I received a copy of Women Don't Owe You Pretty by Florence Given from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an honest review.

Women Don't Owe You Pretty snagged my attention because Thalia, a German retailer, had recently highlighted the print book in my search the other other. Luckily, NetGalley had an audiobook for me to listen to. Unfortunately, I can't rate it too highly. It's not a bad introduction into feminism, but many of the points are available on Instagram and online in very similar packaging.

What I did appreciate was the references to Given's personal life and how it helped her find a feminist view. It's not easy to discuss sexual trauma, yet the author openly offers a view. The assault didn't define her. But it did change her. Building upon this, Given lets young readers know that survival is okay. That to be angry, to not be happy, to push and scream to get yourself out of bed, is part of healing.

Add in the queer discussions and there's a certain ring of truthfulness to the book. It felt real. Just not complete. Some sketching out was necessary since listeners can't see the visual cues from the physical copy. I also appreciated that Florence Given narrated the book. I don't know if anyone else can convey such personal tales easily.

Had the book been tighter, less like Instagram quick posts, and with a bit more discussion into the books or sources that helped shape the author, I would have rated the book higher. As it stands, the surface level writing keeps the book at a mid 2 stars.

I was a little apprehensive to read this, thinking that it might be aggressive and maybe even a bit militant, probably because “feminism” still has some harsh connotations. I was glad to see that this was a great book with very valid, common sense ideas and practices we all should recognize and incorporate as commonplace.
The audiobook was very enjoyable.

To a feminism newbie, Given's Women Don't Owe You Pretty is an accessible introduction to contemporary feminist theory. The physical edition of the book parallels bright, modern artwork and motivational quotes with Given's opinion on various aspects of the problems women face in the twenty-first century, such as body image, sexuality, rape culture and sexism. The audiobook, however, falls flat without the visual companions. I found quite a few of Given's opinions to be very generic, aggressive and patronising. Given's narrative was fairly bland, which didn't help with my overall feeling of the book.

Whilst I believe that this book can do some good and provide a confidence boost to some women, especially those whose first look into feminist literature might be this book, I personally did not find it very informative and wished there was more detail, and more of a chance to get to know the author from her work.

This is not to mention the controversy that surrounds this book regarding some of ideas being potentially stolen from Chidera Eggerue.

There are many other better-executed, more-developed feminist books out there,

I have seen photos of the hard copy of this book, and it seems like that is the format this should be read in. The audiobook feels like a very long Instagram live stream of consciousness. I'm not sure how much of the content is original to the author - rather it feels like a collection of liberal feminism thought that are commonly seen online. Intersectional feminism, women shouldn't have to perform for men, be your true self (including online), etc. I liked the messages, but this audiobook fell flat for me.

I'm giving this book 4 stars.

I rarely read non-fiction and usually get bored easily, but this book was super insightful and entertaining. I absolutely loved the fact that it is narrated by the author and it fully made me feel like I was listening to a podcast rather than a read copy of a book. It was really natural and easygoing.

I consider myself as always learning and never fully aware of everything, yet I found that this book touched a lot of areas I was already aware of and not new for me, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. But I totally understand this is a starting point for a lot of people and it's a really good way to dip your toe into intersectional feminism for the first time!

Women Don't Owe You Pretty is the feminist primer for the 21st century.

Beautifully narrated by the author, this is the compassionate and no-nonsense guide to the types of societal normalization that has created a culture where women and non-normative peoples have adapted to rules that don't support or benefit the non-white male historical pov.

It calls out harassment, gaslighting, and shaming succinctly and confidently, and encourages listeners to trust their instincts, stick up for themselves, and be their own most amazing best thing.

This is the info I want all young adults to hear, and the info I wish I'd had access to decades ago.

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. The audiobook is flawlessly narrated by the author. I loved her tone and how conversational the book is. I'm a bit older than the target demographic, but would have really enjoyed this guide as a high school/college student.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC.

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.

The audiobook is narrated very nicely by the author. I recommend reading and listening together if you can since Given's book has a lot of illustrations.