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Pimped: The Shocking True Story of the Girl Sold for Sex by Her Best Friend
When your new best friend has pimped you out to older men and is making money from your abuse, who will come to your rescue?
By the age of thirteen, vulnerable Sheffield teenager Samantha Owens had fallen through the cracks in the care system. Bounced around numerous foster carers after her home life became too chaotic, Samantha thought she had found a friend in the streetwise Amanda Spencer. The older girl bought her clothes, styled her hair and found her places to stay. Samantha's welfare was the last thing on Spencer's mind, however, as in reality she was grooming the young girl for exploitation of the worst possible kind.
Over the course of the next few months, Samantha was plied with alcohol and drugs and pimped out to over fifty men for Spencer's gain. Raped, abused, and with no chance of escape, Samantha was at the mercy of the calculating, ruthless and intimidating Spencer. It took a police investigation of two years to bring her and a small gang of cohorts to justice and, in 2014, Spencer was jailed for twelve years. With her abusers in jail, and Samantha bravely rebuilding her life, her shocking story is a stark warning to those who believe child sexual abuse follows any set pattern.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 14, 2019
I burst through this in an afternoon, and was surprised by how good the writing was. Samantha is moved from one foster home to the other in her early years. One day she meets an older girl called Amanda who introduces her to the exciting world of parties, alcohol and drugs - but it is not until it's too late that Samantha realises she is part of a deal Amanda has to exploit young girls to older men for sex. Completely under Amanda's spell, Sammy will do anything she says, but at what cost?
A fascinating and devastatingly sad story about a girl too naive to stand up for herself and save herself from trouble.
The ending brought respite however, and I think all readers must've breathed a sigh of relief.
A fascinating and devastatingly sad story about a girl too naive to stand up for herself and save herself from trouble.
The ending brought respite however, and I think all readers must've breathed a sigh of relief.
June 12, 2019
An amazing account of a girl groomed by her so called best friend , I couldn’t put it down
May 15, 2019
Read this in a day as I couldn't put it down.
An honest, grim story that I am so glad the author shared with the world. It doesn't aim to shock, but actually gives insight into the mind of victims and how they can rationalise their experiences. A fascinating but obviously extremely dark read.
Respect to the author for everything she has achieved.
An honest, grim story that I am so glad the author shared with the world. It doesn't aim to shock, but actually gives insight into the mind of victims and how they can rationalise their experiences. A fascinating but obviously extremely dark read.
Respect to the author for everything she has achieved.
May 1, 2019
Amazing and strong lady
This young lady had her innocence taken away from her at such a young age,and what makes it more the shocking is the evil that was supposed to be her best friend. Hard read but well worth it
This young lady had her innocence taken away from her at such a young age,and what makes it more the shocking is the evil that was supposed to be her best friend. Hard read but well worth it
August 5, 2024
Wow, thanks Laura for the book
July 31, 2021
I had to give up on this book about 35% into it because I didn't believe most of the things she was saying.
I know there are true cases like these but the way she's wrote this book,she just sounds very self-centred and doesn't think about the consequences of getting caught shoplifting.Also if you think there's something suspicious about a new friend you just made then you're best off staying away from them because if they sound or look to good to be true... they usually are.
I know there are true cases like these but the way she's wrote this book,she just sounds very self-centred and doesn't think about the consequences of getting caught shoplifting.Also if you think there's something suspicious about a new friend you just made then you're best off staying away from them because if they sound or look to good to be true... they usually are.
January 17, 2020
This review was published on Lost in a Good Book
CW: sexual abuse, drugs
I can’t quite say what made me pick this up but it was an interesting story and one that is filled with sadness that these events could happen and no one ever notice or care. From a neglected childhood Sam is befriended by an older girl and from there her innocence and naivety is taken advantage of as the girl she looks up to leads her on the path of danger and destruction.
Samantha keeps referring to Amanda has her best friend but she clearly isn’t. But from Sam’s perspective she is the closest and only friend she has had, and once you know her childhood situation and her school life you can easily see how she held onto the belief that Amanda was her best friend.
Some parts describe the day to day before skipping parts of time and in this way we get to see a lot of the intimate moments of Sam’s life and get to see how long this went on and how it changed her life. It isn’t just her life on the streets with Amanda, her childhood has its own traumas and honestly, seeing her resilience through that as a child herself is something to be proud of. To see that be taken advantage of is hard and to see those around her fail her is even harder.
As Samantha got older and tells of her life on her own it was harder to track her timeline because she seems to change her mind a lot and her opinion flips often. This may have been over days or weeks but in the telling of the story it happens in a few sentences. This easily works as her being indecisive, but listening to it it happens fairly quickly. I didn’t mind this, but I was unclear of the time period and whether this was instant or over a few days or longer. Not that is has any real bearing on the story, but it was a moment of confusion.
Samantha doesn’t get away scot free and there are moments of unjustness but also of deserved consequences. Throughout her story though there are moments of despondency because you see Sam’s struggles and the circumstances she finds herself in and how she was behind from the start. It was sad to see how she often tried her hardest but the situation she was in and the lack of support she got often resulted in her falling back into bad habits. It is easy to see how it happened though as she explains that the pressure was too much and the need for money or comfort was what puts her over the edge no matter how much she hated it.
The is definitely a story about falling through the cracks of the system and seeing Samantha’s life from childhood to adulthood with neglect and abuse with only a few people to care about her was hard to hear about but one I think is important too. It is a powerful story to tell and having the courage to do so, and do so in a way where she doesn’t paint herself entirely as a victim, is incredibly brave.
CW: sexual abuse, drugs
I can’t quite say what made me pick this up but it was an interesting story and one that is filled with sadness that these events could happen and no one ever notice or care. From a neglected childhood Sam is befriended by an older girl and from there her innocence and naivety is taken advantage of as the girl she looks up to leads her on the path of danger and destruction.
Samantha keeps referring to Amanda has her best friend but she clearly isn’t. But from Sam’s perspective she is the closest and only friend she has had, and once you know her childhood situation and her school life you can easily see how she held onto the belief that Amanda was her best friend.
Some parts describe the day to day before skipping parts of time and in this way we get to see a lot of the intimate moments of Sam’s life and get to see how long this went on and how it changed her life. It isn’t just her life on the streets with Amanda, her childhood has its own traumas and honestly, seeing her resilience through that as a child herself is something to be proud of. To see that be taken advantage of is hard and to see those around her fail her is even harder.
As Samantha got older and tells of her life on her own it was harder to track her timeline because she seems to change her mind a lot and her opinion flips often. This may have been over days or weeks but in the telling of the story it happens in a few sentences. This easily works as her being indecisive, but listening to it it happens fairly quickly. I didn’t mind this, but I was unclear of the time period and whether this was instant or over a few days or longer. Not that is has any real bearing on the story, but it was a moment of confusion.
Samantha doesn’t get away scot free and there are moments of unjustness but also of deserved consequences. Throughout her story though there are moments of despondency because you see Sam’s struggles and the circumstances she finds herself in and how she was behind from the start. It was sad to see how she often tried her hardest but the situation she was in and the lack of support she got often resulted in her falling back into bad habits. It is easy to see how it happened though as she explains that the pressure was too much and the need for money or comfort was what puts her over the edge no matter how much she hated it.
The is definitely a story about falling through the cracks of the system and seeing Samantha’s life from childhood to adulthood with neglect and abuse with only a few people to care about her was hard to hear about but one I think is important too. It is a powerful story to tell and having the courage to do so, and do so in a way where she doesn’t paint herself entirely as a victim, is incredibly brave.
May 15, 2020
I sincerely commend the author for being brave enough to share such a traumatic story with the world, and building such a joyful life from wreckage.
I didn’t, however, like the book.
There were several reasons but I’ll keep it as short as I can:
- it often felt like the author was an unreliable reporter. The book is very declarative which gives the impression that the author is writing unbiased facts and not her own personal perspective. Every now and then there’d be a sentence like “he didn’t believe me because I had told him I was pregnant to make him stay before” ... that just raised a whole load of questions and made it obvious that not everything was being written about, just a narrow version of the author’s truth which made it dangerous at times.
- not all abusers in the UK are Asian. It made me really uncomfortable every time the author described her perpetrator as Asian. I understand that it can be viewed as factual, but considering the last point.. Owens chose to write about some things and not others. There are real world implications of giving the reader the impression that most if not all abusers are Asian.
(Incidentally, I did a wiki search that turned up a research article looking at this particular question -
“The vast majority of child sex offenders in England and Wales are male, with men representing 98% of all defendants in 2015/16, and white, with whites representing 85% of convicted child sex offenders and 86% of the general population in 2011. Asians represent 8% of the general population of England and Wales as of 2011. A 2011 analysis by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command of 940 possible offenders reported for "street grooming and child sexual exploitation" found that 38% were white, 36% were Asian, while 32% were of an unknown ethnicity.”)
- (this one is going to seem really bad) but I didn’t like Owen’s portrayed character. (It feels a bit like not liking someone dying from cancer or something equally as bad.) I am not denying her trauma. What I didn’t like was that sometimes it felt like she had the power to make different choices but didn’t. Because the writing was so declarative readers are not given the opportunity to see very much of her reasoning and so it seems like things “just happen” which is true for many things but not all.
I didn’t, however, like the book.
There were several reasons but I’ll keep it as short as I can:
- it often felt like the author was an unreliable reporter. The book is very declarative which gives the impression that the author is writing unbiased facts and not her own personal perspective. Every now and then there’d be a sentence like “he didn’t believe me because I had told him I was pregnant to make him stay before” ... that just raised a whole load of questions and made it obvious that not everything was being written about, just a narrow version of the author’s truth which made it dangerous at times.
- not all abusers in the UK are Asian. It made me really uncomfortable every time the author described her perpetrator as Asian. I understand that it can be viewed as factual, but considering the last point.. Owens chose to write about some things and not others. There are real world implications of giving the reader the impression that most if not all abusers are Asian.
(Incidentally, I did a wiki search that turned up a research article looking at this particular question -
“The vast majority of child sex offenders in England and Wales are male, with men representing 98% of all defendants in 2015/16, and white, with whites representing 85% of convicted child sex offenders and 86% of the general population in 2011. Asians represent 8% of the general population of England and Wales as of 2011. A 2011 analysis by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command of 940 possible offenders reported for "street grooming and child sexual exploitation" found that 38% were white, 36% were Asian, while 32% were of an unknown ethnicity.”)
- (this one is going to seem really bad) but I didn’t like Owen’s portrayed character. (It feels a bit like not liking someone dying from cancer or something equally as bad.) I am not denying her trauma. What I didn’t like was that sometimes it felt like she had the power to make different choices but didn’t. Because the writing was so declarative readers are not given the opportunity to see very much of her reasoning and so it seems like things “just happen” which is true for many things but not all.
Read
June 18, 2019Really enjoyed. For the author to tell her own story, of all the hardship and manipulation she endured. Bringing to light the very current issue with grooming of children who are in the system, and also how children are targeted even by a best friend in her case. A short read, and a good one.
July 14, 2026
Pimped was a heartbreaking and incredibly difficult book to read. It isn’t the type of book I would normally choose, but I’m glad I stepped outside my usual reading preferences.
The story is deeply disturbing and at times, emotionally overwhelming. Reading about the abuse, exploitation and trauma described throughout the book was difficult, and there were moments when I had to put it down and take a break. It highlights the reality of coercion and the devastating impact it can have on a person’s life.
While it isn’t an easy read, it is an important one. Samantha Owen tells her story with honesty and courage, giving an insight into a world that many people know very little about. It left me feeling saddened, angry and reflective.
I certainly wouldn’t describe this as an enjoyable book because of its subject matter, but it is powerful and memorable. I hope where ever Sam is and her family that they are doing well.
The story is deeply disturbing and at times, emotionally overwhelming. Reading about the abuse, exploitation and trauma described throughout the book was difficult, and there were moments when I had to put it down and take a break. It highlights the reality of coercion and the devastating impact it can have on a person’s life.
While it isn’t an easy read, it is an important one. Samantha Owen tells her story with honesty and courage, giving an insight into a world that many people know very little about. It left me feeling saddened, angry and reflective.
I certainly wouldn’t describe this as an enjoyable book because of its subject matter, but it is powerful and memorable. I hope where ever Sam is and her family that they are doing well.
September 6, 2019
This is, yet another sad story, of what happens to kids when their parents don’t do a proper job of parenting. The author Samantha, has bravely waived anonymity to tell her story.
It is also the story of how the child protection system of the modern age (Samantha’s story is from the 90s) can also fail kids. She was afterall, being groomed and having sex with grown men while she was in their care, as was the person grooming her. (This problem with the child protection system is also demonstrated, although much more clearly, in the book Trafficked Girl by Zoe Patterson). I admire and thank Samantha for sharing her story and I hope it, and her court testimony can go some way in helping people to understand how this happens and how it can be prevented.
The narrator on the audio version of this book, however, didn’t seem to be the right match for the story.
It is also the story of how the child protection system of the modern age (Samantha’s story is from the 90s) can also fail kids. She was afterall, being groomed and having sex with grown men while she was in their care, as was the person grooming her. (This problem with the child protection system is also demonstrated, although much more clearly, in the book Trafficked Girl by Zoe Patterson). I admire and thank Samantha for sharing her story and I hope it, and her court testimony can go some way in helping people to understand how this happens and how it can be prevented.
The narrator on the audio version of this book, however, didn’t seem to be the right match for the story.
October 16, 2022
This book will tell you why you need to teach your loved ones to be smart about manipulative and evil people... This is what can happen if you believe you should hold lessons away from your child when it concerns their safety. There are plenty of people who would love to hurt a developing child because they haven't been taught to defend against their sick sick desires. I have no idea how there is a market for this but I can tell you nobody deserves this life thrown on them at any age. Be informed, be safe and spread awareness. That is the only way we are going to stop evil people from hurting our loved ones and good righteous people. This content is graphic and I really really wish there was a warning. I hope there will be a time when we will be able to wipe out these types of crimes and the first step to doing that is knowledge.
July 23, 2024
Book Review‼️
📢This Book isn't for the fainthearted‼️
Well.., it took me a while to complete this book, not because it wasn't interesting but because I busy with work and I was reading (hardcopy e-book & audiobooks) several books simultaneously🤭
.
.
About the book📖 A disturbing one, about Child $**u*L abuse. How young girls from broken n problematic families are manipulated n groomed by girls who pretend to be their friend,into this $** rings. What's sad is that, although eventually the girl was saved and justice was upheld but in the beginning the system let a child down.
But the child here did have a happy ending and I hope she heals with time⏳️
.
.
Conclusions: a country's judicial system can make or break an already shattered person💔😢
📢This Book isn't for the fainthearted‼️
Well.., it took me a while to complete this book, not because it wasn't interesting but because I busy with work and I was reading (hardcopy e-book & audiobooks) several books simultaneously🤭
.
.
About the book📖 A disturbing one, about Child $**u*L abuse. How young girls from broken n problematic families are manipulated n groomed by girls who pretend to be their friend,into this $** rings. What's sad is that, although eventually the girl was saved and justice was upheld but in the beginning the system let a child down.
But the child here did have a happy ending and I hope she heals with time⏳️
.
.
Conclusions: a country's judicial system can make or break an already shattered person💔😢
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2021
I think the cover of this books gives a good idea of what possible triggers this book contains but I just want to say that this story deals with:
Sexual abuse/rape
Child abuse
Alcohol/drug abuse
Self harm
That being said this is an eye opening story to a world of darkness that most people should hopefully never have to experience but should definitely be doing something to stop.
The author of this book, Samantha Owens, doesn’t spare the details of the horrors her childhood and teenage years held and it can be very hard to read at times.
But I would recommend it, if you think you can handle reading about the things I listed at the start of this.
Sexual abuse/rape
Child abuse
Alcohol/drug abuse
Self harm
That being said this is an eye opening story to a world of darkness that most people should hopefully never have to experience but should definitely be doing something to stop.
The author of this book, Samantha Owens, doesn’t spare the details of the horrors her childhood and teenage years held and it can be very hard to read at times.
But I would recommend it, if you think you can handle reading about the things I listed at the start of this.
May 5, 2021
A brave and fascinating account about Samantha who has been let down on and off all her life. Samantha is 13 when she first meets Amanda who coaxes her into a sex ring with multiple men. Samantha being so young and lacking in confidence gets swept along with this lifestyle of drugs, sex, alcohol and abuse by men not realising what is actually happening to her. Court appearance's, prison and drugs become the normal way of life for this young woman even when pregnant. Can she ever escape this life style and turn her life around for the better? A fascinating read!
August 6, 2019
A very moving read
It is well known that this “grooming of young children” is going on & in spite of the bravery of Samantha speaking openly about it there is never enough priority given to bringing these evil, twisted perverts to justice.
Pleanty of reteric is offered, but it is action that is needed.
I wish Samantha & all her family all the very best for the future.
Kindest regards.
Llew
It is well known that this “grooming of young children” is going on & in spite of the bravery of Samantha speaking openly about it there is never enough priority given to bringing these evil, twisted perverts to justice.
Pleanty of reteric is offered, but it is action that is needed.
I wish Samantha & all her family all the very best for the future.
Kindest regards.
Llew
October 27, 2019
Not all pimps look alike
This book is a fascinating reminder that sex trafficking is alive and well and not all the perpetrators are wearing feathered caps and leopard suits. Vulnerable youths can be turned out by anyone: even young white women may be the the culprits. I appreciate that this author was willing to share her painful story in the hopes of helping others. Good book.
This book is a fascinating reminder that sex trafficking is alive and well and not all the perpetrators are wearing feathered caps and leopard suits. Vulnerable youths can be turned out by anyone: even young white women may be the the culprits. I appreciate that this author was willing to share her painful story in the hopes of helping others. Good book.
August 19, 2020
It was interesting to see, at least in this case, to see the difference in England’s legal system and in the family protective services, seems to me the situation might be a bit more productive over there. Anyway, I hardly stopped, even to eat, reading this book. I was happy with the legal outcome of this trial, I will admit however, the age of the assailant is uncomfortable and leaves questions.
November 16, 2021
It kills me that this child couldn't find attention in other avenues. I continue to preach that girls are mean because we are. We tend to be against each other rather than support each other. Maybe if Samantha felt like there was some place else to go, she wouldn't have felt the need to impress Ashley so much.
Glad she shared her story and overcame some huge obstacles.
And when will sex crimes get worse sentences?! Ridiculous.
Glad she shared her story and overcame some huge obstacles.
And when will sex crimes get worse sentences?! Ridiculous.
July 30, 2024
Strength Personified
I loved it for its brutal honesty and realism. Samantha Owens is so brave and strong to share her victim story, as well as the obstacles she had to overcome to gain the life she wanted and finally have a healthy relationship with herself and her loved ones. I believe this book can help anyone who suffers from self worth issues as a result of being abused. Thank you Sammy!
I loved it for its brutal honesty and realism. Samantha Owens is so brave and strong to share her victim story, as well as the obstacles she had to overcome to gain the life she wanted and finally have a healthy relationship with herself and her loved ones. I believe this book can help anyone who suffers from self worth issues as a result of being abused. Thank you Sammy!
October 8, 2024
Such an amazing piece about such tragic events. When reading this book you are made to really think about the author and the details are outstanding. You almost feel like you are Samantha. This makes you feel for the reader and it is something I’d wish no one would ever have to go through. However it also makes you admire the author. It’s is so admirable the amount of courage and bravery that is displayed in this book.
February 11, 2025
Needs to be read
Thank you Samantha Owens for putting your story out there to be read , it is really hard to read at times.
I feel you did so well to put your story out to be read
I really want to wish you and your family all the happiness in the future , your story will stay with me for a long time , your story really opened my eyes and shocked me at times ,you did great Sammy you came through bless you ❤ x
Thank you Samantha Owens for putting your story out there to be read , it is really hard to read at times.
I feel you did so well to put your story out to be read
I really want to wish you and your family all the happiness in the future , your story will stay with me for a long time , your story really opened my eyes and shocked me at times ,you did great Sammy you came through bless you ❤ x
April 2, 2026
There were a few moments early on where I thought this was going to be a solid thriller. The author definitely knows how to set a dark scene, and the initial hook got me interested. But as it went on, the plot just started looping in circles. The middle section dragged on forever with way too much repetitive internal monologue. I finished it just to see how it ended, but the payoff wasn't worth the slog. It’s a shame because the core idea was actually pretty interesting.
July 15, 2026
Pimped was an interesting but heartbreaking read. It was incredibly sad to read about Samantha being manipulated and exploited while she was such a vulnerable young girl. Her story is a powerful reminder of the lasting impact of child exploitation and the importance of protecting vulnerable children. I'm so glad she's been able to turn her life around despite everything she endured. A difficult, emotional, and important read.
Read
May 24, 2020Very good book read it leased
I like the brutal honesty in this book it's nice to see the author grow up in the book all the very bard times out weight any happy times until!!! I am So happy to read the end Amanda got less than deserved shame but what a great end I nearly cried Lucky kids deserve having such A fantastic MOTHER WELL DONE SAM SO PROUD
OF YOU
I like the brutal honesty in this book it's nice to see the author grow up in the book all the very bard times out weight any happy times until!!! I am So happy to read the end Amanda got less than deserved shame but what a great end I nearly cried Lucky kids deserve having such A fantastic MOTHER WELL DONE SAM SO PROUD
OF YOU
January 2, 2022
I believe this book highlights the holes in the system and how they failed this poor girl so many times. I am so happy with the outcome of the book and I agree with the author that it is a hard read but it is a story that needed telling. So Samantha, thank you for fighting for other people and thank you for sharing your story with us.
April 4, 2026
Pimped by Samantha Owens is a very sad and heartbreaking story. What happened to her is truly awful, and it’s an important story to tell. However, the writing style didn’t fully work for me. This made parts of the book feel repetitive and harder to get through. It’s still a powerful and emotional read that shows the reality of abuse and survival.
May 12, 2019
Totally overwhelmed by the bravery and courage of this young girl, it's so sad to think that this is going on right underneath our noses. I am so glad that samantha is now safe and happy with her lovely little family, god bless x
July 9, 2019
Tough reading.
Hard reading especially because it's a true story. unfortunately it's the world we live in and not enough been done to prevent this happening. Good luck Samantha stay strong.
Hard reading especially because it's a true story. unfortunately it's the world we live in and not enough been done to prevent this happening. Good luck Samantha stay strong.
August 14, 2019
Omg this is heartbreaking
Shocking & a true story from a victim of abuse from her friend & others it's disgusting that from a very young age this child was groomed & violated & raped .
Shocking & a true story from a victim of abuse from her friend & others it's disgusting that from a very young age this child was groomed & violated & raped .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews