"Women Don't Owe You Pretty" is a powerful and unapologetic manifesto that challenges societal norms and empowers individuals to embrace their authentic selves. Authored by Florence Given, this book is a rallying cry for feminism, self-love, and social change.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is its raw honesty and unfiltered perspective. Given fearlessly tackles taboo topics such as beauty standards, gender roles, and toxic relationships, sparking important conversations about the pressures and expectations placed on women in society. Through personal anecdotes and sharp analysis, she dismantles patriarchal norms and encourages readers to reject the idea that women exist solely for the pleasure or validation of others.

Moreover, "Women Don't Owe You Pretty" celebrates diversity and inclusivity, emphasizing the importance of embracing all forms of identity and expression. Given challenges traditional notions of beauty and sexuality, advocating for self-acceptance and self-expression regardless of societal norms or expectations. Her message of empowerment resonates deeply with readers of all backgrounds, inspiring them to embrace their individuality and live authentically.

Additionally, the book offers practical advice and actionable steps for cultivating self-love and setting boundaries in relationships. Given provides valuable insights on topics such as self-care, consent, and healthy communication, equipping readers with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of modern life with confidence and resilience.

However, while "Women Don't Owe You Pretty" is undeniably empowering, it may not resonate with everyone. Given's bold and uncompromising approach may be polarizing for some readers, especially those who are not accustomed to confronting issues of privilege and oppression. Additionally, her writing style can be confrontational at times, which may alienate readers who prefer a gentler approach to activism.

In conclusion, "Women Don't Owe You Pretty" is a groundbreaking work that challenges conventional wisdom and inspires readers to embrace their power and worth. With its fearless advocacy for feminism and self-love, it is sure to spark important conversations and ignite positive change in the world. Whether you're a seasoned activist or new to the concept of social justice, this book is a must-read for anyone committed to creating a more equitable and inclusive society.

This was a delightful surprise for me! I went in thinking this would just be another inspirational coffee table book, but I actually feel like I learned a lot and was incredibly motivated.

I recommend this to all the young women I know. A well written challenge to the patriarchy and a reminder for women everywhere about how we are constrained and controlled by the society we live in.

Enjoyed the parts of this books I read! Archived before I could finish! Looking forward to picking it up in the future.

I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration. It was engaging and expressive.
I felt like the book represented well what it means to be a woman but could do with more intersectionality.

This book was okay. Definitely not my favorite. The book was cringy to listen to at times. I don’t really have much else to say about it honestly.

This book was a good reminder of many of the things I tend to forget. Although I knew a lot of it or it didn't apply, I think this book would be good for some that are younger (like the author's age). The fun cover and interesting storytelling style, I think it would work well for many that don't like "self help" or nonfiction books as much.

I'm giving this book 3-stars although I struggled to get through with it. I found some parts of the book empowering but others just doesn't sit right with me. To be honest, I think I would've enjoyed this book more if I read it 10 years ago but now that I'm older it didn't teach me anything new.

I enjoyed the narrator’s voice and some of the messages in this audiobook. It’s thought-provoking material. My thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to review it.

Thank you for providing me with an arc. I found the novel to be overall quite thoughtful and thought-provoking! I wasn’t sure this would be as good as it was and it exceeded my expectations. I am definitely looking forward to what this author is going to put our next! Thank you for providing me with an arc. I found the novel to be overall quite thoughtful and thought-provoking! I wasn’t sure this would be as good as it was and it exceeded my expectations. I am definitely looking forward to what this author is going to put our next!

This was advertised as a book that will meet you where you are with feminism, which is true. I did feel like I've read a lot in both college any beyond about feminism and feminist theories, so I did feel I knew a lot of the material and/or this wasn't "new information." I do think this book could've covered off more on class and analyzing feminism through the perspective of social class. Overall, this is a solid read for women and men wanting a solid, foundational understanding of feminism.

In no way am I discrediting what Florence has done and continues to do with her platform and for young women and queer people. However. She constantly checks her privilege but chooses to not take the step further and pass the mic to black/under represented women. She dedicates her book to black women however she steals their ideas and does not credit them. She coins terms as her own and takes the credit for what black feminists have been doing for an age. She is more pre occupied with ‘the Floss Effect’ of women dumping their boyfriends and cutting a fringe instead of using her platform to pass the mic to other marginalized women unlike herself. Florence. Do better.

There is a lot good about this book and a lot that you should automatically know!
It was like a mini review on feminism
I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand the basics of feminism

Brutally honest. The book is almost exhausting but truth often is. Should be required reading/listening for everyone.

A quick but informative and straight-forward rundown of feminism, misogyny, intersectionality, privilege and how to stand up for yourself and others - I think this is a book that all young people (teens and 20s) would benefit greatly from reading. I also liked listening to Florence herself reading it for the audiobook.

I was torn listening to this audiobook. I think it had great promise and acts as an OK intro into feminism for about half the book; but toward the end it just felt like an angry rant. Feminism has gotten a bad rap over the years, mostly for people interpreting it as "man hater speech" when it is in fact not about that at all. But, while I enjoyed Florence Given's audio, and connected with her on certain subjects, I felt a bit put off by some of the points, not in their message, but in the way it was presented. These weren't new ideas or new presentations of those ideas; but it does have some merit in that it might be a solid introductory for people new to feminism. It does contain explicit material so intro for young girls is not appropriate--so I think it missed its mark. It isn't new enough for people familiar with these ideals, but not clean or appropriate enough for the middle-school aged girls and boys who would benefit most from introductory feminism material.

Overall, the book was a conversation starter for me. I thought about feminism in a different light for a moment and the idea that again women do not owe anything to anyone except themselves, just like all people do, is important for people, especially young girls, to understand. I wish she would have tied men in a little differently, perhaps discussing a bit more about the idea of "feminine" qualities in men seems to be just as frowned upon by society as "masculine" qualities in women -- but I definitely felt her losing me a bit as we neared the end of the book. Interesting, and thought provoking like most works in this genre/topic, but I think execution of ideas was its downfall in the end. I've also been hearing about another book that is very similar, 'What a Time to be Alone' by Chidera Eggerue, that I will be checking out in the future.

I started this audiobook having never heard of Florence Given so I was able to dip into her work with no pre-conceived ideas. Since finishing I've learned what a powerhouse she is in feminist circles and have followed her to keep up with her content.

Women Don't Owe You Pretty read to me as part biography, part feminist manifesto, and part letter to the authors' younger self. It felt a little confused in the beginning stages and I wasn't sure what to make of it, but after a while it developed more of a flow and pattern.

This is Florence's writing debut published at the tender age of 21. At the risk of coming across as age-ist this fact both impressed and perplexed me. Firstly, I was impressed by the amount of soul-searching she has done throughout her relatively short life. The content shows a huge amount of self-awareness and willingness to "do the work" as someone committed to fighting against the patriarchy in all aspects of her life. However at the same time I was troubled by the overwhelmingly black-and-white views that was portrayed - a habit I recognise from my younger days. In the book Florence often talked in absolutes, for example "You must do this or you don't respect yourself" and that troubled me. While it would be impossible to unpack every possible scenario, I would have preferred a more gentle and forgiving approach to some of the points she made, including where she talked about shaving her head to free herself from the male gaze.

While I think this book is best consumed by fledgling feminists who haven't been exposed to a lot of literature, as someone who has read plenty of feminist texts I still discovered some useful ideas and points for discussion. Overall I enjoyed this energetic and unapologetic take on radical feminism from an interesting new voice. While I was disappointed with the inflexible approach to a lot of things, I still got something out of it and most importantly, it triggered some thinking.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC! I loved this take on feminism - while it felt as if it was written for younger people than myself, there were some really great takeaways. Given (who narrated the book) had excellent examples, especially related to privilege. “Some people just don’t want to change. But you can still be a no bullshit-taking, zero tolerance person when it comes to sexist, racist, transphobic, disablist, homophobic garbage while also allowing room for people to prove to you that they can grow, learn from their mistakes and bounce back with changed behavior, just like you did.” Also, her take on women supporting women was completely badass: “Respect women who set firm boundaries..... She’s worked really fucking hard to get to a point in her life where she had decided to choose her happiness over people-pleasing.... tell your internalized misogynist to shut the hell up.”

I found this book very interesting and I learned a lot about feminism, as well as other topics. Although I am not really into labels, it was interesting to read about the labels that people like to put onto themselves. I liked the way the author, Florence, encourages us to accept ourselves, love ourselves, own our own power and be confident in our bodies and sexuality. She reminds us that we are all unique and valuable and that we don't owe anyone anything. We can be who we are and we don't need to go out of our way to make ourselves look more pretty or change ourselves in order to please others.

Florence was a lovely narrator and she was pleasant to listen to.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Some chapters of this I enjoyed listening too, I really can’t say much more than that.
It really wasn’t a book for me.