The summer of 2024, affectionately dubbed “Brat Summer,” is set to become a pop culture touchstone, thanks to Charli XCX’s sixth studio album brat. Brat isn’t just another dance record—it’s a rallying cry for messy confidence, a bold throwback to the gutsy energy of the early 2010s. This bratty season kicked off with Charli’s single “360,” turning the lyric “So Julia!” into a shorthand for the ultimate cool-girl vibe.

The momentum didn’t stop there—“Brat Summer” seamlessly morphed into “Brat Fall” with the release of Charli’s remix album, keeping fans hooked on a wave of confident chaos.The album’s influence hit its apex last Saturday when Charli hosted SNL, with Julia Fox introducing her performance—a standout moment that solidified Fox as both a cultural icon and the muse of this unapologetically bold era.

All of this left me asking: Who exactly is Julia Fox, and is she really that cool? A quick search brought me to her memoir, Down the Drain, which I vaguely recalled seeing promoted on Audible.

There was a bit of apprehension in picking up a memoir about someone I didn’t know much about. Even her very public, albeit brief, relationship with Kanye West had been outside my radar. From what I could deduce, Fox was an internet enigma—a viral personality, model, and actress whose life seemed far removed from my own. But Down the Drain introduced me to a Julia Fox I hadn’t anticipated: someone vulnerable, edgy, and surprisingly authentic.

A standout feature of Fox’s memoir is her refusal to conform to any “survivor” stereotype. Rather than shaping her story around neat labels or tidy redemption arcs, she delivers a narrative that’s unpolished and deeply honest. She shares her experiences with addiction, loss, love and reinvention without catering to societal expectations, which allows Down the Drain to transcend the typical celebrity tell-all. Fox’s account feels less like a crafted image and more like an unfiltered conversation with a friend.

Listening to Fox narrate her story on Audible added a unique intimacy that heightened the experience. Hearing her voice—both vulnerable and defiant—brought her story to life, leaving an impact that resonates well beyond the final page.

Down the Drain perfectly embodies the brat spirit, and at No Apologies, we’re living for every rebellious second of it.