I would recommend this book for someone who hasn’t heard of Frida’s story. The book was helpful in grasping her life but it’s best not to read this one and consume movies or videos about her life. I think that effected my ability to really enjoy it.

The title is a bit misleading as the book is mostly a biography of Frida Kahlo with scattered pages devoted to what Kahlo would do if...
... she needed a dose of self-love?
... she needed to find her inner strength?
... she needed a spark of creativity?
... she needed a little style inspiration?

You get the gist. It is a good book, but it was not what I was expecting based on the title.

I enjoyed this book. It was a light read that gave a great overview of frida’s life. It wasn’t comprehensive but definitely a good place to start and left me wanting to learn more about her.

I went in thinking this would be a biography, it’s not. It’s mostly the well known stuff about Frida with some connection to modern day self help. It’s just ok.

I love Frida and therefore wanted to love this book, but it was repetitive in places and just didn’t hold my attention.

I really enjoyed this book, a guide to living more boldly, with advice given through the eyes of Frieda. I didn’t know the story of Frieda prior to reading at this and enjoyed learning about her.

An enjoyable, easy read .

Thank you Perseus and NetGalley for this ARC.

Honestly I don’t have an interest in reading this book anymore and I want to be more selective with what I request. I did get through the first couple of chapters but I had trouble keeping my interest in what I was reading

I read everything Frida - I so enjoy learning and reading about how boldly she lived her life. Will be referring back to this book for years to come.

Viva la vida! Transcending her creative talent, Frida Kahlo has become an enduring symbol for hope, change, revolution, and resilience. Her persona, art, and impact are seemingly omnipresent, yet remain undiluted in their ubiquity. In What Would Frida Do? A Guide To Living Boldly, author Arianna Davis channels Frida’s words and personal history for a kind of badass life coach meets BFF effect that delivers more thoughtful and useful advice than many more scholarly personal development books I’ve read. On subjects ranging from Love and Heartbreak to Creativity and Identity, readers are treated to snippets of Frida’s life turned life lessons. Uninhibited and unaffected in reality, Frida’s imagined counsel urges us follow our hearts and write our own stories with an almost contradictory pragmatism. For Frida, life was both her canvas and her most vibrant work of all – and she’d want us to live accordingly. Davis imagines her saying, “Just live your damn life, cuate – every second of it.” Sound advice, indeed.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review – and loved it so much that I purchased a physical copy for a dear friend who is a lifelong Frida fan.

I did not like this read mainly for the fact that it was sooo redundant. The author would explain and write about Frida’s life in a “she was problematic, but we forgive not forget”. I had to DNF

If you need a quick refresher course on Frida Kahlo, this book is it. Part biography, part self-help, and with commentary from the author, the reader covers a lot of ground. While reading, I kept thinking this book would be great in a series of self-help/biography books about feminist icons.
Easy to read with just the right amount of details, Frida comes alive. The author wonders what Frida would think about today's society, for good or bad. I think the author does a good job of asking questions about Frida's state of mind without speculating or making judgments without evidence to support her statements. Although, there is one time where I did not agree the author should have placed judgement on Frida's affairs, she should have left her personal feelings out of it.
Overall I give the book a 3 out of 5. And I love the bright, beautiful, eye-catching cover. I do wish the author could have gotten the rights to print Kahlo's paintings in the book for reference, instead of having to constantly look up each piece. But it is understandable!

Part pop guide book, part biography-- all homage to Frida Kahlo. I've been wanting to read more about Frida Kahlo the past few years and have shelved multiple biographies, and I think this has made me want to read them even more. I learned lots of details about her art and life I didn't know, but because of how this book is framed, it doesn't read at all like a biography. Also a bit repetitive for that same reason--especially since facts about her life and her experiences are told out of order and sometimes more than once (in varying amounts of detail) as they relate to the life lessons Davis is pointing out. Still, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Mother's day books

Still struggling to figure out what to buy Mom? Flowers wilt and chocolate will probably just leave her feeling guilty, but a good book is guaranteed to provide hours of happy reading. Here are a few ideas.


What Would Frida Do?

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was a woman ahead of her time, living bravely and boldly on her own terms even in the face of pain and heartbreak. This inspirational book looks back on her life and encourages women to follow Frida's example by living courageously and creatively with no apologies or regrets. If your mom is a Kahlo fan she will love this book.

Everyone needs to read this book! I've always found Frida fascinating and inspirational. Her life was so tragic, but she remained strong. And her art is breathtaking. This book is one I will read again and again. Everyone needs a reminder to live life to the fullest.

❝ No matter what obstacles life throws our way, we all have the power to be authors of our own stories. ❞

What Would Frida Do is a contemporary guide to life, love and happiness about Frida Kahlo who was a badass feminist icon who was way ahead of her times! I enjoyed the chapter endings which highlighted “What Frida Would Do” in different scenarios. The snippets of Frida’s notes and letters gave further insight of Frida’s inner thoughts behind her paintings. She lived a very fascinating life! It was more biographical than I was expecting. I knew a fair amount about Frida’s life prior to reading this and the facts did overlap in some chapters so it was repetitive at times. Frida’s vibrant paintings were described wonderfully. I just wish the book included pictures. I often had to stop reading to Google paintings which interrupted my reading. Overall, it was pretty good and enjoyed learning more about Frida’s life.

If you know a fair amount about Frida then you may not gain much from reading this. If you do not know much about Frida then I recommend reading this. VIVA LA VIDA! Live your truth! Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC eBook in return for an honest review.

Do you know about Frida Kahlo? Frida Kahlo is a Mexican painter (1907-1954). She rose to fame in recent years, which her fans refer to as Fridomania.

What would Frida do? By @ariannagab is about Frida Kahlo and the lessons we can learn from her. The book discusses several aspects of Frida Kahlo’s life, her teenage years, her accidents which have made her bed-ridden for most of her life, her tumultuous marriage to another famous painter, Diego, and her candid paintings.

Frida Kahlo was a feminist well before her time and was not afraid of the opinions of the world. Her paintings were touching and unabashed. She painted about her inability to have children, the infidelity of her husband, and the many operations she had that left her broken in body but strong in spirit.

A few things I learned from this book were to be a living and breathing piece of art. Frida dressed with great care and stuck to her Mexican origins. She had many good friends who supported her in times of need and gave her advice in tough life situations. The greatest thing about Frida is that she refused to wallow in self-pity about her failing body, and turned to art. The only thing I did not understand is why she fiercely loved her promiscuous husband. After looking at Diego’s affairs, Frida also had affairs. They got divorced and remarried again.

A few sections of the book were repetitive. It is a great read for Frida lovers. Thank you to @netgalley, @basicbooks, and @perseus_books for the eARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Category: adult non-fiction
Publication Year: 2020

Arianna did a wonderful job vividly describing her experience sort of re-discovering Frida. Her surprising stories and comparisons can be relevant to anyone's life. I really appreciate the new stories that I did not know about Frida.

This one was a pure joy - #history #biography #selfhelp (but the fun, short and sweet kind) and a whole lot of #girlpower. I have always adored #FridaKahlo - I think she’s stunningly beautiful - but now I’m in awe of her.

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This book serves as part biography, telling the story of the life and legacy of Frida Kahlo, from her childhood until her death and the absolute cult level fandom and legacy she inspired. Weaved in with this, the author provides ten life lessons we can take away from the life and persona of Frida, to live lives that are more bold, meaningful, and passionate. This one is so much fun - if you can’t tell by the cover.

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Whether or not your artistic tastes favor Frida’s work, her life in itself is a story worth reading. A woman who suffered massive injuries and lifelong surgeries and illnesses, starting with polio, continuing to the tragic bus accident that left her impaled by a pole, barely alive, and unable to bear children, and ending with pulmonary embolism that eventually killed her, her toughness, grit, and ability to cope through her paintings should inspire us all to fight through pain, both physical and emotional. Her rocky marriage with Diego Rivera, a man know for his career infidelity, is both a story of forgiveness, passionate, undeniable love, and ultimate acceptance and happiness in an unorthodox marriage. Her friendships, her lovers, her art, her communism, her drinking, her fashion - an icon worth studying and admiring for her audacity, her ability to be far ahead of her times, and her unapologetic, unwavering ability to be herself.

I absolutely loved this book and think it would make for a great present to give. I wish I'd read it in book form rather than kindle as I feel it would be a lovely coffee table book and the pictures and chapters would look better in hard copy.

My one issue was that there was a lot of repetition. If you read it in separate chapters at a time it probably wouldn't matter so much if you dipped in and out but I read it in a few chapters at a time and it was so repetitive. You almost need the chapters split up into different art works rather than love, relationships etc as a lot of the chapters start by saying the exact same art work as you've just read about which is a shame.

However I will be recommending this book and give it 4 stars.

What would Frida do was a great novel based on Frida's life in overcoming the difficult obstacles of her life.