Thank you to NetGalley and to RB Media, Recorded Books for an ARC of this audiobook.

I really like Sheryl Lee Ralph so I was excited to get this book from NetGalley and here her story.

This book is part inspirational and part biography and I really enjoyed it. She is a fascinating lady who has had a remarkable career and it was really fun to hear all of her stories.

This was just a fun book about Diva lessons It is a great book to give as a gift.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I enjoyed listening to Sheryl read her own book

My biggest takeaway from listening to this audiobook is that Sheryl Lee Ralph should narrate EVERYTHING. This book is a jolt of positivity, humor and confidence and would you expect anything less from Ms. Ralph?

This was so fun, and I loved the format of memoir + self-help. Can’t say enough good things.

Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for the ALC!

This book is like calling your mentor, or your best friend’s Mom for a word of encouragement and advice. It was a reminder that we all start somewhere but if you don’t give up and start true to your values it will pay off. The audiobook was the best way to experience this book. I smiled, I shed a tear, but most importantly I felt that she truly was talking directly to readers. She was talking to those embarking on their dreams and those who’ve heard their dreams in a whisper but have hide them away. I felt inspired and encouraged. The best surprise was hearing her sing!

Long before her Emmy-winning role as Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary, she helped build the original stage show of Dreamgirls and originated the role of Deena Jones. Her career has had highs and lows, and always, she’s been a class act and much beloved.

I loved being able to do it on audio. With tales from her childhood, stage, and screen, listening to this was like having a conversation with a friend over a cup of tea. I don’t really need to say much beyond her name, because Sheryl Lee Ralph is the draw.

Lovely memoir!
I listened to this is one sitting. Such a well written and narrated audiobook! I would absolutely recommend listening to this, but whatever format you choose will be great.
Learned a lot about Sheryl Lee Ralph that I wasn’t aware of - I didn’t realize she had done that much in broadway! Loved the story about her aunt driving her to Hollywood, too.

I just had the pleasure of listening to an advance copy of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s memoir “DIVA 2.0: 12 Life Lessons From Me to You”. The audiobook is narrated by Sheryl Lee Ralph herself, making the entire experience one I needed to share. We have seen her on our big and small screens for many years. We’ve seen her poise and grace upon receiving her awards, the more widely recognized Emmy speech she sang for all to hear. Years that add up to experience, which she shares with us in 12 life lessons.

About the Author
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an actress and singer. Known for her performances she herself mentions in her DIVA 2.0 book. From her acclaimed role as Deena Jones in Broadway Musical Dream Girls to her current role as Mrs. Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary. She also mentions her guest role appearances on Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Wonder Woman. And working with and learning from Sidney Poitier and Robert DeNiro among a few she discusses in her book.

12 Life Lessons
Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 12 Life Lessons will apply to you regardless of what your career is or who you are. Her wisdom is such that she defines and redefines the meaning of DIVA. My audiobook review is FIVE Stars! Listening to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s wisdom is like having a mentor, or an angel, in your ears helping you navigate situations that might otherwise hold you back. She will navigate her own life experiences both on-screen and off, and give you the importance of why it is a life lesson. A few of those lessons are listed below:

Find Your Role Model and Seek Their Mentorship
Search For Your Joy…
Learn To Leave The Hurt Behind…
Life is a Risk, So Take That Risk and Live Your Life… and 8 more.

This was great as an audiobook. Not only is her life and story fascinating and lively, you really get a sense of her character as it goes along.

FABULOUS! I highly, highly recommend picking up the audio version of this one, if possible. Hearing Sheryl Lee Ralph’s own words is a truly phenomenal experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is incredible and has lead an incredible life. If you are a long time fan or a new fan, this book is for you!

The audiobook with the author’s narration adds a star to my review! The book is short, but covers the long span of Ms. Ralph’s amazing life so far. I will say I was more engaged with her story than the ‘diva’ guide woven through it, but it works, with Ms. Ralph’s powerful and authentic audio performance . She is a role model for hard work, perseverance and sticking to her personal values. One takeaway I will carry, that she mentions a few times, is that “no” is a complete sentence. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen and review.

I’m never a big fan of the push from publishers to reframe celebrity memories into self-help/advice books, but Sheryl Lee Ralph is charming enough to make it (sort of) work.

I loved hearing stories of her career, particularly her time in Dreamgirls. And I will undoubtedly have her saying “we were making HERSTORY” and “H to the no!” playing on repeat in my head.

What a treasure Sheryl Lee Ralph is. Very early on she makes it clear, that to her a diva (divinely inspired, victoriously alive) is someone who may revel in one's own glory but without tearing down those around one. The way she describes them, Sidney Poitier was a diva, Michael Bennett was not. Loretta Devine, Beyoncé, Oprah, Quinta Brunson - all divas. And Ralph is both fabulous as a racontreuse and highly inclusive. She is an obvious queer ally without having to point that out too much. She allows men to be divas and always adds queer options to her language.

But it is her personality that is certainly the main draw, possibly outshining all her contemporaries. She has a lot to tell, of course, about her career - and her "Dreamgirls" anecdotes are highly entertaining (and sometimes enraging) for everyone interested in Broadway musicals. But being the diva that she is, this is about more than self-promotion. Instead she uses her stories to give her readers valuable advice in becoming divas in their own right. And if she helps fill the world with divas of her caliber, then thank you, Sheryl Lee Ralph!

This was a great read. To pick a career in the performing arts has to be a calling for folks who push through in such a crazy, racist, sexist and often brutal industry. Her telling of the creation behind the Broadway show DreamGirls and all that drama was worth this #audiobooking experience. <3
#QuincyJones #MentalHealth #MeToo #NellCarter #SydneyPotier #TheJeffersons #GoodTimes #Jamaica #AidsPandemic #EvilNuns #PrivateSchools #DianaRoss #TypeCasting
#DIVA20 #NetGalley

I am certainly a new fan of Mrs. Sheryl Lee Ralph since her role in Abbott Elementary, but this book certainly felt too short. She presented stories and then gave her DIVA Lesson. Albeit, 12 lessons are a lot to give, the stories made it seem like she was not getting to her lesson soon enough. I feel like Mrs. Ralph has a lot of words of wisdom, and I would have liked to just heard stories from her for me. Overall, the audiobook was delightful as it was read by the author herself and felt like you truly got to hear her personality. I would recommend this audiobook for those wanting to hear famous people talk about their life and fans.


*Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the advance audiobook copy.

*Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for this advance audiobook copy.*


I love Sheryl's voice as she narrates. Many of us are familiar with her various roles in television shows, movies, Broadway, theater and more. She gives lots of history about "DIVAS and explains what makes one a true diva, Overall a very short read. I see it as a self help guide for a specific target audience, she mentions many of her idols who have helped pave the way for her and many others. I'm sure many like myself were a little bothered by the Cosby portion but didnt let this ruin it overall. There are 12 life lessons that she shares in hopes of inspiring others and helping them avoid mistakes along the way. This audio gave insight into her journey over time by being transparent of not only the highs but also the lows. I'm sure any fan will enjoy this quick glimpse into her life.

Rating: 3.5/5

.5 stars!

i love sheryl lee ralph soooo much and hearing some of her lived experiences were so amazing especially as she read the book. some of the self help tips were a little preachy and weren’t for me though. i think, maybe, i have a strong sense of self so i wasn’t the most excited about that aspect of this book. i was much more into her stories of where she’s been and what she’s been through.

some of the things written in here were also a little outdated (if thats the right word). i just felt that maybe it wasn’t the best advice to have given or maybe a better tip could have been taken from the stories she told.

there is a mention of bill cosby in this book that i also didn’t think was necessary. although ralph herself does mention a brief “some men in the business will take advantage” message, she mentions only positive experiences she had with cosby which i don’t know what was for as the tip for that was not fully said. prehaps it was meant as a warning? like a “your positive experiences does not make the person character” or something? it just didn’t seem that way. it was very neutral which had me curious about ralph’s prehaps outdated stance on maybe not rocking the boat.

the themes overall were positive and reclaiming the word “diva”. the book was fun but i would be so much more interested in a full memoir from her as opposed to this 60/40 memoir/self help book.

i think if i had physically read this, i would’ve probably cringed a lot more than when ralph seemed to be reading it directly to me. i felt like i was listening more, you know?

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this audiobook arc in return for an honest review!

Oh my goodness this audiobook was so so good! I didn’t even realize I needed to hear this until I listened to it.

I loved listening to Sheryl Lee Ralph. Honestly I could listen to her read the phone book and I'd give it a good review! She just has this voice and presence. She is one of those people who I knew of but didn't always remember where from. So it was nice to hear more about her life, especially the earlier years. I felt like this was a memoir that was trying to be a little self help-y but I didn't think it needed the self help aspect. I was more interested in her life stories.

I didn’t know much about Sheryl Lee Ralph, I was only familiar with her face until I saw Abbott Elementary where I fell in love with her character. I started watching her interviews and fell in love with her as well. When she won an Emmy for her role on Abbott, I was so happy as if I personally knew her. I learned that she was an original Dream Girl during this time and was super impressed. Diva 2.0 sheds more light on her experience as a Dream Girl and how she navigated Hollywood during her career. I loved hearing about how her family history and upbringing influenced her craft. I admire how she takes the negative connotation of the term “diva” and personifies it into something uplifting and motivating. My favorite quote from this audiobook was “A true diva would never waste their time or stoop to the lows of acting like a petty nasty b****. A real diva gets what they want because people want to give it to them. And a real diva earns respect by respecting themselves and others." I 100% agree with this! I enjoyed listening to this audiobook (which I forgot to mention was read by Sheryl) and would highly recommend it! I would like to thank NetGalley and RB Media for access to this body of work.

This Diva is so wonderful! Sheryl Lee takes us on a journey on how she became a Diva, but also guides us on how we can be a Diva. She introduces us to waiting for what is right, knowing our worth, and living our dreams. I have always been a fan of this classy lady, but hearing her tell not only her story but to give me a tip guide on how to have my DIVA story, was nice. She values not only herself but is a champion of all women. I am telling you, this woman is pretty spectacular. I did the audiobook because I wanted to hear Sheryl Lee tell the story.