The cover design of this book is a great way to pull in potential readers--I loved the font style combined with the modern layout and bright colors! That design made me want to check out this book to see what it's all about. It is filled with more brightly designed pages with modern designs and type as well as inspirational quotes on finding your power. This is a book for any woman who wants to tap into their definition of feminism. What does it mean to be feminist? How could your life change if you shifted your preconceived notions of yourself and what it means to be a powerful woman? With chapters such as 'How to Break Up with Yourself' & "Stop Scrolling in the Mornings,' Florence Given is giving a lot of us the wake-up call we need! It brings up some things that we may not have realized we needed to be focusing on and learning more about. I found the book to be really empowering and fiery. She doesn't mince words for us, and the illustrations are gritty to go along with that sentiment!

This book was very empowering and a overall good read. Florence Given talks about lots of things I needed more information on and was very helpful.

As a person who has already been introduced to feminist theory and thinking, I was disappointed by this collection. Women Don't Owe You Pretty is the watered-down, coffee table, self-help version of what feminist literature should be. While Florence Given's book is colorful and eye-catching, I felt myself wondering why the images were not used to enhance the written material. For example, Given refers several times to her life changing when she was able to give herself "earth-shattering organisms" with a vibrator. Why wasn't there a part of this book about sexual self-care, and models of vibrators and sex toys? Instead, at the end of each section was a similarly drawn woman and a new 70s-theme colors which serve as a hint the next chapter is starting. This is an incredibly wasted opportunity, especially as Given is an illustrator.

Throughout most of the book, I was confused on what made Florence Given the authority on certain aspects of feminism. Beyond knowing she is conventionally attractive and fairly popular on Instagram, I didn't know anything about Florence Given's experience with feminist theory. Because Women Don't Owe You Pretty takes a self-help angle, material is rarely cited. When it is, I found that the sources are almost always Black women who have a deep background in racial or feminist theory. While all women should be promoting inclusion and anti-racist thinking in their feminism, I found myself wishing that I had gotten an ARC of a Black Feminist's book over Given's. Given speaks a lot to the Black experience, but does not have that experience to share herself, as she is a white woman. At the end of the book, she has an acknowledgement section to the Black women who have helped educate her. While that is certainly a nice gesture, a better gesture would have been to use her Instagram base to uplift, advocate, and advertise those Black feminist writers' current feminist literature.

The best parts of Florence Given's book is in the center, where she speaks to her own experiences as a bisexual woman. As a bisexual woman myself, I related best to this section of the book, but still found it incredibly elementary. This book, despite it's go-getter presentation and almost angry energy, wasn't that liberating. The goal of this book is to be easily consumable, rather than provide any real depth. I was worried when so much of the book was centered around the cis-gender experience, but did find that there was a section of the book which touches on gender. These high points, while present, dim almost entirely when the worst parts of Given's book are considered.

The worst part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty is its blatant dishonesty. Florence Given cheers on its readers, stating that "no one has ever been successful by scrolling through social media all day," but Given herself has created an enormous lucrative base by tailoring social media to support her talents and commercial opportunities. While I agree whole-heartedly that social media is an addictive and unforgiving business, Given's failure to recognize her own experiences in a book about her experience was a very interesting choice. After reading, I came across claims of plagiarism from someone who Given had put in her own Acknowledgements page. Chidera "Slumflower" Eggerue, author of What a Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy is known for her uplifting work for the Black Feminist community. Disregarding the outcome of any plagiarism case that surfaces as a result of Given and Eggerue's books, it's important to recognize and take the claims made by Eggerue seriously. When Eggerue asked Given to donate part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty to Black Feminist charities, Given refused.

This book is receiving one star due to its lacking quality of content. This should be marked as a general self help book above cultural perspectives or feminist literature. In addition, my feelings about the lacking substance of the book is compounded by Given's refusal to use her money to uplift the very communities her audience is aimed towards. Finally, I am also disheartened to see the commercialized take on an important societal topic. The plagiarism claims made this book wholly unenjoyable for me, even for light junk reading.

A book that will give women a pep in their step and a boost of confidence, while paying homage in its own way to how far we’ve come.

An interesting and informative guide to embracing and incorporating feminism into our daily lives. I really liked how this encourages young people to communicate clearly and understand their worth. It's a little preachy at times, but pretty eye-opening and covers a huge variety of areas. I didn't love the format, but I'm a little older than the target demographic. I would have really enjoyed this guide as a high school/college student.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I found this book a really interesting stepping stone into an array of social and political issues that I am familiar with but have done little research. Some parts of this book were quite eye opening for me due to the fact that I am uneducated in the intricacies of sex, gender and queer topics. It was very interesting to read this book.

This was such a powerful, inspirational, impactful, and important read. If you haven’t already read this book I would recommend doing so. There are definitely going to be some changes in my life due to this book, and I deeply appreciate that.

"Up until now we have been bombarded with the same stories that either make us subconsciously hate ourselves or hate others. It’s time to change the narrative, and the power lies in your hands."

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it had some good quotes and illustrations that I enjoyed. On the other hand, the content wasn't anything revolutionary or ground-breaking.

I'm generally not a fan of self-help books as they come off as quite preachy to me. If you enjoy self-help books or want to go for a light & motivational reading, then you'd enjoy this book. I think I might go back to some quotes, but all in all, it was an average book for me. Perhaps the 12-year-old me would have enjoyed this much more.

"Don't f*** with people that have such a fragile sense of self that your achievements make them uncomfortable".

This book is a feminist manifesto.
I was super excited to get my hands on this one after seeing it catch fire in the UK after it's release there last year. I love the groovy colors and drawings/quote pages inside.

But at the ripe old age of 26 I feel like I'm past a lot of these things and have figured myself/my relationships out already... so this would be better for someone in high-school or college who is still exploring. A lot of this advice just didn't really apply to me at this stage of my life (relationship stuff, sexuality, female empowerment, knowing myself, marriage etc.). Things that do apply: understanding privilege, microaggressions etc. It also isn't as profound in 2021 as it would've been 5 or 10 years earlier and there's certain things I personally don't agree with.

As with most self-help books, I find myself rolling my eyes - It's very much 'i'm a cool girl let me cuss and talk about sex a lot'.... but there are some great nuggets of knowledge and this could really help a lot of people too.

* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*.

Florence Given is a breath of fresh air and a promise that a new generation of female voices are coming - and they aren't taking any misogynistic BS. This should be mandatory reading for all women (and men) alike.

In Women Don't Owe You Pretty, Florence Given talks about the out-dated narratives supplied to us by the patriarchy. I really enjoyed it. I learnt a lot about where my own boundaries are and that in the past people have not always respected them. I read this book at a great time in my life where I could really reflect on some of my past experiences and learn how to be better to myself.

I think this is a perfect book if you are new(ish) to feminism and learning about some of the narratives the patriarchy, racism and capitalism are trying to sell to us.

I actually read this one with my sister and we both adored it. Its so empowering, the illustrations and page designs are beautiful- everyone should read this for a lil inspiration and pick me up

Pros: The cover of this book and its title grabbed my attention immediately, and I'm so glad I read this book. The amount of information in this book is a bit overwhelming, but the author does a fantastic job using pull quotes, section headings, lists, and graphics to make this very readable. I appreciated the author's use of trigger warnings throughout. This book covers so many big ideas that I can see myself reading it multiple times and each time something different standing out to me. During my first read of this book, I especially connected to the chapters about micro aggressions (the lists here were so very helpful--I learned new things to be mindful of), accountability, and privilege. I also appreciated the author's inclusion of a glossary at the end of the book and her way of defining things in a new-to-me way that reframed how I think of things (e.g., her definition of "capitalism" was a lightbulb moment for me).

Cons: This is not con of the book, but more a note to potential readers. There are some (many?) people out there who will see the title and automatically pass on reading this book because they do not like the title and what it suggests. Others might look past the title and then feel uncomfortable with what the book discusses. I think both groups of people are the ones who need to read this book the most. There are so many learning and growth opportunities in this book, and it is a "con" that so many who need this book will not give it a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!