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livsliterarynook's review
5.0
Part memoir, part discussion on sex, shame, rejection, mental health and friendship. Grace Campbell dives in with vulgar splendour about drugs, sex, wanking and more. She is unashamedly sex positive and open about her experiences good and bad. This book is honest, hilariously funny and I think will be entirely relatable for many women. I don't think this book will appeal to all as in places it's quite crude, however it does have some really important messages and it's refreshingly honest.
What I loved about this book is that it 100% Grace Campbell in all of her glory, she refuses to be pigeon holed into a box of how women are expected to behave and what they are supposed to talk about. She adds trigger warnings and acknowledges her imperfections, faults and where she is still learning. She also interweaves her experiences with humour.
I found Grace's book entirely relatable in many places, as a child born in the mid-1990s I'm a year younger than Grace and have grown up at the same time as Grace which I think drives this connection. Whilst I can't relate to Grace's experiences with drugs (I'm very anti-drugs), there were parts that I felt echoed my own teenage and early-20s and the insecurities I harboured. Like Grace, and many other women, I had a complicated relationship with my body growing up and I fell foul to many social pressures. In many ways this book served as a validation that I wasn't alone in my teenage experiences and feelings.
Grace's discussions on sex and the bad aspects of sex, the shame women are forced to feel, the problems surrounding the lack of education, the lack of discussions surrounding consent, the impact of the internet on our generation, and the reality that rape comes in many forms are an important part of this book.
When she spoke about rape, there was one quote that really resonated;
In many of the books I have read on the topic of rape the issue that continues to come up is the lack of discussions we have about boundaries, consent and educating the youth of today.
Despite some of the serious discussions surrounding rape and mental health, the humour and outrageousness of Grace's personality shines through and I read so many parts out to my boyfriend as I laughed out loud. Her ancedotes about fanny farting about trips, about trips to the sexual health clinic as the in place were entirely hilarious.
There is a terrible cliché that women aren't funny or only women get female comedians which I simply abhor. This book for me is hilarious whilst still being a little bit poignant and makes me wish Grace Campbell were my friend.
What I loved about this book is that it 100% Grace Campbell in all of her glory, she refuses to be pigeon holed into a box of how women are expected to behave and what they are supposed to talk about. She adds trigger warnings and acknowledges her imperfections, faults and where she is still learning. She also interweaves her experiences with humour.
I found Grace's book entirely relatable in many places, as a child born in the mid-1990s I'm a year younger than Grace and have grown up at the same time as Grace which I think drives this connection. Whilst I can't relate to Grace's experiences with drugs (I'm very anti-drugs), there were parts that I felt echoed my own teenage and early-20s and the insecurities I harboured. Like Grace, and many other women, I had a complicated relationship with my body growing up and I fell foul to many social pressures. In many ways this book served as a validation that I wasn't alone in my teenage experiences and feelings.
Grace's discussions on sex and the bad aspects of sex, the shame women are forced to feel, the problems surrounding the lack of education, the lack of discussions surrounding consent, the impact of the internet on our generation, and the reality that rape comes in many forms are an important part of this book.
When she spoke about rape, there was one quote that really resonated;
"And to those people who have been through this: it's not your fault. As you and I know all too well, we have been the guinea pigs of a broken generation when it comes to sex."
In many of the books I have read on the topic of rape the issue that continues to come up is the lack of discussions we have about boundaries, consent and educating the youth of today.
Despite some of the serious discussions surrounding rape and mental health, the humour and outrageousness of Grace's personality shines through and I read so many parts out to my boyfriend as I laughed out loud. Her ancedotes about fanny farting about trips, about trips to the sexual health clinic as the in place were entirely hilarious.
There is a terrible cliché that women aren't funny or only women get female comedians which I simply abhor. This book for me is hilarious whilst still being a little bit poignant and makes me wish Grace Campbell were my friend.
abbie_davis_'s review
5.0
I absolutely am so glad I found this book! Like Grace says I think everyone should read it! It made me laugh so much as well as cry- it's fab wish it came out sooner
whatbritreads's review
5.0
*Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for review!*
Listen, I wasn’t planning on reading this book in a huge four-hour long stint, but I did. I literally couldn’t put it down I got so engrossed wow.
From the first page, you can get the feel of this book. It was instantly tongue in cheek and relatable, something that remains constant throughout. I really appreciated the honestly. It made me laugh, it made me say ‘omg me too!’ and it made me really appreciate the women in my life. This book was so much fun. There were also several sadder and darker anecdotes about Grace’s personal life, but she turned them into something to learn from and things she’d tell her younger self (or us, the readers).
It perfectly captured the mess that is growing up and trying to find yourself and fit in, a lot of rejection and jealously, and endless list of terrible decisions and making the same mistakes repeatedly. How sexist the world is, in particular her experiences in the world of tv/comedy and how men don’t take her seriously at all. It went over many things: sexual health/liberation, politics, body image, assault, mental health – the list goes on.
Will definitely be a non-fiction book I recommend for a long, long time. It was such a joy to read and definitely ultimately uplifting. Grace, you’re a gem.
Listen, I wasn’t planning on reading this book in a huge four-hour long stint, but I did. I literally couldn’t put it down I got so engrossed wow.
From the first page, you can get the feel of this book. It was instantly tongue in cheek and relatable, something that remains constant throughout. I really appreciated the honestly. It made me laugh, it made me say ‘omg me too!’ and it made me really appreciate the women in my life. This book was so much fun. There were also several sadder and darker anecdotes about Grace’s personal life, but she turned them into something to learn from and things she’d tell her younger self (or us, the readers).
It perfectly captured the mess that is growing up and trying to find yourself and fit in, a lot of rejection and jealously, and endless list of terrible decisions and making the same mistakes repeatedly. How sexist the world is, in particular her experiences in the world of tv/comedy and how men don’t take her seriously at all. It went over many things: sexual health/liberation, politics, body image, assault, mental health – the list goes on.
Will definitely be a non-fiction book I recommend for a long, long time. It was such a joy to read and definitely ultimately uplifting. Grace, you’re a gem.
jessmac99's review
5.0
Love love LOVED this book! Felt like I was chatting to a best pal all the way through it! A book-based reminder for women to build up women always
stephreads_'s review
2.0
A “bookstagram made me do it” purchase... unpopular opinion, I did not like this book!
leahvic95's review against another edition
5.0
A phenomenal read and really a must-read for everyone! Grace is so eloquent in her points and in her narrative. Her ability to meld such prominent and sometimes triggering or difficult subjects into palatable reading is outstanding yet continues to provoke thought. So many could learn so much by giving this book a read, I will definitely be recommending it to all of my friends! Plus the comedy and natural humour got me out of a reading slump I had somehow found myself in.