As far as self-help books go, this one does not seem extraordinary in any way to me. The advice it gives is generic and oftentimes vague. Very little time is spent on developing how to incorporate this advice into your life in favor of short, punchy advice snippets with little substance. What this book does have, however, is an interesting premise and framework. 

There's no denying the pop culture relevance of Frida Kahlo. In fact, a week before I read this book I saw a bunch of handbags with her face on them for sale. The gimmick of this book is to pull from Frida's life history and experiences as an example to live your own life by. Again, none of the advice given was revolutionary or exemplary, but I very quickly stopped reading it for that purpose. Instead, I read more with the intention of learning about Frida's life. This book, I think, would have been much better framed as a biography with a little bit of life lessons added in for flavor rather than a straight up self-help book.

The book also could have been shorter/condensed or else better researched. I felt that the same moments in Frida's life were being described over and over again without any new information being added in. These moments were mostly in the first half of the book; the latter half began to differentiate the moments it chose of her life it chose to reflect on. 

All of the images in this book, cover included, are lovely. They added a nice touch to the overall design and I'd love to see what they'd look like in color in the final version of the book. "What Would Frida Do?" would make an excellent coffee table book.

What would Frida Do? by Arianna Davis is chockful of years of research on every aspect of Frida's life! I learned more than I could have ever have hoped to learn. Arianna's insightful perspective was a welcome change from the way most biographies are written. I loved how she made Frida come alive by placing Frida in the room with her as she types and researched Frida's life!

No stone was left unturned! Frida's life emerges fully so that the reader truly feels that they, themselves have conducted years of research. I absolutely enjoyed the walking/sitting commentary from the author as she visited Frida's home aka museum. It's amazing that she lived and died in the same home. So many aspects to her life have never been truly revealed until now.

This is a MUST READ book for any woman who is seeking assistance from another woman on being independent and doing living the life they want to live. To take care every single day. How one dresses... one's body is a canvas. I honestly never really gave much thought to getting dressed in the morning. Now, I can't stop thinking about it. Amazing how much life Frida crammed into her forty-seven years on this planet. It's up to each and every one of us to LIVE and be vocal about our own beliefs.

I absolutely loved reading this story!! Well done, Frida! Well done, Arianna!! Well done, women of the planet! Viva la Vida!! Long Live Life!!

4.5/5 stars

<quote>"And now, here I am, sitting down to write a book on the life of Frida Kahlo, adding one more to the dozens of volumes about the artist that already line bookshelves around the world."<end quote>

This was absolutely delightful to read. Admittedly, I didn't know much about Frida Kahlo going into this book. Like many others in the world with a passing fancy for art at one point or another, I know just enough about Frida and her works to appreciate her lifestyle, but not much more than that.

As the author states numerous times, Frida is a relatively common household name in pretty much every country. If there's even ONE thing you can remember about her when hearing her name, it's the eyebrows and the job title.

However, "What Would Frida Do" did an incredible job of delving into the depths of Frida's life and served that information on a platter that was easy and fun to comprehend as a reader. Each chapter focused on a particular aspect of her life–from the constant, chronic pain she suffered throughout her entire life thanks to the bus accident in her teen years, to her sexual escapades as a bi-female with a polyamorous husband–and ended with tips from the author about how readers might choose to fashion their life similarly to Frida's ideals to live it to the fullest.

Honestly, the only downside to this book is the fact that reading about how freely and wonderfully Frida lived her life while we're in the midst of a global pandemic that discourages social interaction probably wasn't the best idea, because I'm currently wishing I could implement Frida's lifestyle choices and make friends as easily as she apparently did.

If you have even the slightest interest in the enigma that is Frida Kahlo, I HIGHLY recommend giving this one a go. Even though I have the ARC on my phone, I'm going to be purchasing a paper copy of this for my shelves!

<quote>"I don't give a shit what the world thinks. I was born a bitch. I was born a painter...but I was happy in my way."</end quote>

I wanted to read this book as I am fascinated by Frida Kahlo and the life she led. The book is nicely separated into sections that describe Frida from when she was a girl to her early death. 

What I liked about the book:
* the writing flowed very well
* a lot of historical facts and information that I did not know prior to reading this book
* cute chapter endings as to what Frida would do

What I did not like about this book:
* I was not expecting such a biographical type book but more fun notions as to what Frida would do in certain circumstances (this initially bothered me as it wasn’t what I was expecting, however I did end up enjoying the historical facts and information)
* the author noted that Frida was sexually fluid early on in the book. I noticed that throughout the book she would constantly make note that Frida would have same sex relationships, using this information for attempted shock value. I found in unnecessary and a bit disrespectful. Example from chapter 9: “...her several infamous extramarital liaisons (many of which were, yes, with members of the same sex).”
* there was much description of Frida’s artwork, however there were no actual pictures of them. Having some imagery of her artwork would provide more context to the writing. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Davis’s work, a short book that breaks down Kahlo’s life, with sections outlining some of the philosophies Kahlo may have followed, if not having personally articulated. Davis’s book outlines Kahlo’s political views, her relationship with Diego Rivera, her physical and emotional pain that she handled through her life, and much more. While I had much of this knowledge on my own due to having studied Kahlo and her work, this was a good primer for anyone new to Kahlo’s work and life.

However, what felt like it was missing from this book were prints and pictures of Kahlo’s art. So many times, the book references her work, but there isn’t an accompanying picture to help illustrate what the author was saying. Maybe this was a decision made because sourcing and printing the art in the book would have required some level of licensing, but honestly, I would pay more for a book printed on glossy paper with her art attached if it meant a more rich reading experience.

If you are curious about Kahlo and don’t mind googling her art mid-read to understand the authors implication further, I would say this book is perfect for anyone who loves art, feminism, mid-20th century history, or political intersections of all three.

I’ve always been a Frida Kahlo fan. I love her outlook on life, her art, and her story so when I seen this available on Netgalley I knew I had to read it! What Would Frida Do? by Arianna Davis was enjoyable. This book does a wonderful job of laying out the aspiring life of Frida Kahlo and is a beautiful tribute to a woman who refused to be held back by social standards. I think this book is a good read for anyone interested in learning about Ms Kahlo’s life, it appears that the author did her research and further backs her statements by including excerpts of letters to and from Frida. I also liked how Davis speaks on what Frida Kahlo meant to her personally. I would definitely recommend this book. 

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

A fun book for Frida fans. I find Frida's life and art so I have read my share of books about her, the best part about this one is how obvious it is that it's obvious that the author is a fan (a Friducha as she  calls it) and the b book often reads as a friend telling you about someone they know a lot about and have a lot of love for. The quotes in between the essays and the information sections at the end of every chapter are very cool. The advice itself is not very specific so this book resent really feel like a self-help book, it didn't really give me any new information about Kahlo but it was a cool point of view and quite a fun book. Recommended. 


I read this book as an ecopy from NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers. All opinions are my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3486795899

A great read and what Frida would do. About life and other things. Many different quotes and pictures as well.

It’s amazing how you can seem to see images relating to Frida Kahlo so often that they become instantly recognisable, yet still know so little about the artist herself. This book gives you a deeper insight into the life of this complex woman through ten different categories, like ‘confidence‘ and ‘love’.  At the end of each one, there are brief ‘articles’ that relate Frida’s life to more modern times, like ‘What can the social media generation learn from Frida?’ which are quite thought provoking.  Finally, we come to three to four things that Frida might do say, if she needed a boost.

The book is written and researched with care to provide plenty of detail.  The illustrations are beautiful.

Informative book about Frida Kahlo.  I loved the chapter setups, the full pages of quotes as well as excerpts of her thoughts.

Doesn't the gorgeous cover alone make you want to pick up this book?  The book is a gem, from the details about Frida's life to the inspiring ways she lived her everyday life and her artist life. I've always loved her art but never knew much about her as a person.  This is a great book to start with if that describes you as well. You'll come away from this book feeling inspired and emboldened and frankly, awe struck that she overcame all that she did and managed to create the amazing art she gifted us with.  Gone way too young at 47, this book makes us yearn for all we missed from her leaving us at such a young age.  Read this beautiful inspiring book and when the COVID pandemic is over, get yourself to a museum that has some of her works on display, even if you've already seen them.  Also, I enjoyed the writing style of this author, it was easy to put down and easily pick up from where I left off.  **Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this free e-book in exchange for an honest review**

Wow, what a fun book! I’m an artist with a love for Frida Kahlo, and I truly enjoyed reading this book! I learned a lot more about Frida’s life, and found it very compelling.

This guide is written in such a vibrant and light way that have been so easy to read it all in one breath!
Thanks to the author I've been able to discover many things about Frida that I didn't know and... about myself too. 
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all those who are in trouble and can't see the light hidden within them.
Frida's example of fierce resilience is a bolt from the blue and Arianna Davis has been able to accompany the reader in a soft, adorable way.
Those pages seemed to me like a whisper in the ear that tell you: "it's okay, you are strong, you can do it, believe in yourself because you are a masterpiece and everyone should see it."

Frida Kahlo is iconic. A complicated person and an inspirational artist. Capturing the essence of her is no easy feat.

Arianna Davis weaves between historical fact and we'll researched opinion to give us the reader a look into the life of Frida and how we can aspire to be more like her. The artwork featured is beautiful. Perhaps one should always ask what would Frida do?

I have been a fan of Frida Kahlo’s work for a long time. I was therefore doubtful that a book would tell me anything new, but this book did. I liked the author’s approach of taking different aspects of her life to look at how for example, Frida’s confidence, or lack of affected her life and work. To then, at the end of each chapter, give suggestions as to how to live your life in the way Frida approached it meant that not only was this much more interesting than a normal biography of a famous painter, but also was a self help guide as to how to life your own life in a better way, as Frida did. I had a real sense of understanding this famous painter much better at the end of the book, as well as feeling uplifted by the suggestions at the end of each chapter.

what would Frida do? is a question i have asked myself before.

Frida has always been a very interested character to me. She was quite the star of the moment, and it trascended over the years. this books really takes the things from frida's life, explains them , and gives an interesting take on details that maybe not so many people know about.

Frida Khalo is a wonderful, colourful and complex character and this book does a good job of portraying all sides of her.

The author takes a fun and relaxed approach to discussing Frida’s life, breaking chapters down into 10 sections (such as confidence, pain, style, love). This works well for the most part but it did feel like sometimes this non-chronological structure resulted in information often being repeated.   

For anyone interested in gaining an introduction into Frida’s life and what was important in her life this is the ideal book. The book seems to be well researched and the use of extracts from letters sent to or received by Frida works really well to highlight the authors points.

There was one thing seemed to be missing from this book, copies of Frida’s artwork. The author makes regular reference to them and it would have been handy to have them included along with the text. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What Would Frida Do? is an engaging exploration of Frida Kahlo's life which draws out key lessons that readers could learn from her. It was a fresh take on her life, which didn't get bogged down in the mundane details. Having finished it, I feel inspired to incorporate some of Frida's habits into my own life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Seal Press and Arianna Davis for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A contemporary guide to life, love, and happiness inspired by the extraordinary artist Frida Kahlo."

Thank you Netgalley, Perseus Books (publisher), and Arianna Davis (author) for giving me early access to this book via an E-ARC in exchange for my impartial review. 

3.5, rounded up to 4 stars. 

Wow. This book is a clear, open, and loud celebration of the life of Frida Kahlo. I am no stranger to Frida, her work, and her influence in pop culture today. This book, however, shows a whole new perspective to her life and achievements that makes you want to embody everything that Frida was and still represents today. It was quite short and I was able to finish it really fast.

We're taken through Frida's background and career, life and death. We see life and pop culture decades after her death, still very much influenced by her. The whole purpose of this book is that the author wants YOUR life and MY life to be influenced by Frida, her boldness, and her brightness. 

Often, we find ourselves asking, "What would x do (in this situation)?", because we want to tailor our responses and reactions to things just as they would. That's what the author wants us to do here. I don't read a lot of self help books but boy, am I glad I picked this one up. You'll be inspired by Frida's life and lessons from her stories and hopefully, you'll pick up one or two things that will help you live a bolder life. 

For everyone who wants to live a free and full life void of restraints, this one is for you. ❤️

I know Frida's art, I know her legacy, but I must be one of the few who don't really know her story. I was too young to catch the hype of the 2002 film, my knowledge of her doesn't extend much further than the abundance of Instagram and Pinterest quotes. 

Arianna Davis introduces Frida with a fresh take on traditional biography. She captures Frida's art, love, loss and pain beautifully and I really enjoyed Davis' anecdotes on what Frida meant to her. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interesting in getting to know more about Frida Kahlo's life, from beginners like myself or those looking for a new take.