Hilarious, insightful and ultimately optimistic - Fern's account of growing up with undiagnosed autism is brutal and inspiring in equal measure.

An absolutely brilliant memoir, would have been a great Women's Prize Non Fiction 1st winner. Can't understand why this wasn't longlisted.

One of the best memoirs have ever read...her experiences as a woman with unrecognised autism makes you laugh, cry and appreciate her bravery for putting this so searingly personal account into the world. A much needed inisight, to understand the lives of people with autism.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Wow, just wow. This was such a strong book, and one that really made you stop and think about things. It opened your eyes and I really liked having the time to both enjoy the book and truly think about what it was saying. It is such a gr at book to read and one a lot of readers need to be sure to get.

4.25 stars on StoryGraph/Goodreads

An absolutely superb memoir - the experiences of autistic women are great to see in literature and really needed.
“The public perception of autistics is so heavily based on the stereotype of men who love trains or science that many women miss out on diagnosis and thought of as studious instead…”

This was such a personal story and such a needed story. Very glad that I found it funny too at times, so wasn't too heavy. I did sometimes struggle to get back into reading the book, hence the rating, it didn't always flow for me.

I'm not too sure what I was expecting when I first picked up this book, but it's certainly wasn't what I expected.
For some reason, I had it in my head that this book was a non-fiction going in. I had no idea of the content and had not read anything about it including the bio, although I had seen it everywhere on booktok and bookstagram.
Within a few pages I was hooked.
This is a brutally honest memoir. It's so raw in places that it felt almost voyeuristic, and I doubted whether I should be privy to such personal information. However, the way Fern writes in so beautiful that the fear of being intrusive disappears, and instead you feel as though you are talking to an old friend over a cuppa.
A friend who has experienced such darkness that you want to give her a big hug even if she doesn't want one.
This book gave me not just an insight into autism, but also an insight into my own personal mental health struggles.
I have later come to learn that writing this book was incredibly stressful and triggering for fern, but I'm so glad from an entirely selfish point of view, that she did write this as I'm sure this book is going to help so many people.
I know it has definitely helped me.
Even though the subject matter is so personal and raw, this book is incredibly easy to read and I couldn't help picking it up outside of the recommended readalong pace and devouring it far quicker. To quote Lou Sanders she has a unique voice and even more unique story.'
I would highly recommend!!

An incredibly Insightful and moving memoir I completely understand the hype around this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in exchange for a review.

A refreshingly frank memoir, following Brady’s struggle to navigate a world as an undiagnosed autistic woman. A stark reminder that our medical system was created by and for men, meaning it took twenty years for a diagnosis after first raising her suspicions she was autistic to a doctor. I found this memoir to be well-paced and written with keen clarity, unlike so many memoirs which like to indulge in extensive naval gazing.
It is also written with a dry humour, unsurprising as Brady is a successful comic, the humour balances out some of the sadder aspects of the book. Importantly, I learned a lot about autism and how it can present differently in women and I think this book does an incredible job of raising awareness in a personal and often very funny way. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady is a bold and beautiful memoir, This nonfiction book is a personal and emotional journey charting the author’s experiences growing up before her late autistic diagnosis. Fern was told that she couldn’t be autistic because she could make eye contact and had many boyfriends. It was a sadly common misunderstanding of a complex spectrum disorder. This book is a frank and honest account which explores themes of class, mental health, sexism, social pressures, sexuality and coming of age. The writing is sharp, funny and engaging as the author explores how she tried to cope with seeing and experiencing the world differently. It is an informative and vital work which I think everyone should read to help understand and connect with someone with autism and the importance of self knowledge, diagnosis and maintaining hope. It deals with difficult topics with humour and heart and examines how misdiagnosis can cause unnecessary harm. A powerful, important read from a woman who writes with a compelling and raw voice 4 Stars ✨.

A down to earth and at times hilarious account of life with undiagnosed autism until later in life.
Fern is a comedian and brings such warmth and laughter to such a tender and heartbreaking topic. Her tale of life growing up in rural Scotland, where she felt she didn’t fit in and was frequently misunderstood is told with such sincere honesty it’s hard not to fall in love with her….. Heartbreaking, essential, life changing earthy book. I loved it. Every page .

This book is EVERYWHERE right now. And rightfully so. It achieves the trick all memoirs attempt - telling the specific story of the author in such a relatable way that it feels universal.

This is an especially impressive feat when the author is sharing experiences that are statistically non-universal such as being autistic; being misdiagnosed with the wrong mental health issues; being put out of her parents’ home in her late teens; funding university by stripping; becoming a successful journalist and stand-up comedian.

Don’t get me wrong - there are other people who go through each of the situations Fern Brady describes. But the mix of them together in their particular proportions contributes to make Brady who she is today.

Like all good writing, there is space for us readers to empathise and see glimpses of our own histories in this book - even those of us who are allitistic (not autistic).

My point of connection was in being clever and female in a Scottish state secondary school and working class in a university dominated by wealthy, privately educated students (lovely as individuals but culturally unintentionally oppressive as a group). I’m not autistic, so I guess the levels of alienation I experienced were different, and I don’t want to minimise her experience by comparing my own to it. I just mean to point out a strength in her writing - that there was space for me (and presumably other readers) to find points of connection even if we lack her diagnosis. And that, in turn, must help her self-advocacy and advocacy for those with autism forced to navigate our allitistic systems.

I’ve worked alongside many people with diagnoses of autism. Each is individual. I wish that this book had been around and I’d read it before my first professional library job. It wouldn’t have made me the perfect colleague for the lovely autistic man who taught me how to catalogue rare books, but I’d have been a bit less clueless.

Also, this is a book by a professional comedian. Despite the seriousness of the overarching theme, it’s FUNNY. Of course.

Exploring class, mental health, societal pressures and individual ambition, Strong Female Character is a candid and groundbreaking memoir of neurodiversity, sexism and defying expectations.

I was lucky enough to be invited to join the Blog Tour for this book. This book was one that I was very excited to read so I was thrilled to be included.

The book did not disappoint. It was everything I love in a memoir, thoughtful, candid and with a strong sense of self. Fern’s personality shines through when reading this and it is also laugh-out-loud funny, as you would hope for from a comedian.

I also really admired Fern’s honesty, even when it didn’t paint her or her family in the best light. This is eye opening about the reality of living with autism, particularly as a woman.

I would massively recommend this to everyone, and wish everyone would read it to help raise awareness.

I loved this book so much. Insightful, inspired, infuriating sometimes, too. I've watched Fern's comedy before and her style definitely shone through in Strong Female Character - but this was also so much more. I hope doctors, teachers and parents read this - it's a totally necessary read for all.

It's hard to review a memoir or autobiography, however, I will say that this was such an eye-opening read. Rarely do we get women with Autism represented in media, and never in such a brutally honest approach. Seeing all the situations Fern found herself in which may never have happened if those around her and doctors had taken her worries seriously is so heartbreaking. I can only thank Fern's confidence in sharing her journey before, and after her diagnosis!

I thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious and moving memoir of late diagnosed autism. Being able to relate and identify with so much of what Fern wrote has been hugely helpful (I only realised in my forties that I was probably autistic). It's a tough journey and this book is wonderful and a must read.

An important, brilliant read. Brady's writing is phenomenal and I can't wait to read anything else she publishes.

'Strong Female Character' is a powerful and hugely important account of Fern Brady's experiences of autism, culminating in her diagnosis when an adult and her career as a stand-up comedian. Often funny, often painful and always uncompromisingly honest, this book unpacks so many of the myths and stereotypes about female autism as Brady explains how she experiences the world.

Brady pulls no punches when describing the many ways that the world fails to accommodate autistic women in particular. I was especially struck by the role that unwritten rules play in many social interactions and how profoundly disorienting this can be. This is often compounded by social class, such as during Brady's time as a student at Edinburgh University or when starting out in the comedy scene where she describes being pigeonholed into a working-class Scottish stereotype that does not accurately reflect her background. The book takes us to some very dark places in Brady's life including homelessness and addiction, but she offers a robust rebuttal of pitying or judgemental attitudes some people demonstrate to her work in a strip club and her attitudes towards sex work.

This also reads as a hugely authoritative book about female autism: chapters are supported by helpful footnotes, often referencing academic research. At times, it feels like Brady would rather not be writing this book - for instance when describing the strain of constantly masking her autism and her frequent 'meltdowns' - but is doing so because nobody else has fully documented the reality of her experiences, making it all the more essential that people read and understand this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Thoroughly enjoyable, honest and raw. An incredible read and I am completely in awe of Fern and her story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

The first humorous moment in "Strong Female Character" is when Fern, a thirty-something woman, tells her father that she has recently been diagnosed with austim. and walks us through her life chapter by chapter, pointing out the now-obvious indicators that she was autistic: "meltdowns," self-harm and depression, compulsive language acquisition, working at a strip club while attending college, etc. But 'Strong Female Character' is not just a biography; it also explores the ongoing stigma and discrimination that autistic women experience from society, as well as how misogyny has contributed to the incorrect diagnosis of hundreds of autistic women. It's not only really amusing, but also incredibly thoroughly researched.

Fern's life has a lot to unravel, including her Scottish heritage, her comedy career, and her diagnosis of autism in her 30s. 'Strong Female Character' skillfully strikes a balance between all of these aspects of Fern, summarising her life to date and illuminating the ways in which these disparate strands of her character connect.

I think Fern Brady is fabulous and one of my favourite comedians. So I was pleased to get a eARC for this! Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC