I LOVED this book. I recently received an ASD diagnosis in my late twenties and have been feeling a little ‘lost’ on what to do - everyone tells you how important it is to heal and live authentically and unmask, but this has been the first book I’ve read that actually gives tips on how to do that! Would recommend to anyone recently diagnosed or even suspecting they may have ASD.

NetGalley Review

Interesting read, enjoyed the connection the author makes with their own struggles, bring realism to ones experience.

I love this workbook, and have purchased a print copy in order to more fully integrate its wisdom.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent person [Autistic (51) + ADHD(49)], and one that also lives in severe ongoing pain, I don't do super well with digital books. I don't request them often. But as soon as I saw this book on Netgalley, I really wanted to try it out - and I am super glad that I did.

Now, I know that the tone is super supportive and compassionate. And there are loads of great questions with places to fill in your own personal answers. I love that there are places to celebrate our unique gifts, and others to acknowledge where we struggle. The personal examples from real people really helps the reader no feel alone, especially in struggling. Certain chapters focus on getting specific research across (like the four different kinds of Autistic meltdowns), and teaching essential skills (communication, prioritizing your own boundaries, etc). Basically, this workbook is designed to help an Autistic adult function as well as possible within the established neurotypical culture, while prioritizing our own personal needs.

So, yes, I have already ordered a physical copy. I very much loo forward to filling in all the blanks with my own experiences, feelings and fears - in hopes that I will come through the experience with a bigger set of tools for living a good life, just as I am. I did work through several exercises in order to review this book, but there is something just so tangible about putting pen to paper (for me, at least).

I really hope that this workbook gets out to as many Autistic adults (especially late-diagnosed) as possible, and helps everyone feel more welcome and worthy in the world we live in, but often don't feel that we fit into.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, New Harbinger, for an e-ARC of this workbook, in exchange for my honest review.

This workbook has been an incredible resource for me, especially as someone in their early 30s who has recently discovered they are on the autism spectrum after years of masking. The book is thoughtfully laid out, offering valuable tools and insights that help individuals like myself reconnect with their authentic selves. It provided an eye-opening experience, helping me understand things I hadn’t fully grasped before. I highly recommend this book as a perfect starting point for anyone who has masked their true identity and is seeking to rediscover themselves.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very helpful book. I'm glad I got the chance to read it!

The Unmasking Workbook for Autistic Adults: Neurodiversity Affirming Skills to Help You Live Authentically, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive is very informative and very engaging at the same time. If you are an adult with autism, particular ASD 1, I cannot recommend this book enough. To me it is THE book to have. I am grateful to the author for writing such an informative, thoughtful, affirming, and helpful book. If I could give more than five stars, I would.

I’m so happy this workbook exists! I was diagnosed with autism as a 28 year old last year and was completely lost on how best to help myself heal and eventually thrive. I read what I could, but I kept hearing how important it was to unmask, but I didn’t understand HOW to actually do it.

This workbook is the perfect resource for helping pick apart layers and layers of masking to both heal your inner child and reintroduce yourself to your authentic self.

It includes a lot of the helpful information I read elsewhere, but as more of an Autism 101 instead of a deep dive. And unlike other books I’ve read on autism, it includes reflection questions to help you apply the information you learned in a personal, productive way.

It felt good to have a resource like this written by an autistic author. There were no moments of condescension or infantilism because the author was coming from a place of true empathy and understanding.

Thank you to Net Galley and New Harbinger Publishing for the eARC of this workbook, and to Jessica Penot for the hard work, love, and care she put into it to benefit our community ❤️

As a psychologist who works with many neurodiverse clients in my practice, I found this workbook to be highly validating to the experiences of autistic individuals. The book thoughtfully held the dialectical challenges faced by autistic individuals of meeting environmental demands and honoring individual needs. I found the worksheets in the book to be pretty straightforward and a good reflective tool. The workbook helped me as a professional to be mindful of ways that I can be intentional about providing a neuro-affirmative therapeutic space for my clients. Many of the challenges highlighted in this book show up regularly for individuals in my practice. I found the discussions in the book surrounding the double empathy problem and reverse social skills training to be particularly helpful in supporting autistic clients navigate their relationships. Overall, this workbook is a tool I can see myself recommending to my clients as supplemental reading that validates their experiences and also provides practical suggestions in navigating common challenges.

This book is laid out so well and I think it's going to help so many people. I love any book that helps Autistic adults unmask, but this workbook is especially great. I would recommend this workbook to anyone who's looking for a guided start to the process of unmasking. I love it.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

After getting diagnosed as autistic last year I've been reading a lot about autism. This one caught my eye on Netgalley and I liked the idea of the focus being on unmasking. While this book wasn't quite for me, others might get more benefit from it.

As I already read, listened and watched a lot about autism this book didn't have much new information to me. The workbook element of this book didn't work for me, I would rather just read the information and start thinking about it myself naturally than have these specific questions. Some of the graphs and exercises also didn't quite show up correctly in my copy, but I assume that's because I got an arc and this shouldn't be an issue with the final version. Then there was the text "uncorrected proof" that was in the middle of paragraphs or even sentences quite frequently, it was in bold and a larger font and was quite jarring. Again not something you should encounter in the final version, but it was jarring and didn't help with my enjoyment of the book. Something about the writing style and tone of this book just didn't quite work for me, I can't quite figure out what or why.

I thought the way the book was organized in chapters each with a different focus worked well. The author asked a lot of questions that were aimed to make the reader think and figure things out for themselves. It's not an easy to follow plan or set of steps, but instead a book that is designed to make you think and decide for yourself what you want to do. It just wasn't as helpful to me personally, but that's probably as I've already consumed so much content about autism. I also felt it didn't address a few things I struggle with during unmasking like how to unmask with people you've known for a long time and that internal drive to keep behaving the same way you always have.

To summarize: I didn't get as much out of this book as I had hoped, it didn't have much new info or insights for me, but that's also because I've already consumed a lot of content about autism. The writing style didn't quite work for me and I had a few struggles with the formatting of the arc, which shouldn't be an issue with the final version. The workbook style with the questions asked didn't work for me. I liked the focus on unmasking and the way the book was organized. I liked how it was designed to make you think and decide for yourself what to do.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book has helped me learn a lot about myself and offers a lot of great insight.

I was curious about this book and had high hopes based on the tagline on the cover -"Neurodiversity Affirming Skills to Help You Live Authentically, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive." However, it became clear within the first couple pages of the introduction that this was not going to be a book for me. The text is rife with person first language ("with autism") and the acronym ASD. This may not be a deal breaker for everyone, but it's not a fit for me. Language matters and I don't find these terms neuro-affirming. The author also talks about "normal people" in contrast to autistic people, which is problematic. Neuronormativity is a strong force, and it permeates this book. It may still be helpful for Autistics who are early in their journey of self-discovery, but to me, it's rife with internalized ableism.

Overall I felt this was a helpful guide that I may recommend to adults I work with, I liked how it came from the person's experience and was not touting that only one approach was the right way. It did seem to trickle off towards the end as far as helpful content, but I find with non-fiction, at times an author feels they have to hit a certain page length so feel that is more reflective of the publishing industry rather than the author.

Autistic individuals like myself, who have felt that they had to "mask" their true self in a normal world would find Jessica Penot's The Unmasking Workbook for Autistic individuals instructive and friendly. An autistic therapist wrote this neurodiversity-affirming workbook to help readers embrace themselves, prevent burnout, and live without worrying about hiding who they are.

Penot gently guides readers through self-love, acceptance, and emotion regulation exercises. The workbook encourages people to set values-based objectives, regain confidence, and heal after years of hiding. This book is unusual since the author understands autistic people's struggles and advises them on how to request adjustments and perceive autism as a strength and disability.

This workbook offers promise for living authentically, whether you need help regulating meltdowns, setting limits, or letting go of harmful messages. Anyone who wants to understand more about themselves may utilise it, and it teaches that unmasking is feasible and helpful.

This review may slightly deviate from my typical style, as this is more of a therapy book. Fun little fact: I’m a provisional psychologist who is neurodivergent (ADHD), and I work with neurodivergent individuals. 
The Unmasking Workbook for Autistic Adults immediately reminded me of A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD, a book I love.

Both books offer reflective prompts and exercises to guide readers through self-discovery and personal growth. They help individuals better understand how their neurodivergence impacts their lives and empower them to embrace their strengths, which aligns with neuroaffirming practices. However, I think The Unmasking Workbook takes it a step further in terms of accessibility. The chapter headings are much more logical and structured, making it easier to navigate—something that’s essential in a neuroaffirming book for autistic individuals! I think that this may make it easier for clinicians to utilise.

As a clinician, I’ve found it incredibly challenging to locate neuroaffirming resources created by psychologists. So often, I find myself adapting mainstream therapeutic recommendations into a more neuroaffirming framework. It was refreshing to see that The Unmasking Workbook incorporates some of the practices I’ve already been using in my sessions.

This workbook strikes a solid balance between a strength-based approach while acknowledging the very real and intense struggle that autistic individuals face as they navigate a world that often isn’t designed for them to thrive in. This nuanced perspective is much appreciated, especially in therapeutic contexts.
I particularly loved the section on interest-based areas for "finding your tribe." It’s such a valuable approach, recognising how shared passions can foster connection and support. That said, I would have appreciated a few more burnout and practical tools, but perhaps that’s just me being a bit desperate for all the support in that realm!

I believe this workbook could be used effectively in therapy, but it also holds up well as a self-guided tool. Whether you're working through it in a clinical setting or individually, it offers valuable insights and practical tools for unmasking and self-understanding.

Thank you to NetGalley, New Harbinger Publishing, and the author, Jessica Penot, for providing this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a great resource that will be helpful for so many, those that are autistic as well as their loved ones - I can't wait to be able to purchase this for my own library.

thank you to netgalley, new harbinger publishing and the author, jessica penot for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
i am a late diagnosed autistic person. this means that i haven’t had a lot of exposure to neurodivergency affirming therapy- a lot of my help comes in books like this one.
this one is one of the best neurodivergency affirming workbooks i have read and worked through. there is a lot to work on, “case studies” and examples to pull from. i think there is a lot to gain from this book for my fellow late diagnosed autistic folk.

I loved working through this book, it was really eye-opening for things I never truly understood before. It's a perfect building block and starting book!