I very much enjoyed this book. It was informative without being preachy. The author has the gift of communicating truth while maintaining a sense of humour. I also very much appreciated her discussion of how the patriarchal system harms and limits our boys/men. As the mother of two sons I have been aware of this issue since their births. All in all,an inspiring book entertainingly written.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this collection of feminist essays by Canadian writer, Elizabeth Renzetti. Being someone who hasn't delved too much into the extent of feminist literature, I went into this nervously. I have mentioned that I want to read more feminist literature this year and I was immediately intrigued by this book when I saw it's cover - it sounded like something that I would enjoy!

I'm so glad that I got a copy of this and that I decided to dive into it at the end of last month. I had been reading a few really big books that I really didn't think I would get through by month's end, so I wanted something different. After reading the first part of this book, I knew that I was not only going to love it, but that it wasn't going to be a book that would take weeks to finish - I devoured this in two days!

I really enjoyed Elizabeth Renzetti's voice and that reading these essays felt like having coffee with a close friend. She talked a lot about her children (which is something I appreciated, having two of my own) and referenced many major events in politics that you'd have to be living under a rock to not know of. The essays were charming and very readable. I always think that diving into any book that deals with feminism is going to be academic and unreadable, but this was a pleasant surprise. This book made me want to read even more feminist literature and really search into the wealth of books available.

Another thing that I appreciated was that Renzetti never once made me feel like I wasn't doing enough - this really was a book making people aware of some of the issues when it comes to feminism and for someone like me, who really hasn't read a lot of feminist literature, it was a great starting point. I appreciated the essay format, which meant I could dip in and out of the book when I could. Renzetti makes her essays more personal by talking of her family, which I think is why I connected with it so well - it never felt like something was being shoved down your throat, but rather that you were having coffee with a friend.

This really was a very uplifting, inspirational, and empowering read - I would definitely recommend it to you if you're looking for something from a Canadian voice.

A timely, hilarious and brilliant exploration of feminism, the modern world (in all its beauty and triviality), and love - in all shapes and sizes.

This book sparkles and makes me furious at the same time. Well documented and made me frequently cheer about how I adore women.

A wise, witty combination of autobiography and feminism. I like how Renzetti touched (albeit briefly) on how the patriarchy also negatively impacts boys, and how we need (and how we white women are finally waking up to) intersectionality in feminism. It was a quick, engrossing read and I laughed out loud a few times, which is always a bonus in my book.

Beautifully written. Relevant, necessary and heartbreaking. The author strikes the perfect balance of honesty and humor while dealing with very serious topics.

Rinzetti’s voice strikes the perfect note. Her essays each hit on a bit of truth with some irreverence, some humor and some literary flair without being too much of any of these things. Well combined, this was a strong collection.

I finished this book and immediately felt like I'd just made a new best friend - happy, optimistic and understood. It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to read about other women's experiences so that we know we are not alone. One essay in Shrewed talks about that asshole voice in your head that tries to talk you out of moving forward, and offers advice for how to tell it to shut the hell up. Another essay talks about how achieving 'balance' isn't aspirational because all of the amazing life moments happen when we're floating, flying, unbalanced. Women are incredible and we need more than ever to lift each other up and learn from one another. I would recommend this book to any and every woman who's been struggling - especially this past year - or looking for suggestions on how to change the status quo. Buy this for your friends, mothers, sisters, daughters and most importantly yourself. Elizabeth Renzetti has created a manual, a tool, a manifesto -- and you're going to want to read it.