Sami Brady, played by Alison Sweeney, on the popular daytime soap, Days of Our Lives, has schemed, charmed and lied her way through life’s many twists and turns. Sami does what the rest of us only wish we had the audacity to do. That is a fantasy world for the average person. In her first memoir as a child star, Alison Sweeney candidly shares her life with her fans. As we might all expect, but sometimes forget, she is a normal person whose challenges are similar to ours. The difference being, she lives her life in public, while we live ours in private.

Her real story is somewhat bland. She recounts the beginning of her career as a commercial actor, her high school days, auditioning for and playing the part of Sami Brady and the battle with her weight. Although Sweeney emphasizes that she is no expert, she does not hesitate to give advice about nutrition and exercise, weddings, and success as an actor. Her book seems to be aimed at the younger generation of girls whether they happen to be fans or not. She includes stories about what other actors do in order to lose weight or to maintain that waif-look figure. Some of the tales are amazing and it leaves the reader to wonder why a woman would stoop so low and put her life at risk. While she has been plagued with weight troubles, she finally gleaned the advice of her dentist who called her “puffy” along with the admonition of her husband who reminded her that she has conquered all her other evils, why was this one any different?

Finally, she decided that it is more important to be healthy and happy than to look like a model. In a nutshell, she initially gave up simple carbohydrates like pasta and bread. Now she claims to eat carbohydrates in moderation, but chooses complex carbs over their white counterparts. In addition, she gave up the obsession over wanting to be popular. Alison learned that a few close relationships are better than many superficial ones. Finally, she stresses to young women that sex can wait, and if the man really cares about a girl, he will be willing to wait as well.

Overall, if you are not a fan of Sami Brady, the book will bore one to sleep. However, fans of Sami Brady will enjoy a candid glimpse into the life of their favorite soap star.

Purchase All the Days of My Life (So Far) from Amazon.com.

Disclosure: I obtained my copy of All the Days of My Life (So Far) freely from Paperback Swap