Los Angeles, California - In a brand new interview, pop icon Britney Spears bares all and gives fans an exclusive preview of her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me.

In a groundbreaking interview published on Thursday, PEOPLE got a glimpse into the pages of Britney Spears' highly-anticipated book set to be released on October 24.

For years the world watched as Britney rose to fame from a young age while navigating the unimaginable highs of stardom down to the indescribable lows.

Spears' upcoming memoir offers a more personal account of her life before and after the nearly 14-year conservatorship she was governed under. "Learning this new freedom, I’ll admit, is challenging at times," she told PEOPLE in the exclusive interview conducted via email.

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After splitting from Sam Asghari after 14 months of marriage and her publicly complicated relationship with her family – including her dad, Jamie Spears (71), mom, Lynne Spears (68), and sister Jamie Lynn (32) – the 41-year-old now finds joy in even the simplest of moments. "I am a simple girl," she said.

The interview also included a look back into some of the best times of the Princess of Pop's life, including her earliest days of performing and becoming a mother to her two sons Sean Preston and Jayden James with her ex-husband Kevin Federline. "Being a mom was my dream come true," she added.

Her newest dream is to share her incredible journey now that she's free to be her most unapologetic self, and her memoir is giving us all the brutal truths.

In the exclusive interview, PEOPLE obtained excerpts of the memoir, including a story about Britney being cast on The Mickey Mouse Club at only 11 years old.

"It was honestly a kid’s dream – unbelievably fun, particularly for a kid like me. But it was also exceptionally hard work: we would run choreography thirty times in a day, trying to get every step perfect," one excerpt reads.

The Toxic singer also mentioned how this was when she first connected and shared a kiss with singer Justin Timberlake, with whom she would later be in a very public relationship from 1999-2002.

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Other excerpts included details of Spears' 2001 MTV Video Music Awards appearance when she iconically used a snake as a prop, her early years in acting, and her life under the strict conservatorship.

In one particularly shocking bombshell revelation from the PEOPLE interview, Spears confessed that she had an abortion after becoming pregnant with Justin Timberlake's baby while they were dating.

"It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated," she wrote in the book.

"But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young."

Britney writes that if it had been up to her alone, she never would have had the abortion.

In anticipation of the memoir, Timberlake secured a team of lawyers and has threatened legal action against Britney if any intimate details about their relationship are exposed.

"It took a long time and a lot of work for me to feel ready to tell my story. I hope it inspires people on some level and can touch hearts," Britney hopes.