A HUGE thank you to RBmedia, Abrams Image and Dylan Mulvaney for the ARC of Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer!

I just LOVE Dylan Mulvaney. Like most everyone else, I found her through the beergate debacle and I became an immediate fan. She is so lovely and charismatic. And part of her charm is how she presents her thoughts in such a true and genuine way. When I listen to her videos, it feels like she's talking just to me. And her narration of Paper Doll was the exact same feeling. She executed her story with the same genuine expression and humor that she does in her every day videos. She seems so real and lovely in real life and her books comes off the exact same way. She is very honest and gets down to the nitty gritty of her womanhood journey. She digs deep and I came out feeling like I knew her way more than I did through her Instagram.

I have been following the author for many years now, and I know many trans people in my everyday life. LGBTQIA stories are human stories, and it is incredibly important — especially in the current sociopolitical climate — to be exposed to as many of them as possible.

I chose to consume this memoir via audiobook, read by Ms. Mulvaney herself. I highly recommend listening to audiobook memoirs read by their author more often than not. It adds a depth and context that can be lost in text alone.

This memoir is many things — candid, emotional, oftentimes weaving humorous anecdotes with the harsh realities that so many trans people experience. This book is not meant to be a definitive guide to a universal trans experience, but a peek into a person's journey into womanhood with all its complexities, curiosities, and contradictions.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Abrams Image, and Recorded Books for the ARC audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC of this amazing audiobook.

I have always been a fan of Dylan Mulvaney and watched her videos on Tik Tok so I was so excited to see this was available for request!

And WOW, this was an amazing look into the first 365 days of girlhood of Dylan. It was interesting to see how she felt during some of her major moments either on Tik Tok or in her personal life.

It was a real raw and honest reflection with journal entries and stories from her first year as a girl. It was so entertaining to hear some of her adventures with her gorgeous besties Lily, Keesh and Alyah.

I can't wait to see what she gets up to in the future all I know is - I Love Ya Dylan!

Dylan's hilarious and heartfelt words made this audiobook a delight. I immediately felt like I was chatting with a girlfriend who was telling me her life story - I was familiar with Dylan but did not know the whole story until Paper Doll, and I am so glad I got to listen to her.

Paper Doll
By Dylan Mulvaney
RBmedia
Releases March 11th, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for this alc!

GO READ THIS BOOK!

💫💫💫💫💫

🪩 Dylan had me hooked the minute I heard her voice through my car speakers. This book is raw and emotional and honest. Dylan takes us through multiple versions of herself in this book and doesn’t shy away from telling her story truthfully. This book is a great look at womanhood in America and beyond…and an even closer look at what transwomen have to go through in our society. Dylan didn’t shy away from addressing controversies or her privilege but also made sure to incorporate her joy and humor.

🪩 I’ve been a fan since Day 1/365 of girlhood. It was so emotional hearing all the struggles that Dylan didn’t always let her fans in on. I am not trans, but I am a lesbian whose mother refused to accept me and used religion as a weapon. Parts of Dylan’s story had me saying “yes exactly!” Out loud as I drove to and from work. It was even better in audio, hearing Dylan’s emotions had me riveted. I believe this book will be powerful for the queer community.

🪩 If you love Dylan go read her book! If you love queer and specifically trans stories, go read her book! If you love honest women who have humor and edge who just want to be Galinda on Broadway - go read this book!

Thank you for letting us in Dylan - luv ya! 💖

#bookreview #audiobookreview #audiobook #newbook #newrelease #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booktok #dylanmulvaney #netgalley #rbmedia #books #reader

Thank you to NetGally for the audiobook ARC of Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer by Dylan Mulvaney.

I have been following Dylan since Day one of Girlhood. I have loved seeing Dylan's transition journey over social media, and I've always felt inspired by how open and honest she is with her followers.

I loved listening to this audiobook. It was like having a conversation with Dylan. She narrates the book like she is telling only you her story.

I loved how Dylan shared her highlights and lowlights, her brightest and darkest moments, all whilst acknowledging the privilege she retains over other transfolk, and how she has been humbled and learnt how to use her voice for the benefit of the trans community.

Dylan is so, so likable and narrates in a way that makes you feel comfortable and welcome to listen. Thank you for sharing, Dylan!

DYLAN SLAYED THIS I FEAR. I have been a fan of Dylan Mulvaney's for a while and remember very clearly when she first posted her Days of Girlhood series on tiktok. I loved being able to see the events of her rise to stardom from her presespective. Although this book is very mcuh about the trans experience Dylan's journey to finally be able to live as her true self, there is so much more that is covered. I appericated getting insight into her struggles with gaining acceptance from her family and basically being the punching bag of the trans community for so much in the media. This memior is honest, hilarious and very very Dylan.
I think this book is hikarous, informative, emotional and healing!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ALC!

Rounding up to five stars. I highly recommend this book - especially in audio. This was a true delight to listen to. I am more of a casual IG follower of Dylan Mulvaney's but I find her endearing and compelling so I was happy for a chance to read her book - especially knowing that she narrates it herself.

At the beginning of the book, Dylan explains how she changed her original plan for the book from being about 365 days of girlhood to an interweaving of stories from then, later and before and I think the format really works. It helped with the pacing and added depth. (Having gone through a string of mostly 3-star (mostly C-list) celebrity books early in my reading renaissance, this book notably stands out in terms of pacing and engagement. Kudos to Dylan's publishing and editing teams!)

This book was a lot of lovely things at once: Fun and playful. Moving and touching. Uncomfortable and endearing. (Frankly, I still can't believe that I teared up at Dylan's ayahuasca story!) Dylan is still so early in her life and story and I was impressed by the work and growth she demonstrates in her time so far. She has had a beautiful, difficult and privileged journey and she is pretty good about acknowledging this as part of her story.

The narration is done in a very authentic way - not a standard narration for sure, but polished in a way that makes it clear Dylan knows how to perform. (I listened to this whole book at 1x speed - a truly rare event for me.)

I received an audio Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley and Recorded Books in exchange for an honest review.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Book 1 of my 2025 Trans Rights Readathon. I will be donating to LGBT YouthLine, which offers free peer support to 2SLGBTQ youth in my home province.

The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st.

We are calling on the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters.

Dylan gets very vulnerable about his experiences in life and how he got to where he is now. I thought that this one was a interesting story about him, definitely gained more insight about Dylan as a person. I had only seen a handful of TikTok's before about Dylan so this was great insight into Dylan and their life. My rating is just based upon listening to the book. I don't personally rate Autobiographies/Memoirs because it is a story about that persons life and can't really be rated as its a personal journey.

I really loved listening to this book. I have followed Dylan since very early on in her transition, and listening to the behind-the-scenes thoughts she had while living through it, as well as beer-gate, was really fascinating and eye-opening. I definitely recommend it.

I’ve been following Dylan Mulvaney since day 12 of Girlhood, and I didn’t think it was possible to love her more than I already did. But I’ll gladly admit I was wrong—Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer deepened my admiration, respect, and love for her in ways I didn’t expect.

Her honesty and vulnerability are truly moving. She doesn’t just celebrate her victories—she opens up about the darkest moments, the struggles that tested her, and the resilience that carried her through. That kind of openness takes courage, and it made me appreciate her even more.

Experiencing Paper Doll as an audiobook was a dream. With Dylan narrating, it felt like she was right there with me—like a best friend spilling the latest tea, sharing our worries, fangirling over musical theatre, and commiserating over man troubles.

By the end, I felt like I understood Dylan on a deeper level. Her kindness, her joy, and her unwavering spirit are so inspiring. She makes me want to be a better, kinder person—and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

Honestly, I always feel so weird putting a star rating on someone’s life story but 5 stars feels right. I loved reading about Dylan’s journey into girlhood. The ups and the downs and the all arounds. One of my best friends is in the process of transitioning and I felt like hearing Dylan’s story helps to meet my bestie girl in her journey of girlhood. Fabulous read.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the incredible opportunity to listen to Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer 💖

Thank you to Netgalley for approving this ALC. I do not star rate memoirs.

I appreciated how candid and honest Dylan was throughout the entire book. I used to somewhat watch her videos on tiktok before I stopped using the app, and definitely remember the absurdity and violence of the beer fiasco. The fact it didn’t completely steal her joy is amazing. My only gripe is I wanted more pre-tiktok stories, more in depth childhood stories because the ones we got were insightful (and some funny), and others heartbreaking. However, they paint a better picture of Dylan before the big route to Girlhood.

This book is perfect for fans of hers and anyone looking for a real story of transitioning in adulthood.

6 stars! No notes! 🤍

I LOVE Dylan and have followed her on Instagram since the beginning of her transition - so glad I listened to this audiobook instead of reading it! Dylan’s writing is the same as her online presence - unfiltered, real, earnest, sweet, hopeful, honest, funny, self-aware, and unique. I want to give her a huge hug and hang out in a canopy bed eating dominos together 🤍 can’t wait for her future writings!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audio! 🤍

4.5⭐️
this audiobook was SO fun!! first of all, i’m not someone that has ever really been either a fan or a hater of dylan, but it was really interesting to hear from this perspective as someone who is not a part of this community and doesn’t have a lot of exposure to it in their daily life. there is also nothing i love more than a memoir narrated by the author themself 🤌🏼

beyond the content of the book, i LOVED the style it was presented in. this is a compilation of chapters written for a book and journal entries over dylan’s first year transitioning. these journal entries were sometimes really light hearted and playful, and sometimes they were absolutely heart wrenching.

i learned a lot about dylan’s life that i never would have guessed in a million years. from family, to religion, to relationships, to social media fame and even to 🍄— the tea was spilled and it was HOT!!

i would HIGHLY recommend checking this one out if you are a person that likes memoirs or if you are interested in dylan’s story in particular!!

also can i just say that cover is STUNNING ?!

Thank you to RBMedia and NetGalley for the arc to listen to!

A very interesting look at the trans experience. I followed Dylan for awhile on TikTok, but after some time I fell out with her. So hearing her story from her lips was such a wonderful experience, to hear her struggles with her transness was so interesting to hear. A very solid memoir!

I also really enjoyed the self reflection Dylan does, even in a memoir spending some time to decenter herself and acknowledge her privilege. When POC creators and trans individuals called her out for that privilege, Dylan makes sure to acknowledge and listen to their voices in order to better talk about the trans experience.

Dylan. Is. An. Icon.

God, I love them.
I had no idea she was a quadruple threat??? She's a comedian??? I mean obvi from her insta stories (sorry guys I'm too millennial for tiktok, my brain shorts out) she's hilarious, but the amount of thought and intent behind their words? Wow.

Dylan is less than 1k days into Girlhood by the time I write this, but she has learnedddd the lessons - and learned 'em fast. At times it feels like homejoy (iykyk) is MacGyver'ing Girlhood (this is 0 shade, have you SEEN MacGyver?), and that's part of the beauty. We're all just winging it. And their transparency in that? Refreshing is an understatement. Dyl had me cry-laughing, Dylan had me cry-crying. The way she is able to put into words some of the feelings I've had since the day I first perceived <i>being</i> perceived speaks wonders to her experiences in and around femininity.

Such shitty timing to be writing this review, post-election that didn't go the way we'd hoped. I woke up, heard the news, finished this ARC, then sat in silence for...a while. It makes this stunning memoir even more powerful. Do you see what's at stake here? What if we didn't have her? How could anyone be afraid of someone else blossoming so beautifully?
An olive branch is certainly not the right word for this, as there is no mutual disrespect or misgivings. This is simply a masterclass in peoplehood. We are LUCKY to have this memoir. These words are not owed to us, especially not with how we (the media) have treated them. Finally, things are on Dylan's terms - albeit to a fault (it'll make sense if/when you read).

I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this review and adding more once I'm further out from finishing it, and from all of the stupidity that is being an American.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Dylan Mulvaney and Abrams for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}

PS Dyl if you're reading this, PLEASSSEEEEEEE narrate your own audiobook, I'd listen on repeat.


EDITING 3/6/25 to SCREAAAAAM a thank you to Dylan for narrating this beauty!!! I didn't lie girl, I've listened more than once.

Dylan Mulvaney’s memoir Paper Doll is full of personality. I’ve only seen random videos from Dylan here and there, but I could still feel her authentic voice coming through in this book. This definitely doesn’t feel like a celebrity/influencer memoir that’s so generic that anyone could’ve written it. The book skips around, with Dylan sharing childhood, teenage, and young adult memories before transitioning, her “Days of Girlhood” series in the early days of her transition, and experiences post BeerGate.

Because this isn’t a chronological story, and because I wasn’t following along for Dylan’s full journey online, there are times where I felt like I was missing out when it came to certain situations. Like she didn’t go as in depth as she could when explaining certain videos and the reactions they were getting online. Or if someone was somehow reading this book without knowing fully what went down with BeerGate, they might not be able to grasp the enormity of the situation from the descriptions Dylan gives. She definitely shares how scary it felt for her, but doesn’t completely wade into all of it and how vast the backlash became.

I really enjoyed listening to Dylan narrate the audiobook. In the book she talks a lot about her experiences with acting and musical theater, and I think her performance of the audio really helps to enhance her story. The book strikes a lot of different tones, like having moments of trans joy, awkward and silly moments, scary moments, and thoughtful moments as well. I definitely recommend this book for people who are already fans of Dylan’s content, but also to people who are interested in trans stories in general.

Loved hearing Dylan’s story and loved hearing it from her. She did a great job narrating her story. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an uplifting, inspiring memoir.

This memoir was a lot of fun, but also dealt with some real issues. It was nice to pull back the emotional curtain a bit on someone who went through their initial transition in such a public way. I was and am rooting for Dylan.