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Queer Eye: Love Yourself. Love Your Life.

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From the Fab Five—the beloved hosts of Netflix's viral hit Queer Eye—comes a book that is at once a behind-the-scenes exclusive, a practical guide to living and celebrating your best life, and a symbol of hope.
Feeling your best is about far more than deciding what color to paint your accent wall or how to apply nightly moisturizer. It's also about creating a life that's well-rounded, filled with humor and understanding—and most importantly, that suits you. At a cultural moment when we are all craving people to admire, Queer Eye offers hope and acceptance. After you get to know the Fab Five, together they will guide you through five practical chapters that go beyond their designated areas of expertise (food & wine, fashion, grooming, home decor, and culture), touching on topics like wellness, entertaining, and defining your personal brand, and complete with bite-sized Hip Tips for your everyday quandaries. Above all else, Queer Eye aims to help you create a happy and healthy life, rooted in self-love and authenticity.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2018

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About the author

Antoni Porowski

6 books242 followers
Antoni Porowski is a Polish-Canadian Emmy award winning reality tv personality, actor, chef and model. He is known for his role as the food and wine expert in the Netflix series Queer Eye.

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5 stars
1,067 (31%)
4 stars
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3 stars
818 (23%)
2 stars
113 (3%)
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24 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 442 reviews
Profile Image for alittlelifeofmel.
920 reviews390 followers
May 13, 2019
So the thing about this book is its really not my thing. I read it for the boys, more than the content.

I enjoyed learning about their lives and things they do in a day to prepare themselves. It was all pretty interesting, and I learned some new things.

However I just don’t feel like books like this are for me. I didn’t see the purpose, and generally see these as money grabs more than anything else.

However I enjoyed it, and it makes a nice coffee table book.
Profile Image for Lorilin.
759 reviews234 followers
January 21, 2019
What a fun book! I love watching the revamped version of Queer Eye on Netflix. Every single one of these men brings their own special personality to the table, and the show is so entertaining because of it. I expected a lot from this book, and it delivered.

The book is divided into two sections. The first half gives the personal backstories of each guy (which is fascinating. My goodness, they sure have been through some things...). The second half talks more about each of their "specialty areas" on the show: grooming, clothes, cooking, lifestyle, and home decoration. Just enough detail is given so that I walked away from the book feeling like I learned something without being overwhelmed or bored.

I can't say enough good about this one. Just such a fun read. I can't wait for Season 3 to air! #squee
Profile Image for Christina (A Reader of Fictions).
4,491 reviews1,757 followers
March 25, 2019
Much as I hate to say it, I was not a fan of this. It might be better in a print format, perhaps, but the audio was definitely underwhelming, much as I enjoy these guys and their voices.

The issue here is that there's very little actual content to this book. It's like a bunch of random snippets of the show have been sewn together into a whole that isn't particularly coherent. One hour is spent on very brief, high level intros from each member of the fab five, and then the remaining three hours are design and/or style and/or lifestyle tips from each guy in turn. Most of it isn't particularly new if you lost the show. If you're looking to remodel, Bobby's tips might be helpful for getting started.

On audio format, every little snippet of advice is separated with music, and the snippets really are tiny. It felt like half of this four hour audio was the connecting music. I wanted more substance. I wanted to get to know these guys better, because I like the show, but I don't feel like I know them any better than I did before I read this. It's more of a coffee table book that would give you some fab five tips and random food for thought. If you want anything more than that, I'm guessing you need to wait for their individual biographies.

Also #random, but one piece of Bobby's advice really bothered me, and I wanted to talk about it a bit. He suggests that, if you go through a breakup, you should always change your bedding, and, if possible your mattress, as well as getting rid of the things that remind you of them. I really don't like this as a general rule to follow because everyone's process is different. There's nothing wrong with keeping your bedding or your mattress, if it's not a negative trigger for you. That's expensive. We can't all afford to do that, and we don't all need or want to do that. It's a tiny moment, but I really didn't like that advice. Do whatever helps you cope in a healthy way after a breakup. Not buying new sheets doesn't mean that you're not over your ex; it just means your sheets are still fine.

Tl;dr: I love Queer Eye, but this book really didn't offer much of anything that I didn't already have from the show. I wanted a deeper dive but it's shallower and missing the human connection that makes the show pop.
Profile Image for Petra.
124 reviews395 followers
February 9, 2019
Update: This is a cute little companion book to help you deal with your Queer Eye withdrawal symptoms. You get a few chapters on each of the Fab 5 and their backgrounds which was the most interesting part for me. You also get some really helpful tips ( I specially liked Jonathan's chapters)
The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating is because I skimmed a little at the end. Still I would recommend it if you are (like me) have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the show :)




Oh my god I can't wait to get my hands on this book

Profile Image for The Nerd Daily.
720 reviews389 followers
January 24, 2019
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Jayse Smith

This book opens with an image of five handsome men beaming with happiness, confidence, style and love. It’s safe to say the FAB5 are exactly that…F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!! The words above are used to describe the picture on the dedication page, and these are the themes which are woven throughout the new lifestyle book—Queer Eye: Love Yourself. Love Your Life. The entire book is filled with explosions of colour, gorgeous photography, and chock full of handy tips, hints, and information to live your best life.

The first chapter is broken up into different stories about each of the fabulous guys starting with Jonathan Van Ness and followed by Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Karamo Brown. They each share their story and information in their respective sections and offer gems of wisdom and insight into their lives and experiences of growing up as part of the LGBT community.

The book is then broken up into sections which cover the boys’ talents: makeovers, style, food, interior design, and self-love. Filled with catchphrases, the one liners makes reading all the information throughout this book a joy to absorb.

Hair, skin, and soul expert Jonathan shares his tips, tricks, and wisdom on how to put your best face and hair forward such as spiking your shampoo and conditioner with a few drops of lemongrass or rosemary essential oil to stimulate hair growth and combat dry scalp.

Tan shares his style tips, although he looks like he’s stepped out of a GQ magazine, his mission is to try to find your personal style which will make you feel confident every time you walk out the door. He recommends never buying anything without trying it on first and always take three sizes to the changing room with you. He offers his tips to essentials every wardrobe should include for both men and women.

Karamo shares his insights to achieving your goals and living your best life. Also how to engage meaningfully with your feelings and explore what your emotions are trying to tell you. He offers tips for budgeting, learning, and work with tips ‘hip tips’ throughout—with one of my favourites being how to remember someone’s name when you meet them for the first time. He says repeat it in the conversation, so you remember it for next time.

Bobby shares his remodelling and decorating tips. His tips include figuring out how a room will function, how many people will use the room, and how it’ll fit in to your daily routine.

Antoni shows off his skills in his chapter on cooking, it is filled with recipes from each of the boys, his tools of the trade and staples which should be in every pantry. He talks about the balance of flavours salty, bitter, sour, sweet, and umami pronounced ‘ooooh-mummy,’ a hard to describe flavour which is unique, rich and kind of tomatoey. He shares kitchen hacks and simple meal ideas which look freaking amazing.

This book is 100% amazing. It’s a kaleidoscope of ideas and left this author feeling uplifted and ready to take control of every aspect of life. These guys present such an optimistic outlook which is something the entire world needs. If you need direction in your life this is a great place to begin.
Profile Image for Melissa.
145 reviews6 followers
November 23, 2018
November 23, 2018
5 out of 5 stars

I loved this! Each of the Fab 5 gave little introductions about themselves and tips on how to live your best life from beauty/cosmetics/hair, fashion, culture/how to achieve your goals, interior design and food (including recipes). The tips are very helpful for both women and men of all ages.
If you love Queer Eye on Netflix and have always wanted to glam up your life a little then I'm sure you can find some tips and guidance in this book (I know I did).


July 31,2018
I need this ASAP!
Fans of Netflix's Queer Eye... if you didn't know, the Fab 5 wrote a book! 🌈💖✨
Profile Image for Kara.
737 reviews370 followers
November 21, 2018
This is my favorite show. It’s heartwarming and wholesome, and it just makes me feel happy and inspired. The book’s a little light on content, but it’s still lovely, and it did help ease the withdrawal now that we’re between seasons.
Profile Image for Gerhard.
1,217 reviews755 followers
May 16, 2019
It is hard to believe that the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy sashayed onto our TV screens more than 15 years ago. With the Fab Five supremely confident in their inner diva-sanctioned mission to unlock the ‘queerness’ within everyone, the unabashedly confident and flamboyant show (well, for straight people anyway) ended up as a cultural phenomenon.

It’s astonishing to read in this book that “the word ‘queer’ was considered way too risqué for a TV show title in the 2000s”, but the producers pushed ahead anyway. The rest is herstory, as they say.

When I first heard about the Netflix reboot, my first reaction was: WTF? Queer Eye then was definitely dependent upon a certain cultural milieu for its effectiveness and social relevance.

Now, in the age of Trump, and the growing debate about gender identity, and the conflation of gay rights with other minority causes, not to mention the vexed issue of the gay community propping up ‘straight’ institutions such as marriage by buying into the white picket-fence dream … did we really need a revival of such a frivolous thing as a ‘gay makeover’ show?

Even though the new incarnation is called ‘Queer Eye’, it nevertheless seems much less gay and camp than its predecessor. The unabashed gayness of the original has been replaced with a non-threatening mantra of inclusivity and kumbaya singalong. The agenda of the Netflix revival seems to be that one can be gay, but not be or act queer, so as not to frighten the horses or women and children.

Or does it? I have just begun to watch season two, and the new show has managed to creep into my heart in a very insidious and unexpected manner. Not a single episode goes by without bringing a tear to the eye (maybe showing emotion is a gay trait, after all. Perhaps it is only acceptable for straight blokes to cry at Game of Thrones.)

The episode when our bohemian boys redo a church hall and reunite a mother with her son, as well as shepherd his ultimate acceptance within a straitlaced religious community, had me crying openly.

Why? I think that, as with the original, the new show has a definite socio-political agenda, especially in the shadow of Trump, and the resurgence of right-wing extremism as a global phenomenon, not to mention intolerance, prejudice, ethnic subjugation, and a plethora of other ills and misconceptions that has sparked every war and conflict since time immemorial.

The new Queer Eye has a much broader agenda, sending our boys into parts of the US we didn’t even know existed (there really is a town called Gay?) And not to mention the show’s first encounter with the fairer sex. The new millennial Fab Five, if we can call them that, are a much more diverse and nuanced bunch, coming across as ‘real’ people, with baggage and back stories.

The focus really wasn’t on the guys themselves in the original, which did have the unfortunate side-effect of painting them as caricatures. The super-gays-fly-in-and-do-a-magical-makeover-before-you-can-even-blink recipe of the original was never deviated from in any meaningful sense.

The new Queer Eye, on the other hand, insists on everyone taking a liberal snort of fairy dust. There is no getting away from the ‘gayness’ of the hosts themselves. Paradoxically, however, this very openness tends to push the ‘gay agenda’ to the back burner … while very much informing every aspect of the show itself. It is a curious dichotomy, and yet it works incredibly well.

So I was equally curious when I stumbled across this lavish book. Not only do we learn something of the back stories of each of the guys, but this section is then followed by a detailed overview of each of their areas of expertise, from grooming to culture (which is more psychological integration in the PC reiteration of the show) and those old gay standbys, cooking and interior design.

The end result is a wonderfully eclectic reading experience that not only gives great insight into the show itself, but helps round out the Fab Five as fully-fledged people in their own right. Who just happen to be gay. And who extend us the following invitation:

We officially give you permission to go out and ‘queer eye’ the world. It starts with you – now put your best foot forward!
Profile Image for orangerful.
953 reviews51 followers
December 29, 2018
I feel like, for a book that is a tie-in to a tv series, this is a 5 star book. Honestly, I wanted MORE about the making of the show and less of the advice, but the whole thing is worth it for Karamo's chapter which I think I might photocopy and hang over my desk to start 2019 off right.

If you are a fan of the show, you will love it. Not sure if it will appeal to anyone else not familiar with the Fab Five and their hijinks.
Profile Image for Catherine.
72 reviews13 followers
November 29, 2018
Feels like I had my own personal episode of Queer Eye. Yes, honey!!
Profile Image for Julie Akeman.
1,023 reviews21 followers
November 10, 2018
So lucky that this book came into my library. My coworker in charge of getting the books registered got it all ready and checked out to me. I don't often ask to do that, I just put my name down on the book on a post it but she went ahead and got it in for me. These fine fab gay guys make me very happy. I have been watching their episodes over and over again because this has been a hard year for me and it's still not over yet. I love the recipes and the lessons on style and decorating and communicating. It is a fine fab book yaaaasss Queeen!!
Profile Image for Nic.
1,689 reviews76 followers
March 27, 2019
Sweet, upbeat, and positive. If you watch the show, you might enjoy learning a little about the stars' backgrounds. Most of the other content, to me, read very much like women's magazine articles on things like skin care, home decor, and otherwise living your best life. (Maybe not a surprise, given that the book was written with Monica Corcoran Harel, whose other writing credits include the magazine Marie Claire.) I'm giving it five stars because I love the show and I appreciate the book's relentless positivity.
Profile Image for Althea ☾.
644 reviews2,200 followers
February 17, 2022
I loved that it went from the history of queer eye, its roots, and what it is now. I love this show with all of my heart and this just added to my appreciation of it even more. It made it feel even more real. It was also widly entertaining to just have JVN and the whole Five 5 blasting in my ear.

Such a refreshing and grounding read in the middle of my epic fantasy brain workouts...

— 4.5 —
Profile Image for Julie.
2,288 reviews35 followers
December 16, 2018
This is a fun read for fans of the show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which my son introduced me to earlier this year. It was interesting to read the back stories of the presenters and there were many great photographs. I didn't care for some of the neon colored graphics, and black and white cross-hatched pages, which I found a bit eye boggling!
Profile Image for Heather.
63 reviews14 followers
February 9, 2022
4 stars ⭐️
If you love the show, you will love this book! This was my second time reading it, and I definitely recommend reading it over listening to it. In my opinion, the set up of the book just fits better in a physical format.

I will say that the audiobook had this one song that kept playing over and over. At first I was like, “That’s so fun!” After what had to be the 30th time, I was more like, “Not again!!”

Karamo’s chapters were my favorite to listen to. He was definitely the most natural while talking about his life/ specialty on the show.
Profile Image for Trin.
2,085 reviews637 followers
April 15, 2019
This book doesn't quite know what it wants to or is trying to be (besides a quick money-grab). It's a random mishmash of advice, photos, and stories -- the last being what I really want; I guess I'll have to read the guys' own books for that. But it's positive and sweet, there's at least one recipe I actually want to try, and I was just on a bus for over five hours, so I appreciate these nice boys keeping me company for part of it.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
11 reviews
January 23, 2019
The audiobook is read by the QE guys, so it's a treat. Pretty fast, feel-good read. I loved that each of them delved deeper into their backstories than what they've shared on the show. Each expert also has a dedicated section where they share their advice. If you're a fan of the show, it's definitely worth checking out.
Profile Image for Chelsea.
119 reviews7 followers
April 5, 2019
Listening to the audio book version, which I absolutely love because I get to hear the guys talking in their own voices! However, I do think I'd like the print version for the recipes for JVN's DIY face and hair masks. There are also some little gem quotes in here that I'd like to highlight.
Profile Image for claud..
753 reviews74 followers
November 17, 2018
My hard copy doesn't arrive for another week (thanks a lot, Booktopia--never again), but before I even realised that, I found out that the audiobook is going to be narrated by the Fab Five themselves. Holy shit! I knew I had to get my hands on the audiobook as well. I literally signed up for Audible just for this very reason and chose this as my first audiobook, which is free. I didn't plan on listening to this until after I've read the hard copy, but I got impatient so I decided, screw it.

This is my first time listening to an audiobook and I'm glad that my first one is a book I've been very excited about, but I had to take a star off my rating for two reasons: 1) this obviously doesn't include the photos that are apparently in the physical copy of the book, and 2) it gave me a headache, which happens if I listen to something for hours at a time. While I do love Queer Eye and the Fab Five, I've come to realise that I just am not an audiobook person.
Profile Image for Eef.
243 reviews
March 13, 2019
I love this book very much. It was like the Fab 5 came to my house to do a "make-better".

It was also in a way comforting for me to read about Jonathan's body image issues and that he is still struggling with them while being so confident at the same time. He is struggling with the same things and he also writes how to change this.

I also loved reading about their back story and just seeing the writing style change a little with every Fab 5 member. You read everything in their voice, because it is written this way.

Loved it!
Profile Image for Jordan B.
468 reviews10 followers
January 1, 2019
I don't think there is anything else in our culture right now that is as wholesome and feel good as Queer Eye. It is the highest form of self-care. This book was such a great read- it was just like settling into your favorite episode and hanging out with the Fab Five for a bit .
Profile Image for Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ....
2,104 reviews57 followers
May 31, 2020
Like most of the world, I love the Fab 5. I find each of them relatable, sweet and likable. Together they make me cry with every episode of Queer Eye. However, I found the book less funny and warm than I expected. It felt too much like a Biography channel one hour documentary.
Profile Image for Shayna Ross.
533 reviews
January 21, 2019
Let's start with the obvious point here. It is best to watch Queer Eye on Netflix to get the full effect of what the book is bringing to you, which is two points - one, this book contain tons of self-help and self-care tips and ideas on being a better version of yourself and two, the five men making these points each have bold personalities that can only been felt during the show. Bonus points if you are also following them on social media.

Assuming that you have (or maybe you didn't like when I did not listen to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast and still read the books, and that is totally okay), the essence of the book is the advice that all five guys provide throughout the series in a more concise manner. We kick off with an introduction of the producers of both Queer Eye series and how the current five were selected. Part two goes into each men individually with their upbringing and how they came to where they are. Part three dives into the worlds of their specialties with plenty of advice and suggestions to work by. The last part ties everything together in a format of a dinner party for friends as an example of utilizing the advice provided in one setting.

While I agree that this book provides a lot of advice on being a better version of yourself, they are just starter tips that work best when you are starting from the bottom. If you are absolutely stuck on clothes as an example, Tan provides a number of options as a basic set to get you thinking on how you can build your wardrobe. However, you really have to go out to the stores and try all the things that interest you in order to determine what suits you best. Tan explains that there are five basic styles of jeans for women, but he will not spell out which body type suits which type of pants. The same concept applies to all five categories found in this book.

If you find that you need a book with a lot of detailed advice and suggestions to improve, this would not necessarily be a good choice because it would be too basic. If you need a starter cookbook with all the advice of what utensils you need and recipes to start out with, a book like Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell or The Way to Cook by Julia Child would be better options. It is quite likely that you do not feel like you are lacking in all five categories, or if you do feel that way, it would be best to start with one categories and work your way through it until you build confidence.

However, if you are a fan of the show and enjoy the personalities of the men, this a fun read to flip through. The pictures are nice, you learn more about each of them as a person, and read the advice in their voices in an enjoyable manner. It would probably make a nice coffee table book for anybody to flip through or a cute, easy gift for a friend that is certainly a fan. It is good for medium and large sized libraries that have a broader nonfiction collection.
Profile Image for Katarina.
992 reviews83 followers
March 9, 2019
HRV: Tako sam sretna što sam pročitala ovu knjigu jer me ispunila srećom, veseljem i motivacijom. Inspirirala me da se popravim kao osoba i da želim više za sebe.

ENG: I'm so happy I read this book because it fills me with joy, happiness and motivation. It inspires me to better myself and to want more for myself.
Profile Image for Sharon Hoyte.
66 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2019
Karamo Brown is my idol. This was a really fun and refreshing book to read about such a diverse group of men, each with such a strong morale. There was an overarching theme of “You do you” while reminding us how important it is to stay grounded, remain respectful and keep an open mind.
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