Taylor Swift: The Unoffical Story (Platinum Edition) by Liv Spencer

Taylor Swift: The Unofficial Story (Platinum Edition) by Liv Spencer
Published by ECW Press; June 1, 2013
Paperback, 192 pages
Received from publisher through NetGalley - thanks!

Chronicling the meteoric rise of one of today's hottest music stars, this comprehensive biography of Taylor Swift reveals how she conquered the pop and country music charts, earned a shelf full of awards, and broke multiple chart records—all before she turned 20. Beginning with her childhood in Pennsylvania, the account recalls her early ambition to land a record deal, describing her personal deliveries of demos to Nashville record companies at age 11, her first failed deal with RCA Records, and her ultimate success signing with Big Machine Records. Alongside full-color photos, the guide goes on to detail Taylor's songs, albums, and tours; friends and boyfriends; and other must-know facts, from musical influences, duets, and acting gigs to charity work and future plans. This updated edition includes new chapters with coverage of all her recent romances and adventures in the spotlight and a section on Swift’s 2012 album Red. Lively and engaging, this unofficial story gets to the heart of a fearless young star and shows how she captured the world

- Description from Goodreads.com

Anyone who knows me knows I love Taylor Swift. Like, so much it's become a daily conversation topic (sorry friends! I promise I'll find something else to talk about!). And as a major Swiftie, it makes sense why I need to be up to date with all my deets so when I stumbled upon this book on NetGalley, I went out on a limb and requested it just because I love Taylor Swift. Now, I've finished reading it and I'm super happy. Because Taylor Swift, guys.

Biographies are not necessarily written for you to enjoy, they're written for you to learn and gain an understanding of a person. And I thought I knew Taylor before this book? Boy, was I wrong! There were so many things I learned about her from reading this book! I've read a biography about her previously (and checked her Wikipedia) so I have quite a bit of background knowledge on Taylor and I was so happy to find new details in here I did not know.

The writing was easy to read and the pictures were nicely interspersed throughout the book. Though I recall some pictures that seemed to make no sense in their placing. I actually jotted down an example. RE: 'some pictures were awkwardly placed, ie. picture of Kellie Pickler & Taylor together with text talking about Taylor headlining acts.' Although now I suppose it could be because Kellie and Taylor met as headlining acts but I'm pretty sure if I didn't know that then, then it probably should have been saved as a picture after we had been provided with that fact.

I also really liked the Swift Notes and the music video concept parts. Taylor is my homie because I love her music and I was happy that there was a lot of detail on her music (and practically none at all about her relationships which, frankly, I have heard enough about. Let's leave the poor girl alone! Honestly, I could go on forever with this but I'll stop while I'm ahead). I didn't really have any interest in poring over the timeline but I suppose if you're planning on writing your own biography of Tay, it could be useful.

I was really happy to read this book and I'm sure Swifties would love to get their hands on this too! The writing is simple and straightforward so even younger readers can enjoy this. The pictures are great and there was lots of detail. Though it got a bit dull at times, I'm sure fans won't mind reading about their idol. Then again, who else would be reading this?