thank you Netgalley for an advanced listening copy of WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO, and thank you Book Riot for recommending it to me in a quiz! WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO offers everything that I look for in a book: it’s personal, historical, & bingeable. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist married to another Mexican artist Diego Rivera. she was iconic, original, & passionate. WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO is an intentional hagiography, claiming that Frida was fabulous & that readers should continue to explore & emulate her legacy. notable quotation: “turn what sets you apart into your signature.” practical advice: choose specific styles that fit you & use them as a canvas to curate a creative presentation of self.

What would Frida Kahlo do? I have been finding myself asking that question often since listening to this audiobook. Frida Kahlo emanates confidence and creativity. She was and is truly an inspiration in so many areas of life from her art, to overcoming numerous physical challenges, her boldness and beyond. This book is a nice blend of history, biography and self-help. 

This audiobook is beautifully narrated by Marisa Blake. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

“We all have the power to be the authors of our own stories.”

A charming brief history of Frida Kahlo with a self-help twist.

Prior to listening to this audiobook, my only exposure to the legendary artist, Frida Kahlo, was watching her 2002 bio pic for my high school Spanish class. While it’s been quite some time since I saw the film, I distinctly remember being left in awe of Frida and her artwork by the time the movie credits rolled. After listening to this audiobook, the awe that I had once felt for Frida many years ago, was both reaffirmed and pushed to new heights.

For me, what makes this work so special is Davis recounting Frida’s life while also interweaving lessons one can take away from Frida and her legacy. Davis manages to break down the history of Frida into bite sized sections that are then concluded with helpful timelines, applicable quotes and a lesson for that section. I absolutely loved this format and found it made the book’s content extremely accessible. Additionally, the lessons that Davis is able to derive from Frida’s legacy, are succinct and stirring. Hearing about Frida’s life and then the resulting pearls of wisdom, definitely inspired me to want to live my life a little more boldly.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed What Would Frida Do. It was a quick listen that was both informative and enlightening. The narrator, Marisa Blake, also did a wonderful job with her narration. Her reading of the text had a nice flow and she managed to artfully use Davis’ words to vividly bring both Frida and her artwork, to life.

My only complaint about this book was some parts coming off as repetitive and redundant due to certain facts being repeated more than once, on several different occasions.

Read/Listen if you’re a fan of Frida or if you wish to learn how to live more boldly and colorfully from the woman who “made life her canvas.”

A big thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy of this audiobook!

What Would Frida Do? is a biography of Frida Kahlo accompanied by some self-help framework. The book details Frida's life, mostly her time married to Diego Rivera.

This book provided a strong introduction to Frida Kahlo for readers who did not know much about her prior to reading. I liked Arianna Davis' voice and obvious admiration the author holds for Kahlo.

I'm not sure I would classify this as self-help because it felt like more of a biography with a few pieces of advice peppered on at the end. The biographical parts were good, but I would have enjoyed more emphasis on the art pieces, I felt that this was a strange because there was so much to be explored there.

If this was a biography, I would rate this higher. But I think the self-help component took away a bit from the retelling of Kahlo's story. It felt a bit too strange to wrap up the artist's extremely complex and beautiful life in a kind of capitalistic way.

I didn't really like the implication that Kahlo wasn't as "strong as we thought" because she stayed with Rivera after his affairs. There was a lot of the author's opinions throughout the book that I didn't feel related to anything self-help. I would have liked this more if it were a general self-help, but it didn't feel really pertinent to Kahlo's story.

The author acknowledges the challenge of trying to capture Kahlo appropriately in the beginning of this book, and I think this shows an understanding of the issue of portraying Kahlo in the self-help genre. It was a strong intro for people new to Frida and her work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like so many others, I’m fascinated by Frida Kahlo, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. It is filled with Frida’s history, her trials her successes and her outlook on life. The author has also provided bullet-pointed tips or lessons in each chapter, distilling Kahlo wisdom down into actionable steps you can take yourself, to live more boldly.

I actually also got this as my Book of the Month selection and I’m glad I did or I wouldn’t have known about the cute illustrated quotes inside.

While I thought Frida’s history was written so well, and was really compelling, I found the ‘self-help’ portions didn’t always mesh seamlessly. The lists were a bit jarring once you were deep into reading the historical portions. I also would have loved to see some pictures of paintings mentioned or Casa Azul, but perhaps there were reasons why photos couldn’t be included.

Overall it was an interesting mix of non-fiction, history, biography and self-help and I really enjoyed learning more about such an amazing woman!

The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Marisa Blake and comes in at just under five and a half hours.

This book was a fun read. I honestly did not know very much about Frida Kahlo before reading, and I definitely don't consider myself a Frida super fan, but it was fascinating to learn more about her life, her art, and her legacy.

The author paints a vivid picture of Frida, her personal life, her relationships, her career, and her struggles. I had no idea that she had such a tragic backstory, and it was quite inspiring. If you are a fan of Frida or her work, or you are like me and are curious to know what it is about Frida that makes her so special years after her death, I recommend this book.

Although it tackles some hard topics like Frida's childhood illnesses, her miscarriages, and her debilitating bus accident, I think her story overall provokes a strong message: you cannot let life bring you down no matter how hard it tries. Frida is now one of the most celebrated artists in our contemporary society and has become an icon not only for her work, but for who she was. If you are looking for an inspirational message of hope, this book is for you!

Overall rating: 4 stars

"I don’t give a shit what the world thinks. I was born a bitch, I was born a painter, I was born fucked. But I was happy in my way. You did not understand what I am. I am love. I am pleasure, I am essence, I am an idiot, I am an alcoholic, I am tenacious. I am; simply I am.”

My familiarity with Frida Kahlo was limited to her famous paintings and Instagram and Pinterest quotes. When I went to listen to this book, I was hoping to not only read about the enigma that was Frida Kahlo, but also learn what Frida would do when she faced the many problems in her life. It was a generous mix of self-help and learning about Frida that was so interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this e-audiobook. Arianna Davis’s organization of the book with sections of her artwork and quotes that are included as part of the chapter was helpful for someone who is not familiar with Frida. However, as an audiobook you cannot see the artwork, so I would look up the artwork that the narrator described as I listened. 

Marissa Blake’s narration was fitting and truly felt like Frida herself was speaking her quotes. I enjoyed Blake’s change in tone and accent to reflect Frida, which brought the artist to life. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for any Frida fans as well as those new to the artist and learn about her legacy.

I didn't realize the extent of Frida's reach and have gone down a rabbit hole of looking up everything the author discusses. This felt like a personal tour of Frida's life and I am so happy to have been a part of it.

I listened to the audiobook as I took a 360 virtual tour of Casa Azul. Best decision of 2021 thus far.

I did not know much about Frida prior to reading this book, except of her iconic look and that she had lived with chronic pain. This was a great debut, part biography, part self help, part information on Frida's art work. There were moments when it was repetitive and moments that could have been edited out but I tend to be forgiving of debut author's books. Would recommend this to those that want to learn more about Frida and those that want to revisit her famous artwork and quotes. It might be too basic for a true Frida fanatic, but I found it to be a wonderful primer and am looking at learning more - will watch some movies and read the biography that is referenced.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary ALC audiobook. I purchased a copy from BOTM cause I just love this gorgeous cover.

The ultimate influencer, the original selfie guru - myself along with millions of others, are obsessed with Frida Kahlo. As an art school nerd, I have followed her work and life for years, including attending several exhibitions, retrospectives, and have acquired an abundance of Frida swag that colors my life and reminds me to be bold, and courageous - just as Frida lived and loved.

This is a stunning ode to the life of an amazing woman. The struggles and pain she endured throughout her life didn't stop her from being her best, bold self, and I loved learning more about this incredible icon.

The book beautiful captures a life well lived, despite many setbacks. It delves into what Frida would think of her life being so speculated and celebrated now, and how her face is everywhere from keychains, to tote bags, even on wine bottle... would she have embraced social media or would she have hated it. It's fun to think what she would do with life in 2021, and it's inspiring to follow lessons she continues to teach us.

Be bold. Have sex. Eat good food. Be colorful. Have more sex. Take baths. Drink tequila. But most importantly, be yourself.

I loved the audio of this one so much. The narration is incredible and really fun to follow. Quotes and list are scattered throughout and really make it an enjoyable listen.

This was a very informative and very well written biography of the icon Frida Kahlo. You can hear the passion the author has for recounting Frida's life and it was amazing.

I went into this not knowing too much about Frida, other than the fact that she painted a lot of self-portraits and what she looked like. After reading this, I have learned so much about this wonderful woman and her life and struggles.

Frida Kahlo was a force to be reckoned with! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story of her life is vibrant, interesting and mysterious. Her approach to life, how she loved and how she took things into her own hands is empowering. By all accounts, she was ahead of her time. She endured a lot in her life very early on but said, “No matter what obstacles life throws our way, we all have the power to be the author of our own stories.” She started off as the woman behind the man but became an icon.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the title of this book I knew I needed to read it. I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I was judging away:) Let me say this book did not disappoint. This book is a mix of a biography and send help/empowerment book. Each section talks about a part of Frida's life (I loved the history and backstories) as well as advise Frida would give in that part of life. I think the author did a great job in this area and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a short and sweet listen! I learned a lot about Frida and found her to be such an applicable and timeless inspiration. It felt a little repetitive at times but that might just be because I listened in basically one sitting. I might have preferred this one more as a physical book.

Thank you to @netgalley for the audio copy of "What Would Frida Do" in exchange for an honest review. I had a really really long drive today and this just happened to be the perfect length to align with my road trip. Frida Kahlo is someone I wasn't familiar with beyond her face, but boy can you learn a lot. It's not a biography, but more a celebration of her and her way of facing life, despite every trial she was handed. I appreciated the layout, but sometimes it felt a little odd on audio. It also felt a bit redundant like I'd hear the same story over and over, but that could very well be due to the audio formatting. I enjoyed it though, especially because I didn't know much about her before this.

I requested this book with some trepidation, although I was curious as to what it was about. I listened to 5 chapters at which time I had to DNF it.

There are so many things about this book that bother me. I have been a Frida fan since the early seventies at which time I was in my teens and living in Mexico: perhaps this book's audience is for US millennials who have recently discovered Frida or those who have recently become enamored of her.. The way that she has been sensationalized in the book did not sit well with me. I found it to be gimmicky and although the intention may have been to pay homage to Frida, in my opinion, it didn't fulfill this goal.

The book is like a cross between Frida for Dummies and a Who is Frida Kahlo? - anyone who knows a lot about Frida would have already researched her life. The author makes inferences as to what Frida would have done in situations - which is pure conjecture given that Frida lived in a different time period and under vastly different circumstances. The author, in fact, has not idea what Frida would have done or what she would have counseled her readers or fans to do. Moreover, the author refers to Frida as "Latina," which I am fairly confident is not how Frida conceived of herself...as it is more than evident that she considered herself above all else to be Mexican.

If you are over 35 and your curiosity gets the better of you (as it did me), I wouldn't encourage high expectations for this book.

I loved this book! What a fun, feminist book at this iconic woman. I loved Arianna's voice and how she interpreted the art and life of Frida Kahlo. It's great for those who know about Frida, and those who are just wanting to learn more!

This book revolutionized the way that I think about expressing myself and standing up for the things and people I love. The author’s approachable language, and her choice to included her writing process, made the book feel very personable, like listening to an old friend. I loved this self help book / approachable biography of Frida Kahlo! Divided into ten sections covering topics such as Love, Sex, Friendship, and Heartbreak. As an audiobook, I found this book to be a bit repetitive, and covering the same events repeatedly across its different sections.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my time listening to this audiobook. It gave me a new profound understand and respect for artist, queer icon and feminist Frida Kahlo. Although I do feel like some part of the book could have been shorter or written differently, i did appreciate the author's knowledge about and passion for Frida Kahlo. On the downside, I did feel like the book was written like a first draft, not in a bad way but more so like it did not feel as polished as it could have been. I do recommend this book for fans of the artists and people, who like me, wanted to learn more about who Frida was in general and have a better understanding of the legacy she left behind. 3 stars.

If there’s one thing that we learned in the year of 2020, it’s that women are STRONG.

In every aspect of life mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters stepped up to the plate and RAN this world during a pandemic.

Stepping into the new year, I couldn’t have asked for a more inspirational and appropriate read in What Would Frida Do? by Arianna Davis.

Part biography and part motivation, this book is an immersion of the life of the great Frida Kahlo and how her ideology applies to the modern day.

Arianna Davis is the digital director for Oprah magazine and when I read that she wrote her first book and that the subject was Frida Kahlo, I could NOT wait to read it. I was actually going to save it as my first read of 2020, but the gorgeous cover kept calling out to me.

I’m glad I decided to read it when I did. This book serves as a reminder to live fearlessly, authentically, and to push through tough moments.

"Even in her most vulnerable moments, Frida was her most authentic self, and she made no apologies about it."

Such poignant words that have reminded me to live my boldest life with no apologies.

I highly suggest this read for the New Year. It’s a quick read that serves as an everlasting reminder when we need it the most!

Thank you to @dreamscape_media, @netgalley, and @ariannagab for the opportunity to read and review this title.