“Because that’s the hallmark of being a woman in this world. Soldiering on even when the unfathomable happens to you … because the world doesn’t give you a chance to patch yourself up.”

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic debut from TikTok sensation Drew Afualo. This was part memoir, part self-help book, & part feminist manifesto all rolled into one powerful book.

As much as this book was doing, it worked. Each piece felt like a necessary cog in the whole—without one the others wouldn’t be as strong. This was raw, honest, and downright relatable. I especially loved how you could hear Afualo’s voice through the page. She kept her voice to tell her story, and I’m glad she did.

My one qualm, which may seem a bit nit-picky, would be that there were certain statement/definitions used without a source. I agreed with what Afualo wrote wholeheartedly and I have seen statistics that back up her claims—I just feel including them to back up her claims would’ve only solidified her comments.

Afualo’s commentary on privilege, intersectionality, race, sexuality, gender, etc. really stood out and I really appreciate how she wove her commentary into her real-life experiences. I cannot wait to see everything else she is yet to do!

Highly recommend!

🌟ARC Review🌟

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Drew is one of my favorite internet personalities and I love her podcast with her sister so I was thrilled to read her debut novel!

Drew mixes stories from her personal life and advice for young women about self-love, self confidence, and removing male approval from the center of your life. As a woman in her late thirties, this is a book I wish I had read in my early twenties.

She gives some insight into her family dynamic and how close knit and supportive the Afualo family is. Hearing Drew speak about her sister makes me want to ugly cry and makes me devastated I don't have a sister to have that kind of bond with.

This is one of the best book cover designs ever! Kudos to the designer!

If you've seen Drew's content on TikTok, then I think you know what to expect from this book: Refreshing, real, and no pulled punches commentary on family, body neutrality, relationships, and self-worth.

Drew read the audiobook and it felt like an older, much wiser, and yet relatable sister was giving me sage advice. I highly recommend this book for everyone, but I think it's essential for teenage and young adult women to read. Drew's voice is refreshingly supportive and positive towards other women in a world where many tear one another down. I LOVED this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Much thanks to Drew Afualo, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Knowing Drew and her content from Tiktok, I went into Loud expecting some funny and entertaining things, but it ended up being even better than expected! Her candid voice is refreshing, especially in a world where women are constantly told to tone it down.

I'm sure for people with more experience consuming feminist content, a lot of this won't be new, but as someone who's not gone out of my way to educate myself on the topic much, I found it educational and enlightening. Hearing about her personal experiences was moving, and I found quite a few quotes that stuck out to me:

"This is your life. Don't waste one second of it living for anyone but yourself."

"Learning how to love yourself - like, truly love yourself - is not easy. In fact, it might be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. But look, there's only one person you'll be with from the moment you are born until the moment you die - yourself. Give yourself a chance."

"Some people may say I'm being contrarian, but I say better to be a contrarian than die a thousand little deaths of disrespect."

"Love and support from women is a gift. It's a resource where you can not only find community, but empowerment. It's a place you go to recharge and remind yourself that you are loved, important, and valid in this world."

"When you let go of male validation, you not only take away all of their power, but you also have the opportunity to redirect that power to yourself and others."

I really enjoyed this book! There were some repetitive sections, which is why it's a 4/5 but overall, if you are a fan of Drew, you will enjoy this book. I felt this was a thoughtfully written book that provided more background into Drew and provided the "why" behind her videos.

love Drew on tiktok and loved this book!! i think every woman, of any age, should read this. There is really great advice for women of all ages, and i really liked how Drew wove her personal stories/experiences/hardships into the “advice” parts of the book. I don’t normally read memoirs, but so glad I read this one

While I loved the messaging in the book, I feel like I might not be the age bracket for the group and wish I had a Drew ten years ago to share with me all this wisdom that I wish was common sense. I know I’m fortunate for already being in a place where a lot of this was already known and will happily pass this recommend along to others who may find it more valuable. I also appreciated Drew’s honesty and vulnerability. I loved the woman supporting woman vibe and will always rave about books that preach it!!
3.5 rating for me.

The first time that I heard Drew Afualo laugh on TikTok, I immediately became a fan. So I was excited to dive into her book and learn more about her. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Loud, but it was a great mix of memoir and self-help to find your inner confidence and decenter men. It read like letters of advice from an older sister before you’re about to venture off into a patriarchal world. I liked the advice that Drew provided and it made me think about how I approach the world and what I can do to better about decentering men from the conversation. I also loved that Drew mixed in her own personal experiences and feelings. It both helped me to connect with her and also showed that we’re all still learning how to navigate this patriarchal society and decenter men when it’s been the norm for so long.

Overall, this was a great memoir/self-help book that I recommend for all!

Loud by Drew Afualo is such a well-written book. It was thoughtful, funny, and serious when she needed to be. I found myself laughing, tearing up and being deeply touched by how delicately she handled the more heavy topics.

Drew has been a crusader against misogyny and the patriarchy for years. Taking down one terrible man at a time on her TikTok and her podcasts. I truly enjoy her content and her personality so I wasn’t surprised by the subject matter. But I was surprised by how personal and vulnerable she was willing to be to show how she’s become the person she is and is becoming.
This book is relatable, inclusive and inspiring. It’s a book I can see myself reading and listening to again and again. (because hello! Her narration of the audiobook is just the cherry on top)
I definitely would recommend this book!

Drew is the best role model I've ever had, and I think I mean that. She embodies feminism, body positivity, and supportive community. When I'm scrolling I will NEVER skip a Drew Afualo video, it is the perfect thing to cheer me up or make me feel more confident. I was soooo excited for her book, and it didn't let me down! Her sense of humor isn't for everyone but for those of us who like it, she's our fave. Thanks Netgalley for letting me read and review!

If you’re not on TikTok, you might not know the name Drew Afuolo — she’s a social media influencer who made her mark by giving internet trolls a dose of their own medicine. As an elder millennial, I love listening to her podcast with her sister for the Gen Z serving of self-love and empowerment. And that’s what this memoir brings to the table — loudly and unapologetically.

Brutally honest and informative! Drew has a captivating way of writing to get a point across, especially when it originates in personal experience.

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for this arc! I loved Drew before this book was beautiful. I loved learning about her family but also her take on society. It was a beautiful and educational telling of what is like to not fit in society's norms and unlearning bias.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I knew very little about Drew before reading this but it was really insightful! Her message of never settling for less and being an advocate for all to have the life you deserve was a really fantastic message. Especially for the younger generations!

Though I love her podcast and tiktoks, I was definitely skeptical about someone as young as Drew writing a memoir, but it's really 1/3 memoir and 2/3 advice and the advice is phenomenal. She does a great job of showing how important it is to uplift one another and ourselves. I was really impressed.

drew and i share a lot of the same values in life and i think that's why i adored this book so much. she has such a great way with articulating her thoughts on such important matters in today's society, especially as a woman. drew's book felt so relatable, mostly with her experiences growing up and her relationship. i found myself nodding my head and laughing because i had some similar experiences as well.

i can really see this book helping so many others. i adore drew and all that she stands for! she is a badass who works so hard and seems like such a genuine person. if you've seen her around on tik tok and think she's hilarious or agree with her slamming toxic men (as she should), i highly recommend picking her book up. she's an absolute queen!

Love love loved it, I normally steer clear from self-help books because a lot of times they feel kind of preachy to me but this one did not feel like that at all. I loved starting my morning commute with an hour of Drew reading to me actually interesting and insightful and inspiring thoughts and concepts that I hadn't previously thought about in the way that she is talking about it. I do truly think this book has altered my way of thinking about the patriarchy for the better. This book initially started off at 5 stars but as I finished it I found I wasn't as engrossed by the second half of the book as I was in the beginning so I had to bump it down to 4. However, if this is the kind of book that sits with me for a long time after finishing I could see it becoming a favorite of mine in the future. I found that I benefited from the chapters about the patriarchy and sexism more than I did from the more memoir centered chapters of the book. I do follow Drew loosely as an influencer but I'm not a huge fan so I felt like I didn't benefit a ton from some of the stories about her life. Since as a person she is so drastically different from me, I felt like I couldn't really relate to it or draw deep insights from it either. But I did feel like parts of it gave an accurate background of who Drew is as a person which helps to give context to the book as a whole. But I LOVED the chapters of the book that were more factual than memoir based and I felt like a gained a lot of insights from those parts. I feel like the chapters "The Fallacy of 'Leftover women' and other misogynist myths" and "Body Neutrality" are chapters that every young woman could benefit in one way or another from reading or listening to. Overall, I thought this was a great memoir and a great book and I'm truly glad that I picked it up.

Drew Afualo, you are a gem! This book was truly inspiring and heartfelt. I have been listening to Drew's podcasts for the past couple months and this book was so true to her voice across all platforms. I learned a lot about how Drew operates and how she came to be the person we see today as well as relating to the feelings she shared. Chapters 6 and 7 really hit me with emotions. I could feel the humanity seeping out of every word written in this book.

DREW AFUALO THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE. Everyone needs to read this book. Everyone needs to decenter men, Drew’s voice was so poignant throughout this book, and oh what a joy it was to read. I will be recommending this to everyone I know - the relationship advice, career advice, self-love, ALL OF IT. So good.

I’ve loved Drew since I found her through another podcast I listen to and she’s just so wise beyond her years. Although she’s younger than me, reading this helped me look within and realize my true potential as a single female in a male dominated world & career field.