I really wanted to like this book. It sounded super interesting and I was invested in the whole Lularoe documentary series. I was really invested in the authors fall into the MLM scheme. Her mental gymnastics of defending her choices were crazy interesting and I found those sections to be the part of the book.

But the non-fiction parts where the author talks about the history of MLMs and references other research articles and sources felt jammed in. Those sections were jarring and didn't flow with the rest of the story.

On a side note, the digital ARC itself was formatted really poorly. It was hard to follow and figure out where I was in the book. I realize this isn't going to be an issue in the actual printed book so I really tried not to judge the rest of the book on this alone, but it did make it a little harder for to me read.

This is an entertaining, eye-opening, and important read about the world of MLMS. I feel like so much of the negative press we hear about MLMs comes from those who saw through the illusion early on, as soon as they started losing money and realized they'd never break into the higher ranks. As someone who was quite "successful" by MLM standards, Emily received the glitz, glam, and accolades and still came to realize that the system she was benefitting from was broken and hurtful. I truly hope this book reaches those who need it - people who may be thinking of joining an MLM, and those who may already have started and are feeling trapped in the cult-like system. A valuable contribution to the discourse on these far too common companies.

This was so interesting, engaging and informative. I knew MLMs were bad, but didn't realize how bad or really, why. I will recommend this book to all my friends when it comes out!

I have been anti MLM for a long time and this book just solidified as to why. I give the author credit for getting out and using her story to inform others—not to mention huge congratulations on her sobriety. This book had me shaking my head in disgust often so it definitely accomplished what the author set out to do.

This book was amazing!!! The raw honesty and openness the author showed was refreshing. She honestly told everything. The good, the weird and the ugly of her time in a MLM and how it not only changed her way of thinking but her family too.

I have a morbid fascination with the predatory pseudo-feminist consumerism of MLMs, short for Multi-Level Marketing and also known as Network Marketing orgs. In many ways, this makes me an ideal reader for Hey, Hun, but it also means it’s an uphill battle to tell me something I haven’t already insatiably consumed on Reddit or YouTube. I’m happy to say that Hey, Hun is well worth the read for both newbies and devotees of the burgeoning (anti-)MLM genre.

Hey, Hun tells the story of Emily Lynn Paulson, a white, upper-middle class suburban mother of 5, as she rises through the ranks of an unnamed MLM. First and foremost, Hey, Hun is a wildly compelling tell-all of Paulson’s personal experiences in the inner circles of an MLM. Secondarily, it is a meditation on motherhood, isolation, addiction, capitalism, and white feminism in 21st century America. These twin themes are underpinned by a third, weaker, examination of the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind modern MLMs.

This book shines when Paulson is sharing how the MLM impacted her life and relationships: from her early days rushing through family trick-or-treating in order to get home with time to close one more October deal; to the final months of her involvement watching in horror as many fellow consultants fall deeper down the ‘plandemic’ rabbit hole. These stories are gripping and expertly prove Paulson’s thesis that recruits like herself are both “victims and perpetrators” of the MLMs they join.

Between these stories, which comprise the majority of the book, Paulson elaborates on the methods MLMs use to attract and trap women like her. These are generally informative and not overdrawn, but can be found covered more wholly in books like Amanda Montell’s excellent ‘Cultish.’ In a few moments, these explanations feel insufficient — for example, points about MLMs reflecting and reinforcing white supremacy are logical and well-taken, but are grounded in Paulson’s observations and anecdotes rather than statistics or first-hand accounts from Women of Color in MLMs.

Still, Hey, Hun combines these parts into a thoroughly juicy, informative, and deeply empathetic exploration of MLMs and the women they ensnare. 4*.

CW:
Recurrent Mentions of: alcohol abuse, white supremacy and anti-Blackness, cancer

Brief Mentions of: drug abuse, sexual assault, body image and diet culture, gun violence and mass shootings, police murders and brutality, COVID-19 pandemic

Thank you to NetGalley and Row House Publishing for the e-ARC! I look forward to sharing my review via @Teacup.Traveler upon publication.

This was an easy read due to the delightful mix of memoir and non-fiction. It was enjoyable to hear about the reality of being deep in the MLM world and the forced financial obligations for those at the top. They definately seem to be closer to a cult than a business opportunity, even for those who make money. For me, this was a 4 star read only because there wasn't much information that was new to me. Had I known less about the reality of MLMs, it might have been a 5 star read. It was also a bit frustrating that the author, I assume for legal reasons, felt the need to hide the specific company she worked for when a google search of her name immediately told me the answer. Thank you to the publisher for providing me a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir was so interesting and captivating, i couldn't put it down. Emily Lynn Paulson describes her time as an MLM representative, explains the structure and the techniquies of these companies critically.
I think this book is a must read for everyone interested in network marketing, especially MLMs.

Author Emily Lynn Paulson ached for a sense of accomplishment and relief from the loneliness she felt as a stay-at-home mom to five children. Selling skincare products for a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme seemed an easy way for Paulson to solve her existential problems all at once, and possibly earn a white Mercedes as well. In this compelling memoir, Paulson takes readers through the highs and lows of her life as a high-producing MLM "true believer"--not only the glamor and the booze-soaked parties, but also all the phoniness, greed, and misogyny that are inherent in MLM schemes. Paulson ended up with fraying marriage, a serious alcohol problem, and a nagging sense that what she was doing was not right. Finally, her hard-won sobriety saved her.

Hey Hun is, for the most part, an engaging read, even if it could have been at least 50 pages shorter and a little less preachy at the end.

Cutting, witty, and conversational, "Hey Hun" embodies the highs and lows of joining an MLM without condescenion. This critical look at the direct sales industry, woven beautifully into the author's story of recovery, will leave readers rethinking their ties to multi-level marketing campaigns of all kinds.

This book does what every great non-fiction book should do: Explains one topic and then illustrates why it is part of a much bigger societal topic or issue. In this case, how MLMs permeate so much more than women's wallets. Paulson really gets into the nitty gritty of how MLMs operate and why they are so insidious. Crucially. Paulson is brilliant at illustrating why women become entangled in MLMs in the first place: isolation, financial difficulties, the promise of a "network", becoming your own boss, and having flexible work schedule (crucial for SAHMs - MLM's biggest target). They are glorified modern-day cults and hopefully this book can assist with some more stringent regulation against them.

I am not one to typically read these types of books or this genre of book. This one intrigued me as I currently sell an MLM product and wanted to see if what Emily was writing was true. I am not deep into the company like some, I really did join for my own discount, but I am definitely stepping back this year and will not continue to push it. After reading Hey, Hun, my decision has really been solidified. Emily did an amazing job going into the details that the “huns” do not want you to know about being in an MLM. I truly enjoyed reading this book and it opened my eyes to some of the things that I did not even realize were tactics to keep me spending on the business but calling myself an “entrepreneur”. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning more about the hushed world of MLMs.

This book sort of blew my mind, which is a testament to it because, really, the bigger picture discussed isn’t all the surprising. I especially appreciated the author’s authenticity and candor. It truly felt like a cautionary tale, not mud-slinging.

I found it fascinating the way that Paulson lays out the intersection of so many broader societal concepts, in addition to her sobriety journey, with the MLM experience. It made me think a lot about what we are seeing in society across the board. Both anecdotally and comprehensively, the story here is really compelling.

She does try hard to identify and accept accountability for the harm that was done, though, at points it feels like the same tale over and over, with a “still I remained” at the end. That is hard to keep reading. It felt a bit repetitive as a reading experience (albeit her real life experience) and, while this book attempts to communicate the financial and cult-mind struggle to leave, it did diminish the accountability for me.

That aside, I highly recommend this book: interesting, relatable, and insightful. Thank you so much for the chance to read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I think this author was super brave to write this juicy tell all about her experience with an MLM! We’ve all gotten the messages: “Hey girl, can I talk to you about an exciting business opportunity?” Sometimes they’re predatory, like right after you’ve given birth (“Trying to lose that baby weight?”) or after a loved one dies (“Essential oils can do wonders for your mental health!”) Having gotten both of those messages in the past, you can guess how I feel about MLMs. I give the author serious props for getting out of this cult-like environment and spilling all the tea!

I wasn't sure about reading an entire book about MLM, after all, how much can one say? However, it held my interest the entire time. I related to this book, because as so many women in my community did ten years ago, I have been an active participant in the promise of MLM schemes. I have bought Usborne books from friends, I have extolled the virtues of LulaRoe, I've hosted parties for hostess perks, and I even joined a now defunct company selling deliciously scented soy candles. I drank the koolaid and although it was expensive as heck, it was good.

The author of Hey Hun, Emily Paulson, writes about her years as a top earner in an unnamed MLM skincare company. A quick Google search revealed an eight year old promotional article about Emily entitled "Making Time for Change" still posted on the website of Rodin + Fields. As a socially awkward person unwilling to shill to my friends, I skimmed the surface during my brief MLM stint. It was fascinating to read this behind the curtains story about Emily's experiences and the pressures she felt as she reached the pinnacle of MLM "success", and what it cost her, both literally and metaphorically. Emily is very open about the fact that she was able to grow in this pyramid model not only through her networking skills, but due to the financial resources of her spouse. She was an early adopter in an unsaturated market, and shared about being both the recipient of some manipulative behaviors, as well as engaging in plenty of cringe activities of her own to meet her quotas.

If you've ever been a part of a MLM business and wondered where you went wrong, if you've ever gone too deeply down a rabbit hole, or if you've ever been on the receiving end of a ubiquitous "Hey Hun...." Facebook message, this book might be for you.

In this non-fiction title, Emily Lynn Paulson lays out her experience working for a multi-level marketing company (MLM) as a successful distributor and what pushed her to eventually quit working for said company. On top of her own personal experience, she also explores the issues regarding the industry as a whole hidden behind the false façade of female empowerment and support for BIPOC communities.

The book is well researched and coherent as readers follow the author from the time she decided to join the company to allow herself and her family more financial freedom. We then find out that joining an MLM company is a lot less freeing than what is portrayed in marketing material, that it is instead a great source of stress and instability for members. She finds out fairly early on that the real money lies in recruitment rather than product sales, so her and her team recruit more and more to assure their own pay checks and bonuses. She also goes into the topic of the so-called "free" trips, cars and other perks these companies promise to potential distributors.

I enjoyed how she took great care in exploring the difficult topics associated to how these companies run. I also liked how she treated her colleague's stories with tact and compassion. She talks about her own hardships, how her MLM impacted her recovery and how she eventually overcame these challenges.

In all, the takeaway from this book is that MLM companies try to present a perfectly polished veneer of female empowerment and diversity, while in reality it is anything but. I would highly recommend this book to people considering joining MLM companies and to folks interested in questions of female empowerment and diversity in the professional and entrepreneurial spheres.

Hey, Hun is a dive into the cultish top tiers of multi-level marketing and the manipulation involved in recruiting and retaining members. Through the eyes of “bossbabe” Emily Paulson, we get to see all of the dirty mind tricks and many broken dreams (and bank accounts) along the way. It is a world that preys on the dopamine levels of women—largely stay-at-home moms—who are lonely, stressed, and looking to change their situation. The method used to push them (oftentimes into debt) was to build them up through “love bombing” and then to later tear them down, or to at least watch them fall. And to make them feel like it was their own fault. “Yet MLMs don’t rely solely on capitalism. They want you to worship at the altar of meritocracy, which is far more sinister; this is the belief that the harder you work, the more likely it is that you’ll succeed. But the problem is not people’s work ethic. It may sound plausible in theory, but the MLM model is not designed to help everyone succeed.”

Paulson tries to take this expose to new level, though, exploring some of the MLM exploitation in terms of privilege as well. “This faux empowerment isn’t about feminism or structural changes, but about buoying the lifestyles of people who already have a lot of privileges.” She attempts to look at privilege through the lenses of class, gender, religion, and race—some with more success than others.

The explanations of why most MLMs work so well hand in hand with evangelical Christianity is done well, but the random interjection of simply the term white supremacy lacks substance and feels like lip service. There is a brief mention of the absolute lack of judgement when reps start to post pictures of themselves in black charcoal masks as a stand of support for BLM. However, there is no discourse on the systemic nature of white supremacy and MLMs in the book. I wanted Paulson to go more in depth—to any depth. They are just buzzword references without substance behind them, and it comes off as gimmicky instead of genuine.

There is definitely a slight feeling like Paulson is still stilling something with this book, moving into the role of a sober and recovery influencer. But, she doesn’t shy away from that feeling for the reader either, admitting that her book deals are due to her MLM online following. “I’m at a crossroads, and again, this is where it gets hard. Rejuvinat absolutely gave me the platform that I still benefit from today. I got this book deal partially because of my follower count, which was established by the social media love bombing that was Rejuvinat’s love language. I made friends but also followers, people who trusted and respected me, and who later, when I began to build a sober community for moms, followed me there out of the MLM world.”

Throughout the book, she leans into this discomfort, allowing us to see how she is bothered by the MLM methods, but how they keep luring her to continue and to continue to dupe others. She’s very honest that MLM reps are both the victim and the predator. Her turmoil there is what allows us to go so far along the journey to the top. And, despite the above concerns, the book is still very readable and entertaining.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced manuscript copy to review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I liked this book, as someone who has grown up around the MLM FB craze, it was nice to see the crazy from inside the house vs what we experienced with leggings and lashes and all the oils. I appreciated the honesty about how she went from hustling everyone and everything, over came her addiction, and started a new journey.

The information about the lies and ties to supremacy are what attracted me to the book in the first place, I really appreciated the research that went into it. I only wish there was more information but this book isn't just about that so I can understand why some of the chapters were focused on other ideas.

Overall, if you want an entry level book into how MLMs uphold and encourage white women to hold up white supremacy/patriarchy, this is a good book to start with.

4.25 out of 5 stars

I was immediately intrigued by “Hey Hun” by Emily Lynn Paulson and was excited to read her story about her time in a MLM as a “top earner.”. I throughly enjoyed the book and her insight regarding MLMs, their history, and current state. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has been in a MLM, is considering joining one, or someone who likes all things “anti-MLM.”

Thank you NetGalley and Row House publishing for my digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was curious about MLMs. Actually, I had an idea of what they were, but it wasn't clear, so this book absolutely cleared everything up and my first instinct was very right - they are not good.

This book is part memoir and part research paper on MLMs. I can't believe how these companies manipulate people. Clearly aimed at women who feel guilt or bored or broke and want to desperately be recognized,, praised and entertained. Clearly MLMs are all facades that can suck all the $ and soul out of you and then spit you out without breaking a sweat.

This book works best, when Paulson is incorporating her own story into the telling. In fact, the best parts are the first and middle parts of the book. Towards the end, it becomes almost solely about giving us figures and detailing even more horrible MLM stuff, including how they treated the pandemic and their own reps.

I love the writing style, it is interesting and maddening at the same time. We get to see the MLM from the perspective of a rep and its fascinatingly horrific.

Two comments about the author's personal story in relation to this book.

I was annoyed at the comment about having five kids and still being bored and lonely. Why is it that people who have a lot of kids are always searching for something to release them from being with their kids? I don't get it, why have 5 kids if you are going to bitch about having 5 kids? Why not have 1 or 2 instead? The author even makes a small joke about "we are not good with birth control" ----- really? Open condom wrapper and attach - done! Millions of women manage to NOT have 5 kids. This is worth mentioning because it is one of the strong reasons she joins an MLM and the "5 kids" comment is a theme throughout her book. There is nothing wrong with having 5 kids, but constantly complaining about it is annoying.

The other thing is that I wish she had ended her book a little earlier than she did. The last pages are basically just giving us a bunch of information on MLM. Stuff we could easily Google.

What works so well here is the author's story. I also love how she deals with her drinking and I have already purchased her first book which details her drinking and recovery in detail.

Overall, this is a great read. The author is entertaining and she is honest.

I recommend this one highly.