I love Kyle Prue. I love this book. I laughed out loud on almost every page. I swear everyone should own this book.

EASY FIVE STARS.

I am so thankful to Sourcebooks, Kyle Prue, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this one before it hits shelves on September 17, 2024. My husband and I said and cackled at Kyle's wise insight and advice for what seemed like hours, in agreeance with how to piss off men.

Women are placed in a box by both society and the patriarchy, and it's about time that we snap back in terms of getting the last laugh and standing up for ourselves. Told through 109 different comebacks, Kyle Prue kept me laughing and stocking my personal agenda with responses for every toxic man in my life and my surrounding environments.

If this is the first review you read for this book, I hope I tempt you for a quick and humorous read.

Kyle Prue, man who looks like he could tell YOU what you want at a coffee shop while also forgetting his own shoes, brings his classic take-downs from TikTok and puts them in an easily readable and convenient book for when you might need to lower a man's (or anyone, really) ego when they overstep your boundaries. Many of these are already online, but having the book feels like getting a special treat in that the reader is also privvy to insider thoughts and recommendations by the author himself.

I’d never heard of Kyle Prue before, so I had no idea what to expect before reading this. I’ll admit, I was sceptical of this book. My initial thoughts were:

1. “Will it be ironic because he’s mansplaining the topic to me?”

2. “Will this even make me laugh/smile/chuckle?”

3. “Will this cisgender white man succeed in helping equip others to clap back at toxic masculinity?”

4. “Will he misguidedly or accidentally offend perfectly nice, lovely men/women/non-binary folk/LGBTQIA+ peeps?”

5.“Why can’t I just take this as sheer entertainment value instead of overanalysing every single freaking thing?”

A lot of questions. Yes.
Answers, (in my humble opinion):

1. This didn’t seem mansplainy/condescending and it was often self-aware and self-deprecating, drawing on his own personal experiences.
2. Some stuff did make me smile/chuckle.
3. Yes, possibly, there seems to be anecdotal evidence.
4. While I can’t speak for everyone, as a cis woman, I wasn’t offended. However, it could trigger men who are upholders of a particular version of masculinity that is unhealthy and perpetuates sexist and homophobic beliefs and patriarchal behaviours.
5. Dunno, oops, I'm fun at parties, I swear.

Look, the wisecracks aren’t revolutionary, but some of them entertained me, not all of them. Yet I appreciate where Kyle’s heart is at. He writes, “Did I write this book so that women could learn to bully men? No. Did I write this book because I hate men? No… I wrote this book because I think it’s time to… let our anger inform us of our hurt and finally heal from it.” So I guess, if you feel triggered by this book's contents, maybe it's time for a bit of introspection and self-reflection. 🤔

Favourite/most practical phrase? “I’ll just google it” - good to use if someone is intent on mansplaining to you (I've had this done to me throughout my whole career). If you're wondering if you're guilty of this, here is a handy flow chart: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180727-mansplaining-explained-in-one-chart

Notes:

• I read this on Kindle, but it would probs be better as a print book on your coffee table to display amongst friends, family, and perhaps even relatives if you’re feeling bold.

• Humour and art are super subjective, so YMMV on what you find amusing/useful/offensive.

I was going to not rate this for that reason, but I decided that all things considered above, 3.5, rounded up to a generous 4 stars might suffice. Also because I just watched the author’s Planet of the Apes audition tape, which was more entertaining: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8AwVTZyvTM/

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely amazing, I laughed out loud on almost every page and I had to show my mom a bunch too. Can’t wait for it to be published so I can buy a finished copy!

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks (non-fiction) for this advanced reader's copy. This book was hilarious. I'm pretty sure I've used 1 or 2 of these, but not on purpose or for revenge, but maybe now I can actively use these in everyday conversation and see what happens. Is it upsetting that many of these are just the turn-around of something said to women?! Ummm, yes, but does that make it better that it would make men mad if someone (especially a woman) said the same thing to them? YES! A couple just made me LOL. Especially that a man wrote this. Fantastic!

⭐⭐⭐

"Is this kicking a man while he’s down? No. It’s arguably curb stomping a man while he’s down. Which is worse. Or better. Depends who’s doing the kicking."

Say less. What this book does very well is highlight exactly how fragile masculinity is still so alive and well. This is an extremely quick read and definitely a coffee-table read that'll spark conversations.

Now, even with the short read, I still felt it was a bit repetitive and not laugh-out-loud funny, but more like a smirk-inducing satire. It’s the kind of book you’ll pick up and put down multiple times, perfect for those moments when you need a quick, thought-provoking diversion. Overall, it’s a clever, if slightly heavy-handed, critique of modern masculinity.

thank you netgalley for providing me with a free arc for an honest review

While, I am not avid non-fiction reader, I was instantly drawn to this book because this one non-fiction book actually seemed like it could have practical knowledge. And God, it did.
Witty and hillarious without being hurtful, the jokes are perfect. I finished the book in 30 minutes only because I just had to keep going. Would recommend this to everyone out there.

I think Kyle Prue comes off funnier over video than he does in print. And as this is basically a direct, word for word of his entire how to piss off men series with very, very little new added, you could probably get the same effect from just... watching that!

I love Kyle Prue and I loved this book! A true delight with a heartfelt Parable to end. Prue is an excellent storyteller.

It was a quick read. I think a lot of his one-liners were more of a joke and less of a way to piss men off. Some of them I did genuinely find amusing. I personally wouldn’t suggest anyone pay to read this book. Theres nothing too ground breaking here.

How to Piss Off Men by Kyle Prue. #NetGalley #ARC

Cute, funny, useful, to the point. Similar in construction and style to any of the "Official Rules" books of yesteryear. Worth a read.

if I have any gripe it's that it is too short, too quick. there are a few longer (but still short) sketched out thoughts that could easily have been expanded upon or multiplied and I would loved it all the more.
but it's also too funny. Kyle Prue has a charm, a wit, and a smarmy approach to dismantling the patriarchy.

highly recommend.


*yes, netgalley sent me a free copy for an honest review.

This was a quick, and entertaining read for me. The author knows that a lot of these jokes are not going to age well, and I would agree. I worry that this book is going to feel dated very quickly. I would be interested in seeing it in its complete format.

Dare I say this book was masterful?
It was as fun as it was *enlightening.*

I’ve watched Kyle’s “How to Piss Men Off” series on TikTok, and was super interested to his book, to see more scathing phrases to say to men. And I was not dissapointed.

The way Kyle Prue writes is just so good. It’s clever, witty, helpful, truly a great resource that I will be applying to my day to day life happily.
It was a very fun read, I was cracking up the entire time, several times to the point of tears. Overall, great commentary and insights on the patriarchy and gender. I will definitely be buying this book for all of my friends.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this arc!

Aside from one or two clever lines that made me slightly smile, I didn’t find most of these insults useful or funny. I trued a few on my boyfriend, in case it was just “guy stuff”I didn’t understand but no. He didn’t get most of it either including the relevant ones for him such as for a Star Wars fan. I sadly don’t recommend this book. The one plus is that it’s a very quick read.

This is a quick, witty, sometimes self-deprecating, book of quick responses to men who perhaps are not very self-aware. Love the authors wit and descriptions. Definitely worth the read!

A biting, funny, decidedly not PC guilty pleasure that actually turned thoughtful at the end. I love that the literal first thing on his list of things to say to piss off men is, quite simply, “No.”

This is cute and funny but, really not unexpectedly, quite slight. I'd call it a gift book, which is not a pejorative.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Kyle Prue for the ARC of this book! I LOVE Prue's satirical humor. My only qualm with it was that I wish it was longer*. I would love to see a collection of essays similar to this work from Prue one day. I think he has the skill to do some great comedic writing!









*This should be #107 :)