I was trying to explain to my husband one time why I love BTS so much (like SO SO much) and all I could come up with is “because it’s something that I do just for me.” He was asking from a place of genuine curiosity and wanting to connect with me, but I’m still not sure he fully understood because men seem to have no problem doing things just for themselves, whereas women only do things for themselves as a last resort or a revolutionary act (something Carvan expresses so well). This book made me feel so seen, in that it explains in excruciating detail what it’s like to be a fully-grown, professional, mature woman who deeply loves something that other people “don’t get” or think is stupid. It also really challenged me to examine more deeply how I think about and approach the things I love - do I allow shame to color them because I’m obsessed with looking mature and evolved and like I “have it all together?” Do I trivialize my own passions and interests because it’s easier to do it to yourself than allow yourself to be vulnerable and be devastated by someone else’s opinion? OOF, tough questions, but so worth thinking about when it comes to something as important as “what brings joy into your life?” 

Anyway, for something more like the unhinged reviews I usually write, I absolutely adored this book! I laughed! I cried! I thought deeply about life! I felt like Anne with an E - “How I love being a woman!” What a joy it is to stand up to the world that wants women to be sweet and conforming and uninteresting and say f*ck off, I love what I love. I love BTS and Dramione fanfic and this book!