Tan France, one of the Fab Five from Netflix's Queer Eye talks about his life, from growing up and being picked on as a child, to coming out, to finding his niche as a stylist, to finding his husband. His story is inspiring and makes you feel like you really know who he is and all about him. The conversational writing style makes the reader feel like Tan is sitting in the room talking directly to you.

Naturally Tan is a fun and breezy read. For fans of the Queer Eye reboot, you'll especially enjoy the behind-the-scenes tidbits about the show and France's fellow cast members. For those who don't watch QE, you'll still get an interesting glimpse into growing up South Asian and gay in England, and read about how tremendous it was for France to get cast in a now internationally-popular show. And with regards to fashion commentary, France does not hold back!

I really enjoyed this book by Tan France! I loved watching Tan on "Queer Eye" but it was so fun to get a look into his life before the show and see a glimpse into how he got there. While this does talk a little about the show, it does not solely focus on that aspect of Tan's life. I enjoyed the honesty and vulnerable parts that Tan brings to the table throughout this book and I loved that he evened it out with a healthy dose of humor.

I totally recommend reading this with Tan's voice in your head because, well... I just think it's just 10 times more entertaining that way.

This book was so dichotomous. I would go through periods of thinking "I guess this is fine??" to "wow this is so honest/funny/interesting!" The first 40% ish I would have given two stars and the last 40% I would give five stars (the middle was my transition between the two).
My Tan credentials: I have watched season one and some of season two of Queer Eye, Tan was probably my favorite but I think it is SUPER mean to rank them so they might all be my favorite, I follow him on Instagram, and I have seen/heard quite a few interviews he has done alone or with the rest of the Fab Five.
The writing of this book was so jarring, especially early on. It does not read like any memoir I have read before, which could work super well for you, but for me, it was a distraction from what was being said until I was about halfway through. Tan's co-writer needed to step it up a little. I almost put this book down so many times in the beginning because this book did not feel book shaped. I think this would be a fun audiobook experience because you would feel more like you were in conversation with Tan and that would probably be a much more enjoyable experience. I felt like I was reading a script. A slightly rambling and occasionally repetitive script. This feeling did alleviate about halfway through the book.
The stories in the beginning of the novel were interesting, but the writing made them feel very far away, it was hard to feel the emotional impact from these stories when they felt closed off. I think this is probably because of how distracting I found the writing.
I felt the emotion hardcore when he started to talk about his relationship with Rob. It was so sweet and vulnerable and funny. I don't know if the prose pulled back a little or if I got used to it, but this was where I began to read without being pulled out of the experience. The ring section is terrific. The Netflix story was fun and exciting, and the wedding part killed me. It was so funny. That chapter was magic. And Tan and Rob seem to have a wonderful relationship that seems so healthy and wonderful. He isn’t afraid to talk about his flaws, and he emphasizes their commitment to working on their marriage in such a real way. I really loved that part of the book.
Something that was surprising to me is I found Tan condescending at times, especially when he was talking about women. The way women dress (which, fine you're a fashion person I’ll defer to your expertise), the way women do their hair (personal bias alert: he does call out my hair), the way women behave. I don’t find men telling me how to be a woman appealing. He tells women not to dress for men but to dress for other women or themselves then goes on to reinforce clothing/hair tips by saying something isn’t appealing to men. He talked about how every woman he had worked with was "bitchy" to other women and that if we would all just lift up each other, it would be better. I was so caught off guard by this mansplaining of female empowerment. You must know a significant portion of your readership is going to be women. Maybe pulling back a tiny bit would have been nice.
It is good to have strong opinions but maybe investigate any underlying sexism/classism before you publish them. I think that because Queer Eye trained us to think of Tan and associate with positivity and empowerment, I was a little more jarred by this that I would have been if he was on almost any other TV show. Which might be unfair but it was how I reacted.
This is not to say all of the content was condescending, not at all! Most of the book I genuinely enjoyed, and not just the cheerful parts! I was surprised by how interested I was in the business part of the book. It was fascinating, I would have read 100 pages of how he built his businesses up, and I was low key bummed when he said it was too dull to get into the intricacies of selling them.
I was also super interested in the immigration process! We get a second love story between Tan and Salt Lake City/America at large that I found really endearing. I have never wanted to go to Salt Lake City, but now I want to pop by sometime.
I also was very invested in the parts where he talks about representation, racism, and homophobia. Especially the way he has dealt with internalized racism and homophobia. It felt very honest and heartbreaking and brings home how dier it is to see yourself represented around you.
Something else I very much enjoyed was the way he talked about fame and its impact on his life. I always find this fascinating and Tan seems to handle it very well. I loved how open he was about money and attention and how some of his relationships and boundaries have changed as a result.
Last bit of gushing, the structure, and illustrations at the chapter headings were wonderful! The structure was so fun, each heading was an interesting gateway into a story, or a collection of them, from Tan's life in an entertaining way. And the illustrations were lovely, they seem to have been done by Rob France, but I do not have confirmation at this time.
Tan is also just incredibly relatable. I LOVE and "I told you so" I love them so much. I don't get to do them often enough, I chicken out especially when it is something serious, but I relish them. We both hate our friends dating people they want to change; we are both non-drinking non-dancing dweebs, both have major secondhand embarrassment. And the most relatable line in the book: "I'd love to be a better person, but I just like being right. And baked goods." I felt this line so hard.
I want to reiterate that I think much of what I found jarring about the writing early on might not be an issue if I had listened to an audiobook.

Tan france is my favorite of the cast of "queer eye" so I was so excited when Net Galley gave me an advance copy of this book.

Sadly, there are some real flaws in it. Most egregious being the order of the chapters. It's chronological. Then suddenly not chronological. And then, oddly, chronological again. This leads to a lot of confusion and makes for a jarring reading experience.

Also, the cursing is manic. In the same sentence he'll say f*#k followed by a gosh damn. It sounds odd to harp about, but it is wildly distracting. It makes his writing voice seem oddly forced.

I loved when he spoke about his own experiences with race, gender stereotypes, and being gay. He shares his experiences with clarity and thoughtfulness.

I wish this book had had a more decisive editor with a stronger approach to both organizing the book's flow and cutting down on some of the convoluted curse words and more gimmicky language. There is a lot of good here, but it needed tightening up.

I adore Queer Eye and Tan therefor was so excited to read this book. Knowing just some of his background, Muslim being raised in England etc. I knew this would be full of interesting and insightful stories.

I do think watching or having some knowledge of Queer Eye will be beneficial before reading this, however it is not 100% needed. Overall a lovely book and was impressed with the writing.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. This one will be out may 14th ✨🙌

The book could be cut in two parts ; the before and after Queer Eye. The before part was very informative, I liked reading about what Tan lived to become the person he is today. His career path was very different and inspiring and I actually learned management techniques I know will be helpful at work. The after part was total delight as to getting Queer Eye insights and feeling the pure joy that Tan feels about this experience. All throughout the books, recurrent themes were the struggle of being a brown person, the importance of representation and the everlasting love for his wonderful husband. These three things were eye opening, touching, they gave me goosebumps and brought me to the verge of tears.

It's important to address the writing style. It is a stream of consciousness type, which means it is very casual and friendly and that it goes from one place to another without feeling fully structured. At first I disliked it but then it grew on me. I could hear Tan voice in my head the full time, like he was casually talking to me, so it became more like a hang then like reading book. The audiobook read by him will probably be really great.

For a long while I thought the editors should have direct Tan's writing more. Even though this is a memoir, we get fashion advices, dating advices, management advices... So the book is an in between memoir and guidebook and remains a bit incomplete on both part (if you are reading this Tan, I'd be 100% on board for a fashion guide or a book about how you built and managed your companies though). Because of that, some of the advices felt unsolicited and pompous, but in the end, Tan's honesty and expertise came to the rescue to make me accept them as part of his quirky personality that reach to help people be their best selves. Writing a memoir so young means that Tan can't look at his life with a distance that would give it more dept, but it turns into a strength, as he talks about his feelings and insecurities in a way that allows the reader to relate and see an open, sensitive human being.

To conclude, it was not memorable, but I recommend this as a fun read for fans of Tan France and/or Queer Eye.

If you love Queer Eye, stop and read this. Tan France is my favorite on Queer Eye because for once, I see someone like me on TV. Is it biased? Probably. Do I care? Not really.

Naturally Tan is everything you expect and if you're in the same boat as Tan, not a heterosexual raised Muslim, it makes sense. For once, I can read a memoir and think, wow, I remember a situation just like that. It fits. It has a place in my heart becau Tan explains the situations in a way I would have never been able to put into words.

Bravo.

This writing is a bit cluttered and it skips back and forth, not always following a single strand of thoughts, but it works.

Take the time to appreciate his story. It doesn't have to be read in a single sitting, a chapter a day will have an impact, I promise.

The book is everything you’d want, if you’re a fan of Tan France and Queer Eye. He talks about his upbringing in England (including all the nasty bullying and racism he encountered), discovering his love for fashion, starting a fashion line, falling in love and maintaining a long distance relationship with the man who would later become his husband, and the wild and unexpected journey that lead to joining Queer Eye.


This book is funny, heartfelt, and all the things you’d want from Tan. I absolutely loved how he talked about his relationship and how they maintain their closeness. It is everything!! 💞 His personality shines through beautifully and I bet this book would be fantastic as an audio-book.

Highly recommend!

I love Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but I didn’t know much about any of the hosts. I love Tan on screen, so was interested to read more about him. After reading Naturally Tan, (given to me for free in exchange for my honest review by NetGalley) I like him even more. He tells his story of growing up in England, his marriage, how Queer Eye came to be, through their Emmy wins. He has such a good sense of humor and had me laughing throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've loved Queer Eye ever since Season 1 aired and Tan is one of my favourites, so I was excited to read his memoir and learn more about him. The book is part memoir, part advice-giving. The advice is mostly about style, but Tan also touches on dating, relationships, and his rise to fame.

My only complaint about the book was that the writing was a little all over the place. Not all the stories were in chronological order and one paragraph might be a totally different topic from the one preceding it, which was a little jarring sometimes. Overall though, it was an interesting read and helped me get to know Tan beyond what you see on the show.

Forgive me for I have sinned! How have I never seen an episode of Netflix's hit "Queer Eye"? Well that is stopping right now, I can't wait to watch this show. Naturally Tan is a thought provoking, touching and at times hilarious memoir from one of the Queer Eye's gang Tan France. He gives us insight on what it was like to grow up as a minority in South Yorkshire England. .Being a darker skinned kid from South Asian and throw in the fact that he is gay had to very challenging for him. Tan tells his tale with brutal honesty and shows us how he learned to embrace himself and in doing so he meets the love of his life, his husband who is a Mormon Cowboy. You can't make this stuff up folks and I am so glad because it's a wonderful story. I admire his fierce connection to fashion but he never puts someone down even if they break one of his cardinal rules. A delight to read and again I intend to start binge watching his show. Awesome Read Mr. France!!!!

This book could have been another 300 pages and it still wouldn't have been long enough. I wanted to keep reading, I wanted to know more. It was deep with the right level of humor to keep it from getting too heavy. It's incredible and inspiring.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader’s copy of Naturally Tan by Tan France, in exchange for an honest review!

Queer Eye has just about changed my life. It has touched many of my friends’ lives as well. The honesty, diversity, and positivity has even brought my boyfriend to tears during our Season 2 binge. The most interesting member of the Fab 5, in my opinion (though it changes every episode), is absolutely Tan France. I remember there was one post-episode scene, which gave Tan the opportunity to talk about the unique quality of his accent. He is South-Asian, grew up in England, and has lived in America on and off for the last ten years. That’s a ton of culture, hennnny! But what I loved from that 30 second clip, was that the show-runners realized that having colored skin on the screen wasn’t just a box to check off, we wanted to learn more about each of the boys and their paths that lead them to our screens.

Cue Naturally Tan. I was so excited to jump into this book and learn more about Tan’s life.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Right off the bat, you can hear Tan’s voice in your head. I appreciated (to a point…I’ll expand later) that it really was Tan’s voice. So many celebrity memoirs are pumped out so quickly that a ghost-writer’s voice is more apparent than the person the book is actually about. But Tan’s wit and fast-paced train of thought was evident. But honestly, the style might be off-putting for some readers. Just continue to come back to Tan – he has always been the most unique/different of the Fab 5, so he might be even more different than the type of celebrity of which you have read memoirs. I found a few times having to remind myself how dry and direct Tan is when he speaks, and that helped me get through some bumps that felt too fast, or too sharp.

The confidence in Tan’s personal stories – the racism he grew up with, his childhood dreams of waking up white, and getting revenge on bullies – delivered the Tan that captured us all in Queer Eye. His roller coaster career, his relationships….honestly, after reading his memoir, being queer became the least interesting thing about him. And I think that was the whole point.

I did feel some areas of his career and Queer Eye were with-held and borderline impersonal, but as this memoir is being released in the middle of his career, instead of a tell-all-Carrie-Fisher-style, I understood.

There were two parts to this memoir that fell short for me, the first calls back to that voice that I mentioned earlier. I still stand by my opinion that the editor(s) made the right call in letting Tan’s voice take over….however, a few quirks about Tan (like how he loves to say I told you so) seemed to come back again and again…..and again, and again! It was like no one decided where this quirk (and others) was supposed to land, so they put it a few places to decide and cut out later.

The other part of this memoir that fell short were some….opinions. Everyone is entitled to their own, and Tan is no exception. But opinions that are generalizations….borderline stereotyping, is pushing it. Tan makes a few statements that seem to have no real weight in his experience, and it’s borderline mansplaining….especially a line about women in the workplace. But it goes from women’s haircuts (which I will give him, is way more in his area of expertise) to what makes a great marriage….there just didn’t seem to be any solid weight, and it came across as judgmental. Knowing Tan doesn’t really bite his tongue (that’s partly why we love him), I swallowed those pills and chugged along for the payoff of his personal stories.

If you like Tan, then definitely keep an eye out for this book. It would be a great summer read for Queer Eye fans.

Naturally Tan was thoughtful, charming, witty, and transparent!

Being a fan of Queer Eye, I jumped at the chance to read this memoir! Despite being such a fan of the show, I never really knew much about Tan, as he is very reserved on the show. France opened up completely and I cannot even begin to say how much I appreciate that.

The look he gave us into his childhood, growing up South Asian in a predominately white area in the UK, helped me understand his seemingly reserved nature.

France's story was truly a roller-coaster of emotion. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more (very loudly in public places). His level of humor came as a complete shock to me. The blurb about blue hair had me quite literally laughing out loud, as I had blue hair up until the day I finished the book (I had my hair appointment scheduled well before I found out his opinions on blue hair, but it was a hilarious coincidence nonetheless).

The way Tan spoke about his relationship with his husband, Rob, made my heart melt. Their relationship seems so genuine and it was a breath of fresh air to read about.

I cannot give this book enough praise. I am not a fan of memoirs in the least, but I knew I had to read this one, and Tan France certainly did not disappoint!

Tan France is the style expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye and part of the Fab 5. I a huge fan of the show and like all 5 of the men, though I knew very little about Tan prior to reading this book.

Naturally Tan is part memoir and part advice. The advice is dispensed in a casual, friendly manner and includes numerous style-related tips, as well as a few regarding the management of relationships, and how to not let instant fame and wealth go to your head. Tan is playful, thoughtful, and maintains an upbeat, positive outlook on life.

I learned a lot about Tan through reading the book, for example, that he lives in Salt Lake City, he worked at numerous clothing retail operations + had his own fashion lines prior to the show, and, he met his husband while vacationing. His stories, much like the advice included in the book, are told in a friendly tone. There was an element of humor throughout Naturally Tan too.

I’m not sure I should admit this, but I fully relate to this statement Tan included: ”I’d love to be a better person but I just like being right.” ;)

It was wonderful to get an inside look into the life of one of the inspirational men of Queer Eye! Tan did a great job of communicating who he is and what he wants from life. His style tips sprinkled throughout were lovely and welcomed.

I am such a fan of Queer Eye and was so excited to read Tan's memoir! He gives an honest and deep look into his life before and after stardom. All of the hosts are really ordinary people, and they are truly so thankful for the amazing opportunities that they have been given. I can't wait to re-watch the show now that I feel like I know Tan much more personally!

This book was heartwarming and uplifting but also did this in a way that didn’t shy away from difficult discussions of religion, race, and social issues. I’m so glad I got to read an ARC of this and I love Tan and the cast of Queer Eye so much! 😍

The famous fashion guru from Netflix hit series Queer Eye, gives you a sneak peek into his British child hood with plenty of fashion tips along the way. France reveals how he felt growing up as a person of color in a small town in South Yorkshire, England. This delightfully funny memoir is insightful with comments towards the racism he dealt with growing up, but also laid back with fashion advice in between each chapter. If you love the show, you must read the book!