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Review ------ I look at myself sometimes and think, You spoilt brat. You don't realise how lucky you are. I'm just trying to be happy. Aren't we all?"There are few things more rewarding than being able to prove your doubters wrong, and with her autobiography former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell obviously feels that she has silenced a few of those who believed she was simply a loud-mouthed young girl who struck it lucky. Written in a first-person narrative, the result is a surprisingly engaging and enjoyable read as Geri recounts the events that shaped her formative years. The celebrity whirlwind that her life has become may seem like a heady dream for most of us, but her early days will ring a familiar tone with many. She didn't come from a rich family and would while away hours singing along to Madonna songs in the mirror. These early chapters reinforce the "little girl lost" image Geri seems so desperate for you to buy into throughout the book, but her relationship with her her, a man who encouraged her to chase her dreams, is genuinely touching. Those expecting a b session will be disappointed--Geri pours praise on her former bandmates whenever possible, making some of their comments since her departure seem more than a little harsh but perhaps that is Geri just being clever. It's clear that she still feels a great affection for the girls, especially Mel B, who Geri bonded with right from the start. Those early days of Spice seemed a rollercoaster of laughs and highs, but as Girl Power reached an almost fever pitch, Geri felt constrained and almost trapped to the point where she knew she had to leave but didn't really know why. Overall, this a fun and frothy "rages to riches" tale of her sheer determination, rather than any great talent, finding a platform to perform to the world like the little girl who used to dance to Madonna in her bedroom. --Jonathan Weir Synopsis -------- Like many starstruck girls, Geri Halliwell grew up with one ambition. She wanted to be famous. She had the drive, the energy, the fierce determination to succeed. If only she could get that one lucky break - that one chance - she'd prove to all the doubters that she could make it, and make it big. But as Geri discovered, the road to fame can be a rocky one. Often broke and desperately lonely, her life became an endless round of failed auditions and dead-end jobs. Even her stint as a glamour model and her role as a game show host in Turkey, failed to gain her a foothold on the ladder to fame. Until one day, almost reluctantly, she answered an ad in The Stage. Someone was looking for candidates to form an all-girl band. The rest is history. As Ginger Spice, Geri's stage presence was formidable, her outfits legendary. The Spice Girls enjoyed a succession of number one hits, two successful albums and a box office hit movie. But Geri wanted her feet back on the ground. It was time to walk away, to find out who she was when she wasn't Ginger Spice. Amidst a blaze of media speculation Geri left the Spice Girls in May 1998. Now focusing on her solo career, and with a number one hit single and bestselling album already to her credit, Geri also works tirelessly for charities such as the UN's Cancer Care campaign and Comic . At its heart "If Only" is about fame and the rollercoaster journey one young girl took from obscurity to the world of her dreams. Believing fame would provide the answer to life's problems, she came to understand that the real solutions lie elsewhere.