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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Finished reading: February 8th 2024
“All I can say is speak up; ask questions. Explain your concerns. It's the first step in feeling empowered to push forward with your own agenda. There is no reason to stifle yourself! Because as a wise man once told me: the best moments are the ones where you're you.”
I needed a memoir that explores queerness for the POPSUGAR challenge, and my mind immediately went to Naturally Tan. I enjoyed watching Tan France in the shows Queer Eye and Next In Fashion, and there is just something about his personality that made me want to know more. And I have to say that this memoir ended up being a huge success for me. What I loved about it is just how well Tan's voice shines through in the text, and it shows that Naturally Tan is all Tan and not a ghost writer. I could hear his voice as I read this memoir, and I can imagine the audio version being fantastic with him narrating the story. There are a lot of different topics and the chapters often jump between different moments in his life, but I personally didn't mind as they were mostly chronological. More serious elements including racism, xenophobia, homophobia, outing and suicidal thoughts are mentioned along the way, but there are also plenty of lighter moments to give this memoir balance. The writing style itself is really engaging, and it really helped me speed through this book. Definitely a great option if you like his personality and want to know more about his life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Hate crime, Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Violence, Outing, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Bullying
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Outing
kshertz's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
This was an interesting book. I enjoyed learning Tans backstory. He’s also very funny. It made me understand him even more. I love him more now for sure. His friendship with Anthony and his marriage were my favorite parts. If you love Queer Eye, you should listen to this audiobook. Tan reads it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Outing, and Racism
ladyflash's review against another edition
Tan is quite judgemental about anything that isn't 'his way' no hair color that's not god given, no being lazy at home with partner, always be ready to go out on the town. This is his life and that's fine, but telling others to follow his rules is not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Body shaming
ekmook's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Bullying, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts
mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Homophobia
Slut-shaming (minor)bookishandlegal's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
This book was hilarious! Like laugh out loud funny throughout! I’ve also really like Tan and he’s one of my favorite guys on Queer Eye so I was excited to read this book. The audio is narrated by Tan so I’d highly recommend listening!
I learned so much about Tan’s childhood in the UK and his relationship with his husband and journey to the US & onto queer eye. He breaks up a lot of the chapters with fashion and life tips/dos and don’t’s which I found really fun. I don’t agree with him on everything (especially fashion things, but mostly cause I’m not as fashionable) but he has a way of being very firm in his opinion but not making you feel combative or lesser for disagreeing with him.
This book is light and funny but also gets into some pretty deep topics. He talks pretty in depth about his depression and a period where he was suicidal and about 9/11 and the effects on him as a Pakistani male since. These were really well done and had a good mix of being real and very serious, while still making some jokes and bringing humor into it.
I loved all the chapters about Queer Eye and learning more about the process and the behind the scenes of the show. Antoni also made some surprise appearances in the audio which were amazing and another reason to listen to the audio!
Overall I really really enjoyed this memoir and would highly recommend!
I learned so much about Tan’s childhood in the UK and his relationship with his husband and journey to the US & onto queer eye. He breaks up a lot of the chapters with fashion and life tips/dos and don’t’s which I found really fun. I don’t agree with him on everything (especially fashion things, but mostly cause I’m not as fashionable) but he has a way of being very firm in his opinion but not making you feel combative or lesser for disagreeing with him.
This book is light and funny but also gets into some pretty deep topics. He talks pretty in depth about his depression and a period where he was suicidal and about 9/11 and the effects on him as a Pakistani male since. These were really well done and had a good mix of being real and very serious, while still making some jokes and bringing humor into it.
I loved all the chapters about Queer Eye and learning more about the process and the behind the scenes of the show. Antoni also made some surprise appearances in the audio which were amazing and another reason to listen to the audio!
Overall I really really enjoyed this memoir and would highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
calster's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia
zombie_giraffe's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
It's a great look behind the scenes of Tan France. In my mind this memoir was read in his voice that I know from watching #QueerEye and #nextinfashion . The writing style matches the way he speaks and captures his sassy-ness.
It is funny, it is light-hearted and sometimes touching. It is exactly what you expect it to be if you have watched Tan France on TV.
I don't really like some braggy parts and his sometimes very judgemental PSAs. Like the one about belts where he says "Just wear the right size pants, for goodness' sake". Bitch, my weight fluctuates about 3kg depending on my cycle and I am not going to have 10 pairs of pants. Get over it.
Other than that, I liked the book, because I like Tan and this memoir is very much on brand. I feel like I know him better after reading it and I absolutely love that his husband did the illustrations.
It is a great read for a lazy afternoon or a train ride, but it is not the kind of memoir you would be interested in if you are not already a fan of Tan. It is stories from his life told in a very enjoyable way - nothing more, nothing less.
It is funny, it is light-hearted and sometimes touching. It is exactly what you expect it to be if you have watched Tan France on TV.
I don't really like some braggy parts and his sometimes very judgemental PSAs. Like the one about belts where he says "Just wear the right size pants, for goodness' sake". Bitch, my weight fluctuates about 3kg depending on my cycle and I am not going to have 10 pairs of pants. Get over it.
Other than that, I liked the book, because I like Tan and this memoir is very much on brand. I feel like I know him better after reading it and I absolutely love that his husband did the illustrations.
It is a great read for a lazy afternoon or a train ride, but it is not the kind of memoir you would be interested in if you are not already a fan of Tan. It is stories from his life told in a very enjoyable way - nothing more, nothing less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia
louise010's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts