5 Celebs Whose Fiction Books Failed To Reach The Highs Of Their Memoirs

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It's not unusual for celebrities to foray into the world of fiction novels. From Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner's "Rebels: City of Indra" to Hayley Kiyoko's "Girls Like Girls," countless famous faces have dipped their toe into author life. It's also far from unusual for our favorite celebs to put pen to paper to tell their own life story via non-fiction books (the 2020s in particular brought us some highly worth-reading memoirs). What is rare, though, is for a celebrity to find success writing both fiction and non-fiction.

Though a handful of notable names have managed the tough feat — like Dolly Parton, whose tale "Run, Rose, Run" has an average Goodreads score of 3.79 out of 5.0 at the time of writing, just a few points lower than the 4.12 average for her 1994 memoir, "Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business" — not everyone is so lucky. From Jennette McCurdy to Britney Spears, these celebs know what it's like to have their fiction books fail to reach the dizzying highs of their successful memoirs.

Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy made waves with her frank memoir "I'm Glad My Mom Died" in 2022. The non-fiction offering has a score of 4.43 on Goodreads, and was named Readers' Favorite Memoir and Autobiography in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2022 with more than 202,000 votes (more than five times the votes the runner-up received!). It also hit the top spot on the New York Times Bestseller list, spending over 80 weeks on the chart. The memoir had readers begging the actor for another book — "Jennette McCurdy is extremely talented in her writing and I hope she writes more in the future, whatever genre idc, i'll read anything, because this book alone was a literary masterpiece," one Goodreads reviewer stated – but, when she released one, it didn't see the same success.

McCurdy's 2026 fictional release "Half His Age" sits at 3.47 on Goodreads with predominantly four star ratings ("I'm Glad My Mom Died" has mostly five star). The coming-of-age story centers around 17-year-old Waldo, who falls in love with her teacher and tries to work out why she's harboring such a passion for a man so much older than her. One Goodreads review claimed the novel had an overly simplistic writing style and contained errors, while another wrote, "The story's trajectory is largely mediocre. It circles over the same events ... without much variation or depth."

In 2018, Tyra Banks told her life story in "Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss." The "America's Next Top Model" star opened up about her life journey alongside her mom, and many responded positively. "This book was funny and uplifting and empowering, and gave me some neat behind the scenes looks at some of the most iconic 'ANTM' moments I remember from over the years," one reader stated in their review. "I feel so good after reading this. Fierce, strong, and confident that Tyra and Carolyn genuinely want me to be my best self," another wrote of the book, which has an average Goodreads rating of 3.73.

But fans responded much less favorably to Banks' non-fiction attempt, released seven years earlier. "Modelland" has a mediocre Goodreads score of 2.89 and tells Tookie De La Crème's story. Tookie finds herself in the mysterious Modelland, where the most perfect women are chosen to be Intoxibellas. However, Tookie soon starts to discover some very dark secrets about Modelland. The book has predominantly one star ratings on Goodreads, where one scathing review read, "Imagine the most ridiculous plotlines imaginable. 'Modelland' is more ridiculous than that." Another remarked, "Tyra has the best imagination ever, however, she's no writer," while suggesting the supermodel should have enlisted the help of a ghostwriter.

2023's "Love, Pamela" by Pamela Anderson captured the world's attention. The memoir, which gives Taylor Swift's "The Life Of A Showgirl" energy, delves into Pamela's life in the spotlight and has an average rating on Goodreads of 3.82 at the time of writing, with most reviews giving it four stars. "I f**king loved this ... I was expecting a spill the tea dishy memoir and got poetry and existential philosophy in a completely palatable way," one reader stated, giving the book five stars. Another fan wrote, "'Love, Pamela' is the best memoir that I have read so far. Pamela Anderson did not hold back, and told us who she really is." The book was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2023 in the Readers' Favorite Memoir and Autobiography category and landed on the New York Times bestseller list.

Anderson's 2004 non-fiction book "Star" didn't fare so well on Goodreads though, with an average rating of 2.91. The book is loosely based on Anderson's life, but the story is told through the eyes of a character named Star. She's a waitress and gets discovered by an agent who turns her into one of the world's most famous sex symbols. However, as the money and acting roles pour in, she soon finds fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. "It's an interesting read, but overall I found it to be completely average," one Goodreads user stated. Another described the writing as "lazy" and noted, "The book begins to lack so much cohesion, it feels as though there are five writers instead of two."

Though Rachel Lindsay's fictional book "Real Love" involved a "The Bachelorette"-style dating show, it still didn't fare as well as her re-telling of what really happened when she was cast as the first Black Bachelorette. "Miss Me With That: Hot Takes, Helpful Tidbits and a Few Hard Truths," her 2022 memoir, sits pretty with a 3.95 average rating on Goodreads. "Super impressed with this memoir ... The writing is solid," one reviewer stated. Another praised the reality star for being so honest in her book, adding, "I really enjoyed it. I felt her honesty and transparency radiate off of every page."

But reaction wasn't quite so positive for "Real Love," which has a 3.21 average rating on Goodreads. The book tells Maya Johnson's story. Maya believes she's got everything she ever dreamed of, as she's in love with her college sweetheart and has a busy career. However, she realizes maybe she isn't living her best life when her best friend goes on a "The Bachelorette"-esque reality show and finds love, fame, and fortune. Soon after, Maya finds herself battling an attraction to a new guy. Some blasted the plot for being too busy and hard to believe, while others weren't sold on the romance aspect. "The romantic connection in the book felt a bit forced, and the ending also felt a bit rushed to me," one reviewer wrote.

Long before Britney Spears had the world gripped by telling her harrowing life story in "The Woman In Me," she teamed up with her mom, Lynne Spears, on the novel "A Mother's Gift." But the "Sometimes" singer's 2023 non-fiction effort was far better received than her fiction book. The celebrity memoir, which makes a great book club pick, won the Readers' Favorite Memoir and Autobiography award at the Goodreads Choice Awards 2023 and has an average Goodreads score of 3.83 from over 579,000 ratings. "The book is well-written [and] contains emotional depth," stated one review. Another reader wrote, "WOW. What an emotionally raw experience hearing about just how mistreated and manipulated Britney was." The much discussed memoir has sold over 3 million copies and hit the top spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.

"A Mother's Gift" sits several points below "The Woman In Me" on Goodreads, with a 3.24 rating from far less reviews (857 at the time of writing). It tells Holly Faye Lovell's story as a young girl from a small town with a big voice. As Holly leaves her hometown to pursue her dream of becoming famous, the story dives into how she and her mom deal with being apart for the first time in their lives. But as Holly gets some distance from the woman she loves so much, there's a long-time secret brewing that could change everything. "I came in with low expectations. It started well but then it seemed to lose direction, then felt rushed at the end," one Goodreads user stated. Another single star review read, "It's flat, colorless and totally boring from the first page to the end."