I'm a fan of Drew's but I don't really know that this book was for me, it felt mostly directed at a younger audience. That being said though, I enjoyed listening to Drew read the audiobook, especially when it came to the chapters with more vulnerable stories.

Where to begin with this review...

I know this is truly not about me but as a preface to this review, I want to give context as to why I decided to request/read this arc. As a youtube girly to my core, I first heard of Drew from her involvement in the social media industry and interacting with some of my favorite creators. I have seen a few videos here and there and found her to be entertaining! I wouldn't say I was a fan of Drew’s or knew any deep lore about her, but she was a guest on a podcast I listen to regularly which gave me the opportunity to see her funny and animated personality. I was looking forward to learning more about her life through this memoir!

My favorite parts of Loud were the memoir style chapters where Drew detailed her deep connection to her heritage, her family and her friends. It was beautiful to learn about Samoan culture and I enjoyed reading about Drew’s life experiences that shaped her into the person she is today. I admire Drew's commitment and dedication to fighting a fight she believes in wholeheartedly. In a culture where so many people are wishy-washy, can't commit to anything or define their own beliefs, this is encouraging to see. I do think that Drew really wants what's best for women and believes she is fighting for what's right.

While I adored the memoir parts, the rest fell flat. Unfortunately, I was already not a fan of the self-help genre so that did not put this book in a great position to begin with. A huge reason this book did not resonate with me is because Drew has so many opinions and says them all so… loudly... and I don't agree with everything she says. This is just my impression of the book, not of Drew as a person, but her views feel so angry. It honestly seems exhausting to live that way. She makes so many generalizations and has an overall negative outlook of the world. Drew appears to judge society by the worst of us and frames her narrative with this lens. I would argue that we should judge society by the best of us, meaning the peacemakers and saints. We ultimately have a choice about our outlook on the world and our internal thought patterns. I am in no way siding with or defending the disgusting actions of misogynistic men or bigoted people, and I believe all of Drew’s hurts/emotions are valid. It is true that we need to be vigilant when facing misogynistic men, expanding our worldview, identifying our privilege and fighting for those who are not as privileged as ourselves. But I do believe that whether our internal thoughts are positive or negative does have a great impact on the life we choose to live and the effect we wish to have.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

3.5/5 stars

I’ve seen many of Drew Afualo’s tiktok videos and always found her to be quite funny and unapologetically herself. Her writing is incredibly authentic to how she appears online, and I loved how uplifting she is to women. In this memoir Drew dives into her upbringing, cultural background (which I thought was fascinating to read about) and how she grew into her outspoken, sarcastic, and strong-willed self. I enjoyed quite a few of her insights on life and can empathize with some of her experiences.

However…there were many parts that felt repetitive and had the vibe of a personal diary. While I do appreciate her being vulnerable in writing, part of me wonders if this memoir would have had a better impact as a tiktok series instead of a book. I think it would have felt more like a relatable conversation with an older sister rather than feeling like a meager attempt at a self-help book. Just my opinion. Overall, major kudos to Drew for putting herself out there and publishing this. I’m sure there are many who will adore this book! Thank you to AUWA for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so unapologetically real and vulnerable. It was also uplifting, especially for women who have always been told or made to feel like they were too much. Drew’s book and social media presence continues to always be an inspiration for everyone. This book quickly became a favorite of mine.

An absolute emphatic whole-hearted yes. I found Drew on tiktok more recently but absolutely love her directness and her guidance. This book was an expansion of that but also a beautiful narrative of what it is to be other, what it is to exist in a bigger body, and everything in between. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

No matter your age or experience, there is something for you to get out of this book!

Drew Afualo is an icon already, mostly known on TikTok and in the Feminist world, both for her signature mocking laugh and epic one liners targeted toward toxic dudes.

This book is worthwhile just to get to see a little more into Drew’s life and how she got to where she is, but you also get so much more. I loved getting to know more about her family and the Samoan culture, it seems like they have a lot of love to give to others, which is definitely needed in the world.

My favorite part was getting a look behind the scenes when it comes to her relationship with her sister Deison, I knew they were close, but she really shows that even if you don’t do the right thing immediately, there is always time to learn and grow and most importantly, to be who you need to be for your family. Being the Little/Big sister is hard, you don’t always get it right the first time around! 4.5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to Drew Afualo for writing this book and sharing it with Me!

Big Thank You as well to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for my no cost ebook copy of “Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve”

I received this advance review copy at no personal cost and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVED this. I love Drew and this was such a fun read. I loved her talking about the things she’s learned and the mistakes she’s made and how that’s led to where she is now. She narrates her audiobook and it’s so exquisite, chef’s kiss.

I rate non-fiction/biographies differently than I do fiction. It is not up to me to rate other people’s actual life experiences. This book was interesting enough. I follow Drew’s social media accounts and adore her women empowerment movement. When rating true story experiences I judge more on the ability to write and use correct grammar versus the storyline. I don’t think everyone is necessarily meant to write a book. I think the book was good but I think Drew is better where she has been- on social media.

I was so excited about this book, as I love Drew, however upon reading it I found the same moments being reiterated. It could be my years of therapy, my own brand of living authentically, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. There's also something to be said that it could be that my last journey into nonfiction was "I'm Glad My Mom Died" an dI think I enjoyed that storytelling more.

I joined TikTok in late January 2021 and I found Drew on my FYP pretty quickly and fell in love with her content. I find the more I learn about Drew, the more I like her. She has been doing amazing things with her platform. I knew this would be mostly not a memoir because Drew is pretty young. It's definitely more of the self-affirmation style of read. There are many good passages throughout. I did feel like it got a bit repetitive at times, but overall solid. Her voice comes through very well and you can tell it is distinctly her talking to you. I will say that my favorite bits of Loud were Drew talking about her family and journey to where she is now.

I’ve loved Drew since the first TikTok I saw of her. This book was one of the most affirming things I’ve read. It encompassed all that Drew is about but also opened my eyes to the amount that me and my own views have grown.

Agreeing with every word was automatic but it’s stepping back and thinking about the version of me in high school, my first years of college, my first job, etc that needed this. I didn’t get this kind of affirmation and perspective until my late twenties, I can’t imagine what a book like this would have done for me years and years ago.

And what’s magic is that this book exists now and is going to alter the lives of all the women who pick it up and read it, hopefully early in their lifetime.

THIS IS A BOOK FOR WOMEN WHO SEE THE MAGIC IN BEING WOMEN 💖 absolutely honored to receive this ARC

Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was blown away by how good this was. If Drew has no haters I am dead. I have loved Drew’s online content for years and have enjoyed her ability to bring the faults of terrible men to the forefront of the conversation. This translated into a book so well! Drew is both poignant and eloquent in her writing and as someone that is the same age and grew up with the same experiences as me, to see them dissected in this was incredible. Seriously, so good!! Funny, heartwarming, educational, and inspiring, I can’t recommend enough!

“Growing up in a patriarchal society, men are always at the center, and you have to rip them out root and stem if you ever want to stop internalized misogynistic beliefs from growing inside you”

And my personal favorite:
“I’m just like every other bitch you know. In fact, I’m worse”

Obsessed!!! Drew stan for life

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Drew is definitely one of the good things that have come out of TikTok, and when it goes she will definitely be here to stay.

This book touched on a bit of everything when it comes to Drew’s life before and after TikTok fame. Reflecting on her pick me self, and the growth she has done as an individual, Her place within samoan culture, Decentering men in society, and letting us into more of her personal life when it came to her relationship with her boyfriend, her mom, and older sister.

Some parts were repetitive, but within the content it was good to bring up again.

I was hoping to hear that contagious laugh in the audiobook!!!

But overall I absolutely enjoyed learning more about one of my favorite influencers!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-arc!

Love love love this book! I am not sure where to even begin, Drew did an amazing job of breaking down various topics while reminding us why our voice/ feelings matter. How to do pulse checks on all aspects of our lives & what it means to be a fundamentally good person not only to ourselves but to those around us.

Drew goes through various tactics of how to decentralize men while breaking down in bite size pieces of why patriarchy impacts everyone including men & how she was able to overcome this within her own life despite her young age.

As an avid Drew fan it was a great honor & privilege to read LOUD before its release and as a fellow loud & proud women of color, thank you Drew for making me feel seen & empowered in a way I’ve never felt before through your words. Thank you sharing your story & experience to the world & giving us a little piece of you.
I cannot wait for the rest of the baddies to get their hands of this incredible book!

Thanks NetGalley & AUWA/FSG for letting me get my hands on this book early!

I’m only a little familiar with Drew’s TikToks but everything she came up on my FYP, she earned my respect. This audiobook is the feminist big sisterly advice every 20-something needs. I’m so glad this next generation has Drew in their corner.

I loved jumping into this book because Drew really takes the girl we all love watching on Tim Tok and put herself into a book, giving you all the advice you wish you got as a young girl growing up. This book is warm, funny, and so honest, in true Drew fashion that it makes you feel good about reading it.

It made me laugh, cry, and smile. I was absolutely entranced by this book and couldn't put it down! What a fantastic read! Everyone should be read this book!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC!

4.5 Stars!!

As soon as I saw Drew had written her own book, I requested it immediately! She is an icon and someone that a lot of women look up to. What I loved about this book, is that we clearly see her personality throughout it. I was amped up, laughing out loud, and tearing up. While I love her for her humor, I found a lot of what this book to go over as things we as women struggle with while growing up. I would've loved to have read this book a few years prior. I am a big sister, and to me this book is the big sister talk.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I will be recommending it!

Thank you to Farrar Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for this e-ARC.

I absolutely adore Drew as a content creator and as a woman of colour, I love all the content she makes and I was extremely excited to read this book.

This book did not disappoint. The pacing was just perfect and I absolutely devoured and flew through this book. The experiences of being a woman/femme presenting individual in this world are strongly explored, especially the experience of being a person of colour which I could heavily relate to. A lot of the book focuses on from an intersectional feminist standpoint which we love to see!! I saw a lot of myself within the experiences Drew recounts and it was just amazing to relate to another woman of colour. Highly recommend this!!

Oh wow, I REALLY enjoyed reading this book. Drew on her many platforms has always felt like a sister giving cut-throat but honest advice and this book only expanded upon that feeling for me. She was vulnerable and brought me more into her life and purpose with this book and I feel more confident about navigating this male dominated world then I did before. I heard her voice the whole time I read it (I read this as an e-arc not audiobook lol) which only made it feel more personal. I don’t know if she plans to write another book, but I’ll be there if she does. 😊

When I first saw that Drew would be writing a memoir, I was perplexed as I felt like her career was still in its infancy and she has so many transformative experiences in front of her. However, this book I would say is less memoir and more a book of essays on topics such as the patriarchy, trusting yourself, finding your identity and so many other important topics for so many women and femmes. The perfect gift for anyone entering their early adulthood beginning to navigate the experiences she writes about, Loud is sure to be a hit.

We need more Drew’s in the world. Self-assured empowered women who empower other women and give them the space and grace to unlearn what the patriarchy has ingrained in us from childhood. I could go on for about this book for hours but I think this quote from the book sums it up best “In so many ways, we are all our own first generation.” Ultimately, it’s up to us to show up for ourselves and each other, build community and reinvent what our different identities mean. While the information may not be groundbreaking for anyone who exists in these spaces and read similar literature, Drew has a charisma and voice that can make this palatable and understandable for everyone.