Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
PAPER DOLL by Dylan Mulvaney đ
MY RATING: âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
This book was so sweet. Like many, I first saw Dylan on TikTok during the âDays of Girlhoodâ series and immediately adored what I knew of this woman. Something about her is so comforting, and her presence feels so authentic and relatable. This book was at times hilarious, and at times very emotional, and was written with so much care. As a trans man, a lot of the pieces about being trans, coming out, and dealing with other peopleâs perceptions of you was definitely relatable.
I listened to the audiobook, and Dylanâs voice and narration made this even better, and it felt very conversational.
As Dylan hoped it would, this book did make me believe that âsweet earnestness still exists.â
This book was so relatable in the happiest and hardest ways. Talking about trying to make your pee sound like itâs coming from different anatomy is so real. đđ¤Ł
Also is this not the cutest cover??? I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to hear this in Dylanâs voice.
Read this if you like:
- sweet humans
- theatre kids
- queer stories
Vibes: đđđ¤đş
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Dysphoria
lighthearted
medium-paced
Dylan makes me so happy in a world that is so tough right now. Iâm sure she felt so much pressure to make this book beautiful and it is. I know down the line I canât wait to see what else she writes. Itâs poignant and beautiful with the reflections of being incredibly young and in the spotlight. Sheâs on a great path and I think you canât ask for more than this beautiful book for now. Itâs worth a read to remember trans joy and the mixed bag that is of coming of age
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment
fast-paced
I'm not giving a star rating because I don't think this book was for me. Dylan has a lot of privilege to unpack, but she's also been through a lot of bull. She gets to tell her story her way, but it didn't resonate with me. Also deeply disturbed by her glossing over the adult men who took advantage of her as a child as if it was a normal thing. That part was genuinely upsetting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual assault
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Love this queen
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Because a journey of girlhood isnât just about afternoon tea, facials and fun. In this book TikTok sensation Dylan Mulvaney lets us in to the reality of her gender journey, from her fairy tuck mother, to her yearning for validation, to âBeergateâ, to the constant coming out again and again with strangers (divulge the bulge) to struggling with the pressure of representing a community. If you do follow Dylan on TikTok you may think you know everything but I feel she went above and beyond in spilling the tea. As she says she has had to hold back on TikTok as she felt she owed her fans everything. Being famous and being transgender is a one in a million and she thanks her lucky stars sheâs made it, but she knows how quickly it can be taken away.
I know this is a stretch to make it into my read Irish March, but with a surname like Mulvaney, (and a possible Irish father/grandfather) sheâs definitely one of our own and with the thread of Catholic guilt she is.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sphere Publishing for this copy. It came out on March 11th and I definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I spent the entire time reading this book saying âI love her so muchâ and it is true. Dylan is a bad bitch who is just a human. We see these videos of people constantly talking about how delusional trans women are and Dylan is one of the people who accidentally became the trans poster child but she is proof that trans women are women. Her account of BeerGate is so upsetting. Sitting on her porch smoking a cigarette and allowing the bad thoughts overload her. Being trans, you develop a thick skin and when you are in the public eye(I just finished a romance book about a celebrity) you are bombarded by negative press and people telling you to kill yourself. People donât see the person behind the screen. Dylan Mulvaney, I love you please donât ever change
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria
emotional
medium-paced
I received a copy of the audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for review.
I donât usually like leaving reviews on memoirs, especially if the review isnât a positive one. However, having an arc, I am obligated to. I will be deleting or reporting any gross transphobic comments, we donât do that here. Very happy for her in her journey.
Dylan is a trans woman who rose to fame over on Tiktok, I remember seeing many of her Days of Girlhood videos. I also remember seeing what she has dubbed in this memoir as âBeergateâ unfold, and several instances after this book stops narrating.
The memoir is formatted in two parts. Journal entries during the first year of videos, and essays after âBeergate.â This format is interesting, and I enjoyed it. It is narrated by the author. I do prefer memoirs narrated by the person theyâre about.
I wanted to enjoy this, and was looking forward to the behind the scenes look she was offering us, however, this was a bit of a let down.
There a several parts of this tale that frustrated me. The âwoowooâ things, in Dylanâs words, that include questionable health decisions she is encouraging people to make, and about three chapters about how great a drug trip was for her. Doing drugs and having a life coach isnât the replacement for therapy she seems to present it as, and it frustrates me that she presents it in such a positive light.
She uses terms for groups of people that, while she might be comfortable using them for herself, other people might find uncomfortable. It is possible she reached out to every trans woman she called a doll in this book, which is the primary example I can think of, and if so, I take it back, but its a similar criticism to that her song got, in the use of âBoy Toyâ and âtwink.â
The audio book features several instances where Dylan repeats herself, I donât know if it is written that way, but it is distracting and could use some edits.
There are also several weird instances where she acknowledges her privilege, but then talks about how great it is. For example she doesnât make reservations cause she hopes her smile is currency. It is a weird juxtaposition that gives it a fake tone. She jokes about serious issues, and the jokes fall flat. Describing something serious thatâs bad as âdukeyâ feels wrong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Transphobia, Alcohol