It’s like I was watching a TikTok as I read, I had a great time. Drew is inspiring and honest and her voice comes across so well. I really enjoyed this.

Great book to fuel my feminist rage!
I loved this book, but as a married 32 year old woman I knew a lot of things in this book already. BUT! if I had this book in my single years in my early 20s it would’ve saved me a lot of therapy and heartache.

I would definitely but this book as a must read for every woman or femme in their 20s or later or earlier. Because let’s be real it’s never too early or too late to learn that some men are just trash!

I absolutely love Drew on TikTok so I knew I had to read this book. Drew is unapologetic, brilliant, and funny as hell. I choose to believe that every time someone picks up this book, a terrible man with a microphone dies a little bit.

I’ve been loving memoirs of millennial women reclaiming their personal narratives while re-examining misogynist culture. It makes me wonder how different life would be if we had someone like Drew 25 years ago. I feel hopeful for younger people, and a little jealous too.

Drew can singularly take down a bigoted man but she always does it while making a broader point about being intersectional, hyping up women/femmes, rooting out internalized biases, and de-centering male validation.

My favorite parts of LOUD were Drew’s backstory and family life. If I had one criticism, it’s that this book is mostly focused on the reader making personal mindset changes. I would love to hear Drew’s thoughts on systemic and policy change too.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book. I bet the audiobook version will be *chef's kiss* excellent when it comes out too.

The power that Drew Afualo holds is honestly unmatched because before I read this I don’t think anyone could have convinced me to read a “Self-Help” book. I am usually allergic to looking within. I do not like to be perceived.

However!! Drew delivers a funny and empowering book. I found myself both in stitches and tears while reading this.

Also, for someone who never takes advantage of the highlighting feature on my Kindle, I wore it OUT with this book. It’s so insanely quotable and I can’t wait to read it again when it releases.

I will be shoving this book into the hands of all the women in my life.

*Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book!
My inner feminist loved every minute of this book. While so many know Drew from social media as a woman calling out the problematic behavior of men, this book dives so much deeper into her insights. I honestly felt this was uplifting while calling out he patriarchy and the box we have been put in. The insight she has on work, life, society, relationships, and much more are words of wisdom that are great reminders or learning points. I recommend this to all women, and even men. Such an amazing read! Thank you Drew!

I won't lie - I was a huge fan of Drew's Tiktok account prior to reading this book. I was hesitant to pick up up this book because I didn't want to risk being disappointed by it. Spoiler alert: NOT A CRUMB OF DISAPPOINTMENT TO BE FOUND.
Drew tackles many societal issues that women and femme presenting people face head on and balances a "take no nonsense", unapologetic approach while still leaving room for empathy and growth.
It was easy to hear Drew's in her words. She makes difficult topics easy to digest and I found her narrative to be clear, concise, and profound.
She puts an emphasis on empowerment vs victimhood, which was something I really enjoyed.
I will be recommending this book to many people in my life, and will definitely revisit it when the audiobook is available.
A huge thank you to both the Publisher and NetGalley.

i love drew i think she’s so funny and once i knew she was releasing a book, i just had to read it! usually im not a fan of memoirs unless its someone im familiar with, this book deals with a little bit of self help and modern feminism, i enjoyed this book!

I love Drew. This was a very well structured and pieced together book.

She made me literally laugh out loud several times. I mean how could you not, she’s talking about breaking down misogynistic ideas and then will say things like “drag sexiest men by their half-court hairlines”… that’s iconic.

I think everyone who reads this will get something meaningful from it! And I appreciate the honesty and personal things she shared in this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would! The writing came across as sincere and serious despite Drew’s funny online persona. I appreciated learning more about her childhood and upbringing and hearing her thoughts on social dynamics that women struggle with.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Reading this book as a 42 year old married woman I constantly said to myself, where was Drew when I was a teenager or young adult?! The amount of insights and sound advice that Drew provides in this book will set up any young woman for success.

This book isn’t about dating, it isn’t about misogyny but it’s about knowing and finding your self worth. Buy this book for your daughter/child getting near the age of leaving the nest.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me an ARC of Loud by Drew Afualo. If I could give this glorious read 10 stars, I would. It is thoughtful, powerful and extremely important. I knew that Drew would write a valuable book but I never expected to have learned so much from reading it, especially being in my 40s. I’m absolutely blown away by her insights and wish that I could have had this when I was younger and searching for answers. Reading this made me feel seen and heard in the most supportive way. It is empowerment and accountability at its finest. If you have the opportunity to read this, please don’t waste it; I’ve preorder copies for all the women in my life because it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I highly HIGHLY recommend!!!!

I think this will be an impactful read for younger women-- that 16-25 age range-- and comes across a little as Feminism 101. None of the ideas presented in this text are new or groundbreaking, but Afualo presents them in a way that keeps the reader engaged and thinking.

I hope her points come across to those who need them, and there were some lovely bits I highlighted for my own reminders of self-worth. I especially loved her line "I often think that people don't realize how important the words that they say to themselves in their own heads really are. Ask yourself, 'What are the positive things I say to myself when I look in the mirror every day?'"

Some of her repetitive asides (like referring to her attraction to men as "unfortunate" every single time) were distracting, but overall, it was a four-star read for me. I think I'm just more established in my self-love journey than the intended audience.

Drew has an amazing way of discussing the difficulty of being a woman or femme in western society in a relatable and humorous way. She covers things like body neutrality, being a former “pick me” and embracing the possibility of dying alone instead of settling for less than you deserve. While none of this is new ground, I think it’s great that Drew is using her platform to help younger women escape some of the traps we all fall into. Even though I’m older than Drew, it was still a great reminder about how embedded we all are in the patriarchy and how it can be easy to build your life for the male gaze if you’re not careful. A great read to remind women and femmes (especially of color) to stand in their own power.

I’ve been following Drew online for a few years now so when she announced that she was publishing a book I was ecstatic; even more so when I got the opportunity to read it ahead of publication thanks to NetGalley & Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Drew has been crusading against bigotry, misogyny, and the patriarchy for years while trying to get others to build confidence and stand up for themselves. This book is the perfect culmination of her; it builds the reader up while simultaneously pointing out internal biases and misogyny. It is part self help, part memoir, and part manifesto, all laced with her sense of humor and wit.

The book starts with an introduction and first chapter focused primarily on her upbringing and how having such an emotionally intelligent family helped her be able to find and understand herself. I think a lot of parents and/or soon to be parents should take a look at this book. Even if you don’t agree with Drew’s approach online it is clear that she has a sense of self and self worth that many young people lack. Reading this may give insight into a way to raise a child to have these as well.

As the book progresses it moves onto topics that female presenting people know all too well like being a “pick me” and having to be soft to appeal to society. The pick me chapter is something I think many women & girls would greatly benefit from reading. Without giving much away, she talks about how aligning yourself with men will ultimately not keep you from being the punchline or victim, and when you inevitably are the punchline, you won’t have a support system of women around to pick you back up.

This book does a great job of reminding us to be who we are and to advocate for ourselves even if that means being perceived as mean.

My favorite quote from this book, “A bad bitch is still a bad bitch, regardless of how many times she doubts herself.”
This being the first memoir I’ve ever read I was a little scared but I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, if I thought I was confident and secure about myself before I read this book, I sure as hell am now.
This book gives you an insight to Drew’s upbringing, how she gained the confidence and self love we all know and see on Tiktok and how we can all achieve it as well. The Drew you see on Tiktok is definitely a different Drew than the one you have access to through this book. She is definitely vulnerable in writing this and I LOVED every second.
The goal of this memoir was for Drew to remind Women to Love and Empower themselves and their feelings. An empowered Woman, Empowering Woman.
I do believe this is a very important read for teenage girls, it’s perfect to read as you’re becoming comfortable with yourself, your body, and your feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and Drew for an ARC of this wonderful upcoming book.

Part memoir, part self-help, Loud lives up to it's title and describes Drew's growing into her values and her platform. It's a light but reflective read about the patriarchal society and the way we can best cope with it - by standing up for ourselves and realising our worth.

Personally, I can't say I gained much from the self-help aspect of the book, since I have considered myself a feminist (and a misandrist) for a while now, but Drew is truly one of the funniest and wonderful people with a platform. Her tiktoks and podcast makes me so glad to be a part of this colorful, queer world, despite all the hate and violence. I loved her book for giving me a few more pieces of her life, her story, her family. The memoir parts truly felt like talking to an old friend and an inspiration.

I feel so honoured to have had the opportunity to read and review Loud before it's released. It needs to be a part of all the libraries around the world. I believe it's going to change quite a few lives.

”I target awful men who attack marginalized people on the internet for no reason and I never miss.” OK MS DREW

This book was something I didn’t know I wanted or needed. I love Drew’s work online and I think she’s hysterical, which is why I requested the ARC in the first place.

While some might claim this is feminist self help rhetoric, it instead dismantles a lot of what we as women experience throughout our teenage and young adult years and spoon feeds it to you with the right amount of humor and evidence.

I found myself getting emotional during the section “I’d Rather Die Alone” because I felt seen. Seen and heard by another woman I have never met who is living a completely different life than me. Her experience, her growth and her viewpoint were so refreshing and I just adored my time with that section in particular.

It’s really inspiring and validating to read about a woman who asserts herself and puts down men who deserve it. She’s mean! The way we can all be mean! But really, 99% of what Drew details in this book isn’t rude or mean at all, it’s advocating for yourself in ways you’re not used to.

A massive, massive thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc. I enjoyed every second.

This memoir gave me goosebumps. Drew is best known for retorting misogynistic men on the internet. Reading her memoir, I got goosebumps, I cried, I laughed, but most of all I felt SEEN. Being a woman in today’s world isn’t easy and she spoke of everything most women feel today. Reading about her embrace of her Samoan culture and her family made it evident that they’re all so incredibly important, but more than that they are proud. Proud of her, proud of the woman she’s become. I’ve never felt more safe, more heard, or understood than I did reading her memoir. I highly recommend this memoir!

(Wrote on Goodreads first!)

If you wanna feel like a baddie, pick up this book. 💅🏻 If you haven’t seen Drew on TikTok empowering women and destroying men you NEED to. She’s funny, she speaks out on a lot of important topics, and her book is no different. This book was entertaining and interesting. I will definitely be purchasing it for friends when it comes out. 🥰

normally, i wouldn’t go for a self-help book, but i requested an arc for this one because it is drew. i ended up really enjoying it! from what i understand, drew did not use a ghostwriter for this, but her writing was actually pretty good. i also think the length of this book makes it accessible to people that may not consider themselves readers. even so, there were some things i wish she had elaborated on. she often references “the universe” but she doesn’t really go into what that means to her or what she means by it. i also think the body neutrality chapter should have been longer because she talks about the concept of body neutrality but doesnt give examples of how to practice it, which i think would have been helpful. the chapter about being mean also could have used some elaboration, in my opinion. she says that it is okay to be mean, but she doesn’t elucidate why, and i wanted to hear her perspective on that. i did like the chapter titles, though