I feel like this book was everything I expected in the most wonderful way. I have been a fan of Drew’s since 2020 and so I was thrilled to be picked for this ARC. It has all the quintessential man-hating I needed, but was still uplifting and funny at the same time. Worth the read for any fan of Drew’s or fellow fed up feminists

Afualo is a TikTok sensation who has been all over my FYP for years at this point. I was both excited and skeptical to see that she had written a book. We seem to be living in an era where TikTokers are churning out books left and right. But after reading Loud, I can say with confidence that Afualo is an online celebrity with a lot of good things to say.

Feminist, brash, and funny, Afualo wrote this book to inspire and motivate the reader. It's chalked full of lessons, both historical and social. Her unique voice shines through the pages. She's a fantastic influence. This book gave me a newfound appreciation for her and her content. A fun read and one that I would recommend!

"Women don't owe you shit."

As a ~40-year-old laaady~ I feel like I wasn't the prime audience for this book, however I did have a lot of enjoyment in reading about Drew's family background and her vulnerability in sharing the life experiences that lead to her brand of content creation.

I could tell she wrote this with a lot of heart while still maintaining the humor that she's known for in dunking on mediocre men. It was a fun, quick read but not quite what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be more of a biography/memoir and less of a self-help guidebook.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux/AUWA and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I asked for an advanced copy of this book because I was already such a big fan of the author. I’ve been following her on TikTok for quite some time and just had to read this when it was announced. I’m not normally a self help girlie but I knew this was going to be great.

I was totally right. I loved loved this book. It’s part self help and part memoir rolled into one. Each part was just as good as the other. The memoir was beautifully written and heart wrenching at points. She really dives into her life to provide background for the self help portions of the book. It can be hard to read at points but I think it’s well worth it. The self help section was full of great advice and I hope a lot of other people can find it helpful too.


Overall I highly recommend this book, especially for fans of her TikTok. I genuinely hope she writes more in the future and if she does I’ll be one of the first people to read whatever it is.

This is such a powerful guide to living authentically and boldly. Drew's straightforward approach and inspiring insights encourage readers to embrace their true selves and pursue their dreams with passion. This book is a reminder to everyone that they deserve to live life on their own terms, loudly and unapologetically.

Huge thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve followed Drew on TikTok since her first “red flags” video, so I was super excited for this.

This book started as closer to a 3.5 for me, but faded a bit as I got some distance.

I’ll start with what I liked!
- Drew is just an objectively hilarious person. Her hilarity shines through in her writing without a doubt.
- She’s great at making intersectionality a bit more digestible and she explains the concepts she’s discussing very well. She has a really strong through point and provides great insights and examples through both pop culture and her own life.
- It is extremely evident how important her work is to her. I know that what she believes is who Drew is, and she’s solid to the core with it.
- I am SO GLAD this doesn’t feel like a memoir or a self help book necessarily. She actually addressed this fact up front, that she doesn’t claim to have experienced enough to write a memoir, but she has some things to share. (Not a direct quote.) Her self awareness felt like her sitting on the floor next to you to chat about some important social issues instead of preaching what she knows (she’s great about this in general; hilarity helps)
- Deison’s (Drew’s sister who is a fellow lesbian) dedicated chapter especially made me weep. Drew is really, really talented at emotional honesty and writing in a very emotionally effective way.
- I loved learning more about Drew’s family and their Samoan culture. It felt extremely personal and as someone who follows Drew and has seen her family, they shine through so well in the book. It just feels like they’re handled with such care and their best versions are reflected.

What I Didn’t Like:
- This book is so thoroughly Tik-Tok’d. I know that Drew is a Tik Tokker, and yes I literally knew what I was getting myself into. I think I didn’t expect it to be quite at the level it was. I totally get it, but some of the material has already aged from the time it was written, and the book doesn’t come out until this summer. It feels too directly tied to the exact time it was written because online trends shift so subtly so often.
- There were points that just felt especially repetitive. A few larger themes in general, but mostly the fact that Drew is a Virgo, which she packed in so many times in the first few chapters that it almost felt like a word hunt game for “Virgo”. It also stood out to me how many times she feigns disgust for her sexuality?
- A couple of notes as a lesbian specifically, I am so absolutely tired of women further aligning themselves with queer allyship by saying “YUCK I can’t believe I’m attracted to men as a heterosexual woman even though I’m in a deep loving relationship with an extremely handsome man UGH!”. It always rubs me the wrong way and feels so deeply disingenuous. Just love Pili girl, we understand why you do! You tell us just how wonderful men can be by exemplifying the men you love, but then gag at the attraction? That’s tired to me. Also, “women & femmes” an inclusive phrase used in the book. The word “femmes” is used 54 times. (I checked so I wasn’t just spouting numbers.) I know who Drew was meaning to refer to, which is women and people who do not identify as women but are oppressed under the patriarchy. But that’s a ton of words, right? So of course that was shortened! But it was done in the wrong way and I don’t think super thoroughly studied before using. I just think it’s important to note that the word femmes is actually specific to the lesbian community, not the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. Therefore, a large portion of the group Drew was attempting to refer to is actually exempt anyways, as many do not identify as lesbians. I think it’s important to know exactly what a word means and what its history is when you’re borrowing from queer language! I was a bit disappointed by that.

All in all, this was a book written by an extremely well loved (if you’re in the right circles) Tik Tokker for people to read and relate to and enjoy. I think this will be extremely informative for a lot of people, I learned a lot about Samoan culture and identity that was so intriguing to me. I’m excited to keep following Drew’s career and I hope she writes something else too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for the ARC of Loud. I ended up DNF-ing Loud at about 40%. While I enjoy Drew’s social media accounts and I think she did a good job with her writing overall, I think this book was meant for a younger audience than me (almost 45). I appreciated learning a little more about her family but the philosophizing and advice were geared to different fans. But, keep taking down those garbage men and living your most authentic self Drew. I love it.

Loud by Drew Afualo has been at the top of my TBR since she announced a book- Yes, even before it had its title.

Now, I am not typically a memoir/self help girlie but as an avid consumer of the ACU (Afualo Cinematic Universe) I have been so excited for this.

This book is so authentically Drew. It’s so obviously her it seems like she’s reading it to you, which makes me excited for the audiobook version!

Drew not only tackles bigoted beliefs, dethroning misogyny, embracing body neutrality, talking about intersectionality and defending women and femmes- she also shows us how to look at ourselves and take accountability when wrong and how to unlearn toxic behavior taught to us by society.

Everything said in this book holds true to the values Drew has spoken of since day one. One thing about her is she stands on mfcking business. This book made me cry and laugh out loud. It was as everything I wanted from it and so much more.

I wish every single woman, femme and nonbinary out there could read this book. It is that moving and I can’t wait for everyone to have it in their hands!

This book came as a delightful surprise, I didn't even know I need this book nor i will enjoy it. Though some may label it as feminist self-help, it goes beyond, unraveling the challenges of women's youth with a blend of humor and authenticity. What truly stands out is witnessing a woman boldly assert herself and challenge deserving men. Drew's fearless demeanor encourages us to advocate for ourselves in unconventional ways. This memoir was an absolute joy to read, giving me goosebumps and evoking a range of emotions. Drew's narrative, which touches on her Samoan heritage and her family, highlights the importance of pride and support. Reading her memoir, I felt seen, heard, and understood in ways I never have before. I recommend this memoir to anyone seeking an empowering read.

Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC! I like Drew Afualo, and so did I like the book. Like, not love. I did learn new things about her and I inspire the way she handled a lot that came about in her life, but at the same time I didn't feel like it was adding much to what she already shares as a social media gal.
It did feel like she was reading the book to me, while reading it myself, meaning she really managed to put her own voice in this book! And, like we know our Drew, she did manage to add some jokes without taking the attention off of the important matters. I'd say well done, but it didn't wow me as I hoped it would. Also felt a bit slow sometimes and... Categorized as "self-help" I'd say it was a bit too personal chitty chatty and not so much of advice that you as a reader could use for your own life.

I loved it. Period. loud is Drew Afualo’s first book (I’m writing this because I truly hope she doesn’t stop with one) and it’s everything I hoped it would be. She writes candidly about how she became a bad-ass, on being a bad-ass, and how bad-assery can change the world for the better. As a self proclaimed feminist 56 year old, I went into this book not really expecting to be blown away - but, blown away, I was. This book unearthed a few misogynistic beliefs I had that were buried deeeeep! I am so thankful that through Drew’s work and popularity this book will find its way into the hands of so many young girls - and the world will have a greater chance for change.*** Huge thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this early edition xoxo!

"Loud" by Drew Afualo is a revelation, much like her TikTok presence. As someone who's followed her since day one, I can confidently say she's the voice of our generation—bold, unapologetic, and incredibly insightful. In her book, Drew fearlessly dismantles societal norms while empowering us to reclaim our power. Each page feels like a conversation with a trusted bada** girlfriend, as Drew shares her own experiences and offers guidance on navigating a world that often seeks to diminish our voices. Her words are a beacon of hope for those seeking validation and understanding in a society that too often dismisses their struggles. Drew's narrative remains clear, concise, and profoundly impactful. In a world where misogyny still reigns, "Loud" is a rallying cry for empowerment and accountability. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page, a testament to the enduring power of female solidarity.

This should be required reading for women in their early 20s. Drew is so wise while being so funny. I loved learning about her life while getting these important lessons.

The topics covered in this book and the personal experiences that Drew sprinkles into each of those topics is really well done. I was pleasantly surprised with the tone of this book, I was expecting it to be much more humorous as that's Drew's signature thing, but this book took a more serious tone while still conveying Drew's personality which I really enjoyed. This book is also much more intimate and personal than I was anticipating, and I genuinely think that speaking to her audience directly through this book is going to make the advice and knowledge Drew shares that much more impactful.

I don't think this book is revolutionary or groundbreaking, but I do think this book will be incredibly important and impactful for getting a new wave of younger people and people at the beginning of their journey the information that they need to continue on in their journeys. I'm not personally the target audience for this book as I've been on my intersectional feminist journey for years now, but if this book existed when I was starting on my journey I can certainly see how much it would've impacted me and how much it would've pushed me to delve deeper in my journey, so I'm very excited that this book will exist to get people started on that journey and introduce these concepts to people.

I was thrilled to be granted a copy of this book because I have followed Drew on her journey of becoming the big sister all women and femmes needed to protect us and guide us and I watched as her TikTok account blew up because FINALLY someone was standing up to terrible men for us.

As for the content of her book I felt like I never stopped highlighting in my kindle. The little drops of wisdom were abundant and made perfect sense. Drew’s notorious wittiness was sprinkled throughout the book as well as some very vulnerable and personal moments I could tell were very hard for her to have shared but she did so anyways in order to help educate her readers fans alike. Her intentions in writing Loud are very clear : she wants women to come together and support one another and become the best version of themselves they can muster. And this is her how to guide. To be confident and not take any crap from the patriarchy…and that is why we call her Mother.

I did find some parts to be a tad repetitive but overall this was an excellent book. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and guidance with us Drew. 4.5 stars from me

My profuse thanks to NetGalley, Drew Afualo, and AUWA for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Since the moment I saw Drew’s first video on TikTok I knew this woman was was meant to be a voice for all of us! Her stories are truly enraging and inspiring. It’s crazy that us women have to deal with so much in this world, but it’s encouraging to hear other people put some humor into it. I hope we can all learn from Drew. Stand against the patriarchy. Be a girls girl. And stop trying to diminish ourselves to be liked by stupid misogynistic men. I would highly recommend this book! Can’t wait to have my signed copy 🫶🏻

It was good but it was kind of hard to get into. I feel like this will be good for someone else but I am not the target audience. I will tell my friends about this though.

This book has quite literally changed my life.
After reading this book, I truthfully feel seen in a way that I never have before. It felt like Drew was speaking right to me. Her words have a way of taking an experience, a feeling, an emotion, and turning it into a brilliant read that has helped me fill some of the gaps in my own understanding of what it is to be a female-identifying person.
Like she says, she makes the space and validates the feelings of women and femmes and anyone who has been treated wrong, whether passively or directly, at some points in their lives. She has a way of taking her experiences and the things she learned and speaking to readers like they're best friends. I truthfully cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for having the opportunity to read this book, no less a few months in advance to its release date. This is one that's going to always stay with me.

I enjoy Drew Afualo online and am thrilled to discover another beautiful side to her that I don't know we typically get to see. I have loved learning about her family and the foundation she comes from. I think she'll inspire young women everywhere to expect more, strive for better, and be willing to be Loud.

I liked it, but I didn't think it was much more than her usual content. It was still really good though for someone who may not be familiar with her usual content. Good self-help book overall