Dreams That Glitter: Our Story

by Girls Aloud

When 2002's Popstars: The Rivals threw five unknown hopefuls together, wrote them a pop song, and gave them a recording contract, no one really expected them to conquer the world. Yet five years later, Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine, Nicola, and Sarah have come a long way indeed. With a record-breaking 16 consecutive Top 10 singles (including three number ones), four platinum albums, and record sales in excess of 4.2 million in the UK alone, they are loved by the masses, critically aacclaimed by the broadsheets, and have been nominated for a Brit. Now the girls have seized the opportunity to share the story of their success. Giving a personal insight into their childhoods, their love interests, their struggle for recognition, their party lifestyle, and their rock solid friendships with each other, this book charts the girls' ride from relative obscurity to international superstardom, with plenty of style advice and celebrity gossip along the way. Fun, fiesty, drop-dead gorgeous, immensely successful, and the life and soul of the party, Girls Aloud have literally millions of adoring fans in the UK. Packed full of never-before-seen pics and lavishly illustrated throughout, this book is a must-read for them all.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2008

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

As time goes by, it seems ever likelier that Nicola, Sarah, Cheryl and the other two were the last great western pop group. Although reading something from those far-off, innocent days of 2008, you can't help being reminded of how totally these things can change; at one point there's a mention of them and Sugababes as the last pop acts standing in a landscape entirely dominated by indie acts. Plus various declarations on spouses and such which have been given the lie by subsequent events, of course, but that lacks the same novelty value; I'm sure we all know plenty of non-pop icons in the same boat there. The book reads as having been assembled from interviews – I suspect now it might be badged as oral history instead of 'Our Story', and in literary terms it's certainly not up there with memoirs from the likes of Grace Jones or Marianne Faithfull, but the band members do all very much come across as themselves, rather than being sanded down into some anodyne anyceleb nothingness. Even having only spent a quid on this, I think part of the reason I'd never got round to it was a concern that it would be platitudes about loving the fans and such, and while there is a little of that, we're also into depression and eating disorders within the first ten pages. Indeed, the early days especially sound like an unhappy time in general, really bringing home the sheer inhumanity of reality TV, even if GA were one of the very few good things it ever gave us. Louis Walsh in particular comes across very badly, impossible to reach when they needed guidance and support early on, then swanning in to claim the glory when they succeeded anyway (and dropping a clanger even then, the prick). It's also way ahead of the current conversation about the dreadful behaviour of the gutter press towards female celebrities in the noughties; as Nicola says, if a grown man writes something calling a teenage girl ugly, knowing she'll see it, who really comes across the worst there? Conversely, they're all happy to pay tribute to the genius of Brian Higgins and Xenomania - though they have far fonder memories of the pointless Pointer Sisters cover than I do, and I was surprised to see they were initially sceptical of Love Machine. Inevitably, it ends inconclusively, lots of vague onwards and upwards sentiments tangled up (ha) with a suspicion in certain quarters that it wouldn't last forever, but for all that the reader now knows they didn't have the best decade in store for them, it still serves as a consoling reminder of happier times and better charts.

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read for fans of the girls and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Split up into sections it is easily readable with plenty of pictures to pad the book out and make it appear longer than it is. Glossy pages also.

[Liv Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. An interesting read, lots I already knew but it was released 16 years ago so I’d expect that.

Insightful but really quite repetitive and could have benefitted from better editing imo.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun to reread from a different perspective to 13 year old Laura. At the time I felt so mature and grown up but its only by rereading this that I realised I really knew nothing of a lot of what they talked about.

It was sad to hear how excited Cheryl was to start a family with Ashley, and even though it didn't happen then or with him, I'm glad it did eventually happen for her.

Reading Sarahs parts was most upsetting. You could really tell she was struggling with drinking, the amount of 'comments' she made about it just screamed indenial. However, it was hearing about her future aspirations that broke me the most.

[Martin Bainbridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one of my better 10p investments.

[Sindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been following GA since they first came out, watched every DVD and clips online I could find. So a Lot that in this book isn't news to me. Still it's nice to read about their opinions on different stages of their career.

The early days during Popstars, this book really shows, what a cruel world this media industry really is or can be to a lot of people. I mean this girls while competing we're as young as 16 years old and were cut from family and friends to battle for a place in the band. They had each other, but it seems other than that they were alone. And reading about panic attacks and stuff they wenn trough, they should have got more attention then just a nurse. They should have had cunselling and a theraphist all the way trough. And at least for the underage girls there should have been a family member in site. And someone to track the working hours...gesh
Seems like they were on the verge of getting mentally ill from all the stress and nobody cared, because it makes good TV. Love Pop, hate the business.

Shallow world they live in - diets, shoes and clothing. I mean, I do understand. Media and so on. But it also shows, that mostly they were puppets of the industry and don't have enough time to reflect whats their opinion on things. They value family, honesty and friendship above everything and can mostly stand up for themselves, but other than that...

All in all it seems, that the Girls never had time to deeply reflect or speak to an outside person and sort their mental stuff out. Like this book was their first chance to do so. It also get's quite repetitive at some points.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreams That Glitter: Our Story is the up close and personal memoir by British girl group, Girls Aloud. The book details their individual journeys into the band and the whirlwind of events that followed.

I've recently been doing a deep dive into British celebrity memoirs and my most recent review is of Cheryl's respective book, so this one wasn't far off (I will be getting to Kimberley's and Sarah's soon!).

Like I've previously mentioned, I am a huge Girls Aloud fan. I grew up with their music and their disbandment really broke my heart. I would even argue that they are my favourite girl group of all time.

This was pretty bittersweet to read, knowing that there was drama amongst the girls following their disbandment and then Sarah's passing in 2021. However, it was nice to relive the heydays of their career through their perspectives. I watched the entirely of Popstars: The Rivals last year after seeing them on their reunion tour. I was an infant when the show initially aired so it was fun to see the process of Girls Aloud coming together.

I also liked how each girl's section was colour coordinated and separated so you could follow along easily. When you are dealing with the individual experiences of five girls, this was certainly the best way to do it. The inclusion of images really amped up the wholesomeness of it all.

Hearing about Cheryl's ambitions in regard to her marriage with Ashley was difficult, especially after reading her memoir. Also, Sarah's parts really struck a chord with me, knowing she is no longer here to carry on her legacy (she already achieved so much but was destined for much more!)

If you are a Girls Aloud fan, or know nothing about them but are curious, I would definitely recommend this read!

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read /Dreams That Glitter: Our Story/, about Girls Aloud:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/drea...

I bought this book since I read the stories of and/or about almost every musician and band.

I'm now going to be more discerning.

I had never heard of this group prior to the book, so I had no reason to care about the abbreviated life stories of the girls (until I saw their pictures :-).

[Iain Ewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Im a huge fan of the girls, I was sceptical about the quality of this book. However, I was proven wrong because it was so authentic and heartfelt. I love the way each of the girls take turns saying their piece, yet it all weaves together so well. Their story is amazing, and it’s even more poignant reading it now after Sarah’s death. Even for those that aren’t a fan, this is a lovely story about how the best girl band came to be.

[Aimee Bardini · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love girls aloud you need to read!

[Lyndsay Rafferty]

Great book about how they started out in Pop stars the rivals and there audition. How they got together.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, it was hella cool that I got this book. It was an Interlibrary Loan from Edmonton; it's so awesome that the library offers that service, and for free! (This message has been brought to you by your local Library Technician!)

Now, the book. I loved it. I love Girls Aloud, so of course I'd love the book. It was really neat reading about their felings, and it made them seem less like goddesses and more like real people. (Although they are still goddesses. Those bodies! The hair! I love them!) Another thing I loved was all their slang peppered through the book, it was cute.

The only thing - and it's not really a complaint or anything - is that reading about their auditions and the their time on Popstars: The Rivals really made me want to watch clips of what they were talking about, which I wasn't near a computer or on wi-fi to be able to. I think this would have been awesome as/with a DVD, to be able to live these moments with the girls as they talked about it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I'm biased because I love Girls Aloud but I also would have liked to hear some of the struggles behind the scenes (besides the whole management issues). You can't put five opinionated women together without some sort of drama. And it's not about all the juicy gossip, but also how through their arguments they've still managed not to let their squabbles and arguments get in the way of being the biggest girl band in UK history. All in all though, it is very honest and the photos are great.

A must-have for any Girls Aloud fans. I actually had this book imported since I'm in the US and it was so worth it.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was breezy and enjoyable, about like you'd expect something like this. I would have enjoyed more about the actual music, maybe in a format more like Yesstories: Yes In Their Own Words, where each song on each album gets at least a few sentences. But that's neither here nor there; this was a good snack to tide me over while I wait for their continually-promised 10th anniversary tour this year. :)

[Alana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had this book as a Christmas present, so I had to read it to be grateful. Even though I'm not really a fan of Girls Aloud I still found it interesting with the good picture quality and finding out about the members in the group but this book really wasn't for me. But I would have enjoyed to hear some of the issues behind the scenes as well.

It would be great for any other Girls Aloud fan though!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this short book because it was so different compared with others. It so unexpected in some places because it shows you there life before and during their time becoming who they are today but tells you about there life was like when their first singles came out. I loved it so much but it is boring at the beginning x

[Mariam Abood · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be fair, this isn't the worst autobiography I've ever read. I liked the sparkly cover, went well with the whole "dreams that glitter" theme. But there is only so much self-pitying I can take until I feel like I want to throw up or get the violins out. And unfortunately this book over stepped that mark.

[Donna McNutt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dont know if I liked this book it was more like reading an extended version of new or ok, I know I loved the bono book but I just felt like there was more subjects in the bono book I am a girls aloud fan Im just not a fan of this book

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. I got it on the day it came out as I was a big Girls aloud fan at the time. Now, when I look back it isn't the most polished autobiography, however it was still a good read. I do wish there was more pictures through. Apart from that it was a good read.

[Lauren]

This is a great book giving a private insight into what they were going through and proving that every dream has a downside. Great pictures. Really weird to read it now looking back at how things were back then and how they felt 3 years ago.

[J.S. Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this back in the day and loved it. I was a big fan of Girls Aloud, and really enjoyed reading a book from all of them. It was full of great information that was very informative and honest, and it flowed really well.

[soph୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

really nice to see the behind the scenes of being in the group and i love that each girl got to tell their own narrative on things.
got so invested that i finished it in 5 days (so quick in my standards)

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you can learn too much about someone.

[Virginia Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite band tell the story of their rise to glittery BritPop super-stardom! Non-stop fabulousness!

[Ainsina hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind the scenes of girls aloud, loved it! Some surprising gossip, plus I got an understanding of what workaholics these ladies are.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this.
Gives a perspective of the life being in the band from each girl and how they experienced growing up together in the industry!
Must read for any alouders

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love GA!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to buy this because I love them, so naturally I'd give this book 5 stars. Perfect for any Girls aloud fan.

[Kathryn Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls Aloud are no more, officially. I will be reading this through teary eyes in remembrance.