I picked this book based solely on the cover, and I was NOT disappointed! Dulce is now my best friend in my head. The title is sooo fitting! I was unfamiliar with this comedian when I started this book, but I’m a huge fan now. This book was funny, raw, and full of joy. I found myself smiling and laughing throughout the majority of this book.

This story was very well written and just an overall fun ride. I enjoyed getting to know Dulce through the stories of her life. I felt that she was very vulnerable and dove deeper than most surface level memoirs. The tone was just like having a conversation with a close girlfriend. She did a phenomenal job narrating the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t know Dulce Sloan before I received this arc, but now I want to consume all the archive content of hers I can find! She has a fresh voice and rhythmic way of telling stories — even thought this wasn’t audio, I could practically hear her reading it to me.

She kept saying “I’m not writing a memoir,” which is a strange thing to say in a memoir? But really, I think she means that she shares her lived experiences alongside smart, strong, CLEAR calls to action we should all take to create a better society. Never preachy, but direct and honest. Highly recommend seeking out her recent interviews promoting the book if you want a sneak peek.

One example: her thought on “the greatest moment in white American history is when they started allowing dogs in office buildings.” I laughed so hard, then got irritated because I am DOG PERSON HEAR ME ROAR, she continues for a few pages on her rant then —BAM. I understand why she dislikes dogs.

I wish I’d received an audio version, but alas I did not. Some parts in written form felt like they dragged on a too long. I don’t wanna read about office jobs for three chapters. But I bet her live impersonation of coworkers and characters would’ve made it better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy!

Dulce Sloan takes us through her life story and the crazy incidents that sculpted who she is today. She confronted racism in numerous levels in her life but always came out on top, as she learned to navigate her surroundings and types of people while constantly moving with her family while growing up. She learned to read people and situations so well which adds to her comedic process. Sit up, take notice, and listen.

I received a free copy of, Hello, Friends!: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs
by Dulce Sloan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Due to the fun cover, upbeat title, and alluring synopsis I was excited to read this book! While I'm a sucker for a memoir, this book was a near-DNF for me. I found the majority of the work to be robotic, listing off events and mentioning responses from particular situations that felt random. This is not as enjoyable for me, but I really like hearing peoples stories so I kept on reading.
The second half was where things really fell down the hill for me with random mentions of encounters with men, broken relationships, and a tone of something I can't quite put my finger on.
Balancing some of the things I was not fond of were some things appreciated most. Probably most prominent was the honesty with which the author seemed to write. Positives and negatives were shared, covering "wins" but also tough parts of the journey to get there. Equally as important, I appreciated how sensitive topics were covered including racism in school, weight discrimination in public, and exclusion in university.
appreciate the advanced copy of this book as well as the fact that the work exists at all. While it was tough for me to get through I believe it was worth it to finish reading and I encourage other readers to "power through"!

This was a highly entertaining and quick read. The last several memoirs I've picked up have been rather surface level, so it was refreshing to go through a narrative that felt vulnerable and like you really got a sense of the writer's personality. I have only seen bits and pieces of her correspondent work from when she was on The Daily Show, so I didn't know much about her before picking this up. It felt a bit clunky in parts, but overall I appreciated the conversational tone.

I am a fan of Dulce's humor so I was excited to get this to review. However, it fell really flat. It is very slow and there is very little humor. I am having a hard time getting through it.

I'll be honest, I didn't know who Dulce Sloan was when I requested this one, I found her cover to be very fun and I love a comedian memoir. I thought it was just okay, there were some funny stories but I didn't really connect with her, probably because I don't have a background with watching her comedy. I absolutely think that people that know her will love this book!

I enjoyed this one. You get what you’re expecting. If you enjoy this comedian you will find this book good. It provides a good mix of stories and funny.

I don’t publicly give star ratings to memoirs as someone’s life shouldn’t be judged on how it entertained me. Dulce is very funny, but this book needs a better edit. Some chapters seemed to be out of order (see the Daniel fast, it’s mentioned multiple times but then isn’t explained until later chapters). There was a lot of repetition of lines and stories. This wasn’t my favorite memoir due to the clunkiness

f you've ever watched Dulce Sloan on tv, you know she is charming, funny and smart. Her memoir reads exactly like her tv appearances. Highly enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Fun way to get to know this delightful comedian ,in her own words,she tells about her life growing up , her dreams and accomplishments over the years and the honest reality of what its truly like to become a comedian

I felt right in the middle of Dulce Sloan's life with this book, every piece written with relatability and familiarity - like swapping stories with a (much funnier than me) friend. Giving the hard times weight they deserved, Sloan captures emotion of all levels on the journey to her “overnight success.”

Sloan can talk to people. Meet them where they are. Knows where she can show her value. Does not want to waste time with unnecessary bullshit that she sees in front of her. But is frank about parts of life that are not so easy to see for what they are when you are in the middle of them. (Ahem, relationships) Messy and possibly ill-advised (l.e. sigh, The Dummy), sometimes it’s not so easy to see when we’re in it. She owns up to that because WHY THE F NOT? I would be challenged to find someone who doesn’t struggle with measuring their worth within romantic relationships and we know the mistakes usually make for the best stories.

Knowing to stick with college despite the curriculum dedicated to the historically white “classics” and methods, Sloan’s recounting of school brought to mind similar struggles Viola Davis had in her theater program. Sloan knew that she’d be the one winning the game when she wouldn’t let that push her out of her free ride.

Then there was the crazy funny tour of her day jobs. There was never any question that Sloan had dedication to her work and her dreams (especially if her mother would have anything to say about it). She needed a paycheck but that wasn’t going to get in the way of paying her dues in the entertainment industry, pounding the pavement at auditions and shows.

I appreciated the acknowledgement given to those who helped lift her when needed or made the (seemingly) little things easier — getting extra time off work, a car ride, etc. There is no doubt Sloan works her ass off. The fact that she shares her story thus far with humor and gratitude is a testament to strong character.

Loved it and it left me wanting more.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Andscape Books for an uncorrected copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Sloan's work is always absolutely hilarious. I was first exposed to her work on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and she immediately became my favorite correspondent. I was beyond excited because I knew that it would be a great read.

Sloan's writing was just as funny and heartwarming as you would expect and hope for. This book is truly a love letter to her mother and herself. A collection of essays details Sloan's rise to comedy fame including her many places of employment, her early acting jobs, and tales from her love life.

My favourite thing about this book was the instances when she discussed her mother. Sloan makes it very clear that while her mother had rules and expectations, but always supported Sloan's dreams of acting/comedy. It is also incredibly relatable that after every win in her career, even when Sloan wasn't supposed to tell anyone, she always called her mom.

I also really appreciate Sloan's vulnerability in discussing her depression and the struggles she had with freezing her eggs. The kindness she shows her readers by sharing not only the highs of her success, but the lows as well not only reminds us that celebrities are just people and that success in your career doesn't solve every issue you've ever had. In a capitalistic society that can be hard to remember sometimes.

Sloan's discussion of her love life was so relatable. I appreciate how she reflected on her past loves and used her current understanding of those relationships with therapy to address the issues that were present in those relationships, without completely disparaging herself and her partner. Having perspective on previous relationships is hard, but having perspective AND grace is truly a skill. I will also be thinking about that sperm/egg comment one of her exes made for weeks to come.

If you are a fan of Sloan's or just a lover of celebrities memoirs I would highly recommend this book.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Racism, Grief, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Mental illness and Alcohol
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I fell in love with Dulcé on The Daily Show, so I was ecstatic to read her autobiography.

I liked that it wasn't just funny stories, but her reality growing up and then adulting. I also fell in love with her mother, such a supportive role model who believed in her child.

A great book that tells the story of the adaptive, strong, determined woman who makes me smile.

Honestly I was not familiar with Sloan but it sounded like it would be a nice fun light easy read with some humor in it. Unfortunately I just didn't connect to the story being told - I felt like I was supposed to already know things about her that I did not, and it made it feel like I was playing a game of catch up from start to finish. This one wasn't for me.

Like brunch or a cozy night in with a friend. You get to hear funny childhood stories, tales of success and disappointments all whole enjoying a lot of laughs along the way.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was a rollercoaster read and like a rollercoaster it had me on a high of laughter at times. Dulcé definitely had an interesting childhood, start to comedy and even marriage.

I love Dulce and her comedic style. Her book was just as funny and joyful as I would expect it to be. The book focused on her many jobs, love interests, and situations leading to her big break. Very enjoyable.

While overall, I did enjoy this memoir - I do think it came off a little surface-level. I think it helps to be pretty familiar with Dulce’s comedy, but even still, the first half of the book doesn’t present much info in terms of fleshing out her story on the road to being a comedian. Many of the stories do not come off very funny, but I’m sure the best mode to enjoy this book would be in the audiobook format (as I’m assuming the author narrates). I really enjoyed the last few chapters, in particular the insight on auditioning & her time spent on ‘The Daily Show’. But overall the memoir felt fairly unfocused and surface-level. This is definitely meant for big fans of Sloan’s work.

My many thanks to Hyperion Avenue, Andscape Books, and NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This book is like jumping on FaceTime with your friend you haven’t talked to since elementary school and having them catch you up on their whole life in the most hilarious way possible.

Dulce Sloan first caught my attention through her witty commentary on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She held her own in the environment of political commentary and rapid-fire jokes on the show and I immediately became a fan. Additionally, I’m always happy to see a plus-size Black woman show up as her full self and be beloved because of it.

So I was happy to learn more about her life! Her struggle to make it in show business, her countless jobs (even one at a car dealership where her job was to steal leads from other car dealerships lol), and her fearless mother who is (sometimes literally) her partner in crime and unwavering support system.

Loved this memoir and can’t wait to see what else our friend Dulce Sloan has up her sleeve.