morganpearcy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

4.5

This is a collection of 3 shorts by LaRocca: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke; The Enchantment; You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over. LaRocca is brilliant with shorts. They have been added to my list of authors that I’d like to read the entire bibliography of, just from these three. I would have given it 5⭐️, but the descriptions of two fat characters bothered me. Those descriptions were not atrocious as some, but had an undercurrent of fatphobia that I could not ignore. I only took 0.5⭐️ off for it because both are just a few words, not the focus, and it’s not full of vitriol - just using unnecessary words that really need to be removed from our language.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
 At first, I was surprisingly aroused. Who doesn’t love an intense queer love story!? Then, I was shocked. Then, I was utterly disgusted and fascinated. This one was a fucking trip. 😳 I relished the grotesqueness of it very, very much. Even though I wanted to vomit at times, I couldn’t put it down, and I couldn’t look away. That’s how you know it’s a damned good horror short.

The Enchantment
 This was a dark and emotional read for me. I did NOT see the end coming. I felt the sadness, anger, frustration, and arousal of these characters. Could not stop reading until I was done with the short. This was really perfection on so many levels. Be prepared with tissues at the very end.

You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over
 
More queer characters. I flew through this story, although it was my least favorite of the three, by far. I definitely felt the tension of this one building in my chest until the very end. I love it when authors don’t wrap the ending up in a nice little bow - letting the reader fill in their own ideas. This did that really well.

Definitely check the CW before reading to ensure that you can stomach the content.  

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selkieteeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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joperceptions's review against another edition

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This book was disgusting? Once I’m done reading my current read I’m going to try and pick this one back up again but am super hesitant to. It takes gore to a whole new level and not it a good way- a level where I consistently had to stop reading for a bit and just sit in my feeling of “wtf am I reading right now”. 

Unsure what the purpose of writing something like this would even be? I really thought it would be better than it was, like a crime/ horror queer novel. And it was horror and it was queer but just the wrong kind of horror. Like a really, utterly fucked up kind. 

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akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

I had so much fun reading this!! That’s what this collection is: fun. 

My ranking is as follows:
1. Things have gotten worse since we last spoke.
Disturbing, darkly funny, I had no idea where it was going. It’s outlandish and yet believable, I loved loved loved it- the hype is justified and so are the trigger warnings. 

2. They Do It Like That All Over.
The last story holds a huge punch. It’s sickening how anxiety producing it is, and yet. I think it’s a commentary on how politeness (like Mr Fowler’s silent acceptance- though he disapproves- of his husbands extreme racism) makes him complicit and vulnerable, but it could just be a Shirley Jackson-esque tale of terror that works equally well.

3. The Enchantment.
Though still entertaining I didn’t like this one as much because I didn’t really know what was going on. It’s a book that slaps you one way, the beginning is absolutely the best part. It meanders into a tale of paranoia, but never really answers anything. I still enjoyed it though. 

Honestly an amazing read. 

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wall0w's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Of the three stories in this collection "Things Have Gotten Worse..." was definitely my favourite, with themes that hit much closer to home than the others, viscerally disgusting with twists that come from way left field. "The Enchantment" would hit a lot harder for someone who has any kind of religious trauma, but still a very emotional story swimming in loneliness. The only thing I have to say about "You'll Find It's Like That All Over" is that it was a wild ride with a lead character that constantly had me thinking "I wouldn't have said yes to that but you did so I guess we'll see where this goes" and it sure does go.

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mik_yekcuts's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

Feels like the author hates women, first and foremost. All the “horror” elements felt forced and gratuitous. Tried too hard to be edgy and shocking but the characters were not well developed enough for any of it to land. The repeated theme of crucifixion and pregnancy felt almost fetishistic, and was definitely redundant and out of place. I will say that I finished the first two very quickly but sadly was let down both times and really had to push myself to read the third story, anticipating disappointment again. 

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