This book feels like a loving & honest letter written by your big sister. It was a wonderful mix of humor, memoir, self-help, and feminism 101. As an avid follower of Drew, this book felt like it perfectly encapsulated her personality. Drew takes the time to recognize the importance of her upbringing and how it shaped her identity today. If your childhood lacked empowerment, acceptance, or examples of healthy gender roles, you will surely find an element of catharsis and education to break those cycles for yourself going forward. My only critique is that the sequence of the chapters felt a bit scattered at times, but I don’t like marking authors down for the way that they choose to tell their own stories. The terrible men of the world will most definitely hate this book, which is a sure sign that Drew is doing something right.

Thank you NetGalley & Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC

Most of us know her best for her crusade against misogynistic, trash men on the internet. She is a voice with confidence and courage against the patriarchy in order to pave the way to break down some of the oldest and most antiquated ideals bringing women down these days. Her debut book Loud; Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve is the perfect mixture of manual, memoir, and part manifesto making it clear that behind her loud and booming laugh is courage, confidence, supportive women, intelligence, and so much personality.

I had the chance to get my hands on the Ebook version of this book ahead of publication thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in order for an honest review.The moment I knew she was writing a book I put it on my wishlist for pre-ordering before it’s release, then one lovely day I saw her pop up for advance reading and I was tickled pink getting the email that I was approved to read it. I laughed, I cringed (she wanted me to, I swear), and I teared up a bit (in a good way). All the way through her book was completely her through and through.

From the very beginning of the book she captivates the reader with her wit and writing, following up with sharing someone of the people around her that have had a big impact in who she is today, speaking beautifully about her family life and growing up as a proud Samoan woman. It becomes clear pretty quick that having such a strong, loving, and emotionally intelligent family is definitely a big catalyst into what has shaped Drew today.

As she moves further along the book she touches on some of the things that we as women not only do ourselves no favours but actively encourage the patriarchal constructs that have pushed us down and against each other since the beginning (i.e., women who go HARD for terrible men). I found myself actively talking to my kindle as she had me pulling myself right back to my equally (if not more) cringe teen years, but it becomes clear that a lot of times it shapes a lot of who we are when we’re extra cringe in our teen years!

A lot of people see her comments section and can see that even some women stand up for these terrible and sometimes abusive men, we call this the Pick-Me, and we all know at least one. But the thing is we all exhibit pick-me behaviour, some of us do that later in life than others unfortunately but when we finally crack out of it the world is definitely so much better (and so much easier, damn).

To round it out she reminds us that it’s okay to be mean sometimes, often as women we are supposed to be soft, delicate, pliant, agreeable. Fuck that, we are whoever we want to be and if that soft and delicate then fine, but if its loud and honest instead then hell yeah.

I consumed this book as an Ebook (unfortunately an exact page count is not available at this time for this format). It is also going to be available as a physical book and an audiobook! Set to release on July 30th 2024 it is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and many other major retailers!
(Quotes have been removed and will be added upon approval of publisher)

I had really high super expectations for this book, I love Drew and her no b.s attitude that she has. But for me this book just didn't feel like it aligned with her.

Okay, I have seen and loved Drew on TikTok and this book surprised me.I love the flow and the storytelling. I hope that she gets all her flowers for writing such a great book.

If you had a tiktok account during the pandemic then you know Drew Afualo. You know her laughter. You know her advocacy for women and femmes. Drew’s mission is to face bigotry head on and watch it collapse as fast as she dishes it out.

Loud is part self help guide part memoir. Her entire life she has stood up to the bullies and advocated loudly for those she loves. Her adulthood is no different, she is still standing up for those who have been marginalized and put down by society. In Loud Drew takes us on a journey of how to unlearn the harmful ideologies that the cis heteropatriarchy have place upon us. Showing us just how outdated and rooted in colonialism and white supremacy these ideologies are. She shows us how to advocate for ourselves and to stop centering life around terrible men. Reminding us that no matter what our body type, race, gender or sexuality we deserve the very best love there is.

Drew is extremely honest and candid in this book. At times I felt like I wasn’t reading a memoir, but catching up with old college friends. Reminiscing about the men who we’d destroy at bars who thought they had a chance at hitting on us. Or discussing how fiercely we love and protect one another. I found myself tearing up more than once reading this because it houses such powerful messaging that I think is vital to, not just younger generations, but to anyone who considers themselves a feminist.

Loud is out July 29, thank you netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this. The book is written well and comes off like a feminist, self help, call to action book. For her first novel, I was impressed.

"Loud" by Drew Afualo offers a refreshing perspective on contemporary leadership, and I'm delighted that leaders like Drew have a platform to share their insights. Younger readers will benefit greatly from the crucial lessons on human development conveyed by a contemporary leader's voice. As an older reader, I found many truths I already knew, but appreciated the fresh perspective. Drew's consistent voice, reminiscent of her TikToks, adds authenticity to her book.

If I had to nitpick, I'd suggest shorter chapters and some editing to avoid repetition.

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

I follow Drew on social media so this was really cool to be able to read her thoughts in her book. I really enjoyed reading this book and thought she did it well. I will say at some points it got a bit redundant but I loved it and Im going to buy this when it comes out for my physical book library.

It's easy to call this a modern feminist manifesto - a bit memoir, a bit self-help, and every page a call to action to influence your world for your own well-being, and by extension, the well-being of others. If all you know of Drew is that she drags misogynistic dudes on the internet, you'll have missed everything else she puts out into the world, and this book allows that side of her to come out: the woman, the ally, the one who has your back, and the one who believes in the sisterhood of women and femmes.

While I have a decade on her, there are valuable lessons and reminders in this book for any age. Whether it's about decisions around work, life, romance, friendships, bodies, and society, the reminder to fight the boxes the patriarchy wants to shove us into is an important one. The reminder that we have to work on ourselves but should never hesitate to recognize we don't have to do it alone is a powerful one as well. In the end, you'll have laughed with Drew, cried with and for her, and feel like you're not alone in some of the things you think, feel, and dream.

It's like reading an encouraging letter from the most baddie friend you have, and you should take every single word to heart. This is an entry-level text on unlearning the confines of the patriarchy, and hopefully a stepping stone for so many women and femmes in this world to explore it more.

During the pandemic times I stumbled upon Drew’s tiktok and have enjoyed her content, just as I have enjoyed her book. Funny and empowering, I recommend this read!