TW: rape, abuse.

If you've seen Lou Sanders on TV you'll already have a good idea what this book will be like - loud, hilarious, risky, filthy, FUN!

Lou takes us through her childhood, with her family relationships and early sexualisation by older men, through to 2022 which was the worst year of her life. There's so much here that most women can relate to - the gaslighting and emotional abuse by family members, grooming by older men, being leered at as a young teenager and being taken advantage of, all the way through to rape. So this is not an easy read at times, but ask the way through we have Lou's trademark humour and the benefit of hindsight (and years of therapy) where she explains why some of the stuff happened and how she's turned her life around now. Nothing but respect for this fabulous woman!

A good memoir from Lou Sanders. This was a light hearted, funny read.

The writing has great flow and was easy to follow.

Lou Sanders gives an honesty account of her joys, strengths, mistakes and choices through a humorous lens. Some serious topics are covered in this book and as a reader, you are left with no doubt about some of the regrets or consequences of the author’s life choices but all of this is done in quite a light-hearted, banter-y way so it doesn’t feel heavy going or depressing.

I love the approach Lou Sanders takes to mental health, spirituality and sex positivity in this book. It is clear that mental health is really important to her and I love the time she gives to the topic as well as the honesty about her own experiences in this book - all done with the intention of showing there is no shame to struggling with mental health; in fact it’s completely normal. I think this is a powerful takeaway from this book.

My reflection however is that although the author deals with difficult topics from her own life in this account, the humour sometimes acts as a way to gloss over some of these so I didn’t feel like I’d fully got to know her and the impact some of these things have had on her life.

This was an enjoyable memoir. I think fans of Dolly Alderton’s writing would enjoy this book.

TW: alcoholism, sexual assault

I love Lou Sanders. I saw her recently, supporting Nick Offerman and she was funny both on purpose and entirely by accident. Reading this book slightly blew my mind, if I'm honest. There is a lot here. A lot. And it's not a particularly long book. I love that I can hear Lou's voice in my head as I read it. It did, at times feel like watching about forty car crashes simultaneously and trying to process them. There's confessional writing and then there's this. I admire her tremendously and knowing a thing or two myself about addiction and shame it rings a lot of bells. There is a great deal to be said for facing your demons and then talking about them and that's what this book is. Fair play to her and congratulations on still being alive and so positive. I'm not sure I'd be either under the circumstances.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier publishers for a copy of “What’s That Lady doing ? “ for an honest review.

This is an honest ,and very frank , book by comedian Lou Sanders , covering her issues with alcohol and sexual abuse she’s been subjected to. Despite the seriousness the book is written , as you would expect from the author, with humour . I must admit I found it uncomfortable reading at times and I d been expecting a more comedic book but definitely an interesting read

I wasn’t sure about this book to begin with, but once I got used to Lou’s voice I enjoyed it. It’s a hard read in parts - it gets dark - and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with how flippantly Lou talked about some of it, but it’s her story so obviously she can tell it however she likes. By the end, I felt fond of her and happy that things have turned out well. Also it did make me laugh out loud a few times.

Very sassy, smart and self deprecating, a difficult childhood, a chaotic and dangerous youth, no details are spared. Searingly honest and brutally detailed, this is funny, sad, hopeful and affecting.

You never know what events that have shaped a person and in this memoir we learn a lot about the travesties that have befallen Lou Sanders, some that have been out of her control. Others have been of her own making and she doesn’t shy away from that. Within the pages are many dark subjects and this may be too overwhelming for some readers as this isn’t the type of book you would expect. But this does seem to be an honest look at her life. A think a lot of people will pick up this book because of her TV appearances and be disappointed that it’s not crammed full of laughs, I know I was. But there is a deeper story here that Sanders wants to share with us all.

The chapters are short so it’s easy to dip in and out of, but I found the pages with the chapter headings/pearls of wisdom, superfluous.

In her memoir, 'What's That Lady Doing', Lou Sanders talks candidly and humorously about her life. In it she talks about very difficult family dynamics, addictions to alcohol and relationships, leaving home at an early age and some exceedingly traumatic experiences. Throughout she maintains an upbeat, discursive tone.

I am a big fan of Sander's comedy and enjoy her often 'glass is half full' perspective on the world. It was interesting to read about how many difficulties she has faced and I was struck by what appears to be high levels of honesty and openness (of course I wasn't there, so I don't know). The book is written as if Sanders is telling quippy anecdotes to her readers, which is a device that works well. However, at times it does result in a bit of repetition and it can feel like this book has been transcribed straight from a Dictaphone. Nevertheless this is a good memoir that manages to capture Sander's voice and humour, even when tackling very difficult topics.

I'm sorry to say that this book just didn't sit with me. I am a fan of Lou's comedy but I struggled to connect to the format and the anecdotes sort of felt a little like the ravings of an unhinged person.
I think this may suit better to an audio book told in Lou's own voice for comedic timing and delivery.

An uncomfortable read at times but very honest. Chaotic teenage years, followed by hedonistic twenties. Only later Lou realise that she is self sabotaging and decides what is important to her going forward.
A very personal story of trying to find yourself, confidence and a place in the world.

I really liked the format of this book. Lots of super short chapters, each a little story from Lou's life. That made it quite easy to pick up and read pretty quickly.
I thought that there was a good mix of humour and serious stuff.
There is no overarching story or theme exactly but it does move from childhood to her being a comedian

Still not sure what Ms Sanders was trying to achieve?

Lots of good stuff writing about her late teenage years and I do wonder if the book should have been in diary form? Yes, she throws in sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll even witchcraft but the book just stumbles along.

I also didn't enjoy the meaningless pages with large printed words.

From a pretty good comedian, I was disappointed. Sorry Lou.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bonnier Books UK for the chance to read and review.

Life. Mistakes. Family. More mistakes.

And, sooner or later, things getting better, and getting to be happy after all that chaos

I'm sorry to say that I just couldn't connect to this at all. Not really sure why its been written, the purpose of it. Just felt like reading someone's diary bragging about their teenage and early 20s drunk and drug stories.

Couldn't stand the lol at the end of sentences, felt like lazy writing.

Some topical, and sensitive topics in this which could help women but felt that got lost in the lols and the booze.

I'm not the right reader for this unfortunately.

Very excited to read and acquire this book by Lou Sanders. The cover pulled me in right away! I will. Ev sure to share my full review and thoughts soon!

I’m a comedy fan. Specifically, I’m a British live comedy fan, so I was of course aware of Lou Sanders. I’ve seen her on Taskmaster, and she’s popped on various panel shows and podcasts, and I’ve watched some of her stand up stuff too. So I thought I knew what I was getting into with this.

I thought it would be light and funny, and a bit mental. Maybe some talk about crystals (spoiler, there actually wasn’t!) and her life as a stand up. And it absolutely was funny, and a little bit mental. But it was also quite hard hitting, and didn’t shy away from sexual assault, alcoholism, drug use, and the difficult journey of finding yourself.

Part memoir, part essay collection, Lou really does cover everything from shamans and Gibraltar, to sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll. Even though the rock’n’roll comes to us in the form of an all female rock group called ‘Geoff Leopard’. There’s also mention of a white witch at one point.

It’s witty, poignant, moving, honest, and laugh out loud funny in parts, and I devoured it in one day. I don’t think you have to be a fan of comedy to enjoy this, and I can’t recommend it more highly!

Thanks to @netgalley and @bonnierbooks_uk for this advanced reader copy!