What Would Frida Do?

I very much enjoyed this book. I've always found Frida interesting, but I didn't know a lot about her. This book gave a great overview of her life and gave us an intimate peek into her heart.

If there’s one thing that we learned in the year of 2020, it’s that women are STRONG.

In every aspect of life mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters stepped up to the plate and RAN this world during a pandemic.

Stepping into the new year, I couldn’t have asked for a more inspirational and appropriate read in What Would Frida Do? by Arianna Davis.

Part biography and part motivation, this book is an immersion of the life of the great Frida Kahlo and how her ideology applies to the modern day.

Arianna Davis is the digital director for Oprah magazine and when I read that she wrote her first book and that the subject was Frida Kahlo, I could NOT wait to read it. I was actually going to save it as my first read of 2020, but the gorgeous cover kept calling out to me.

I’m glad I decided to read it when I did. This book serves as a reminder to live fearlessly, authentically, and to push through tough moments.

"Even in her most vulnerable moments, Frida was her most authentic self, and she made no apologies about it."

Such poignant words that have reminded me to live my boldest life with no apologies.

I highly suggest this read for the New Year. It’s a quick read that serves as an everlasting reminder when we need it the most!

Thank you to @dreamscape_media, @netgalley, and @ariannagab for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Arianna Davis can paint with words, she allured me into her world of Frida.

As a devoted admirer to Frida Khalo, naturally I had to read this book(thank you NetGalley for the opportunity ). To my surprise, I discovered new small facts about Frida, her friends and family.

My criticism is that this book is consistently redundant, to the point of an unnecessary level. The first two chapters read like two similar introductions, version A and Version B. I did get confused a few times.
But don’t let that stop you! Anyone who wants to be educated about the infamous Frida, should pick up this book. Anyone who knows Frida like the back of their hands should also read this book. It’s for all “Los Fridos”.
It’s an easy relaxing and wonderfully written read.
I am curious to know what Davis has up her sleeve with her next book, and I hope there is another. Clearly, this is her artistry and needs to continue to write.

Beautifully written and laid out. I absolutely love love stories and poetry. Most of these you will know. Some I have never heard of before. These stories transported me to another world of love and light. I felt like this book was speaking to me and for me. It was so beautifully written and resonated to my core. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What Would Frida Do? Tells the story of Frida and the many trials she faces throughout her life and how she deals with them. This book is written as a self-help style book with realistic fiction. Frida struggles throughout her life from the time she is born with health issues, unfortunate circumstances, and a strange appearance. However, she does not let that get in her way of living her best life. This story has such an important message of loving yourself and embracing yourself just the way you are and not worrying about what everyone else thinks. Frida could have given up from the beginning, but she pushes forward and puts herself out there for the world to see. Due to this, she makes the best out of the bad hand she was dealt and lives a full life. I did find this book to be very repetitive and it lost me at times, but the overall message is so important that I feel like everyone should read this book!

What Would Frida Do?
Frida Kahlo lived a life that was all at once fascinating, heartbreaking, and inspiring. This part biography and part memoir, this book uses the artist's story to give advice on living bolding and embracing yourself, just as she did.
I loved the information and research, though found many parts of the book repetitive. For those skimming through I can see it not being noticed, but in listening through I would have preferred new information or for it to only be stated once.
The audiobook is narrated by Marisa Blake, who does a great job telling the story of Frida's life and is clear and engaging to listen to.
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advance copy of the audiobook.

The cover of this story drew me in. The vibrant colors do justice for its content. Frida Kahlo would most likely approve of it (as the Davis points out, Kahlo was super particular and we really no idea if she would have approved of this novel or its cover, but it seems to be within her character to approve of both). If you picked up this book based on the cover, you won't be disappointed. As flamboyant as the cover is, the content is just as rich and vibrant. I learned more about Kahlo's life than I knew before and walked away a bit more inspired for my own pursuits.

What is this book? It's part biography on Frida Kahlo. It's part narrative writing from the author about her research and connections to Frida. It's part inspiring quotes from the author. It's part life advice of what Friday would do in various situations. The advice ranges from writing love letters to spending time on self-love/care. Each chapter gives you some background information from Davis on her research and some history of the famous artist. Some chapter have overlapping research revealed, so repetition happens. The repeated facts aren't too annoying though and seem to drive in certain main points about the author's life. I also learned quite a bit more about Diego Rivera, her husband.

Frida's life is laced with tragedy, but as this novel shows, she decides to find the beauty in everyday life and within herself. We could all take some inspiration from that alone!

Recommended for: nonfiction lovers, biography memoir fans (I didn't know that was a thing until this novel), fans of Frida Kahlo, those needing some inspiration and life advice

*Note, this novel does talk about Frida's sexuality in a few chapters. I would give this warning to students and parents more as an FYI.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Seal Press for the Advanced Audiobook!

I thoroughly enjoyed "What Would Frida Do?". I grew up with artist parents who highly encouraged museum trips and art history lessons. They would bring us to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago where I was introduced to Frida Kahlo. My entire life, I have seen Frida's face on bags, wallets, mementos, and more. She has always been a familiar presence for me, as I am sure she is for many. So what I specifically loved about this book is that it was a contemporary look at why Frida's history remains so valued. Why do so many people look up to her and praise her? What is the sensation that IS Frida?

I loved how Arianna Davis answered these questions because I could hear her own experience in these big questions. Davis reminds readers and listeners why Frida made waves and why she remains an inspiration. This book is for all Frida lovers, art lovers, and I would highly recommend it if you know nothing about Frida Kahlo. It's a great history that is easily broken down in clean and concise ways.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my time listening to this audiobook. It gave me a new profound understand and respect for artist, queer icon and feminist Frida Kahlo. Although I do feel like some part of the book could have been shorter or written differently, i did appreciate the author's knowledge about and passion for Frida Kahlo. On the downside, I did feel like the book was written like a first draft, not in a bad way but more so like it did not feel as polished as it could have been. I do recommend this book for fans of the artists and people, who like me, wanted to learn more about who Frida was in general and have a better understanding of the legacy she left behind. 3 stars.

Like so many others, I’m fascinated by Frida Kahlo, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. It is filled with Frida’s history, her trials her successes and her outlook on life. The author has also provided bullet-pointed tips or lessons in each chapter, distilling Kahlo wisdom down into actionable steps you can take yourself, to live more boldly.

I actually also got this as my Book of the Month selection and I’m glad I did or I wouldn’t have known about the cute illustrated quotes inside.

While I thought Frida’s history was written so well, and was really compelling, I found the ‘self-help’ portions didn’t always mesh seamlessly. The lists were a bit jarring once you were deep into reading the historical portions. I also would have loved to see some pictures of paintings mentioned or Casa Azul, but perhaps there were reasons why photos couldn’t be included.

Overall it was an interesting mix of non-fiction, history, biography and self-help and I really enjoyed learning more about such an amazing woman!

The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Marisa Blake and comes in at just under five and a half hours.

This book was a fun read. I honestly did not know very much about Frida Kahlo before reading, and I definitely don't consider myself a Frida super fan, but it was fascinating to learn more about her life, her art, and her legacy.

The author paints a vivid picture of Frida, her personal life, her relationships, her career, and her struggles. I had no idea that she had such a tragic backstory, and it was quite inspiring. If you are a fan of Frida or her work, or you are like me and are curious to know what it is about Frida that makes her so special years after her death, I recommend this book.

Although it tackles some hard topics like Frida's childhood illnesses, her miscarriages, and her debilitating bus accident, I think her story overall provokes a strong message: you cannot let life bring you down no matter how hard it tries. Frida is now one of the most celebrated artists in our contemporary society and has become an icon not only for her work, but for who she was. If you are looking for an inspirational message of hope, this book is for you!

Overall rating: 4 stars

This book had a lot of new information and I loved the audiobook! It was so much fun learning more about Frida and her life. She sounded like she learned a lot in her life and truly lived her life the way she wanted to. I enjoyed her stories and learning about all of the characters and the effect she had on people. This was such a fun read and very informative.

I didn't realize the extent of Frida's reach and have gone down a rabbit hole of looking up everything the author discusses. This felt like a personal tour of Frida's life and I am so happy to have been a part of it.

I listened to the audiobook as I took a 360 virtual tour of Casa Azul. Best decision of 2021 thus far.

"I don’t give a shit what the world thinks. I was born a bitch, I was born a painter, I was born fucked. But I was happy in my way. You did not understand what I am. I am love. I am pleasure, I am essence, I am an idiot, I am an alcoholic, I am tenacious. I am; simply I am.”

My familiarity with Frida Kahlo was limited to her famous paintings and Instagram and Pinterest quotes. When I went to listen to this book, I was hoping to not only read about the enigma that was Frida Kahlo, but also learn what Frida would do when she faced the many problems in her life. It was a generous mix of self-help and learning about Frida that was so interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this e-audiobook. Arianna Davis’s organization of the book with sections of her artwork and quotes that are included as part of the chapter was helpful for someone who is not familiar with Frida. However, as an audiobook you cannot see the artwork, so I would look up the artwork that the narrator described as I listened. 

Marissa Blake’s narration was fitting and truly felt like Frida herself was speaking her quotes. I enjoyed Blake’s change in tone and accent to reflect Frida, which brought the artist to life. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for any Frida fans as well as those new to the artist and learn about her legacy.

The ultimate influencer, the original selfie guru - myself along with millions of others, are obsessed with Frida Kahlo. As an art school nerd, I have followed her work and life for years, including attending several exhibitions, retrospectives, and have acquired an abundance of Frida swag that colors my life and reminds me to be bold, and courageous - just as Frida lived and loved.

This is a stunning ode to the life of an amazing woman. The struggles and pain she endured throughout her life didn't stop her from being her best, bold self, and I loved learning more about this incredible icon.

The book beautiful captures a life well lived, despite many setbacks. It delves into what Frida would think of her life being so speculated and celebrated now, and how her face is everywhere from keychains, to tote bags, even on wine bottle... would she have embraced social media or would she have hated it. It's fun to think what she would do with life in 2021, and it's inspiring to follow lessons she continues to teach us.

Be bold. Have sex. Eat good food. Be colorful. Have more sex. Take baths. Drink tequila. But most importantly, be yourself.

I loved the audio of this one so much. The narration is incredible and really fun to follow. Quotes and list are scattered throughout and really make it an enjoyable listen.

I did not know much about Frida prior to reading this book, except of her iconic look and that she had lived with chronic pain. This was a great debut, part biography, part self help, part information on Frida's art work. There were moments when it was repetitive and moments that could have been edited out but I tend to be forgiving of debut author's books. Would recommend this to those that want to learn more about Frida and those that want to revisit her famous artwork and quotes. It might be too basic for a true Frida fanatic, but I found it to be a wonderful primer and am looking at learning more - will watch some movies and read the biography that is referenced.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary ALC audiobook. I purchased a copy from BOTM cause I just love this gorgeous cover.

Frida Kahlo was a force to be reckoned with! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story of her life is vibrant, interesting and mysterious. Her approach to life, how she loved and how she took things into her own hands is empowering. By all accounts, she was ahead of her time. She endured a lot in her life very early on but said, “No matter what obstacles life throws our way, we all have the power to be the author of our own stories.” She started off as the woman behind the man but became an icon.

This was a very informative and very well written biography of the icon Frida Kahlo. You can hear the passion the author has for recounting Frida's life and it was amazing.

I went into this not knowing too much about Frida, other than the fact that she painted a lot of self-portraits and what she looked like. After reading this, I have learned so much about this wonderful woman and her life and struggles.

A great concept burdened with questionable editing and confusing marketing.

What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly is a biography of Frida Kahlo with a conversational tone equal to chatting with a friend over drinks. It is clear Arianna Davis has a passion for Frida Kahlo’s life and art. I only knew bits and pieces about Kahlo and came away with a greater knowledge of her struggles and triumphs. Despite the enthusiasm at the start, ultimately, this book does not complete what it sets out to accomplish.

An immediate issue is the author begins by telling the reader they are not reading a biography of Frida Kahlo. Despite what follows being a… biography of Frida Kahlo.

The elevator pitch for this book is: "A contemporary guide to life, love, and happiness inspired by the extraordinary artist Frida Kahlo."

I don’t know why this blurb is attached to this book because it is not true and was one of the initial sources of my confusion. This book is not a guide, it is not a motivational book, it is not a self-help book — it is solidly a biography and only that.

What Would Frida Do? was sold so hard as a “self-help guide” I began to wonder if there is a self-help version of this book that was discarded and swapped out to this biography version at the last minute. A last-minute swap might explain the lack of editing.

The structure of the book is so shaky it reads like it missed multiple rounds of edits. This likely contributes to entire chunks of information being restated over and over again so frequently that I stopped several times to check I hadn’t lost my place and started a previous section again. There is also a factual error near the end that references Frida's "child" Diego, after going through great lengths and detail to stress that Frida was never able to have children.

While I didn’t expect a literal guide to living more like Kahlo, I was curious what a guide-like approach to such a fascinating and tragic figure would look like — the answer is simple, it looks like nothing because it doesn’t exist.

It’s clear Davis was writing from the heart and there are whispers of humor left on the pages, but I was looking forward to some pithy, tongue-in-cheek, get-your-shit-together-and-get-it-done advice that never arrived.

At most, there are scattered, unclear recommendations throughout the chapters like taking up journaling, embracing taking selfies, developing a personal style, and just living “your damn life,” without offering any discernible advice. In the end, the reader is really only left with a poorly edited overview of Frida Kahlo’s life.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the title of this book I knew I needed to read it. I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I was judging away:) Let me say this book did not disappoint. This book is a mix of a biography and send help/empowerment book. Each section talks about a part of Frida's life (I loved the history and backstories) as well as advise Frida would give in that part of life. I think the author did a great job in this area and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a short and sweet listen! I learned a lot about Frida and found her to be such an applicable and timeless inspiration. It felt a little repetitive at times but that might just be because I listened in basically one sitting. I might have preferred this one more as a physical book.

Thank you to @netgalley for the audio copy of "What Would Frida Do" in exchange for an honest review. I had a really really long drive today and this just happened to be the perfect length to align with my road trip. Frida Kahlo is someone I wasn't familiar with beyond her face, but boy can you learn a lot. It's not a biography, but more a celebration of her and her way of facing life, despite every trial she was handed. I appreciated the layout, but sometimes it felt a little odd on audio. It also felt a bit redundant like I'd hear the same story over and over, but that could very well be due to the audio formatting. I enjoyed it though, especially because I didn't know much about her before this.

I really enjoyed the book and learned so much about Frida. I'm not sure I'd even heard of Frida before this book. Although for me it was interesting because it was new information, it became very repetitive quickly. If your very familiar with Frida you may find the book less interesting. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! What a fun, feminist book at this iconic woman. I loved Arianna's voice and how she interpreted the art and life of Frida Kahlo. It's great for those who know about Frida, and those who are just wanting to learn more!

This book revolutionized the way that I think about expressing myself and standing up for the things and people I love. The author’s approachable language, and her choice to included her writing process, made the book feel very personable, like listening to an old friend. I loved this self help book / approachable biography of Frida Kahlo! Divided into ten sections covering topics such as Love, Sex, Friendship, and Heartbreak. As an audiobook, I found this book to be a bit repetitive, and covering the same events repeatedly across its different sections.

“We all have the power to be the authors of our own stories.”

A charming brief history of Frida Kahlo with a self-help twist.

Prior to listening to this audiobook, my only exposure to the legendary artist, Frida Kahlo, was watching her 2002 bio pic for my high school Spanish class. While it’s been quite some time since I saw the film, I distinctly remember being left in awe of Frida and her artwork by the time the movie credits rolled. After listening to this audiobook, the awe that I had once felt for Frida many years ago, was both reaffirmed and pushed to new heights.

For me, what makes this work so special is Davis recounting Frida’s life while also interweaving lessons one can take away from Frida and her legacy. Davis manages to break down the history of Frida into bite sized sections that are then concluded with helpful timelines, applicable quotes and a lesson for that section. I absolutely loved this format and found it made the book’s content extremely accessible. Additionally, the lessons that Davis is able to derive from Frida’s legacy, are succinct and stirring. Hearing about Frida’s life and then the resulting pearls of wisdom, definitely inspired me to want to live my life a little more boldly.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed What Would Frida Do. It was a quick listen that was both informative and enlightening. The narrator, Marisa Blake, also did a wonderful job with her narration. Her reading of the text had a nice flow and she managed to artfully use Davis’ words to vividly bring both Frida and her artwork, to life.

My only complaint about this book was some parts coming off as repetitive and redundant due to certain facts being repeated more than once, on several different occasions.

Read/Listen if you’re a fan of Frida or if you wish to learn how to live more boldly and colorfully from the woman who “made life her canvas.”

A big thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy of this audiobook!

What Would Frida Do? is a biography of Frida Kahlo accompanied by some self-help framework. The book details Frida's life, mostly her time married to Diego Rivera.

This book provided a strong introduction to Frida Kahlo for readers who did not know much about her prior to reading. I liked Arianna Davis' voice and obvious admiration the author holds for Kahlo.

I'm not sure I would classify this as self-help because it felt like more of a biography with a few pieces of advice peppered on at the end. The biographical parts were good, but I would have enjoyed more emphasis on the art pieces, I felt that this was a strange because there was so much to be explored there.

If this was a biography, I would rate this higher. But I think the self-help component took away a bit from the retelling of Kahlo's story. It felt a bit too strange to wrap up the artist's extremely complex and beautiful life in a kind of capitalistic way.

I didn't really like the implication that Kahlo wasn't as "strong as we thought" because she stayed with Rivera after his affairs. There was a lot of the author's opinions throughout the book that I didn't feel related to anything self-help. I would have liked this more if it were a general self-help, but it didn't feel really pertinent to Kahlo's story.

The author acknowledges the challenge of trying to capture Kahlo appropriately in the beginning of this book, and I think this shows an understanding of the issue of portraying Kahlo in the self-help genre. It was a strong intro for people new to Frida and her work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What would Frida Kahlo do? I have been finding myself asking that question often since listening to this audiobook. Frida Kahlo emanates confidence and creativity. She was and is truly an inspiration in so many areas of life from her art, to overcoming numerous physical challenges, her boldness and beyond. This book is a nice blend of history, biography and self-help. 

This audiobook is beautifully narrated by Marisa Blake. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with little knowledge of Frida and her life. I felt like this was a good wrap up of her life and the key things that people would talk about in history. The author recited many quotes, described Fridas love, work, and family life and mixed it in nicely with some self help ideas. This is book truly encourages feminism and being a strong woman in a society that has unhealthy expectations for women. While this was a good read, it was just okay in the sense that I would want to re read it or recomend it to someone else. If you would like the cliff notes on Frida's life then this might be the book for you.

thank you Netgalley for an advanced listening copy of WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO, and thank you Book Riot for recommending it to me in a quiz! WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO offers everything that I look for in a book: it’s personal, historical, & bingeable. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist married to another Mexican artist Diego Rivera. she was iconic, original, & passionate. WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO is an intentional hagiography, claiming that Frida was fabulous & that readers should continue to explore & emulate her legacy. notable quotation: “turn what sets you apart into your signature.” practical advice: choose specific styles that fit you & use them as a canvas to curate a creative presentation of self.

This book was so fun. I really loved learning more about Frida’s life, and the author does an amazing job of bringing the reader along on her own journey of discovery and love for Frida’s unique intensity. My only complaint is that some of the facts felt pretty repetitive, but I do get why she brought them up in each context. I wasn’t expecting true “what would Frida do” advice, but loved that the author went through not just Frida’s good decisions, but also her questionable ones, to come up with Frida’s answers for modern questions. Highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about Frida Kahlo!

I found this biography of Frida Kahlo very interesting and engaging. While I enjoyed the audiobook, I found the self-help portions at the end of each chapter to be a little over-reaching for me. Knowing the popularity of Frida in pop culture today, I think this will resonate with a lot of people even if not with me.
I'd also note that reading about Frida without visuals misses half the goodness, even if you know her work, so I recommend the print or e-book of this for sure (or look up the paintings online while the author discussed them).

This would be a great gift for friends.

I thought this was an interesting introduction to Frida Kahlo's life framed by lessons we can learn from her life today. I really enjoyed the details I learned about her life, and did find inspiration from her life to make small changes in my own.

I thought the narrator did a wonderful job giving voice to Frida and Diego, and I thought the descriptions of the paintings were very good at evoking the feelings through audio.

I’ve always been a Frida Kahlo fan. I’ve been interested in her since I studied her work in both art and Spanish courses in high school. She’s always been a trailblazer that I’ve loved for her unapologetic authenticity.

Thoughts about this book:

Things I love: This book has tons of lesser known stories and excerpts from her personal correspondence. In some ways my appreciation for Frida grew after reading this and in other ways this brought her back down to earth from the pillar she’s been placed on. This book provides a lovely perspective on how to truly live during difficult times. The cover! I know it’s superficial but the cover is joyful and just makes me happy.

A few things I didn’t love: I enjoyed the lighthearted biographical nature of this book but I do think others may be disappointed that it’s less of a guide than the title would hint at. Many of the stories and historical facts are repeated multiple times and become annoying with each retelling.

Note: This is my first ARC (advanced reading copy) thank you very much to the publisher for sharing the audiobook with me in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Recommended for: Anyone feeling limited by their personal circumstances (illness, heartbreak, etc.). Frida Kahlo was an exceptionally resilient woman and could be a source of inspiration for anyone going through challenging times.

I received a free audio copy of this book from NetGalley.

The only reason this didn't receive a 5/5 star is because I wasn't very fond of the repetition of Frida's life, based on the format of the book. It is broken into different sections rather than the timeline of her life. The information was wonderful, though. I loved learning more about Frida Kahlo's life and grew a deeper respect for her. It also made me reflect on my own life and think of ways that I could adapt her mindset in a lot of ways.

It's a very interesting read. I recommend it!

Part biography, part personal development, this book shares the life of legendary artist and icon Frida Kahlo while drawing from her fierceness to inspire readers to emulate Frida’s bold and fearless spirit. Each chapter was filled with interesting facts about Frida’s life, details about her art, quotes from her, and practical advice about how to live as authentically as she did. I have to admit although I know who Frida is and some of her art, I didn’t know a lot about her life going into this book. I was able to learn more about her and how incredible she really was and I loved the advice on how I could live like Frida myself. People who know more about her might not learn as much, but for a Frida beginner like me, this was a great starting point. Listening to it, I felt like I was listening to a friend talking, which made for a great listen!

Read if: you love learning about badass women, you want to learn more about Frida, and/or you’re looking for some inspiration.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for this advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review.

As an art teacher and big fan of Frida Kahlo not only as an artist but as a person. I was very excited to read this book. Through this book, we learned what Frida would do when presented with specific challenges based on how she lived her life. Frida lived her short life to the fullest even when presented with serious health concerns and traumas. The book was a little repetitive, a lot of the stories were repeated multiple times throughout the book. #netgalley

Date reviewed: January 13th, 2021
Pub Date: January 5th, 2021

What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly is a beautiful mix of biography and self help. With chapters broken up by theme, (love, heartbreak etc.) there is a little something for everyone. Though the words and actions of Frida, we are shown what rising above, strength in the most difficult times and loving without bounds looks like. Living boldly is a choice, and if we channel our inner Frida, we can do just that.

Throughout What Would Frida Do? I was able to hear her voice. Not only were there suggestions of doable things we could do to live boldly, but her voice in the form of quotes was throughout. The descriptions of her work was so vivid and I was googling many of her paintings to understand her better. I did not know that I NEEDED to know about Frida. She is so strong and is a great role model. I listened to an audiobook, but I will be purchasing the hard copy of this book for myself and the women close to me!

#dreamscapemedia #NetGalley

What Would Frida Do is a contemporary combination of self-help and biography. While Davis does go into detail about the life and works of Kahlo, she also shares personal insight and interpretations of certain periods from the artist's life and shares what important lessons she believes can be learned from Frida Kahlo. 

I would describe the tone of this book as conversational. The audio version certainly helps add to the writing as it isn't a typical biography. Instead, What Would Frida Do comes across like a friend eagerly sharing information with you about something new that they discovered or something that they love. The author’s passion about Frida and the idea that Frida helped her with her own self-discovery is very evident.

I personally like the blend of self-help and biography. It was new and interesting and the style of the book lent itself as more of an open dialogue, leaving room for personal opinion. I have seen some reviews state that they disagreed with what they perceived as criticism of Frida for staying with her husband throughout their rocky relationship and the representation of Frida as an imperfect person but I believe it is okay to just disagree a little bit with someone's personal opinions, even authors. Since the book feels like a discussion, I feel it is normal for perceived and very real "flaws" of such a lively and complex person to come up, just they would during any drawn out conversation about an artist and an honest review of their life.  My main criticism lies within the repetitive nature of the book. I wouldn’t have had a problem with a quote being reused or an idea being reintroduced multiple times if it was a technique used sparingly; however, there were many times that I felt that information was regurgitated in the following chapters twice or even three times.

I, like many, find the life of Frida Kahlo fascinating and enjoyed getting to see someone else’s perspective on it. I also loved seeing how the author believed that moments from Frida’s life could be used as inspiration for all. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review an ARC copy of this audiobook.

What a confusing time to read books! Only those which completely capture me will do, and this one did just that.

It seems like Frida simply is, just as Blue Dog simply is (don’t mistake this for a comparison of Frida to Blue Dog, no, no, no. But the images, one of self-portrait and the other of a blue dog, are proliferate in our culture due to the painter’s singular concentration on their subjects). Other than watching the Frida movie and knowing the icon, I didn’t know much about Frida. This book has seriously broadened my horizon’s but in such a fun, palatable way. Normally when I read non-fiction I take it in small bursts but WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO captured me and kept me coming back for more, even in a time of such turmoil here in the US.

The book is divided into 10 sections dedicated to subjects, such as creativity, style, and sex. Throughout the sections Frida quotes are amplified. There are also timelines and then a wrap up called “What would Frida do . . . .”

The book is creatively inspiring as well as full of strong woman tips. Perhaps this is why I kept coming back to it over and over. Easy to digest, engaging, and strengthening, WHAT WOULD FRIDA DO has earned a keeper spot in my heart. Creatives and woke women will love this offering.

Narrated by Marisa Blake “What would Frida Do?: A Guide to Living Boldly by Ariana Davis” was a pleasure to listen to as Davis's appreciation for Frida Khalo explored salient aspects of the artist's life and was explored in this brief yet full memoir. She describes herself first as an admirer of Khalo and explores the relationship the artist has had with her devotees or “Friduchas” as she referred to her students. The contents of this book were separated by chapters adding to key elements found in Khalo’s brief yet full life. The narration by Blake added pathos to this engaging tale of heartbreak, love, creativity, and identity. This memoir gives its reader the inspiration to look to other memos and biographies of Khalo adding to the memorizing effect felt after reading Davis’ guide to living like Frida did boldly and full of life. On Goodreads, I give this book five out of five stars and accompanied the audiobook five out of five stars. I highly recommend it. I’d like to thank Netgalley and Dreamscape media for a review copy of its audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’m at about 4.5 stars from this but that doesn’t take away from how much I loved this book!

The reason why I went with 4.5 was because I felt the first 30% of the book was a bit repetitive. It also felt like a very long introduction.

Once I passed that I flew through this book. Loved the narration for this book as it was easy to follow while working on my crafts!

As of last year I read a book on Frida’s life but really preferred this one. I thought this book was very informative and enjoyed how the book used references such as her diary. This made it all that more personable.

I really enjoyed the format of this as well. Each section started with its own “What would Frida Do?” on day to day problems and gave examples as to how Frida dealt with these issues. Each chapter seemed to end with some popular Frida quotes which I greatly enjoyed.

Kuddos all around. I loved. (:

I knew nothing about Frida aside from seeing some of her art in a museum and seeing her face on all types of merch. The authors adoration and passion for Frida makes this a lovely happy read that I would recommend if you are in need of a feel-good book.

Author Arianna Davis takes inspiration from the life of Frida Kahlo to guide readers (and in this case listeners), through life. Frida Kahlo lived life to the fullest, even while dealing with severe medical and relationship problems.  Kahlo is today a feminist icon with a signature style, but during her time she was not considered to be commercially successful. However, her style, boldness, and her outspoken nature showed a desire to overcome and live a life by her rules.  Davis uses personal stories of her inspiration from Kahlo, as well as many references to the icon's art and life, to encourage listeners to live their life to the fullest. The audiobook is cheerfully delivered by narrator Marisa Blake, and works as a great distraction during a workout, a commute, or doing the day to day work that builds up our lives.

What Would Frida Do is available in print and audiobook now.