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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a lot different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be more lighthearted and an interesting look into Hasidic Judaism. It was actually a fairly heavy coming of age story and unflinching look at how a porn addiction seriously impacts the life of a young Hasidic Jewish woman. As an outsider of that community, it was fascinating to learn about the main character’s culture and also difficult to understand her motivations behind some of her choices. The end of the book, for example, was especially difficult to read. As a coming of age story, I think the author purposefully tried to disorient the reader at times to mimic the uncertainty that the main character felt. I wanted her to be happy, and I also wondered if she truly understood what she wanted to be happy. The conclusion didn’t wrap up every loose string within the story, and I wonder what lies in store for the main character. This was an interesting book and I’ll likely think about it for a while, but I’m not sure that I would openly recommend it to everyone — maybe just people interested in reading about addiction or the conflicts of living in a high demand religion in modern society. I would recommend listening to the audiobook, as that helped me understand a lot of the Yiddish words used in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the fleabag vibes were real and i loved her relationship to sam. the portrayal of the therapy sessions felt so realistic, too, and i enjoyed learning about the hasidic culture on the way. would recommend!!
I thought the premise of this book was interesting, but was disappointed by the plot line. All the ideas brought up (porn addiction, questioning her Hasidic upbringing, etc.) aren’t investigated in depth at all, very surface level writing.
The blurb for this book doesn’t do it justice. Whole at it’s heart it is about her porn addiction the story dives into so much more. I loved her relationship with her therapist and friend, her consideration of marriage and family. The descriptions of porn were at times so hard to read, though I suppose that was the point.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes