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!

I had to DNF this book. I cannot provide a reasonable review on this. I'm sorry. I'm new to feminism and thusly I have a limited knowledge of the nuances of the ideology. I started to read this but only got a bit past the introduction. Based on the synopsis the book is supposed to be comedic and talk on the misogynist stereotypes in media. How to write the female character like a man.

This book may not be a great fit for people just starting out in this ideology. I just left fundamentalist cult. So this is a bit of a culture shock for me. I'm still in my deconstruction phase and deprogramming phase. I think before I approach this again I have more reading to do. Otherwise starting out it feels really angry. It's rather cynical and I'm looking more for a balanced approach. I'm not saying that no one has a right to be angry at injustices, they do, but it's probably going to spook a lot of people off that aren't used to this level of cynicism and sarcasm.

For those more experienced in feminist ideology, who plan on writing books, and who love sarcasm or cynical styles of writing this maybe the book you've waiting for.

As far as I was able to glean from what little I did read. The cover artwork and interior artwork are beautiful. I really love the choices the artist used to express the feminine in it's "tabooness." It has an ironic Eve feel to it. The Renaissance art is a great pick for topics that span centuries in dire need of deconstruction.

The book layout looks nice. There are side notes from what I can tell. The asterisks mark where she makes notes or citations. That is very helpful for informational text.

The language of the book may be triggering for some if your not used to fowl language, or it may be hilarious. Despite it, it doesn't seem like it detracts from the articulate way the author writes. I have no doubt this will be a fun read for long time feminists.

Thank you for the opportunity to try to read this, I definitely need more healing deconstruction time first. I may broach this again in the future after it's been released.

Prepare your luscious, kumquat breasts for this hysterical writer’s guide. With this author’s help you too can become a bestselling author with poorly written, unbelievable women! This satirical workbook would make a great addition to your coffee table, or as a gift to an aspiring writer.

From the introduction I knew I was going to enjoy this book, the way this author writes brings humor to a very important subject. The way women are misrepresented in literature.
While this book is filled with humor and honestly brought me to tears laughing, it does hash out the common problems women face when men write stories with them as characters. Misogyny, typecasting, unattainable beauty standards, and incorrect anatomy are just a few of the points touched on by Vondriska.

I also loved how this book was born from a Twitter community called “Men Write Women”, it started off as a way to roast poorly written passages about women and the authors that penned them. However, it’s grown to be a community where writers can collaborate to ensure that they don’t become the next featured post or write about how a woman hid a small purse in her vagina.

“Sarah Hagi was the one to coin the phrase, “God, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.” As far as this book is concerned, that phrase should become your motto.”

Equal parts thought provoking and entertaining, this is a good check for seeing the humanity of women in fiction and other media portrayals

I just finished this book. And as a man who dabbles in writing, I was entertained, enlightened, amused, and personally attacked. Highly recommend it to all of my friends who can read, and all of the ones who maybe can write better than they give themselves credit for.

The version I read was an eBook via the NetGalley app, but the book is definitely formatted with printed books in mind, with pages set aside for various writing exercises. Definitely worth grabbing a hardcopy of when it is available.

This book obviously had me interested based on the amazing title, and I was so hoping that the rest of the content would live up to it. I am thrilled to say this it absolutely did.

The tongue-in-cheek vibe of the whole book was perfect. There was hilarity in every chapter despite the subject matter not really being funny at all. We still praise white men and uphold the literary canon containing books filled with misogyny and unrealistic portrayals of women even though there are countless female authors who can and have written better works.

The idea of it being a "workbook" with exercises and examples made it all the more hilarious (while also making us, the readers, put these ideas in the context of our own lives).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the Twitter account, so of course, I loved the book. Just beautiful acid-tongued satire all around. Women everywhere will be able to laugh and commiserate.

Funny, pointed and monotonous. Unfortunately while the content was great for twitter or maybe as a coffee table book to read over time, it was a slog to read through in one go. Over time, the sarcastic humor felt less caring in such a constant dose and I found it hard to finish.

Funny and keeps your attention.
Did struggle to keep going around 67% because it became too repetitive.
It does make you think though.. I went down a rabbit hole looking for more examples of the authors points in books I have loves.
Related to a lot too- the over sexualizing of our bodies.
I will probably never look at a piece of fruit the same.
The interactive prompts were fun too, def a must try for anyone who reads this.

Engaging and entertaining - writers everywhere will be familiar with the content, but this is an entertaining read for anyone who has ever rolled their eyes at boobs bouncing boobily at them from the page.