There are some books that you can read and feel like you can relate to parts of the story or the characters - there are others that are shockingly so similar to your life experiences and thoughts that you have to close the book and take a deep breath when you realize you can’t hide from those thoughts you buried for years because they are right in front of you and someone else had them too.

I am so appreciative of this book and of Siobhan for telling her story. I loved every part of it, even when it made me feel sad. There were parts of her story that really had me thinking back to my childhood and growing up and she quite beautifully crystallized highlights of various eras in terms of fashion and whatever other fad there was. It’s impressive and beautiful, what she did.

I loved the message of this one, but it dragged on a bit too much in some areas to the point it disrupted the pacing and flow of the story. This could've been 60 pages shorter and gotten the exact same point across.

wow... just.. wow. I have no words for how healing and honest this graphic novel is, probably in my top 5 books I've read this year so far. Read it, read it, read it!

Trigger warnings for depictions of depression, smoking, drugs, alcohol/alcoholism, self harm and body image issues such as body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

This was my first experience reading a graphic memoir and I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself heavily relating to a lot of the experiences Siobhan went through because they mirrored my own experiences growing up, as well as many of the other issues that me and my fellow millennials can definitely relate to. At times I felt like some of the pages were extracted from my own childhood/teen diaries and because of this it made the book extremely relatable and just goes to show how no one is really immune to the pressures of society and growing up/finding yourself including body dysmorphia, sexism, mental health issues, etc. I found the graphic format enjoyable to read and I'm not sure it would have resonated the same way without the pictures. This book definitely makes me interested in trying other books in this format.

The style is very unique and fun! I commend the author on being vulnerable and honest through this memoir, but i do think this book dragged at some points and overall felt a little too long.

Siobhan Gallagher holds nothing back as she takes us on a tumultuous roller coaster of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Through unique, captivating graphics, Siobhan illustrates her struggles with different mental health conditions and attempts to find her purpose as a woman in today's judgmental, patriarchal society.

If you've ever felt lost or overwhelmed at any point in your life, this book is for you! Siobhan will make you feel comfortable and accepted as she teaches you a lesson or two about her years on this earth and the life lessons she's learned so far.

i am OBSESSED with this. i cannot say enough good things. it's relatable, it's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's heartwarming. it is everything we need in the world right now and it is everything every teenage girl (or teenage girl in her mid-twenties) needs to read.

this was extremely relatable. when the author was telling about her experiences from childhood to adulthood, from body dysmorphia to ED, from school to career, self doubt, creepy men, stalking girls you knew from school or from exes… I felt so seen. Siobhan is so open and raw and you can feel everything she has been going through. The art style is so fun and original, I especially loved the spreads with different decades and years of fashion. I am giving this a 5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

big thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a kick in the (figurative) nuts!!!

It's like reading a diary of every young child who doesn't get the love, selflove, support or encouragement they need.

I know about eating disorders and self harm.
I have seen it, felt it, been around it, lived with it...
Not just myself but people around me as well.

So this was a very confronting and comforting comic to read.
Because if our older selves could tell our younger selves about all the things we know now and all the (unnecessary) hardships we've gone through, our lives could have been lived so differently.

But it is what it is and you'll learn to live with the hand that was dealt to you and you'll make the best of it either way.

The author did a beautiful job addressing so many different topics about body image and the way we think of our bodies. I enjoyed the illustrations and the dialogue. Reading this book hit a little spot in my heart. We look at our bodies and judge every part of ourselves. I loved this story.

At it's core, it's a fine book. It just wasn't for me.
At this stage, I've already read numerous books - including graphic novels - that discuss the enormous pressure young women, who gre up in the 90's/00's, felt about their body. For that reason, I found the book boring and it didn't offer me anything that I haven't already seen/read/heard about a million times over.

The illustrations were lovely. I enjoyed the layout of the pages and how different they were from one another. There was, however, often a LOT of info packed into every page, which meant a slow reading pace. Again, not my style when reading graphic novels. I simply was the wrong audience for this book.

what an interesting memoir!
the drawings are nice and her life is, sadly, familiar to mine and I can relate personally.
it's a very raw, honest, graphic novel and I loved all the details, going through the eras with her, the chapters and just feeling like I know her in depth.
a great memoir for everyone that doesn't fit the beauty standards.

The visuals and illustrations were incredibly smart, colorful, and absolutely hilarious! It hit home a little more closely than I expected, but for that I'm grateful.

Reading this graphic novel memoir was so cathartic! The author Siobhan and I must be the same age since it seems like we both finished high school in 2007, so seeing her draw the fashions, have the same insecure thoughts, and go through similar instances of body image insecurity just shows that we might think we’re the only ones but we’re not. Still to this day we all have our insecurities and body image issues but it’s so hard when you’re a teenager especially and you think you’re the only one. I really love the art and colors and how the book digs deep. It really made me think about how focused we all are as a society about thinness and how we’ll be perfect one day once we’re thin and it’s not true. We’re all already perfect! Loved this book!

I received an ARC for "Full of Myself: A Graphic Memoir About Body Image." I found this graphic novel thoroughly enjoyable as it chronicles a woman's journey through the years, highlighting her struggles and triumphs. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a relatable narrative for the "average" female experience.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for a free and honest review.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it follows Siobhan as she grows up from a child to an adult. You see how she developed body dysmorphia due to the content she was consuming and the culture around her. To finally realising that she is fine just the way she is. I found this book very relatable as at one time or another you may feel like people are living fabulous lives compared to yours (especially on social media) or that they don't have an insecurities. But this comic shows that we share similar experiences after all.

I would recommend this graphic novel to everyone as I feel the topics covered are pertinent and it may help someone struggling with body dysmorphia and feelings of isolation or being different. I also liked the drawings, which were quite nice.

very good. enjoyed the character’s love for herself and learning to appreciate herself and her body. showcased how women are always judged about their bodies

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

I can relate to Full of Myself to the point I swear Siobhán stole my diaries. The fact that she didn't make me feel like I wasn't alone in my body acceptance issues.

Like the warning says there are some triggering moments, but for me at least, it's because her story is so relatable

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!
The author illustrates her struggles with body image and diet culture throughout her life in this beautiful graphic novel, and I was absolutely obsessed, it felt like I was reading my own diary at times! I don’t think I’ve ever felt this seen in a graphic novel. It had so much humor and made me laugh a lot at times, but at other times it also had me feeling very sorry for the protagonist, myself, and every other person struggling with diet culture in our society. I think it’s a great read for anyone who wants to feel seen, or for anyone who wants to better understand some people’s struggles with these issues.

In this graphic memoir, Siobhán Gallagher takes on body image. We learn about her family, friendships and relationships, and tag along as she navigates her relationship with her body.

“It was clear to me as a kid that to be a woman was to be wrong no matter what, and there were so many ways to be wrong!”

Siobhán talks about pop culture and the messages she’s received about her body throughout her life.

“When you hear something enough, you internalise it. And I internalised the message, “I am not enough.””

As someone who has read fairly widely about disordered eating and body image, I didn’t come away with any new revelations. However, Siobhán’s story is relatable and definitely something younger me needed to hear.

Disordered eating is a serious topic but there were definitely some smiles along the way. And times where I felt called out.

Something I’m starting to notice more in memoirs is a focus on how difficult things were in the past, then a shift to how much things have improved. While I can empathise with the pain of the past and embrace cheerleader mode when I read about someone being healed/better/more fulfilled than they were, what I really want to know is how they got from A to B.

Most of us are living in the messy in between. We’re looking for signposts to follow or toolbox contents we can test out and adapt for ourselves. I would have loved to have spent more time learning how Siobhán went from disordered eating to acceptance.

I loved the Years in Fashion pages at the beginning of each section. A lot of these brought back fond memories and fashion crimes. I appreciated Schrödinger’s outfit and I’m considering adopting Purple Day Fridays.

Content warnings include body dysmorphia, disordered eating, fatphobic language, mental health, self harm and sexual harassment.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic memoir.