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Women Living Deliciously
In this bold, illustrated guide, bestselling author and podcaster Florence Given encourages women to rediscover their joy, reject toxic wellness culture, and redefine feminism for themselves.
Women Living Deliciously wants us to fall in love with our lives. It will help women uncover the sense of awe and wonder that has been buried by the layers of shame, perfectionism and self-objectification that get piled on us by the patriarchy. For too long we have internalized the belief that our bodies are things to be looked at—instead of lived in. That it’s embarrassing to fully express ourselves. That we cannot trust the parts of ourselves that are so full of desire.
This book will unpack the many barriers women face when trying to access joy so that they can discover the delicious life that’s theirs for the taking.
International-bestselling author Florence Given wants to restore your lust for life and your sense of agency, giving you the courage and permission to inch closer to the wildly expansive life that you FULLY deserve—not in the future, not when you’re perfect, not when you’re prettier—but right now.
Women Living Deliciously wants us to fall in love with our lives. It will help women uncover the sense of awe and wonder that has been buried by the layers of shame, perfectionism and self-objectification that get piled on us by the patriarchy. For too long we have internalized the belief that our bodies are things to be looked at—instead of lived in. That it’s embarrassing to fully express ourselves. That we cannot trust the parts of ourselves that are so full of desire.
This book will unpack the many barriers women face when trying to access joy so that they can discover the delicious life that’s theirs for the taking.
International-bestselling author Florence Given wants to restore your lust for life and your sense of agency, giving you the courage and permission to inch closer to the wildly expansive life that you FULLY deserve—not in the future, not when you’re perfect, not when you’re prettier—but right now.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 8, 2024
3035 people are currently reading
15882 people want to read
About the author
Florence Given
9 books1,563 followersFlorence Given is a London based artist and writer.
In 2018, she launched a petition to cancel Netflix's controversial fat-shaming series 'Insatiable', it gained over 300,000 signatures in a matter of days. The story became global news and she appeared on many news networks across the US and UK, as well as being interviewed for various publications including Huffington Post and Grazia.
A London-based artist and writer, Florence addresses social issues with unique and playful illustrations. She grew up in Plymouth and attended London College of Fashion. Boasting over 193k followers on Instagram, her work confronts oppressive attitudes towards women and their bodies, and she uses her platform to raise awareness of issues surrounding sexuality, consent, race and gender.
Florence designed the merchandise for Rita Ora's Girls Tour in May 2018, curated her first exhibition 'Girls Interrupted, and designed a limited-edition t-shirt for the fashion brand WEEKDAY. Alongside the tee (which featured the slogan "WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY"), the entire collection sold out in under an hour.
In 2018, she launched a petition to cancel Netflix's controversial fat-shaming series 'Insatiable', it gained over 300,000 signatures in a matter of days. The story became global news and she appeared on many news networks across the US and UK, as well as being interviewed for various publications including Huffington Post and Grazia.
A London-based artist and writer, Florence addresses social issues with unique and playful illustrations. She grew up in Plymouth and attended London College of Fashion. Boasting over 193k followers on Instagram, her work confronts oppressive attitudes towards women and their bodies, and she uses her platform to raise awareness of issues surrounding sexuality, consent, race and gender.
Florence designed the merchandise for Rita Ora's Girls Tour in May 2018, curated her first exhibition 'Girls Interrupted, and designed a limited-edition t-shirt for the fashion brand WEEKDAY. Alongside the tee (which featured the slogan "WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY"), the entire collection sold out in under an hour.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 603 reviews
October 29, 2024
Buckle up, babes, cause this might be a tad long!
I want to start by saying that overall, I think this is a pretty book with pretty details and an overall good/helpful message that I especially would have benefited from as a teen. Being in my mid-20s and a ~seasoned feminist,~ I didn’t find the topics covered in this book revolutionary and besides really liking the framing of certain concepts and the art, I didn’t quite gain anything new from it. There are some things I really liked, some things I didn’t love, and a couple things I *really* didn’t love… Let’s dive into it!
I’ll start with the positives. In the chapter titled “your rest is your responsibility,” I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of the public bench as a place of pause and using a public bench as an act of resistance in our “go go go” capitalistic world. I genuinely love the idea of the bench as resistance—something we come across so commonly in our day to day that we can turn into a little place of rest and joy if we allow it to is a beautiful thing. I also enjoyed the reference to Jenny Odell’s book, which brings up beautiful rose gardens being turned into bland, mass-produced condos and how sometimes things don’t need to be useful in a quantitative way (monetarily especially) in order to bring value to us. I also like to think of this as needing to be mindful of not replacing the beautiful parts of ourselves with boring, copy-pasted ideals/ways of being that we feel we need to adopt in order to fit in or be accepted or be happy. Later in the book, I think in the chapter about loving yourself, FG wrote something about not spending money when you can’t afford to go out *as an act of self-love.* This framing really clicked for me as an ADHDer with pretty impulsive spending habits. Of course, I *know* that I don’t need that thing I can’t stop thinking about, but *knowing that* doesn’t really help me not spend the money on the thing anyways… But framing NOT spending the money as an act of self-love is incredibly helpful and much more motivating than “well, I don’t NEED it...” which can easily become “well, fuck it, I want it and I deserve it!” I’m definitely going to turn this into some sort of affirmation for myself. I can also say that in the week I spent flipping through the pages of Women Living Deliciously, my awareness of the beautiful things around me has increased a bunch. Centering joy in my life is something I’ve been doing for a few years now but being reminded to do it even more never hurts, and the book itself truly is so stunning. FG’s art is what originally drew me to her on Instagram and I love that she integrates it into her books.
Now, for the things I didn’t like. Honestly, the book was *incredibly repetitive.* I think it could have been half as long and contained just as much information. There were paragraphs with multiple sentences that said the exact same thing, just in different words, or even paragraphs that said the same things as the last paragraph in different words (especially in the excavating section but this was an issue throughout the whole book). I felt like a lot of the topics were approached from a surface level perspective and not delved into very deeply, which is exactly how I felt about Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. While never explicitly stated, I didn’t love the lack of mentioning that while some people thrive by waking up early, it isn’t for everyone! It took me a long time to accept that I simply am not a morning person no matter how hard I’d try to be, and I would have liked to see it pointed out that some people do better with carving out me-time at night. The heavy emphasis on waking up early being (a part of) the solution to one’s problems feels very entrenched in capitalistic ideas of productivity *when it isn’t also acknowledged that there are other options that are just as great for different people.*
Now, I don’t know if this was only an issue in the North American version of the book, but there were many copy editing errors that were annoying to repeatedly encounter. Em dashes were replaced by underscores in almost half the instances in which they appeared. There were two occurrences of a reference to “page xx” and “page xxx” that looked exactly like that, where the page numbers weren’t added in but left as “xx/xxx.” The word “onto” was instead written as “on to” every time it was used. Yes, you might find it rich of me to point this out when there was a literal chapter in the book where FG discussed being accepting of the book being imperfect, but I’m pointing this out not to say “the book should be perfect and isn’t, you’re a terrible person” and more to say that it’s disappointing to spend $35 on a book that has a bunch of easily preventable copy editing errors. This is a publishing issue, not a FG issue. Also, I’m not sure if this was a problem with the North American prints as a whole, a batch of copies, or just my copy of the book, but 16 pages/two chapters were entirely missing! (If you have the US version, make sure you’re not missing pages 114-129, and if you are, contact the publisher for a new copy.)
Moving onto what I REALLY didn’t like… The chapter “the perfect feminist myth” (namely the second half of the chapter) really rubbed me the wrong way. If you follow FG on instagram and ascribe to a version of feminism that extends beyond the self and is built upon an intersectional framework, you’ve likely noticed that despite FG’s entire profitable brand being built on feminism, she never discusses ongoing feminist issues. Many people have expressed upset to her over this and honestly, this chapter felt like a direct response to that, and it felt like an absolute cop-out and a crappy excuse not to use her platform to discuss topics that *aren’t pretty.* Later in the book, in the chapter “I fucking love people,” she goes on a (IMO) passive aggressive rant about people expecting her to speak up on current issues and how they’re just projecting their own guilt onto her… What I actually think is happening here is that FG is trying to assuage her own guilt and failing to recognize that people aren’t projecting their guilt onto her, but expressing their disappointment that she’s profiting off of a version of feminism that doesn’t actually do anything for the people who need feminism the most. “Fucking loving people” and caring about them should extend beyond people privileged enough to buy this book. “Sharing the latest infographic about a crisis,” as she states on page 253 as being a performative act surely *can* be performative, but that just comes down to one’s intentions… She can think it’s being performative if it feels that way to her, but I think many other people, myself included, see it as showing one cares about humans going through terrible shit and has a desire to raise awareness about a given issue. And hey, don’t wanna share an infographic? Okay, then don’t… But maybe share fundraisers and mutual aid funds instead, which have a direct positive impact on people experiencing devastation that an infographic does not if your concern is performativism, instead of throwing your hands up in the air and insisting that anyone who asks you to use your platform to spread awareness is trying to take away your agency. To be clear, I’m not saying that feminism that discusses women focusing on joy and gratitude isn’t also essential, but that this type of feminism isn’t actually feminist if that’s all it consists of.
I think this book is great for people who don’t know how to put themselves first, who are constantly feeling like they’re not good enough, who don’t know how to identify the beauty around them, who rarely feel joy, and I’d say it’d be especially transformative for younger people/teenagers. If you’re someone who feels in control of your life and centres joy and gratitude in it already, I don’t think you’ll get very much beyond an unarguably gorgeous addition to your bookshelf.
I want to start by saying that overall, I think this is a pretty book with pretty details and an overall good/helpful message that I especially would have benefited from as a teen. Being in my mid-20s and a ~seasoned feminist,~ I didn’t find the topics covered in this book revolutionary and besides really liking the framing of certain concepts and the art, I didn’t quite gain anything new from it. There are some things I really liked, some things I didn’t love, and a couple things I *really* didn’t love… Let’s dive into it!
I’ll start with the positives. In the chapter titled “your rest is your responsibility,” I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of the public bench as a place of pause and using a public bench as an act of resistance in our “go go go” capitalistic world. I genuinely love the idea of the bench as resistance—something we come across so commonly in our day to day that we can turn into a little place of rest and joy if we allow it to is a beautiful thing. I also enjoyed the reference to Jenny Odell’s book, which brings up beautiful rose gardens being turned into bland, mass-produced condos and how sometimes things don’t need to be useful in a quantitative way (monetarily especially) in order to bring value to us. I also like to think of this as needing to be mindful of not replacing the beautiful parts of ourselves with boring, copy-pasted ideals/ways of being that we feel we need to adopt in order to fit in or be accepted or be happy. Later in the book, I think in the chapter about loving yourself, FG wrote something about not spending money when you can’t afford to go out *as an act of self-love.* This framing really clicked for me as an ADHDer with pretty impulsive spending habits. Of course, I *know* that I don’t need that thing I can’t stop thinking about, but *knowing that* doesn’t really help me not spend the money on the thing anyways… But framing NOT spending the money as an act of self-love is incredibly helpful and much more motivating than “well, I don’t NEED it...” which can easily become “well, fuck it, I want it and I deserve it!” I’m definitely going to turn this into some sort of affirmation for myself. I can also say that in the week I spent flipping through the pages of Women Living Deliciously, my awareness of the beautiful things around me has increased a bunch. Centering joy in my life is something I’ve been doing for a few years now but being reminded to do it even more never hurts, and the book itself truly is so stunning. FG’s art is what originally drew me to her on Instagram and I love that she integrates it into her books.
Now, for the things I didn’t like. Honestly, the book was *incredibly repetitive.* I think it could have been half as long and contained just as much information. There were paragraphs with multiple sentences that said the exact same thing, just in different words, or even paragraphs that said the same things as the last paragraph in different words (especially in the excavating section but this was an issue throughout the whole book). I felt like a lot of the topics were approached from a surface level perspective and not delved into very deeply, which is exactly how I felt about Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. While never explicitly stated, I didn’t love the lack of mentioning that while some people thrive by waking up early, it isn’t for everyone! It took me a long time to accept that I simply am not a morning person no matter how hard I’d try to be, and I would have liked to see it pointed out that some people do better with carving out me-time at night. The heavy emphasis on waking up early being (a part of) the solution to one’s problems feels very entrenched in capitalistic ideas of productivity *when it isn’t also acknowledged that there are other options that are just as great for different people.*
Now, I don’t know if this was only an issue in the North American version of the book, but there were many copy editing errors that were annoying to repeatedly encounter. Em dashes were replaced by underscores in almost half the instances in which they appeared. There were two occurrences of a reference to “page xx” and “page xxx” that looked exactly like that, where the page numbers weren’t added in but left as “xx/xxx.” The word “onto” was instead written as “on to” every time it was used. Yes, you might find it rich of me to point this out when there was a literal chapter in the book where FG discussed being accepting of the book being imperfect, but I’m pointing this out not to say “the book should be perfect and isn’t, you’re a terrible person” and more to say that it’s disappointing to spend $35 on a book that has a bunch of easily preventable copy editing errors. This is a publishing issue, not a FG issue. Also, I’m not sure if this was a problem with the North American prints as a whole, a batch of copies, or just my copy of the book, but 16 pages/two chapters were entirely missing! (If you have the US version, make sure you’re not missing pages 114-129, and if you are, contact the publisher for a new copy.)
Moving onto what I REALLY didn’t like… The chapter “the perfect feminist myth” (namely the second half of the chapter) really rubbed me the wrong way. If you follow FG on instagram and ascribe to a version of feminism that extends beyond the self and is built upon an intersectional framework, you’ve likely noticed that despite FG’s entire profitable brand being built on feminism, she never discusses ongoing feminist issues. Many people have expressed upset to her over this and honestly, this chapter felt like a direct response to that, and it felt like an absolute cop-out and a crappy excuse not to use her platform to discuss topics that *aren’t pretty.* Later in the book, in the chapter “I fucking love people,” she goes on a (IMO) passive aggressive rant about people expecting her to speak up on current issues and how they’re just projecting their own guilt onto her… What I actually think is happening here is that FG is trying to assuage her own guilt and failing to recognize that people aren’t projecting their guilt onto her, but expressing their disappointment that she’s profiting off of a version of feminism that doesn’t actually do anything for the people who need feminism the most. “Fucking loving people” and caring about them should extend beyond people privileged enough to buy this book. “Sharing the latest infographic about a crisis,” as she states on page 253 as being a performative act surely *can* be performative, but that just comes down to one’s intentions… She can think it’s being performative if it feels that way to her, but I think many other people, myself included, see it as showing one cares about humans going through terrible shit and has a desire to raise awareness about a given issue. And hey, don’t wanna share an infographic? Okay, then don’t… But maybe share fundraisers and mutual aid funds instead, which have a direct positive impact on people experiencing devastation that an infographic does not if your concern is performativism, instead of throwing your hands up in the air and insisting that anyone who asks you to use your platform to spread awareness is trying to take away your agency. To be clear, I’m not saying that feminism that discusses women focusing on joy and gratitude isn’t also essential, but that this type of feminism isn’t actually feminist if that’s all it consists of.
I think this book is great for people who don’t know how to put themselves first, who are constantly feeling like they’re not good enough, who don’t know how to identify the beauty around them, who rarely feel joy, and I’d say it’d be especially transformative for younger people/teenagers. If you’re someone who feels in control of your life and centres joy and gratitude in it already, I don’t think you’ll get very much beyond an unarguably gorgeous addition to your bookshelf.
September 10, 2024
This book is unapologetic, vibrant and a useful reminder that women should never be afraid to take up space and pursue their own happiness.
The tone is very direct and the messages as important as ever.
The tone is very direct and the messages as important as ever.
October 27, 2024
Yes, I 100% fell for the marketing strategies of this book - primarily the beautiful cover design.
Firstly, I want to point out that this book is not necessarily bad, it’s just probably not for me. Not all art is created for everyone but I do have a few thoughts.
I’ve followed Florence on Instagram for a while. She seems joyful and I think her pink hair and outfits are cool. I also agree with her mentality about making your space beautiful and visually pleasing, taking notice of things etc.
Do I think this book was well intentioned? Mostly likely, yes. Do I think this book was partly a money grab? Well, also yes.
As I was reading, the whole thing just felt a bit…empty. I remember when Women Don’t Owe You Pretty came out in 2020 (and there was some controversy about potentially imitating another author’s work). At the time, it was lauded as something groundbreaking and I, once again, fell for the 70s font of the book and general ‘vibe’.
I suppose a part of me was curious to see how Florence’s writing has evolved since then. It seems harsh to say this but…it hasn’t evolved at all really, which is a shame.
The book is quite trite and overly idiosyncratic for my personal taste. I’m aware that this book could really be of benefit to some people and help them feel empowered, but I just don’t feel I really got anything from it.
The book seems to me an example of excessively telling over showing. The same examples are repeated and some are questionable, like walking through Soho at night with headphones on to make the experience…cinematic…???
There is something radical about seeking joy in a volatile and sometimes hostile world—is it a distinctly feminist issue, I’m not sure. But at least at this time in my life, I’m seeking more depth.
Firstly, I want to point out that this book is not necessarily bad, it’s just probably not for me. Not all art is created for everyone but I do have a few thoughts.
I’ve followed Florence on Instagram for a while. She seems joyful and I think her pink hair and outfits are cool. I also agree with her mentality about making your space beautiful and visually pleasing, taking notice of things etc.
Do I think this book was well intentioned? Mostly likely, yes. Do I think this book was partly a money grab? Well, also yes.
As I was reading, the whole thing just felt a bit…empty. I remember when Women Don’t Owe You Pretty came out in 2020 (and there was some controversy about potentially imitating another author’s work). At the time, it was lauded as something groundbreaking and I, once again, fell for the 70s font of the book and general ‘vibe’.
I suppose a part of me was curious to see how Florence’s writing has evolved since then. It seems harsh to say this but…it hasn’t evolved at all really, which is a shame.
The book is quite trite and overly idiosyncratic for my personal taste. I’m aware that this book could really be of benefit to some people and help them feel empowered, but I just don’t feel I really got anything from it.
The book seems to me an example of excessively telling over showing. The same examples are repeated and some are questionable, like walking through Soho at night with headphones on to make the experience…cinematic…???
There is something radical about seeking joy in a volatile and sometimes hostile world—is it a distinctly feminist issue, I’m not sure. But at least at this time in my life, I’m seeking more depth.
December 9, 2024
Peak internalised misogyny, horribly written, not worth the read or the hype. I hope she’s living deliciously with my $26 tho 🤷♀️
October 20, 2024
Vor kurzem kam Überraschungspost vom KiWi-Verlag bei mir an: Women Living Deliciously von Florence Given. Ein feministisches Buch mit einem quietschbunten Cover, das wie in einem psychedelischen Hippietraum wirkt. Ein Buch, zu dem ich höchstwahrscheinlich im Laden nie gegriffen hätte. Reingelesen habe ich natürlich trotzdem. Stilistisch war es jetzt nicht unbedingt meins und ich bin auch der Meinung, dass ich nicht unbedingt die richtige Zielgruppe bin. Das klingt jetzt alles erstmal eher negativ. Doch nun kommt das große ABER: inhaltlich fand ich das Buch nämlich wirklich gut. Und ich habe mir tatsächlich etliche Stellen markiert, etwas, das ich sonst fast nie mache.
Florence Given zeigt auf, worin der Zusammenhang zwischen den Gedanken, den sich Frauen über ihren Körper und ihr Äußeres machen, und dem Patriarchat besteht: würden Frauen sich weniger den Kopf darüber zerbrechen, hätten sie viel mehr Energie, sich um anderes zu kümmern, könnten stärker mit Männern konkurrieren, was letztere zu unterdrücken versuchen. Sie berichtet von der Falle der Hyperunabhängigkeit, in die Frauen gerne tappen, und von weiteren Problemen.
Im Anschluss gibt sie Tipps dazu, wie Frauen sich lebendiger fühlen können, mehr nach ihren eigenen Regeln und Bedürfnissen leben können.
Einige dieser Dinge ergeben sich (zumindest bei mir) über die Zeit, weswegen ich mich nicht als hauptsächliche Zielgruppe sehe. Vieles davon hätte ich jedoch gerne früher gewusst bzw. verstanden, weshalb ich das Buch vor allem jüngeren Leserinnen empfehlen würde. Ich bin mir sicher, dass diese sehr viel aus ihm herausholen werden. Doch auch in meinem Alter (das klingt jetzt, als wäre ich uralt 😅), lassen sich noch viele neue Erkenntnisse aus dem Text ziehen.
Ich wünsche dem Buch sehr viele Leser*innen. Und auch wenn nicht jede von ihnen gleich eine radikale Veränderung durchmachen wird/muss, so werden sie definitiv ein paar Kleinigkeiten daraus mitnehmen, die das Leben erleichtern.
Florence Given zeigt auf, worin der Zusammenhang zwischen den Gedanken, den sich Frauen über ihren Körper und ihr Äußeres machen, und dem Patriarchat besteht: würden Frauen sich weniger den Kopf darüber zerbrechen, hätten sie viel mehr Energie, sich um anderes zu kümmern, könnten stärker mit Männern konkurrieren, was letztere zu unterdrücken versuchen. Sie berichtet von der Falle der Hyperunabhängigkeit, in die Frauen gerne tappen, und von weiteren Problemen.
Im Anschluss gibt sie Tipps dazu, wie Frauen sich lebendiger fühlen können, mehr nach ihren eigenen Regeln und Bedürfnissen leben können.
Einige dieser Dinge ergeben sich (zumindest bei mir) über die Zeit, weswegen ich mich nicht als hauptsächliche Zielgruppe sehe. Vieles davon hätte ich jedoch gerne früher gewusst bzw. verstanden, weshalb ich das Buch vor allem jüngeren Leserinnen empfehlen würde. Ich bin mir sicher, dass diese sehr viel aus ihm herausholen werden. Doch auch in meinem Alter (das klingt jetzt, als wäre ich uralt 😅), lassen sich noch viele neue Erkenntnisse aus dem Text ziehen.
Ich wünsche dem Buch sehr viele Leser*innen. Und auch wenn nicht jede von ihnen gleich eine radikale Veränderung durchmachen wird/muss, so werden sie definitiv ein paar Kleinigkeiten daraus mitnehmen, die das Leben erleichtern.
December 11, 2024
Couldn’t finish reading, awful writing. The author’s writing style resembles a young child trying to prove themselves by swearing constantly at weird times and using LOTS OF ALL CAPS and fucking exclamation points!!! It’s very focused on the aspects of the male gaze, to then turn around and say “and women shouldn’t care!!!” It actually made me feel more self conscious by talking about all the ways women can feel self conscious. This feels like something Andrew Tate or Jordan Peterson would write if they were femme, 0/5
October 12, 2024
I’ve loved Florence Given for years — she has this joyful tenacity and confidence that is so contagious. I’ve been looking forward to this book since she announced it, and it did not disappoint!! This book puts together everything she expressed online in her videos into one source — covering body confidence, finding joy, setting boundaries, saying no, loving yourself, and more.
“Loving ourselves isn't a goal, but an intention, a direction, a slow and sustainable lifelong commitment. It needs to be a process and not an accomplishment.”
Women Living Deliciously feels like a culmination of everything you could ever need to live your most vibrant life. It takes all the key elements of other self-help books and applies it to womanhood, and puts it into actionable steps to help create change. There are things I’ve been stuck on for years that finally made sense with the way Florence explained it. Moreover though, I felt inspired to actually make change, because it felt like a friend telling you what you needed to hear. It’s compassionate, expressive, and passionate. This is a book I believe every woman should read, especially women in their 20s and 30s. I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it releases to keep on my shelf and read over and over again. Florence really makes you want to live a delicious life.
“Audacity is contagious and I hope some of mine rubs off on you.” — Florence Given, Women Living Deliciously
Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Simon Element, and Florence Given for the eArc!
“Loving ourselves isn't a goal, but an intention, a direction, a slow and sustainable lifelong commitment. It needs to be a process and not an accomplishment.”
Women Living Deliciously feels like a culmination of everything you could ever need to live your most vibrant life. It takes all the key elements of other self-help books and applies it to womanhood, and puts it into actionable steps to help create change. There are things I’ve been stuck on for years that finally made sense with the way Florence explained it. Moreover though, I felt inspired to actually make change, because it felt like a friend telling you what you needed to hear. It’s compassionate, expressive, and passionate. This is a book I believe every woman should read, especially women in their 20s and 30s. I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it releases to keep on my shelf and read over and over again. Florence really makes you want to live a delicious life.
“Audacity is contagious and I hope some of mine rubs off on you.” — Florence Given, Women Living Deliciously
Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Simon Element, and Florence Given for the eArc!
September 24, 2024
To my fellow females, especially if you are just striking out in your twenties ...read this !
November 14, 2024
Look, I understand. For some those tips are really helpful. I think this book would have helped 12 year old me too, but my now 19 me just keeps thinking, no shit Sherlock.
October 28, 2024
I don’t really write reviews and I have crippling anxiety😌 ✨ but this book is honnesly life changing , so I have to write something ❤️
It did so much for my mental health and just my general journey as a woman. Bonus point : this book is STUNNING!🌈I love that the author put so much effort in the visual as well as the text. Reading this book is such an experience. I also got the audio version to listen at the gym or during walks. This is how much I loved it! I really felt like taking my time to reflect on each chapter. This book help me be more creative, positive and forgiving with others and myself. This is a must have for every women ❤️ especially, if you have been called too much, too loud or cringe.
Get outside babe. Put that leopard print coat that you hesitate to wear because people have made comments on it, go get that croissant, buy or rent that book( whatever you can afford) And start living deliciously. We all deserve it✨1000% recommend🙏🏽
It did so much for my mental health and just my general journey as a woman. Bonus point : this book is STUNNING!🌈I love that the author put so much effort in the visual as well as the text. Reading this book is such an experience. I also got the audio version to listen at the gym or during walks. This is how much I loved it! I really felt like taking my time to reflect on each chapter. This book help me be more creative, positive and forgiving with others and myself. This is a must have for every women ❤️ especially, if you have been called too much, too loud or cringe.
Get outside babe. Put that leopard print coat that you hesitate to wear because people have made comments on it, go get that croissant, buy or rent that book( whatever you can afford) And start living deliciously. We all deserve it✨1000% recommend🙏🏽
November 15, 2024
2,5/5 ⭐ I knew I was playing a dangerous game by buying a self-help book (one of my least favorite genres) by a content creator (granted, she's also an author). But I have been loving Florence Given's content about joy so I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt. And the result is... Well!
The positive, first: the book in itself is gorgeous. Lovely design and drawing. The messages are great too, and I think younger me would have liked it. And yet....
Despite all its cheerfulness, I've found this book quite repetitive, almost becoming boring. The points made here are basic, sometimes even vague. The writing is clunky, reads like an Insta reels lol. I couldn't help but think about other similar-ish books that have made a greatest impact on me, like How To Do Nothing on reclaiming your time, or Everything I Know About Love on surviving your twenties and finding joy in changes.
I was even wondering if this is truly a "feminist" book (which the marketing emphasizes) as it was lacking lots of concrete. Then I realized it's not my place to decide if something is "feminist" enough: it might be, but right now, I'm interested in different approaches, and deeper analysis. I almost feel like I already knew about and agree with 90% of the points made in this book.
I also had major issues with some of her arguments. First of all, no mention of privilege impacting joy, which is crazy when mentioning solo travels, buying yourself flowers, walking up early to go walk outside, etc.
And then, her criticism on feminism: I agree lots can be discussed, but saying things like "people share infographic posts on insta but are they holding the door for old people ?" (yes she says that) felt ?????? like, Florence, surely people can do both. And I say that as someone who is fed up with the outrage cycle on Instagram. But this is a highly complex subject and I felt she missed the mark completely.
The positive, first: the book in itself is gorgeous. Lovely design and drawing. The messages are great too, and I think younger me would have liked it. And yet....
Despite all its cheerfulness, I've found this book quite repetitive, almost becoming boring. The points made here are basic, sometimes even vague. The writing is clunky, reads like an Insta reels lol. I couldn't help but think about other similar-ish books that have made a greatest impact on me, like How To Do Nothing on reclaiming your time, or Everything I Know About Love on surviving your twenties and finding joy in changes.
I was even wondering if this is truly a "feminist" book (which the marketing emphasizes) as it was lacking lots of concrete. Then I realized it's not my place to decide if something is "feminist" enough: it might be, but right now, I'm interested in different approaches, and deeper analysis. I almost feel like I already knew about and agree with 90% of the points made in this book.
I also had major issues with some of her arguments. First of all, no mention of privilege impacting joy, which is crazy when mentioning solo travels, buying yourself flowers, walking up early to go walk outside, etc.
And then, her criticism on feminism: I agree lots can be discussed, but saying things like "people share infographic posts on insta but are they holding the door for old people ?" (yes she says that) felt ?????? like, Florence, surely people can do both. And I say that as someone who is fed up with the outrage cycle on Instagram. But this is a highly complex subject and I felt she missed the mark completely.
May 2, 2025
War in der Bewertung hin- und hergerissen. Der Anfang war für mich wirklich sehr ermüdend. Es ging um die Basics von Feminismus und Patriarchat – und das hat mich ehrlicherweise so gelangweilt, dass ich kurz davor war das Buch abzubrechen.
Aber danach nimmt das Buch von Florence Given so einen schönen Turn! Es beantwortet die Frage: wie kann ich im Patriarchat ein genussvolles Leben führen und Freude empfinden? Und das ist einfach ein sehr erfrischender und optimistischer Ansatz☺️
Aber danach nimmt das Buch von Florence Given so einen schönen Turn! Es beantwortet die Frage: wie kann ich im Patriarchat ein genussvolles Leben führen und Freude empfinden? Und das ist einfach ein sehr erfrischender und optimistischer Ansatz☺️
January 1, 2025
I had such high hopes for this book. I'd never heard of Florence Given or read her first book (although I got it at the same time as this and it's in the TBR pile...) The introduction sounded so great! And then those 3 pages were repeated 100 times with some pretty pictures.
TL;DR: "Have you tried mindfulness?"
It's a solid hardback book. It would make a great murder weapon with its spiky corners. Also good at propping up wonky tables.
TL;DR: "Have you tried mindfulness?"
It's a solid hardback book. It would make a great murder weapon with its spiky corners. Also good at propping up wonky tables.
October 19, 2024
This book is a piece of art in every way
January 3, 2025
Really! Quite! Boring! Made me want to live DISGUSTINGLY
January 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
This book was quite repetitive so I ended up having to read it in sections with several breaks in between. There were some chapters I really enjoyed especially around social media and life still happening even if it wasn’t witnessed or posted about. Overall some good insights into how to put yourself first and live authentically and was nice to be reading these themes at the end of 2024/ start of 2025.
This book was quite repetitive so I ended up having to read it in sections with several breaks in between. There were some chapters I really enjoyed especially around social media and life still happening even if it wasn’t witnessed or posted about. Overall some good insights into how to put yourself first and live authentically and was nice to be reading these themes at the end of 2024/ start of 2025.
January 17, 2025
DNF. Great marketing, repetitive and poorly written with no content AT ALL.
February 17, 2025
Wow where do I start?? This book was honestly amazing. Short and sweet but yet so much good info and advice!! I don’t usually do the non-fiction “self help” books but I love this author. This is the second book of hers that I’ve read and this if defs my fave.
This book was honestly a breathe of fresh air, I basically highlighted the whole book. It was also a major wakeup call to a lot of things in terms of living “deliciously” especially as a female in the world. I think everyone should read this. Recommending +++ omg
This book was honestly a breathe of fresh air, I basically highlighted the whole book. It was also a major wakeup call to a lot of things in terms of living “deliciously” especially as a female in the world. I think everyone should read this. Recommending +++ omg
June 25, 2025
«Ο κόσμος φτιάχτηκε κυρίως από άντρες. Ο τρόπος που μοιάζει ο κόσμος είναι κυρίως μια φυσική εκδήλωση του εσωτερικού κόσμου των αντρών. Δεν είναι υπερβολή να πούμε ότι οι ζωές μας είναι η εκδήλωση της φαντασίας των λευκών αντρών, από αιώνες πριν, και η δυσφορία που νιώθουμε σε αυτές οι πολλαπλασιάζεται όταν εισάγεις οποιοδήποτε επιπλέον περιθωριοποιημένο στοιχείο στη ζωή μιας γυναίκας. Ο κόσμος δεν φτιάχτηκε για εμάς!»
February 6, 2025
Very enjoyable indeed.
February 1, 2025
3,5 ⭐️
“This is what self-love is. It is loving yourself so much you never feel you have to settle for the scraps from others.”
“You were built for bigger things and you fucking know it.”
🥹🥹
“This is what self-love is. It is loving yourself so much you never feel you have to settle for the scraps from others.”
“You were built for bigger things and you fucking know it.”
🥹🥹
dnf
July 16, 2025DNF. Dripping with unacknowledged privilege.
October 16, 2024
Beautiful. Every woman will take away how to experience life living without just worrying about what we look like. The gift of your body is for you to be a part of the world, experience pleasure, and awe. Tomorrow is not promised.
January 9, 2025
I think a lot of people will hate this but I think she ate 🪩🤘
February 11, 2025
This could have been an essay.
February 16, 2025
I felt quite moved at the end of reading this. May the next adventure bring even more joy!
July 3, 2025
The message of this book is good but unoriginal. The first part of the book was the worst, probably because it was trying too hard to offer groundbreaking feminism whilst offering nothing new. It is basically describes what modern feminism has been fighting against for at least a two decades, i.e the fact that it doesn’t matter how women look, and the importance of embracing femininity/vulnerability instead of rejecting this and integrating with the patriarchy.
The middle was more interesting, less forced and more of a ‘life guide.’ The final part I again struggled with, mainly because it was also trying too hard to be groundbreaking when basically telling us to enjoy life/relish the small things/ savour solitude etc. none of which are particularly new ideas. I mean the author even advises stuff such as savouring the smell of freshly baked bread as if this is a unique thought.
I found the book very repetitive and ideas were rephrased constantly. It definitely could’ve been around 100 pages shorter. On top of this, the constant swearing and capitalisation clearly was meant to be empowering but to me it came across as childish and surface level. This would be a good book for anyone new to the feminist movement, but for me I found it lacked depth was pretty superficial.
The middle was more interesting, less forced and more of a ‘life guide.’ The final part I again struggled with, mainly because it was also trying too hard to be groundbreaking when basically telling us to enjoy life/relish the small things/ savour solitude etc. none of which are particularly new ideas. I mean the author even advises stuff such as savouring the smell of freshly baked bread as if this is a unique thought.
I found the book very repetitive and ideas were rephrased constantly. It definitely could’ve been around 100 pages shorter. On top of this, the constant swearing and capitalisation clearly was meant to be empowering but to me it came across as childish and surface level. This would be a good book for anyone new to the feminist movement, but for me I found it lacked depth was pretty superficial.
February 22, 2025
⭐️ 3.5 / 4? Idk?
Na 'Women don't owe you pretty' waren mijn verwachtingen van dit tweede boek hoooog! Ik had dus een soortgelijk feministisch boek verwacht maar dat was het eigenlijk niet echt? Het ging uiteindelijk veel meer om bewust leven, leven voor jezelf in plaats van voor anderen, en waardering vinden in kleine dingen. Zelf geluksmomenten creëren in plaats van wachten tot ze je overkomen!!
Ik moest even inkomen, kwam er niet altijd even makkelijk doorheen (soms veel herhaling) maar het heeft me uiteindelijk wel door de rollercoaster van emoties geholpen gedurende de chaotische start van 2025
"No longer the woman waiting to be chosen, but the woman that fucking chooses. And THAT is how you deserve to live the rest of your life" .. ik ga m'n best doen Florence x
Na 'Women don't owe you pretty' waren mijn verwachtingen van dit tweede boek hoooog! Ik had dus een soortgelijk feministisch boek verwacht maar dat was het eigenlijk niet echt? Het ging uiteindelijk veel meer om bewust leven, leven voor jezelf in plaats van voor anderen, en waardering vinden in kleine dingen. Zelf geluksmomenten creëren in plaats van wachten tot ze je overkomen!!
Ik moest even inkomen, kwam er niet altijd even makkelijk doorheen (soms veel herhaling) maar het heeft me uiteindelijk wel door de rollercoaster van emoties geholpen gedurende de chaotische start van 2025
"No longer the woman waiting to be chosen, but the woman that fucking chooses. And THAT is how you deserve to live the rest of your life" .. ik ga m'n best doen Florence x
January 6, 2025
Feeling positive, a good read to start the new year. 4.5 stars
July 28, 2025
DNF - I'm all for the use of a well-placed 'fuck' but it loses all fucking meaning when it's on every fucking page (lol)
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