Review: Valleywood by Lateysha Grace

Title: Valleywood
Author: Lateysha Grace
Publisher: John Blake
Publication Date: 12th March 2015
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781784182694
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Since exploding on to our screens as part of the MTV show The Valleys, diva Lateysha Grace has caused quite a stir with her kick-offs, cat-fights and confident Beyonce-like behaviour.

But before all the glamour, Lateysha had a bleak childhood; born into a single parent family where her mother Debbie struggled to make ends meet, plunging the family into the depths of abject poverty. All Lateysha craved was a normal family life and when her mum met a new man, she was happy to finally have a father figure. Her dream soon turned into her worst nightmare though when her new dad became addicted to heroin - the man she thought was her knight in shining armour had turned out to be the 'devil incarnate'. Lateysha could do nothing but watch as he physically abused her, her mother and her siblings.

Lateysha's story is shocking, upsetting and often heart-breaking and she holds no bars when it comes to speaking about her turbulent childhood, wild behaviour and emotional despair. The devastating effects of her traumatic youth came to the surface when, as a teenager, Lateysha attempted to take her own life twice and found solace in drugs, alcohol and casual sex as a way of dealing with her problems. Even her time on The Valleys almost never happened after Lateysha was charged with assault on a girl in a local nightclub. Eventually, the Welsh beauty was found not guilty, but this drama just added to the long list of harrowing events in her young life.

With deep valleys of heartache and peaks of joy, Lateysha's bonk-busting autobiography will have you scrambling to turn the page.

Hall of Fame Review: Not Quite A Geordie by Holly Hagan (5/5)

Busty babe Holly Hagan has had viewers of Geordie Shore glued to their screens ever since her arrival in the first series. Fed up with her dead end job at a call center, and with dreams of being a star one day, Holly applied for a new reality TV show. She couldn’t know it was to catapult her into fame and make her one of the most recognizable faces on British TV.

Fame and fortune, though, came at a price—the road from the call center to the celebrity circuit has been far from smooth. For the first time, Holly is lifting the lid on the perks and perils she’s faced ever since her topless hot tub antics shocked the nation. Holly owes her success to a very simple change of look, which involved both a new bottle of red hair dye and a newfound confidence. Ever since then, audiences have been in stitches as they watch Holly (and her flame-red hair) flirt her way around Newcastle’s famed "Diamond Strip," and places further afield, such as Magaluf, Cancun, and Australia.

In this action-packed, revealing, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking memoir, Holly recounts her life in and out of the limelight with brutal honesty—from her childhood days when she was badly bullied, her shocking take on sex and dating, her liaison with bad-boy musician Frankie Cocozza, and what really goes on behind-the-scenes on the UK’s biggest reality TV show. Filled with genuinely touching stories and inside accounts of what they don’t show you on TV, Holly has laid herself bare, first physically and now emotionally. If you think you know all there is to know about Holly from Geordie Shore, think again.

Review: Frances: The Tragic Bride by Jacky Hyams (5/5)

She was young, very beautiful and had everything to live for – but the life of Frances Shea, briefly married to Reggie Kray, remains one of the most tragic stories of the Swinging Sixties.

Courted by Reggie as a schoolgirl, her eight-year relationship with him drew Frances into an outwardly glamorous world of nightclubs, fast cars, beautiful clothes and showbiz parties. Yet as time went on, she found herself struggling to cope with the real world of the Krays, the hidden world that lay beneath the glossy façade and the cosy cups of tea in the downstairs parlour in ‘Fort Vallance’, their East End home, a horrific world of violence, drink, drugs – and sheer terror.

By the time Frances married Reggie in their very public, celebrity-strewn ‘Wedding of the Year’ in 1965, her life – and that of her own family – had become inextricably linked with Ronnie and Reggie’s rapid downward spiral from gangland extortion and brutality into senseless murder and mayhem.

Possessive in the extreme, Reggie remained obsessed by his wife from the day he met her – but he was never prepared to let her go. And despite her desperate attempts to break free, just two years after their wedding, Frances was found dead from a drug overdose, in her brother’s flat, at the age of just 23.

Only now, 50 years later, in a revealing and sometimes shocking examination of the facts behind the myths, the truth about the life of Frances Shea and her marriage to one of the Kray twins can finally be revealed, bringing with it the troubled, secret story behind Reggie’s obsession with her. Unseen until now, documents and diaries reveal the reality of their life together – and how the effect of their tragic, doomed relationship continued to haunt the lives of those closest to Frances right to the end.

Review: Gaz (and My Parsnip) by Gary Beadle (5/5)

In 2011, loveable ladies magnet Gary Beadle was jobless and down to his last £20 when he was randomly asked to be in a reality TV show called Geordie Shore. He'd never heard of its American predecessor, Jersey Shore, but with his only prospects being his next dole cheque - and swayed by the offer of free booze - he signed himself up for the challenge. He could never have anticipated the insane new life he was about to lead.

 

From a shy youngster at school, who was the captain of his football team, Gary also never expected the effect he would have on the British public - especially its women. After leaving school at 16, Gary fell into a variety of jobs, even having a brief spell in the Royal Marines. Unfortunately, nothing stuck and, by the time he reached 22, he hadn't a clue what to do next - until the night he was asked to join the cast of MTV's Geordie Shore.

 

Now, for the first time, Gary reveals what growing up in his native Newcastle was like, explains his winning luck with the ladies, and offers up his much sought after tips on how to bag a bird on a night out: something he's proved he's pretty much an expert at. From job-hunting to making public appearances in front of thousands of screaming girls, Gary is secretly amazed by the change in his fortunes. He may be known for his crazy, fun-loving nature, but there's much more to Gary than girls, booze and nights out. And it's all packed into this - his autobiography.

 

I'm sure there's only a few people in the UK unaware of Geordie Shore and those that are aware of it probably have an opinion on it. Personally I love the show and the people on it. I recently read Vicky's autobiography and that was a complete eye opener. After reading Gaz's I can only say the same, what he has achieved from just appearing on a TV show drinking and having sex is incredible. A clothing range, a shop, owns a Ferrari, a nightclub in Zante, fitness products, the list goes on and this is all from appearing on Geordie Shore. Crazy. 

I loved reading about Gaz growing up, especially when he was in school. He was a right little tearaway but at the same time still got the results. His teenage years were certainly eventful with the possibility of playing for Newcastle to joining the Marines his life could have went in so many different directions but it seems fate was only going to lead him to one point... That is of course Geordie Shore and it was interesting to read about how the show came about and what went on after having read Vicky's book from someone else that had went through it too. I can definitely relate to Gaz in not knowing what to do with my life or where it's going to go but unfortunately I don't think there's a producer waiting in the wings to come and change my life... 

There is some behind the scenes gossip and some secrets revealed but nothing too shocking, it's essentially just the seasons recapped from Gaz's POV which plenty of details about his conquests throughout. He also speaks with honesty about Charlotte and how much he cares about her but anyone watching the show knows he never promised anything yet always comes out looking the bad guy. He does after all play a character or a 'role' as each of the housemates do but underneath it all is a decent lad who has been brought up well but is living a life most of us can only dream about.

I thought the target audience for this book would be girls but the book contains at the end of each chapter Parsnip Pointers which gives lads tips on everything from pulling a girl on holiday to achieving the holy grail: a threesome. Gaz has literally given out all his best tips but to be honest I think girls love him too much to take any offence whilst reading it, they do throw themselves at him after all... For that reason the book does appeal to both males and females. Ultimately it was a very enjoyable read and a good way for Gaz to get his side of the story across as and at the end of the day he gets the last laugh over the haters as he's loaded and only seems to get more successful as the seasons go on.

Review: Born Gangster by Jimmy Tippett Jr (4/5)

Jimmy Tippett Jnr was born into gangster aristocracy. Son of legendary boxer and South London heavy, Jimmy Tippett, he grew up rubbing shoulders with the most notorious faces in London. 

The result was a lifestyle amongst the criminal elite - and with an upbringing like Jimmy's, what could go wrong? He had the brains, the muscle and the balls to be a player, and when the work was done there were cars, cash, drugs, girls and high times. 

His reputation as a man never to be crossed was undisputed. But when Jimmy traveled deeper into the heart of the underworld, his judgement began to falter. Mired in cocaine and paranoia, his operation began to come off the rails. Friend and foe alike became targets, and the world he had known for so long threatened to tear him apart...