thousands in profit. It is no doubt she inherited her business savvy from her parents, both (were) multi- millionaires.
In October 2007, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" was introduced on E! cable, now going into the 10th season, the show celebrates its astonishing success, with several spin-off shows including the recent "Dash Dolls" (2015). In spite of stinging comments by critics, Kim has millions of followers on social media. Critic Kevin O'Sullivan cites the "dazzling brilliance" of the show, while some of the drama may be staged, the ability to act and deliver performances demonstrate the talent of these glamorous gifted women. Pages of great color photos included.
In addition to her influence and professional appeal as an actress, model, business owner/manager, Smith introduces Kim as an activist who has raised awareness of the Armenian Genocide, which has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 million people beginning in 1915. Kardashcoff was the original Russian-Armenian family name, Kim's grandfather Art was born in Los Angeles in 1918, married her beautiful grandmother Helen Arakelia, and built a business worth over 100 million USD. Kim's father Robert Kardashian was born in Baldwin Hills, (1944-2003) and in 1978 married Kim's gorgeous mother, a flight attendant Kristen Mary "Kris" Houghton (1955-). They had 3 daughters and a son, Kim was born October 21, 1980. After Kim's parents marriage ended in 1991, her mother married Bruce Jenner (1991-2014) and had two more daughters.
Within this large blended family, Kim had good relationships with her siblings and extended family. Kim adored her grandmother who died at age 90 in 2008, and had a close loving relationships with both her parents. Kim was 22 when Robert suddenly tragically died of esophageal cancer, devastating his family. Kim would face another family loss with the Jenner separation and divorce. The Kardashian-Jenner family saga continues on reality TV, the public commentary/photos speak volumes of this loving close-knit blended family. Kanye and Kim to their credit, were open-minded and supportive of Caitlin Jenner, which Smith explained in extensive detail.
The bio is divided into three parts- 1..Kimberly ~ 2..Kim Kardashian ~ 3.. Kim Kardashian West ~ Smith describes Kim's confidence, ambition, and astounding rise to success. By the time Kim married Kanye West (2014-) she had been divorced from Damon Thomas (2000-2004) and Kris Humphries (2011-2013). Thomas, initially avoided speaking to the press, later claimed Kim was desperate to be famous,(also other tactless comments) he filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Kim started as a fashion advisor to her celebrity friends and made guest star appearances on their reality shows. Smith reveals the inside details of the famous "sex tape" and Kim's settlement with Vivid Entertainment. When Kim began selling shoes and clothes on e-Bay her first sale made her thousands in profit. It is no doubt she inherited her business savvy from her parents, both (were) multi- millionaires.
In October 2007, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" was introduced on E! cable, now going into the 10th season, the show celebrates its astonishing success, with several spin-off shows including the recent "Dash Dolls" (2015). In spite of stinging comments by critics, Kim has millions of followers on social media. Critic Kevin O'Sullivan cites the "dazzling brilliance" of the show, while some of the drama may be staged, the ability to act and deliver performances demonstrate the talent of these glamorous gifted women. Pages of great color photos included.
March 14, 2016
I am not at all embarrassed to have read this completely trashy book (ok maybe a little embarrassed to have read the 9 pages of Kim's star chart at the end). Also disappointed that author promises to find out what, exactly, Scott Disick does at the beginning of the book but by the end must admit no one is really sure.
April 4, 2021
Well I thoroughly enjoyed that 😆 sat on my bookcase for 5 years!
June 21, 2016
I actually really enjoyed this book. It made me appreciate the Kardashian family and see them in a new light. I used to think they were famous for nothing, but this book made me appreciate the amount of work they have put in building a brand for themselves. They are very clever. This book also made me have a different view of Kanye West. I previously thought he simply had a huge ego, but after reading about his relationship with his mother and the lessons she had taught him at a young age, it made me see him in a new light.
March 9, 2016
For a non-Kardashian fan, this book had some juicy tidbits about the family and read like a really long gossip magazine. However, the author seems to think his readers are morons-see previously quoted explanation of what the esophagus does.
December 22, 2015
Cheered me up!
The stars are for Sean Smith, who did a decent job presenting information about Kim Kardashian in a clear, orderly way. He kept to the fine line between gushing idolatry and distanced irony. It would have been a besetting temptation to take a wry, ironic tone considering the subject matter; Sean Smith resisted admirably. In fact, the book filled in many of my knowledge gaps about pop culture without annoying me with the triviality of its subject any more than was unavoidable.
In fact, at no point did I hurl this book at the wall. Whether my self-restraint was due to Smith's detached and linear style or to the fact that I read this on a Kindle and did not want to damage my device remains an open question.
If you have been so busy with work and genuine pursuits that you only vaguely know about the Kardashians, Inc., this book will catch you up. Then you will wonder why you thought you ever needed to know any of this. You will have an epiphany in which you realize that your life is more valuable and meaningful than you ever considered. It will become obvious to you that your path through this world has actually contributed. You will have a moment of happiness and clarity in which you appreciate yourself so much more.
Well, I am not going to criticize Kim. At least she has not written a children's book, thank goodness. Not yet anyway.
The stars are for Sean Smith, who did a decent job presenting information about Kim Kardashian in a clear, orderly way. He kept to the fine line between gushing idolatry and distanced irony. It would have been a besetting temptation to take a wry, ironic tone considering the subject matter; Sean Smith resisted admirably. In fact, the book filled in many of my knowledge gaps about pop culture without annoying me with the triviality of its subject any more than was unavoidable.
In fact, at no point did I hurl this book at the wall. Whether my self-restraint was due to Smith's detached and linear style or to the fact that I read this on a Kindle and did not want to damage my device remains an open question.
If you have been so busy with work and genuine pursuits that you only vaguely know about the Kardashians, Inc., this book will catch you up. Then you will wonder why you thought you ever needed to know any of this. You will have an epiphany in which you realize that your life is more valuable and meaningful than you ever considered. It will become obvious to you that your path through this world has actually contributed. You will have a moment of happiness and clarity in which you appreciate yourself so much more.
Well, I am not going to criticize Kim. At least she has not written a children's book, thank goodness. Not yet anyway.
January 12, 2016
To be totally honest what was I expecting out of a celebrity biography about a Kardashian with a Pantone dusky rose dust jacket? Not much, and ask and ye shall receive.
November 14, 2019
This book basically tells you Kim’s life but since her life is always on tv or the media. I didn’t learn anything new about her the book basically stated things we already know
August 2, 2018
I’ve finally finished this book and with this I’m going to take a break in reading anything kardashian related. I really enjoyed reading kris Jenner’s book. I learned a lot about them through that. The Kardashian’s dynasty and kardashian konfidential gave me more details. This one maybe would’ve been better to read earlier because it provided the least insight on the family. It was also poorly edited. Bad grammar. And was confusing in the way it was organized. Sometimes I would forget the book was just supposed to be about Kim because of how much we went in depth about other family members. Some of the paragraph organization was confusing too. Literally the entire paragraph would be about one subject and then all of a sudden a line or two would be thrown in about something totally different. I have no idea what the logic was on the connections. I mean it wasn’t terrible that’s why I’m giving it an average rating. But it didn’t stand out at all. I’m going to try my best to avoid this authors biographies in the future.
March 30, 2024
I have chosen to hide the this review, in case you don’t know Kim’s marriage to Kayne West doesn’t last.
Love them, hate them or simply don’t care for them, the world knows who the Kardashian family is.
Which is quite an achievement, be it for their business, reality show or a friend just raves on about them.
This book is based on Kim Kardashian but shows her life and the people in it, so you get to know the whole family overall in this.
Loved the way it was written, loved her story. Great insight into the brand that is Kardashian.
5 star read.
Love them, hate them or simply don’t care for them, the world knows who the Kardashian family is.
Which is quite an achievement, be it for their business, reality show or a friend just raves on about them.
This book is based on Kim Kardashian but shows her life and the people in it, so you get to know the whole family overall in this.
Loved the way it was written, loved her story. Great insight into the brand that is Kardashian.
5 star read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2024
A definitive biography is really generous for a book that constantly jumps around and is so focused on including everyone it really pays little to no attention to the subject of the book. I’m not a follower of Kim’s so I read this in like a morbidly curious manner and it felt more like a tabloid overview and was just objectively a bad book.
May 31, 2017
Well it's definitely a skill to use ones talent to make a fortune - ultimately something to admire & a completely different world with it's principles, standards, views and values))) The book itself is boring and I think would serve better if it would be shortened to 20 pages.
June 24, 2019
Hardly a book about Kim Kardashian, it had more to do with her parents and their friends life stories. It told more about the people connected to Kim than Kim herself. Don't bother reading, you can probably read more about her on the internet than is in this book
November 20, 2017
3.65 slow start, great finish.
November 18, 2019
Love them or hate them, this was a really fascinating read!
February 2, 2020
A good read though!
If only the plot concentrates on Kim herself...
If only the plot concentrates on Kim herself...
September 19, 2020
Love Kim and love KUWTK but this was written as less of a biography and more of a gossip column.
February 15, 2021
I read /Kim Kardashian/, by Sean Smith.
Not being watcher of TV, I didn't know that much about Kim and her family... and now I do!
Not being watcher of TV, I didn't know that much about Kim and her family... and now I do!
June 24, 2022
This is my first and favourite book of all time. I love this book and I love this girl. An awesome biography by an awesome author.
July 15, 2023
Absolute waste of time, I still don't know what Scott Disick do.
I actually have massive to Kim Kardashian and the whole family for their business acumine - however this was just a waste of paper, I'd rather put my money towards buying Skims.
I actually have massive to Kim Kardashian and the whole family for their business acumine - however this was just a waste of paper, I'd rather put my money towards buying Skims.
June 7, 2016
For me, this book captured my attention, in many different ways. Emotionally I connected to this book, because I understand her need for others, this book captured Kim's desire to help people and this caught my attention as I also have a need for other. I was also captured by Kim's story because she shared her family history for example, 'Talking about her late father and how her parents met'. Knowing more about her Family heritage made me dig deeper into mine. I started reading this book because I was going through my bookshelf and came across this book and having the prior knowledge of who Kim Kardashian West I was determined to uncover the true Kim and her family history. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who don't like the Kardashians and have no interest in their life style because the book is solely about her life style and family, also I wouldn't recommend this book to people who do not enjoy reading biography's as this book is clearly a biography.
November 18, 2015
I received this book for free through Goodreads giveaway and love love love it,i am a fan of the Kardashians already and was so hoping to win this,thank you.
This book is a great look into Kims life and behind the scenes to what she deals with daily and her and the ups and downs involved in being a rich and famous celebrity in a world who is always looking at you and judging you,i thought Sean Smith did an amazing job with writing this and am very happy that he did as i thoroughly enjoyed it as i am sure others have too.
And i love learning a few new things too and am glad it shows how nice she is and her family.
This book is a great look into Kims life and behind the scenes to what she deals with daily and her and the ups and downs involved in being a rich and famous celebrity in a world who is always looking at you and judging you,i thought Sean Smith did an amazing job with writing this and am very happy that he did as i thoroughly enjoyed it as i am sure others have too.
And i love learning a few new things too and am glad it shows how nice she is and her family.
November 14, 2016
I'm not the biggest Kim Kardashian fan but Keeping Up with The Kardashians is one of my guilty pleasure Tv shows. I really wanted to read this book to see what Kim was like before she was famous and I did find that out as well as some other things I've been interested in finding out. This book didn't make me liker her any more or any less than I already did but I did learn some new things about the Kardashians. If you like Kim and the Kardashians or are interested in them check this book out as I think it is a fair book it doesn't really slate or trash the Kardashians as some books probably do.
November 12, 2015
I'm really disappointed with this i was so looking forward to reading it and to me it has provided absolutely no new aspect to someone like myself who is a massive Kardashian fan. the book actually feels cobbled together with excerpts from other books and interviews and has absolutely no insight or new angle. It gets a 3 as i always like to read about Kim but honestly if you're a fan I wouldn't waste your time you'll know it all already.
November 28, 2015
It was quite interesting to see what she done before the tv show
January 1, 2016
Interesting insight thank you!
Really enjoyed this book! Some wonderful insight into her life! Perfect light read for all to enjoy! Great buy and I would recommend!
Really enjoyed this book! Some wonderful insight into her life! Perfect light read for all to enjoy! Great buy and I would recommend!
June 25, 2016
I found this book to be ok. There wasn't any really 'new' information in it. It was an easy read for the summer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews