✨ Review ✨ Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, Written and Narrated by Dylan Mulvaney

Thanks to Recorded Books and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Dylan rose to TikTok fame with her Days of Girlhood series documenting her transition. This book recounts that year of features as well as essays on her life before and after. Covering topics from carrying tampons to fit in in the bathrooms to tucking, from gender-affirming care to family relationships, this crosses so many important moments in some people's trans journeys (Dylan's frequently reiterating that this is just one transition story and emphasizing her privilege in how it went and her ability to tell it). Even if you've never heard of her or barely knew of her (like me), this book has so much to offer!

It's the perfect blend of roll-on-the-floor laughter with the more serious issues of trans rights, bullying, etc., and it for sure will make you think, feel, and empathize. This is perfect for Pride Month or any month!

🎧 Because it alternated between the Days of Girlhood timeline and other points throughout her life, these multiple timelines made it feel a little jumpy, especially listening to the audio.

🎧 I love that Dylan narrated this - you get such a sense of her voice and point of view through this narration.

Content warning: transphobia, family conflict, etc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: memoir
Length: 6 hours 15 minutes
Pub Date: March 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ memoirs of trans people
⭕️ learning more about transition, gender affirming care, and trans joy
⭕️ celebrity stories

I've followed Dylan on socials for years. When I found out that she had written a book, I was so excited. Not only did this feel like spending time with a good friend but it felt like I was getting a sneak peak into the first chapter of a long beautiful story of a woman coming into her own.

Always a pleasure to be in Dylan’s company! Lovely debut book - thank you so much for the advance copy, I adored it.

Absolutely fabulous. Dylan has such an upbeat, enchanting narrative style that I was instantly drawn toward. Her story is one of triumph and deserves to be amplified for more to hear. Thank you, Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this gem of a story!

I’ve followed Dylan online for a while now, and reading Paper Doll felt like sitting down with her over coffee and getting the full story — raw, radiant, and beautifully human.

This book is heartfelt and brave, but also full of wit and charm. Dylan brings her signature vulnerability and humor to the page, sharing moments that are painful, joyful, awkward, and real. It’s not just a memoir, it’s a reclamation. Of identity, voice, and space.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to shape-shift to be accepted, this one will hit you deep. I laughed, teared up, and finished it feeling more tender toward the world and myself.

So proud of Dylan for putting this out there. It’s a gift.

My Ranking: ★★★★

I received a copy of Paper Doll through NetGalley, and as someone who has followed Dylan Mulvaney on TikTok for a long time, I was excited to dive into this one. What I found within these pages only deepened my admiration for her.

Dylan's voice shines through with authenticity, humor, and vulnerability. Paper Doll is more than a memoir, it's a raw, heartfelt glimpse into her life, her transition, and the emotional journey that has shaped her into the woman she is today. She brings both the highs and lows to the forefront with grace and courage, never shying away from the messy, complicated, or beautiful parts of being human.

This book made me laugh, cry, and reflect. Dylan’s strength, compassion, and unwavering sense of self are truly inspiring. She is, without a doubt, a beautiful soul, and her story deserves to be read and celebrated.

If you're looking for a memoir that’s deeply personal, empowering, and full of heart, Paper Doll is it.

I received a free audiobook of Paper Doll from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paper Doll is a lovely listening experience- much like sitting down for an intimate chat with a friend. Mulvaney is irresistibly likeable and it was a real treat to spend so much time listening to her vivacious, bubbly voice. In Paper Doll, she remains as effortlessly funny as she does in her social media content. I can’t imagine even those unfamiliar with her wouldn’t be won over after this memoir.

This isn’t a deep, philosophical, intersectional mediation on transness and it doesn’t pretend to be. This is one individual’s journey- not just through her transition but through her fame and coming-of-age as a young adult. It’s thought provoking and honest. I had an awful lot of sympathy for the pressures Dylan faced getting thrust it into a very particular kind of spotlight- I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and it was fascinating to hear how she dealt with (and struggled to deal with) the position. I’m so proud of the grace she’s handled everything with- speaking as just one trans person, she’s doing far better than I would’ve in her shoes (I can’t walk in heels anyway!)

I think pretty much anyone could get something out of this memoir- a glimpse into a very interesting life, that for most people, is going to be very different to their own. I’d recommend giving it a shot, whether you know of Dylan or not.

I do like it when a book is narrated by the author themselves. I actually had no idea who Dylan was and had never seen or heard them on TikTok but the story was a fascinating insight into their reality

Highly recommend the audiobook - Dylan absolutely nailed it & brought the book to life! Such a charming memoir that keeps you engaged & rooting for her ‘til the very end. An important read from a fresh perspective!

A big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader’s copy exchanged for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

I have loved Dylan since stumbling early to her girlhood journey on TikTok. I was thrilled to learn that she had written a memoir. I think she is one of the bravest people in the world to share her journey. I learned a lot from her and also find her to be not only funny but an amazingly talented performer. I hope she gets her dream of performing on Broadway fulfilled.

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for my advanced audiobook of Paper Doll by Dylan Mulvaney.. I loved listening to Dylan tell her story and hear things we hadn't heard before from social media. It almost felt like I was listening to a friend tell a story on a phone call or voice memo at times.

(4.5/5 stars)
I always feel just a little bit weird giving a star rating to any memoirs/autobiographies, but I will say that this book was incredibly well done. I've followed Dylan since her initial "Day 1 of Girlhood" video on TikTok, and to hear about her journey from the other side of things has been very eye opening. Even though I am cis, I see so much of myself in Dylan that at points I found it very hard to read this book. Yet somehow, I did not want to put it down. This book is about her journey through transitioning, queerness, growing up, dealing with religious beliefs that sometimes conflict with who she is, and many more personal situations, all of which she deals with through grace, comedy, kindness, and honesty about her faults. I've always enjoyed Dylan's presence on social media, but I think reading this book has helped me appreciate Dylan more for who she is as a person rather than just an online figure.

I listened to the audiobook for Paper Doll, which was narrated by Dylan herself, which I found even more impactful. It felt like I was sitting down and having a conversation with her over a glass of wine or a bottle of Generic Beer (iykyk). I will say, there were a couple of brief audio issues, where the same line was said twice, but that may be because I was listening to the ARC version of the audio (I assume this was cleaned up for the final copy).

Thank you so much to Dylan and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. If you haven't already, I recommend checking out this book for yourself!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the anticipated memoir of Dylan Mulvaney, “Paper Doll”. Dylan takes us with her for her first 365 days of “being” a transgender woman. She allows us to discover her journey as she navigates a new world and faces backlashes — public and personal. She is continuously growing and radiant. She shares with us the ugly and the embarassing, never non-plused by what would be “conventionally acceptable to share” with millions of strangers. By documenting her first days as a “baby trans”, she is offering to us the gift to love oneself as we are.

My god, this was such a wonderful, special and powerful listening experience. Dylan is such a wonderful and funny woman and listening to this was such a joy. All of the stars.

I really enjoyed this one! Dylan’s humor and wonderful personality shined through so much especially through the audiobook! Would recommend to friends, and I really appreciate the opportunity to have read this one!

I loved this book!! I followed Mulvaney’s journey online through her experience with womanhood, much much different than mine, and reading this was a great experience. I loved Dylan mulvaney’s determination to respect women as best she can, especially with all the hate she receives. I like that she chose to talk about her darker moments, her messy moments that some people might disagree with or make them not see her as the specific aesthetic she uses online. Reading this made me go check up on her account again, which was interesting because it’s definitely changed, which she said in the book she was planning to do!! I hope only good things for her in the future, and this book taught me a lot!

I was really wanting to love this more than I did, but I’m still happy to have listened along!

I think it’s mainly a “me” thing and the fact that I listened as an audiobook - but Dylan sounds so cheerful talking about everything that it was harder to take more serious topics, well, seriously.

Honestly, all I knew about Dylan Mulvaney was the "beergate" scandal, but I felt that hers would be an interesting story--and I was right. Mulvaney is funny and charming, and I loved listening to her tell her story (she narrates the audiobook and does a wonderful job). Her style is a bit too wildly enthusiastic for my taste (I think I may be too old to really appreciate it) but I applaud her attitude and the way that she tackled scandals and problems of all sorts., personal and professional I found "Paper Doll" to be a perfect counterpart to Jennifer Finney Boylan's "Cleavage" which I read a few months ago. These are two trans women from different generations, who, while having many things in common, come from very different places and tell vastly different stories. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to provide an honest review of the audiobook.

This isn’t what I would usually read but this book was so good.

Dylan Mulvaney Did a fantastic job at writing this memoir.

I do highly recommend the audiobook