So good! I only got into the huge world of wrestling at the start of 2020 (and what a great time to do it, lots of free time to catch up and read and watch the million hours of content!) and this was the perfect accompaniment to that!

I loved the perspective of a smaller scale British-based wrestling promotion, and especially loved Heather's honesty and humour style. We're a very similar age so I found it really easy to relate to her experiences and reference points. A great book, I think anyone would enjoy it, even if you're not a wrestling fan.

Reading this book was a refresher. It's witty and in your face.
The Book is about a young lady who went by two names in the ring.
Heather Honeybadger during her beginning wrestling career and then La Rana Venenosa (poison frog) towards the middle of her wrestling career. It follows her life in the U.K. and her quest to finding herself through wrestling. It was great to read about indie wrestling and also seeing her make waves as a woman wrestler in the U.K. It's a fascinating story of finding yourself, working hard to get where you want, and finding what makes you happy.She talks about gender issues, personal identity, sex, and being confident within yourself. Also one of the biggest issues being a woman in a male dominated world. But she did an amazing job making a name for herself and putting the doubts of those behind people's minds. Today you have women wrestlers that main evented major PPV's, have fought against men, and overall have created a women's revolution in the wrestling world.

I was very familiar with the terminology as my husband is a professional wrestler. I've been around indy wrestling and can vouch for what goes on behind the scenes. The Politics, the gossip etc. I've been a huge wrestling fan since I was in 3rd grade, I'm 32 years old now and still am a huge fan of it. I'm so happy that the author decided to share her story with us, and I wish her continuous success.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in a exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of wrestling since I was a little girl. I grew up watching the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Degeneration X. I grew up wanting to be a woman’s wrestler, to follow in the footsteps of Chyna, Trish Stratus and Lita.

As time went on, I realised that I would never accomplish this dream. One, I suffer from excruciating back pain at least once a month and two, I would never fit the mould that WWE ever wanted for women wrestlers.

Heather Von Bandenburg opened my eyes to a new world of wrestling in this book. While I knew that smaller organisations existed, having watched ‘indie’ matches on YouTube, it was interesting to read her journey into Lucha wrestling. I loved the transformation of Heather and her in-ring personas. Heather never gave up on her dream even when it seemed like the world and her body were seemingly against her.

Heather also highlights how hard it is for females in this industry. Women are treated differently in the ring and up until a few years ago women were seen as ‘divas’ whose matches were mainly for men to take a toilet break or enjoy the eye-candy. It breaks my heart to see how much the women in this book struggled to make it big, struggled to even start their own group because they weren’t seen as important. While I am impressed with the change in women’s wrestling in the bigger companies such as WWE, there still need to be a lot more improvement.

I think this book needs to be read by young women who are looking to start wrestling, whether for fun or to make it to the big leagues. Heather Von Bandenburg does not hold back in this book and I honestly admire her for that. She enjoys what she is doing and it really shows in this book.

I really do recommend this book for any wrestling fan. It gives you an insight to starting out that most wrestler’s autobiographies tend to ignore. Bandenburg has a way of sucking you into this universe and making you feel as if you were on this journey with her. It was honestly everything I didn’t know I needed in my life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to warm to this, I have to say. I read the first fifty pages wondering whether I'd made a mistake. I didn't 'get' wrestling and just wasn't feeling it. Then something clicked, I'm not entirely sure what changed things. Maybe it was that I identified with Heather and her rootlessness and understood that it isn't hugely important whether I "get' wrestling. What is important, for me, is that I understand someone finding their passion, not giving up and finally meeting their tribe. This is what is at the heart of this book, and the gradual but sure change to both Heather and the world of wrestling. it's a great read and I even finished it thinking I might quite enjoy going to a match.

‘In the world of Heather Honeybadger, aka Rana Venenosa, there are no steroids, no tans, no million-dollar contracts – there is only lycra, a sweaty underground club and an unbreakable resilience. From the day that Heather steps into the ring of the punk wrestling school Lucha Britannia, she finds herself transformed into a person she never knew she could be.’

I when I saw this, knew this was the book I had been waiting for.

I have read books from male wrestlers, but it’s so good to hear this from a female voice and one that’s just focused on a more independent circuit. Reading about the unlikely carer Rana Venenosa and how she became a wrestler is probably one of the highlights of my year as she gives a honest and real account of how she ended up being in the ring.

Part autobiography, part memoir, we learn about important moments in Venenosa’s career, but also explore the art of wrestling, as she gives explanations simply on how it works and the terms used and giving us her insight into these words in practice, from gear to getting heat. It can make you laugh this book - Venenosa is a very naturally funny writer and it can make you cry as she goes through the ups and downs kinda literally of her career.

If you love wrestling and want something from a new perspective, you need this book.