This was such a captivating read about one woman’s life in a culty MLM and how she climbed the MLM ladder through manipulation and toxic femininity, a.k.a “girlbossing/boss-babe’ing”. I absolutely loved listening to this book and found the material very shocking, despite already being aware of the toxicity surrounding MLMs. Emily does such a great job for bringing light to the tactics used by MLMs and how detrimental they can be for anyone who joins.

I enjoyed that even though the author benefited greatly from the MLM scheme, she still takes responsibility for her actions and has gone to great lengths to show the discrimination and racial bias inside the ‘classical white woman’ MLM scheme. If you are a person who is interested in MLM cult behavior, or if you’re considering joining an MLM, READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you Netgalley and OrangeSky audio for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I deeply enjoyed Emily Lynn Paulson's book on MLM culture and learned a lot along the way. As a top performer, Paulson enjoyed the perks of being at the top while collecting new recruits along the way. I appreciated the blend of research and Paulson's own experiences and am happy to see that she found a way out.

eARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review!

Phew. This is a book I have a lot of thoughts on. I've consumed a lot of content about cults and MLMs, and I thought this would be right up my alley. I think that this is an important story to be told, and I hope that it helps people looking to escape an MLM, people trying to get friends and family to see the light, or even help people think more critically about MLMs. That said, I didn't realize that this was a memoir, one woman's story of why and how she joined an MLM, boss babe'd it to the top, and eventually left it; I was expecting more of a research nonfiction covering various MLMs generally- this is probably my own fault for not wanting to know too much about the book before I started reading it. I came out of it knowing a lot more of the author's personal story, but not a lot of new information about MLMs beyond what other sources have taught me.
The audiobook is very compelling, especially as it is read by the author. Some of her stories about when she was at her lowest point with her alcoholism, but climbing the pyramid, manipulating her friends and family, and downline made me cringe. Some of the things she recounted doing and saying made my skin crawl. She brings up a lot of the tactics that overlap in cult recruitment and MLMs, referencing Cultish, which I also read and was expecting this book to be more similar to. The author is very honest and owns up to doing a lot of bad things and pushing aside the guilt. Even after she recognized how bad her MLM was, she put her business on "autopilot" and continued collecting checks. She recognizes her own privilege, and discusses how MLMs target upper/middle-class white women, usually moms who feel isolated or guilty about leaving their kids to go to work, with some disposable income and friends and family who can support them. There are quotes from other former MLM reps throughout the book to give other perspectives, though many of them emphasize the same points as the author.
Overall, it's a really interesting story that will hopefully help people understand the tactics and manipulation that goes on with MLMs. I had trouble finishing it because I was so disgusted by the actions of the author- even though she explains how she got in and why she stayed, I have enough prior knowledge that I thought I would be making very different decisions than she did (Why did she stay in the MLM for a year after "putting it on autopilot" after she realized how bad it was?? I know, the money. Still, can't relate).
I would recommend this book to fans of Lularich and The Way Down(the documentaries), Cultish, and The Dream (the podcast), but if you've already consumed all of those, this won't give you any new information, it's just a deep dive into one woman's story.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Hey, Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson.

I could just drink stuff like this all day, why is reading about the downfall of the MLM empire so satisfying? Could it be because I saw them cannibalize my friends and create wedges between real and important friendships? Could it be because they're steeped in prosperity gospel and white supremacy. Or maybe it's just because I was the audience that received multiple "Hey Cutie..." FB messages in the 2010's. (If you were one of them, don't sweat, I only hate the game, never the players.) But really, I'm happy to see them fall because they are so predatory and their prey are often vulnerable, lonely young mothers who really are just looking to make some money at home. They're given an offer that really is too good to be true, and by the time they've sunk thousands into it, it's already too late.

That's exactly the type of stuff discussed in Paulson's important and entertaining Hey, Hun. She outlines in detail her experience climbing the very exclusive ladder in her unnamed MLM and how she watched it cannibalize it's own downline. She's funny, open, honest, and admirably self aware. She also dives into how the MLM masked a deeper issue she was carrying with alcohol, as well as being a two time cancer survivor. She has a rich and informative story to tell, and it was well worth the listen!

***** I have received and read an e - ARC from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Having sold makeup for Avon (I was one of the few who didn’t do the recruiting/down line stuff), I was interested in reading (or rather listening to) this book.

This book is one of the few that I’ve come across involving MLMs that’s really well written from an entertainment standpoint. It’s knowledgeable about the history of them, and it manages to go into detail with how the pyramid part works without overloading the reader. These parts are what usually make or break a book, but Paulson manages to give us the info without making it boring.

Paulson also gives us personal details about her life and sobriety and about how certain demographics are targeted specifically by these organizations.

This reads like an interesting documentary rather than a history book, so if you’re into true crime and memoirs (and possibly history), I’d definitely recommend it.

Wow.
What a journey.
This a CHUNKY book about MLMs all about the toxic, predatory nature and why people are in them. Specifically this was the story of the author becoming a top earner in the mlm she was involved in. How she got there, what it took from her and what was the final straw.

I’m from Utah. The MLM capital. It was so interesting to see the insights from the author. I have not personally been in an MLM but I do find them fascinating and can see the appeal at times. I definitely know plenty of people in them including close family.

While I can see the appeal this book cemented not wanting to join one ever.

I appreciated some of nuance and the awareness the author had surrounding MLMs and the foundations/root problem of white supremacy throughout.

I learned a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky audio for an advanced listening copy.

Listened to the audiobook.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

Wow! This book was so much fun. I'm super fascinated with MLMs, and this book hit it right on the head! It was written well, it flowed beautifully, and I loved how open and honest the author was with us.

A former boss babe is here to give us a behind-the-scenes look at MLMs and I was SO here for it! As someone who has been targeted by them on the book of faces, they annoy me and I am always mystified by how intelligent people get sucked into this. I"m on the MLM subreddit she mentions in the book and a Hun is always doing something outrageous. I also recently read Cultish, which is also mentioned.

As a free market champion, it frequently confuses people that I am anti-MLM. I do not think it should be part of a free market as it is unsustainable and predatory. I found the meritocracy conversation she brought up interesting.

Once someone joins an MLM, I don't know how to feel around them because suddenly they sound cult-like in their beliefs and as someone who isn't religious, it disturbs me because I then feel like nothing they say is true. It is strange that many of the people involved are Christians until you realize they are guilty of plenty of hypocrisies far worse than pretending to be interested in my current skincare routine. Far more predatory is what some of the Huns try to dangle in front of those of us with chronic illness, promising healing, health, and prosperity. It's very ableist and nasty.

I have cringed alone for far too long over this so I was happy to get my hands on this book but I have to say I was disappointed. I knew that the author was going to attempt to link MLMs to white supremacy, but I didn't think it would be a recurring theme and I just didn't find the argument persuasive. Every few chapters, she put in a woke diatribe denouncing her privilege like a Robin DiAngelo speech and making another failed link to the Klan.

Look, I'm not a fragile cracker. I do not pretend privilege doesn't exist, or that racism is dead in this world. I do not think the world is colorblind. My eyes are open to all of the injustices. I acknowledge the sins of our ancestors, but my ancestors were not selling It Works! or Avon. I was just excited to hear juicy drama and got preached to instead and I think authors need to know that people are kind of tired of it. Can we not sit down and read anything without it being twisted to fit this narrative?

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to listen and review. The author was a fantastic narrator.

This is the juicy tell-all memoir of a top earner in an MLM that I didn’t know I needed. Kudos to Paulson for pulling no punches. I’m impressed with the way she connects predatory MLM practices to anti-feminist and white supremacist goals. Compulsively readable. Recommended for anyone skeptical of network marketing.

Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for this ARC of “Hey, Hun”. When I read the description on how problematic multilevel marketing is from the perspective of a former “boss babe”, I was instantly intrigued. Right away, I was hooked and absolutely devoured this book. The story was raw, unapologetic and held so much valuable information that needs to be screamed from the rooftops. I will say that the content did feel repetitive at times but I do think it helped Emily get her point across as to how predatory and cult-like MLMs are.

🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧 - Hey, Hun
Author: emilylynnpaulson

Thank you to @netgalley & @orangeskyaudio for an advance audio of this!

Media I will consume at the drop of a hat: Anything about leaving Scientology, Cults, Crazy children, and anti-MLM books.

This was read by the author, who did great by the way, and I couldn't put it down. Those earbuds were in at any chance I got!

I loved the viewpoint from someone who was one of the top earners. Not only how she got there, how she left, but also becoming sober. This was fantastically written and informative! HIGHLY recommend!

This is definitely a book that everyone should read! MLMs have become such a norm in our society and people need to be aware of how harmful they can be. I feel like every woman has a story involving MLMs and most are negative. I remember when I was a broke college student, a girl from my church was having a meeting at a coffee shop to tell her friends about R&F. I had no idea what MLMs even were at the time but she made it seem like it was a good opportunity for people who don't have a lot of free time to make money. That sounded amazing to me because I was really busy with college but still wanted money. Everything at the meeting sounded great until I saw that you have to buy into the company and that it was INSANELY expensive. In my mind I couldn't justify paying and also it seemed extremely weird that you have to pay to work for this company. This sent me down the rabbit hole that was MLMs. Over the years I have watched so many people I know get sucked into these companies and they end up isolating themselves from their friends and family simply because they wouldn't buy their products. I always felt like it was their fault for buying into the nonsense but this book really helped me see a different perspective. It's so scary how these companies are even able to operate and more and more keep forming all the time. Thankfully, I no longer see as many people I know falling for these schemes but I just wish more people would see these companies for what they are. Thank you to Emily for truly giving us an inside look at what goes on within these companies.

Oh my gosh, I loved this one so much and am so thankful for Orangesky Productions and Emily Lynn Paulson for granting me advanced audiobook access to such a liberatingly releasing novel. I look forward to its publication date. I feel too many of us know the feeling of being preyed on by our previous high school bullies as they attack us so they can get closer to getting their baby pink Cadillac; I highly recommend this book.

This was such an interesting read! While I did come to this book already knowing how predatory MLMs are, how most people end up losing money, and how cult-like they are, it was great getting the perspective of somebody who had first hand knowledge. Emily Lynn Paulson was actually one of the few people able to rise to the top of her MLM, so it was very fascinating to read about her journey from becoming fully indoctrinated to realizing how messed up the company was to finally leaving it all behind.

I think this book does a great job showing how women get sucked into these companies and why they’re so attractive to a certain demographic of people. While a lot of the book is focused on Emily’s own experience, she also brings in quotes from other former MLM consultants, and data and research from other sources. The book mostly feels like a memoir with some additional information about the MLM industry as a whole.

The whole thing was so compelling, I listened to the book in 2 days because I was fully invested. Because she’s coming at this from the perspective of somebody who was involved in an MLM and brought so many other people into it, she does have compassion for the women who are involved in MLMs. This isn’t a brutal takedown with no considerations for why women end up trapped in these companies. Of course she is very critical, but there is also an understanding that a lot of these women are victims in addition to being perpetrators. In the end some of the topics and events started to feel a bit rushed, but overall this was a great read.

I definitely recommend checking this one out if it sounds interesting to you!