In preparation for the newest season of Queer Eye, I was absolutely delighted to receive and start reading Tan France's book, as I absolutely adore him on the show. Not only did I get an insight into the production of Queer Eye itself, but I also felt that I learnt a lot surrounding South Asian culture, American culture from a British perspective and of course - style.

I liked a lot about this book, namely the fact that it began in Tan's humble British roots and worked it's way up to fame. It certainly felt like Tan's authentic voice and I liked the way that the chapters were divided too. The reminiscing was often broken up with style advice or generic life advice too which was nice. I think my favourite 'parts' were those concerning Queer Eye though! The audition process for the show was absolutely fascinating and it was so interesting to glimpse how they shoot each section, particularly Tan's.

I liked the writing style too, though I do have to say that I found the constant need to ask a rhetorical question, then follow it up with an answer a bit irritating. France did the whole 'Did I learn something? Yes. Did I enjoy learning that thing? No. Would I learn it again? Yes.' thing A LOT. But I totally read it in Tan France's voice which can only be a good thing I suppose.

Naturally Tan by Tan France is an entertaining and enlightening read. The book is brilliantly written.

Such a great book, I loved him from the TV series so it was great to find out more about his life. Would 100% recommend

Really enjoyed Tan's book and found it very easy to read. Interesting stories about growing up and the racism he suffered. I would have liked to hear how he came out to his family as he talks about so many other personal times, that this feels like a gap.
It was also really revealing learning about the interview process for Queer Eye, which I enjoy.
A good read.

Really fun book. Love the show and the book gives off the same feeling of fun and positivity! Really like the styling sections at the end of each chapter!

Disclaimer: I’m not a big fan of celebrity memoirs and it was probably daft of me to think that I’d like this one just because I love Queer Eye. If you enjoy them, there’s a good chance you’ll love this.

Gosh, I can’t even remember the last time I wrote a review that wasn’t excitable and glowing. Before I start on the criticism, there were elements of Naturally Tan that I loved. The chapters focused on growing up as part of a South Asian family in Yorkshire were eye opening, thought provoking and heartfelt. Unfortunately, beyond that point it just lacked substance and the jumps between anecdotes and fashion advice felt clumsy and awkward, like he’d been forced to squash in some of the nuggets of wisdom he’s become famous for, regardless of whether they fit.

I have to say that I caught myself rolling my eyes considerably at parts - never wear sweatpants around your partner (get out), never do this, don’t do that. A fair bit of it was aimed specifically at women which just got my back up.

It was an easy, speedy beach read and ideal if you love a celeb memoir but otherwise I wouldn’t really recommend it. I still think Tan is wonderful and Queer Eye is fantastic... there’s just much better, funnier and more entertaining non-fiction out there.

Thanks to @netgalley and @eburybooks for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable read and Tan comes across as a great guy. Queer Eye fans will obviously love it but even for those not familiar with the show, it's worth a read for Tan's take on growing up gay in a traditional South Asian Yorkshire family and to emphasise how important representation in our media is.

This book is exactly what you would expect from Tan, it's open, honest, chatty and endearing. Although this is a memoir the writing style means that it doesn't feel too lengthy. A really enjoyable read.

A warm, charming autobiography that gave an insight into Tan's background. From South Yorkshire's streets to world wide star, Tan shares his experiences of growing up. He talks candidly and with a dry humour, but also shares stories of racism and homophobia along with his design roots. A fabulous read that took my mind off being tattooed!

2.5

Love Tan on QE, but hated the way the book was written. Unfortunately this is often what happens when someone shoots to fame & the publishers come calling. Tan has a story to tell, and it’s an important one, however I just couldn’t get past the voice this book is written in ...that’s my gosh darned business’ and ‘ ...some real-real was about to go down’. Hurt my brain to read it, so not for me, sorry!

I was given an ARC of this book, and this is ny honest review.

I am a huge fan of Tan and Queer Eye.
Tan has a unique and peculiar style and I have been attracted by his personality, a great cocktail of Englishness and Asian background,since the first episode.

This memoir is very insightful and honest:Tan presents his life,from growing up in Yorkshire,UK to his current life in US with his husband and in the Netflix show.

I particularly appreciated the chaptersfocusing on Tan’s background and the difficulties related to his heritage and sexuality.Tan is bluntly honest,to the point of swearing but this has made me love him even more!

I found some parts/sentences a bit repetitive but overall I enjoyed the book.

It is great to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of a TV personality and understand the entire evolution of Tan.

having been a fan of Queer Eye for so long, I was curious about Tan’s brutish muslim background and this book gave an interesting insight to his upbringing, loved it!

Prior to reading this I had never heard or watched ‘Queer Eye’. I chose this book purely on the strength of the blurb.
This is a very open and honest memoir - it’s raw and Tan is a very well grounded and very down to earth individual.
This book with make you smile.
Great book.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

A really fun read for fans of Queer Eye!

Tan's familiar, truth-telling British tones come through loud and clear in this memoir. And it is predominantly memoir, with a few of Tan's top tips sprinkled throughout.

There was lots to learn about Tan's life before Queer Eye - from childhood, meeting his husband and setting up his own business that I haven't heard him discuss elsewhere. He also paints a good picture of his childhood for anyone who didn't grow up in the north of England in the 1980s and 1990s - providing context and reference for US readers when needed!

I did enjoy this book and you can tell it was written by Tan as it didn't flow easily. A little disjointed in places but that said it was lovely to learn a little about the man behind the series Queer Eye. It made me smile alot, the encounters he got up to as a teenager, and I felt for him for having to endure the racial slurs through his life. His fashion tips are always welcome. All in all a good read

I love Tan on QE and he certainly has had a fascinating life and career but I found this book difficult to get through. I wasn’t a fan of the conversational tone on the book and it felt like it could have done with more editing (pawn shops are definitely a ‘thing’ in the U.K., fact checkers). Tan is absolutely a trail blazer in the gay and South Asian communities and the best parts of the book are where he discusses this in detail. He had been given a platform and visibility to be all sides of himself completely, which he does, and that’s truly great. The second half of the book was more readable to me than the first. Possibly better to listen to the audiobook if there is one available.

Tan France is the incredible British Pakistani fashion designer from Queer Eye. Part of the #fab5 France has been thrust into the celebrity limelight almost overnight. This is his story how he found himself living in Salt Lake City married to his best friend and part of one of the largest feel good phenomenons of recent times.

This is a insightful memoir of the life of Tanweer Wasim, otherwise more commonly known as Tan France, as one of the Fab Five of Queer Eye, a hit show on Netflix. It takes an easy, casual conversational approach that makes this a comfortable immersive reading experience as we learn of Tan's past and how he ended up on the much loved TV show in a non-linear narrative peppered with his fashion tips and advice. What makes this a fascinating read is that he is South Asian, gay and muslim, from a traditional and conservative family background, with a challenging childhood of growing up in Doncaster, Yorkshire, facing bullying and racism. He comes across as warm and humorous, a real personality, a fashion designer who worked his way through a myriad of jobs prior to his audition for Queer Eye. He relates falling in love with his husband, Rob, from Salt Lake City, a Mormon cowboy, giving us an endearing account of their relationship.

There are aspects off his life that Tan chooses to be less than forthcoming about, but that is his right and does not detract from the authenticity of who he is and the life he has lived. This is an entertaining, often humorous and thought provoking memoir in which Tan comes across as so very human, touching on important issues such as the experience of being a muslim gay man in our contemporary world. There was much that I could relate to, and Tan is open about who he is, his anxieties, dishing out life lessons such as the importance of being true to who and what you are, an important tenet of Queer Eye, a show that he gives us behind the scenes information about. Many thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.

Reading this book is like having Tan in the room with you, chatting about his life. It's an interesting, funny and inspiring read. Tan is honest about his journey and lifts the lid on his experiences filming Queer Eye. There are also some nice styling tips included in each chapter.

Conversational, yet substantive this is interesting, and decently written.

Chronicling a life of a South Asian man who has many life experiences, and is still relatable in his fame.

It’s a shame biography isn’t a seller in our shop.