Wow! Wow! Wow! In the days of slick, ghost written, PR driven memoirs which tell us nothing but how lovely IRL the subject is, this autobiography by Fern Brady is raw and honest and captivating. For so many people this should be required reading. For so many this book will be such a help. I hadn't really come across Fern before, but that doesn't really matter with this book. She is engaging, and very funny, the book is not a hard read. The more people who read this book, the smaller the number of people who tut when someone with neurodiversity struggles with a "simple" task. This is a necessary book. Everyone should read it.

Dark, wickedly funny, and brutally honest. I loved this book, and read it in one day. Fern's writing is refreshing, and has such a distinct voice. I loved it.

I wouldn’t usually rate a memoir. However, this was hands down a 5 star and it would be wrong not to rate it. Honest, informative and brave. I genuinely believe everyone should read this book and open their eyes to the barriers autistic people face. It is true that anxiety and depression are so widely discussed and embraced. Yet autism is not. I adored Fern on taskmaster and it makes me so happy that this was the most autistic-friendly job she’s had and she could just be herself. I loved her as herself. Highly highly recommend

A funny, bold, honest offering from comic Fern Brady. A reflective, humorous memoir which shatters age old stereotypes.

I was keen to read this book because I loved Fern Brady on Taskmaster and I’d heard really good things. And it’s a great book: vulnerable, incredibly honest, brilliantly written. But, god, it was a hard read.

I almost had to stop reading a few times as Fern was let down over and over again and terrible things just kept happening. I honestly don’t know how she survived it, but I’m so glad she did.

And I’m so glad she wrote this book, as painful as it is to read, because it will help people. But if you’re looking for a light-hearted comedy read, this is very much not the one.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

This is excellent, well written and discusses a topic that is rarely discussed by women.

The book opened a can of worms for me and sent me down my own rabbit hole.

Brave, honest and thought provoking.

Highly recommended

Even today, Autisms is so misunderstood. Fern Brady's autobiography doesn't set out to correct that because it would be an impossible task but it does give the readers an insight into what Autism is like for her. While she displays a few of the "standard" autistic characteristics she by no means says that her experience is universal.

What Fern Brady does do is give a realistic presentation of her struggles and how Autism has affected her life on a daily basis and how she copes with her neurodivergence - some of the ways she copes are easier for someone without knowledge of neurodiversity to understand (i.e. exercise) and others they may find uncomfortable or shocking (i.e. meltdowns) however it is with knowledge of both of these that a person can try to understand autism more and accommodate for when a person with autism is struggling.

By Fern Brady, a well known comedian to give a voice to autism - in particular for those diagnosed later on in life - a door is opened for those without any substantial knowledge to be able to gather information and hopefully be a bit more understanding.

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady is available now.

For more information regarding Fern Brady (@FernBrady) please visit her Twitter page.
For more information regarding Octopus Publishing (@Octopus_Books) please visit www.octopusbooks.co.uk.

I'd seen a few good reviews for this one so when I saw it on a 99p kindle deal I snapped it up!
Then I got approved for it on Netgalley so bumped it up my tbr and I'm so glad I did!

This is such a readable and interesting book. Fern Brady is so open and honest, nothing is off limits here. From her destructive meltdowns to her job as a stripper to her time in a psychiatric facility, it's all in here.

Fern Brady is autistic, but she wasn't diagnosed until later in life meaning she grew up feeling out of place and struggled to understand why she reacted to things that didn't seem to bother other people. Brady first thought she had Asperger's as a young girl but was dismissed as she had a boyfriend and made eye contact. Her family thought she was just a bad kid and repeatedly kicked her out of home. She received no support from her GP or other therapists she saw over the years.

Brady's writing style is blunt and humourous. Even when you are reading about very dark times in her life, it never feels too heavy or depressing. Strong Female Character highlights the sexism in Autistic studies and diagnosis, a lack of understanding and support from the NHS and the effects this had on her growing up undiagnosed.

It's such a brilliant book. A definite must read for anyone looking to learn more about autism, or who just wants to read a really good book!

A very well written memoir. It's heartbreaking in some places, funny in others. Fern has a impressive way of telling her story and I highly reccomend this important read.

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady explores her experiences of being diagnosed later in life with autism. It presents some interesting information about how women in particular experience this in life and the impact it has.

"All I can do is keep talking about it and hope you'll then go and make things feel better for the next autistic or misfit girl you meet. That doing all this will bring about tiny incremental changes is the only thing i have any certainty about."

Strong Female Character is a highly researched, very vulnerable, and eye-opening look into the impact of being undiagnosed as autistic had on Fern Brady's life.

Told through her trademark wit, the reader gets an invaluable insight about autism, but particularly women's experiences with autism and the effects of misdiagnosis. It made me laugh out loud while also heartbreaking.

It's a very brave, enlightening, and impassioned call to medical and educational establishment, but also each individual person, to recognise, understand, and respect what identifies neurodivergence and how each individual experience can be similar but also wildly different.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC! This book is absolutely incredible, I couldn't put it down. It's so fascinating, important, and relevant. I love the writing and found the content emotive, passionate, and educational. I really hope everyone reads this book!

Fern Brady shares with us her adult diagnosis of autism in her hilarious voice .She shares her acting out her outbursts her difficulty in coping with day to day.life.This book her life involved me from first page to laugh.entertaining real intimate a wonderful fascinating read.#netgalley #octopuspublishing

I really wanted to love this book, I have yet to find a review that’s not a 5 star one. I appear to be the only one. Unfortunately this was not the read for me. I couldn’t get into it and seemed to have missed all the laugh out loud moments.
Thank you to NetGalley and Octupus for the opportunity to read and review this book.