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roseisvibing 's review for:
Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer
by Dylan Mulvaney
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
started and finished 18/3/25.
i used to follow dylan mulvaney on tiktok in like 2020 (or whenever it was she started her Days of Girlhood series) when i had tiktok. i deleted tiktok in 2021 and kind of lost track of her after then, but from what i remember she was this lovely, bubbly, authentic personality. so i saw a copy of her book, thought it might be interesting, and decided to try reading it.
my main thought/criticism is just that Paper Doll *is* an "influencer book". like she says at the beginning of the book, she "writes how she speaks", so her writing style is very casual, peppy and bouncy (i don't have another way to describe it lol). which i don't hate, because it matches/represents her well, but it can come off as a little too bubbly in some of the serious moments. a lot of Paper Doll is about her "influencer" life, which isn't always easily relatable, and can seem pretty shallow at times. occasionally, when she mentions the name of the famous people she meets, it feels a little name-drop-y (like Tahani from The Good Place). although, I suppose, because she rose to internet-fame so quickly, that's what it felt like to her too- suddenly being thrust into the group of the really famous? idk.
i'm personally not into the "influencer memoir" aspect (a lot of influencer culture seems pretty shallow and "rich people-y", which Dylan doesn't manage to avoid), but overall i liked it, because it was interesting to see how things went behind-the-scenes and get an insight into who Dylan is. especially the section where she describes her ayahuasca trip- it was really interesting to learn about. overall, yeah. it isn't amazing or world-changingly good, but it is a fun, light-hearted read. and in the present political climate, where trans people are overtly being scapegoated, it's nice to have a positive trans voice being celebrated the way Dylan's is.
i used to follow dylan mulvaney on tiktok in like 2020 (or whenever it was she started her Days of Girlhood series) when i had tiktok. i deleted tiktok in 2021 and kind of lost track of her after then, but from what i remember she was this lovely, bubbly, authentic personality. so i saw a copy of her book, thought it might be interesting, and decided to try reading it.
my main thought/criticism is just that Paper Doll *is* an "influencer book". like she says at the beginning of the book, she "writes how she speaks", so her writing style is very casual, peppy and bouncy (i don't have another way to describe it lol). which i don't hate, because it matches/represents her well, but it can come off as a little too bubbly in some of the serious moments. a lot of Paper Doll is about her "influencer" life, which isn't always easily relatable, and can seem pretty shallow at times. occasionally, when she mentions the name of the famous people she meets, it feels a little name-drop-y (like Tahani from The Good Place). although, I suppose, because she rose to internet-fame so quickly, that's what it felt like to her too- suddenly being thrust into the group of the really famous? idk.
i'm personally not into the "influencer memoir" aspect (a lot of influencer culture seems pretty shallow and "rich people-y", which Dylan doesn't manage to avoid), but overall i liked it, because it was interesting to see how things went behind-the-scenes and get an insight into who Dylan is. especially the section where she describes her ayahuasca trip- it was really interesting to learn about. overall, yeah. it isn't amazing or world-changingly good, but it is a fun, light-hearted read. and in the present political climate, where trans people are overtly being scapegoated, it's nice to have a positive trans voice being celebrated the way Dylan's is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Stalking
Moderate: Vomit