DNF at 50%. I enjoy Drew's content and was really intrigued by what she would have to say in her book but it just felt very repetitive to me. Autobiographies aren't my favorite genre so it could absolutely just be a personal preference issue. I really enjoyed when she spoke about her family and her upbringing, as well as the regrets she has with her sister but somehow it all felt surface level and disjointed. I don't think it was a bad book, I think that perhaps I just wasn't the intended audience. I'll continue to watch her videos and listen to her rants and honestly, if Drew reads the audiobook, I might even give it another chance!

Thanks to NetGalley, Drew Afualo, and the Farrer, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Like many people, I'm familiar with Drew Afualo by her infectious laugh and her ability to put toxic men in their place on Tiktok but not so much of her brand outside of that. So when I had the opportunity to request an ARC copy of "Loud" via NetGalley it was a no brainer that I had to do it. I went into this book expecting a very influencer perspective on a memoir and by the first 10 pages I was surprised to find my assumptions were completely misguided.

Like some of the reviews I've seen already on GoodReads, I too have at least 10 years on Drew and while some of the lessons she speaks about are things I know and practice myself they are incredibly impactful for the young women and femmes coming up behind my generation and beyond. It is a war cry that I feel is so incredibly important for all women/femmes to hear.

That said, I felt like this book was a conversation with a best girlfriend whom I haven't seen for a bit. It was real, honest and grounding. I loved hearing about her relationship with her family (I might not have a big family like hers but mine is a tight group of 3 generations of strong women whom I'm extremely close to) and respected her candor about her own struggles and misgivings. She stands strong in her convictions and she is not afraid to admit when she's wrong which in my eyes is what makes a strong leader. I will quickly be checking out her podcast now that I've finished this book.

As I mentioned earlier, this book can and should become a handbook all women, femmes and even allied men who want to learn more should read. 4⭐️ and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Drew Afualo's "Loud"

This book just wasn’t for me. I adore Drew and find her incredible on TikTok, however, I wanted to get a little more from her book. Self help isn’t usually a genre I enjoy so I went in optimistic. If self help is a genre you enjoy, then this would be a refreshing, easy read.

Reading Loud was a journey for me. Having watched Drew’s videos for some time now I was curious at what made the woman I admire, well herself. There were stories from her past that she’s light into how she is now as well as learning lessons to keep going back to when you need them. I knew I was reading words Drew had written herself and it was refreshing hearing her cackling throughout (iykyk). I’m excited to get my hands on a hardback edition to lend out to friends who need a little support in their corner, because reading Loud let me know she’s always there.

Drew is an absolute force using her voice for justice. I was very excited to read this and I’m pleased to say I was not let down.

There is so much to learn from Drew. For many she is seen as a woman who uses her platform to drag misogynists on the internet (I love that for her!) but she is also a symbol for what it means to stand your ground and defend yourself and others in the face of a system that is intent on crushing you.

I loved this book and I love Drew Afualo even more after reading it.

I have always loved reading books like these, so when I heard a content creator I like was writing one? Sign me up!

Drew delivers her comedy she displays online, into her writing. So many witty jokes is just what I would expect from her. However, I wasn't expecting to finish the book feeling better about myself. I actually was able to take a lot of lessons/pointers she was giving and apply it to my everyday life. She's really good at helping women feel empowered.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Loud was an incredible introduction to not only Drew, but the issues that matter most to her. As a follower of Drew, it was fascinating to see someone who keeps their cards close to their chest on their public platform open up in such a raw way through their book. You can tell that this was not only a love letter to her audience, but a love letter to all those in her family and inner circle.

Firstly, this memoir was incredibly accessible. I think a lot of the issues Drew touches on (internalized misogyny, body-image, the patriarchy, etc.) are discussed in a way that anyone, no matter their age, can take something away from it. Personally, I think if high school me had this book, I would have thought a lot differently about myself and how I engage with the world. Sometimes authors of memoirs can get caught up in proving themselves to their audience, but I think Drew does an incredible job of combining her own life story and a comprehensive guide to confidence all in the story. You can also really feel her personality throughout the entirety of it, which was so pleasant for someone who has watched Drew since she started posting online.

The only thing I found taking me out of the experience was the organization of the chapters. I think some concepts could have been combined to make it flow better for the reader, but this was not something consistent throughout the entirety of the book. I noticed it at some points and not at others.

Overall, I think this book did what it needed to do! We learned more about Drew's personal life and her experience in her content creation niche, what her advice is on becoming the most confident version of yourself, and so much more. Great first book!

drew afualo, the woman you are.

If I had a physical copy of this book, it would look beat-up, and full of highlights and notes. And not in a cute way.</p>

drew writes so well, formal yet informal, I felt like I was having a conversation with her. I felt that I was having a conversation with a big sister, someone who was forcefully, yet lovingly, reminded me I deserve better. I cannot recommend this book enough. she also includes her own experiences, and brought tears to my eyes. she is such a bright light in this world.

some of my favorite quotes from this (without making this review ten pages long)

"Now repeat after me: "No, I cannot fix him." And: "No it is not my job to.""
"The word "no" is a complete sentence."
"You are worth all the love and respect you put out into the world, and you are destined to receive it."

I can't wait to buy a physical copy and I too, will be thinking of Drew when I stand up for myself, sitting up straighter, shoulders back, chin up.

thank you netgalley, the publisher, and drew afualo

I really enjoyed Drew’s book! I am honestly excited to listen to the audiobook version, I am hoping she is the narrator. I feel like the audiobook version would be the best experience to really hear Drew talk in her voice and tell her stories. Overall this book was fun and inspiring. I would recommend to friends.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. Firstly i want to say i love this cover with all the colors coming together and the big letters with a selfie its very cute. I will say one day i was scrolling on tiktok and Drew came on my fyp and i just started watching her videos because she had me cackling down and i love what she stands for and how she defends the gay community as well as so many others. This book definitely was a novel i wanted to read because Drew is hilarious and always authentically herself and thats why i wanted to read it. This book feels like drew is speaking to the reader on important topics that need to be discussed regarding the patriarchy and alot of different topics that maybe the reader will be like oh wow ive done this before maybe i shouldnt be doing this etc and i love how each chapter was a different topic and also explained how the topic also effected her during growing up etc and how she had to unlearn somethings as well. I really hope alot of people that read this also learn some things as well if they see themselves in the chapters and topics. This book had good funny moments as well. I love how drew always claps back and it's definitely needed with all the hate that social media has we need a queen like drew to shut it down on her platform! The gays love you queen. This was a quick read and a great novel its usually not my usual genre that i read but i loved the little advice elements and part memoir because i didnt know much about drew but now i do and i loved all the talk about her culture and her family and family members and growing up and telling us the family dynamic it was really wholesome! Good job drew! Cant wait for all your supporters to read this novel!

I am a fan of Drew Afualo and enjoy her tiktok content. I was very excited to be approved for an ARC of Loud. I enjoyed reading what seemed like the memoir portions of this book. The motivational aspects were very inspiring and left me with quite a bit to think about/reflect on.
This book is a great guide on how to advocate for and stand up for yourself. I really enjoyed it and will happily recommend to all!

As a previous fan of Drew Afualo from tiktok, I was excited to see that she had a book coming out! With her confidence and wisdom, it seems like the perfect match to write a self help book. Her direct tell it like it is style translated well and it was a good mix of giving people the confidence to ask for nothing but the best from life, and a manifesto about working hard and taking oppertunities wherever they come. A wonderful companion to her current content.

Loud by Drew Afualo is part autobiography, part-self help. The book is written well, you can almost hear Drew narrating it with her infectious personality!

I overall felt this book was solid, and would highly recommend especially to teens-early twenties people who want a good way to get into feminist reading.

The main reason I haven’t scored it higher was that it didn’t flow seamlessly. At times it felt a bit like jumping from one thing to the next. However, a good book debut.

I love love love Drew Afualo. And I loved her book just as much. It was funny, thoughtful, motivational, and emotional at times.

Drew was thoughtful in what she shared in this book. I got more glimpses of her and it made me understand how she got to be this confident/beautiful person. The chapter about body neutrality was a tough one as I am a plus-size girl and have such a difficult time even thinking about my body.

I would highly recommend this book to those who (like myself) are trying to learn how to shut out the loud, obnoxious voices that make it difficult to love themselves.

I was so exited to get an ARC of this book. I follow Drew on TikTok and I love her content. This book is funny like her videos, but also tackles a lot of serious topics. From the failed 2000s “Body Positivity” movement, to unlearning all manner of internalized misogyny, Drew’s takes are inspiring and helpful. The only real complaint I have about this book is that many of the sections go on long after she’s made her point. It almost feels like she wrote out all her thoughts on the topic, and then never went back to pare down repetitive thinking. But other than this, I had a great time. Drew’s voice is SO clear in this. I can even hear her laugh sometimes as I read. I hope it haunts the dreams of all those horrible men.

As a long time follower of Drew on tiktok I was excited to see if her book would have a similar message and feel. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I wish I’d had this to read 20 years ago. I will definitely be recommending this to some younger people in my life once it’s released.

I love Drew and I think this book has a lot of really great messaging. It feels like it is targeting a younger generation though, as none of the takeaways were that ground breaking for me as a fully developed adult woman.

I will start this off by saying I absolutely love Drew and I enjoy following her on social media and listening to her podcast. I was excited to pick this up and learn more about her. While I do feel like I have a better insight to some of her life and where she comes from, I felt like this book came across a little preacher than I would have liked. I agree with all of her points and love the way she empowers herself and other women, but I think maybe this book might be for a younger audience — readers who might be new to these concepts and learning about them for the first time. The points became repetitive after a while.

But that being said — Drew is inspiring and has such a great sense of humor and perspective on the world and I think especially young girls need to hear from a woman like her.

As a 30 year old I felt that this was something I needed to read 10 years ago. This book will be *life-changing* for many people, however myself like Drew have learned these lessons over the course of our 20’s so most of the book felt more of a reminder to me personally. I absolutely love love loved the space where Drew addresses her feelings towards motherhood. Her traumatic experience that helped her come to that realization made ME search deeper internally. Do need something like that to validate my feelings? Probably not. Thankful these words are on paper (figuratively) because like I stated I really think this book will change lives and teach lessons so many of us learned the harder way.

Thank you again to the Author & NetGalley.com for this Advanced Reader Copy 🫶🏼

I’ve followed Drew Afualo’s career for a couple years now, and this book feels like an extended cut of one of her videos. It is funny, personal, and inspiring. All those traits that make her a great content creator and woman to follow, you can hear this book in her voice with her laugh throughout. A very impactful read for fans of hers and anybody who believes in solidarity and diversity!