I have seen the author on Twitter and was interested to see she had a book. The book makes a lot of great (and depressing) points about how male authors write female characters. I feel like the reader base of this book will vastly skew towards women readers, so most of the points are things they likely have already noticed in books. I feel like this book was just too repetitive and that made me lose interest.

I thought the workbook aspect of this book was fun and to be the most engaging part of the book.

A Tale of Two Titties is built on a vital—and true—premise: most men don’t know how to write female characters well. Vondriska built a following on Twitter (now X) with an account that shares quotes from male author’s books that painfully illustrate just how woeful (on the generous side) to awful (on the honest side) some of these depictions are.

So I was interested to see what she’d do with more words to discuss this problem. But what works well in short bursts doesn’t necessarily equate to the same level of success in a full-length book. After a while of reading this, I felt like saying, “yeah, I got it already” as Vondriska hammered her point home yet one more time.

The layout of this book—with exercises, quizzes, and more—helps keep up interest. I also loved some of her premises, like women falling into stereotypes she calls Muses. And her examples of all the problems she’s found in these depictions of women are amusingly crafted.

But ultimately, I wonder who the audience for this book is. The men who truly need it either won’t admit they do or will be put off by the constant denigrating tone Vondriska employs. And if women pick up this book, it almost seems like the result is preaching to the choir. There’s a good lesson to be learned here for the male writer willing to explore it, even if they only use a chapter or two. But I’m not sure most of them will get even that far.

Meg Vondriska, the creator of the viral Twitter account, Men Write Women, wrote this tongue-and-cheek guide to "Conquering the Most Sexist Tropes in Literary History."

It's cleverly written, but ultimately far too long. It was full of worksheet pages to "help" you become a successful writer of women, which were cute but added with no intention of the reader actually using them. Perhaps the physical book, as opposed to the digital copy, would make these parts more enjoyable. Also, I had hoped for more actual quotes from badly written books (I imagine they couldn't get the rights?). However, Vondriska does make great points about the depiction of women in both print and film, and it's real-world impacts on policy and understanding.

I loved this!

The book was funny and enlightening, also rather depressing when you actually think about what you're reading.

It was well written, had fun and attention seizing activies throughout. I must say, I learnt a lot from this book. Highly advise!

This is a funny, irreverent book. While it makes some interesting points, I think the overall feminist take could be strengthened by not being so one-sided. The bottom line is that rhetoric is stronger when you address counterarguments. It was funny and true, but needs balance to make it more widely read and accepted.

Have you ever pondered, how can I reduce a female character in my story to a wonderful, bouncing, pair of breasts?

Well, does Meg Vondriska have the answer for you! Follow along in her book for an invigorating lesson in tropes, reductive language, and misogyny! Now with wordsearches, madlibs, and quizzes! How Fun!

In all seriousness, this book is a hilarious (but also depressing bc, wow... real) look at women in literature and the extensive amount of misogyny male authors have gotten away with in history. It's wild to think of all the media we have consumed in life at face value and just accepted that these characters and prejudices are ok! When shown through humour it really hits different. Recommend to basically anyone who enjoys media studies, feminism, and madlibs.

A simultaneously humorous-yet-sobering look into how male authors so frequently write female characters. The book was interesting and engaging, written in a workbook format so the reader could, uh, experiment with writing like famous male authors. As a fan of both Vondriska’s Twitter account and the subreddit of the same name, I knew a bit of what to expect, but I definitely learned a lot more about The Basic Bro Code for Writing Women, and Meg’s writing style really helped make the book less depressing. My only gripe with this book is that it gets a bit repetitive, although to be fair that’s mostly because the way men write women tends to be so repetitive! Probably not a book you would read through it one sitting, partly due to this and also due to its exercise-like format. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

I would not consider this a funny text, but a pure and realistic criticism. And I can't imagine who could laugh at this (well, yes, maybe a group of men who seek to dismiss, as often happens, women's experiences), but many moments in which one could feel a kind of helplessness when reading about these situations, which is what happened to me. While it's true that some of the exercises can be a bit fun, when I started to analyze a little further I could only get a bitter feeling. Not exactly because of the writers, but some go three miles, but because, as the author says, these situations are not really isolated to literature. It happens in real life.
So when she talked about rape depictions I was so outraged. Yes, as women we are taught that there is nothing more horrible than rape and, at the same time, we are taught never to retaliate against men, because we must be domestic and docile to them. Every time I read about this I get a little angrier. And the fact that it is treated so lightly in the works of some authors sulphurs me.
There are quite a few topics that this book touches on and I very much agree with a lot of the author's point of view. Maybe not with the term "girlboss", but we differ in little else.
While the exercises seemed too much to me, that is perhaps due to the format of the ARC, which was a PDF and was not organized very well on Kindle. But if I could have it in physical form, I think I might enjoy filling in those blanks more. It's a fact that I'm going to get it, because I don't pretend to be the only one reading it, there are some people who would benefit from approaching these topics.

A humorous look at the misogynistic and stereotypical way that male authors tend to write female characters. I liked the inclusion of games and activities it made the book very engaging! An entertaining coffee table sort of book. The only thing is that it's really only humorous to people who are already aware of this issue, I can't imagine it would actually succeed in creating awareness in the people who need it but maybe that's more their issue than the books

Overall, I thought this book was smart and funny, but it could get a little repetitive. I feel like a lot could have been trimmed to make it a shorter book. I liked the quizzes and the games included in each chapter. There were still a lot of spelling and formatting errors in this ARC.

A very unusual point of view on the matter, very witty and clever. This book is truly enjoyable and very strong in the quality of its demonstration. It opens the eye about so many aspects of everyday life that are quite accepted as "normal". This enlightened me about the vision of the book and helped me to explain to people how I feel as a woman confronted by clichés. A very important book to be read with full awareness. All opinions are mine, thank you to NetGalley and the author.

As the orb-like globules of lacteal fountain (to which the expendable skin tissue known as a woman is attached) attract the attention of the only gender that matters, so must this book gather all the attention of your orbs.

ATOTT is a guide/workbook for all aspiring female authors who feel lost on how to write about their own morphology/anatomy. Let’s be honest, women are always lost, being damsels in distress and all that!
So let this enlightening piece of literature open your marbles of vision. What superficially reads like a perfect balance of an academic well researched publication meets the funniest Instagram comment section, is ultimately a calling out of the most misogynistic descriptions of women in modern literature. The author calls the reader to action, to NOTICE these subtle signs of objectification in the most hilarious yet furious writing I’ve ever read.
Sarcastic, educational & entertaining throughout, I’m grateful for ATOTT. For someone who’s come across so much of this nonsense before and tends to notice it, it only fuelled my offense when I read tons of examples provided by the author.

While reading this, there’s one concern that kept bugging me & I really hope @megvondriska compiles a sequel of these: the addition to these by some female authors, whose descriptions sometimes have shocked me in equal measure or even the overused classic quirky girl trope.

I loved every single second of this book, even though it tends to get a bit repetitive towards the end (though in retrospect I’m slightly thankful for the same as it drilled the point into my feeble brain like a nagging wife!).

In sum, it is a HUGE treat to watch Vondriska demolish the ‘literary bro culture’ under the farce of encouraging you to be better (or worse?!) than them.

I highly recommend this. HIGHLY. AS HIGH AS YOUR EYEBROWS WOULD GO READING ABOUT THE PURSE IN THE VAGINA.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Tale of Two Titties is a humorous critique of how male writers have historically depicted women in their books. Split into three sections and composed of eighteen chapters in total, Meg Vondriska also includes plenty of opportunities for readers to have fun. Writing opportunities and games, oh my!


Part of me would love to have this as a coffee table book, but my boyfriend might end up using it as an ashtray holder. If you're looking for an entertaining nonfiction book, I highly recommend this title.


Expected Publication Date 23/07/24
Goodreads Review 16/06/24

This book was absolutely hysterical and completely true. One of my biggest issues with Stephen King is his "male gaze" which gets in the way of his storytelling most of the time. This book offers "advice" on how to write like a man. Some of said advice includes "ABC: Always be Consummating" and "Women are Breasts". Absolutely hilarious. A great way to bring attention to some of the issues that come up when men write women, by using humor as a device. The writer's afterword is also a great read -- speaking candidly and seriously about how we as women need to continue to bring attention to injustices and not to become complacent. This would be a great read in a writing class (even in excerpts), and for any studies on humorous literature. Genius. Highly recommend.

A BLAST and a bummer. Clever work! There were a few formatting issues on my kindle edition that made it difficult to read some pieces, but that does not reflect in my rating.

This was fun! Satire, tongue in cheek, and would likely make a great coffee table book. With the ARC I received some of the formatting was off which was a shame, since Vondriska loves a footnote nearly as much as I do, and the quizzes and "homework" would have likely been even more enjoyable.

"A Tale of Two Titties: A Guide to Writing Women Like a Bestselling Male Author" by Meg Vondriska offers a hilarious yet scathing critique of the portrayal of women in literature, particularly by male authors. With a title that grabs attention and a premise that promises both humor and insight, Vondriska takes readers on a journey through the often absurd and offensive representations of female characters in bestselling books.

The book begins with a blunt acknowledgment of the dismal state of women's representation in literature, attributing much of the blame to male authors who reduce female characters to mere objects or plot devices. Vondriska's approach is refreshingly candid as she exposes the pervasive stereotypes, tropes, and objectification that plague female characters in fiction.

Through a combination of literary analysis, interactive exercises, and witty commentary, Vondriska offers readers a toolkit for writing women that mimics the style of bestselling male authors. From fill-in-the-blank exercises to word searches and scenario prompts, she provides ample opportunity for readers to practice writing through the male gaze, all the while highlighting the absurdity of such portrayals.

One of the book's strengths lies in its use of authentic examples from well-known authors like Stephen King and John Steinbeck to illustrate the perpetuation of misogynistic and trope-filled female characterizations in fiction. These examples serve as sobering reminders of the prevalence of problematic portrayals of women in literature, even by celebrated authors.

Vondriska's writing strikes a delicate balance between satirical humor and righteous indignation, making for an engaging and thought-provoking read. She deftly navigates the fine line between entertainment and social commentary, never shying away from calling out the injustices inherent in the portrayal of women in literature.

Despite the book's humorous tone, its message is clear and urgent: it's time to dismantle the system from within by subverting the tired conventions of male-authored fiction. "A Tale of Two Titties" serves as both an illuminating study of women's representation in literature and a practical guide for writers looking to challenge the status quo.

In conclusion, Meg Vondriska's "A Tale of Two Titties" is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of gender and literature. With its blend of humor, insight, and activism, it offers a compelling call to action for writers to do better when it comes to portraying women on the page.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The author hits the nail directly on the head. Illuminating and infuriating!

This tongue-in-cheek writer's guide is a feminist parody in how to write women just like a male bestselling author. It was an interesting companion to Meg Vondriska's Twitter/X account menwritingwomen.

I enjoyed parts of it. The chapter on how breasts have been described was illuminating and terrible. A lot of the examples she provided were atrocious and made me question how these men were bestselling authors. However, with some more thought, I felt something was missing. I was happy to be outraged, but also I needed more receipts and specific dates. I needed more context for the examples given. Were they published recently or in the 80s? Even female writers wrote dated descriptions of both men and women in the past. I think accountability is important, but I also think being fair is important too.

There were plenty of examples of the style of certain men authors, but this makes me think that Vondriska couldn't get the rights to shame popular male authors with excerpts from their novels to the extent she could on social media.

Thank you, Sourcebooks, for providing me with an advanced reader's copy.

Having stumbled on Meg Vondriska's viral twitter account, I was incredibly excited for this book. With biting satire and sharp criticism, it doesn't disappoint as it explores the ways in which women are written by male authors. Equal parts humorous and and frustrating, this book illuminates not only how prevalent misogyny is in literature, but also how society has come to accept and excuse it.

Beyond highlighting some of the worst quotes from famous authors about female characters, the book also takes an interactive approach teaching readers how to write just like these big name authors - you too can learn how to write reductive, sexist stereotypes!