A review by cherylwav
Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After by Chloé Hayden

3.0

While I really enjoyed Chloé Hayden’s story I just couldn’t get over how all over the place “Different Not Less” felt to me. 

The book consists of autobiographical parts while it simultaneously tries to be a guide to autistic people. This doesn’t have to be a contradiction but in “Different Not Less” these two genres feel so isolated and don’t play well together. 

This is also reflected in the missing part of “neurodivergence”. The title and the word “neurodivergent” suggests that this book is about different conditions that fall under the umbrella term, but it is mainly about Hayden’s own experiences with her being autistic. Even though she mentions that she also has ADHD there is rarely any mention of other neurodivergencies and I feel like we’re washing away the meaning of the word Neurodivergence by over-using it instead of stating the exact condition we’re talking about (here: autism). 

(Neurodivergence also includes: OCD, BPD, Bipolar Disorder, CPTSD, Dyslexia, Dyspracia, Dyscalculia, Shizophrenia, Epilepsy, Tourettes and more)

Additionally I noticed that Hayden tries to use Disney fairytales as an analogy and stylistic device throughout the book but she’s not very consistent with it. 

I feel like this book is for other autistic people, whether you learn something new about (your) autism or just want to hear another story that might be similar to yours, “Different Not Less” is an interesting read, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it to my friends and family to be honest, because it’s just not coherent enough.