Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent's guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after

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Taryn Brumfitt, Founder of The Body Image Movement and Director of Embrace and Embrace Kids'Chlo's heartfelt and powerful writing had me glued to my seat and turning the pages, which is no easy feat for this ADHD-er . An empowering lived-experience guide to celebrating and supporting neurodivergence from 24-year-old actor, social media star and advocate Chloé Hayden. And it feels a bit like this book is a speech asking for change and man, I fully agree but I already knew this.

i wish i had this book growing up instead of wanting to off myself for how my brain works and thinking i was just broken and wired wrong. Eye-opening and very heartfelt, this was a great listen that I highly recommend to anyone wanting to better understand the diversity of neurodivergent minds/experiences! She's very sincere, positive, and enthusiastic about empowering the reader and "finding your happily ever after. This book is raw and at times it is sad and scary but it's packed full of HOPE and LOVE and EYE SPARKELS! the book also includes chapters about burn out, work, creativity, friendships, sexual assault, bullying, family dynamics, relationships, and more—also including a beautiful passage written by her then partner, now fiancé, on their experience as an allistic person in a romantic partnership with an autistic person; which i found so loving, tender, stunning, and just a beautiful inclusion on love, communication, trust and vulnerability in partnership.I didn't learn anything new myself about autism and ADHD as I have read and learned a lot about it in the past couple of years, but the book would be a great introduction for a young person who is just starting to learn about it. I've even had friends of mine watch her videos and TikToks of her openly stimming while seeing sharks and say things like "I'm not saying that you two are the same person, I'm just saying we haven't ever seen the two of you in the same room. Jordon Steele-John, Disability Rights Advocate and Australian Senator 'Chlo's spirit in the face of adversity had me cheering! This is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent as well as a practical guide, with advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive communities and much more. The chapters are short and full of references to Disney movies and things like finding your ‘eye sparkle’.

What I personally got from it was the memoir aspect, I will never tire of hearing about individual neurodivergent experiences. If you want to read about what it is like to be disabled in a world full of ableism then please do yourself a favour and pick this up. I’ve been looking for books about neurodivergence written by neurodivergent authors and this has been a great place to start.This book highlights both the ups and downs of being neurodivergent whilst providing evidence and resources for both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals to try and make living in this ever expanding universe a little easier. A wonderfully inclusive - and often wonderfully funny - exploration of neurodiversity that never fails to celebrate the positive, Different, Not Less resounds with the lived experience of its gifted author.