Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After

if only i’d read this book when i was a child or teenager who was autistic but just didn’t know it yet because of the stupid stereotypical ableist portrayal of autism in the media - usually as highly unempathetic straight white men who have special interests in science, maths and trains (a bit of a generalisation, but the media portrayal of autism still has a long way to go).

chloé hayden is so welcoming, accepting and calming and her writing is exactly the same with the addition of humour. this book is both informative from a general perspective and individual perspective with UP TO DATE statistics and information written from an autistic/ADHD perspective, by an autistic/ADHD author and it isn’t often you find something like that. there were so many parts in this that i could relate to and made me feel so seen and heard.

this book really puts the idea out that whatever you’re into, whoever you are, whatever your story is, you matter just as much as anyone else and you are loved just as much as anyone else and any unique parts of your identity (i.e., seemingly “obscure” interests, etc) are nothing to be ashamed of and nothing short of something that makes you human and that is beautiful.

i love you chloé.

Content Warnings

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This is a wonderfully written book that celebrates neurodiversity. Chloé Hayden does an excellent job at explaining how neurodivergent, and disabled people in general, need accessibility and a supportive community in order to thrive. Some of the information is not new to me, such as the fact that "Asperger's syndrome" is outdated and problematic, as well as how functioning labels are not helpful at all. The Disney references didn't me interest me that much, but that is Chloé Hayden's special interest, so it's fine that she mentions her favorite Disney films. When it comes to the subject of neurodivergence, books (and any kind of media) written by neurodivergent people will always be more important and accurate than anything written by neurotypical/allistic "experts."

Content Warnings

6tabsopen's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

alex1's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

amiiliy's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective

3.5

Content Warnings

wheelyautistic's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I have never read a book that has felt like me ever and I think this is a must read for anyone whether autistic or not. Chloe's raw emotions and stories really help me to empathise with them and with myself

Content Warnings

swanny_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

This is one of the first books I've read about neurodiversity from a neurodiverse person.

I'm on my own journey, and I appreciated reading a story that echoed feelings I had growing up and experiences that I still have today.

I found occasionally it repeated something that had been said, but that's not a bad thing just an observation.

This is another tool that can help me on my own self discovery, and I hope will help me feel better that I'm 33 trying to figure this out.

I've listed some triggers in the list, but those triggers are labelled in the book as well.

Content Warnings

mothreadsbookssometimes's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

This was a good book. It was nice to read a book about autism by an autistic author. I didn’t really learn a lot, but it was good to learn about other people’s experiences.
I liked the content warnings (though I do wish there had been a warning for the discussions of bullying) and the markers of exactly where the triggering content was. I thought that was incredibly helpful. I liked the combination of memoir, self-help, and information about autism. It was well-balanced, which I feel like most nonfiction books of that type struggle to pull off.
I’m docking half a point because I wish Hayden would’ve done more with the Disney movie analogies (you can’t lead the book by saying you’re going to connect everything to three Disney movies and then reference ten movies, and only a few times in the entire book). And, good god, the fucking grammar. I don’t care about UK/Australian spellings, but use the goddamn Oxford comma!!! And there were a lot of sentences that didn’t quite make sense, or redundant paragraphs that could’ve been removed.
I’m also just a little bummed because I didn’t find it super helpful. I think that if I’d read this when I was first learning about being autistic, it would’ve been great, but now I’m at a place where I accept myself so I didn’t really need most of what Hayden was saying.

Content Warnings

More...