Reviews

Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin

winemum's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

chartania's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

merryboberry's review against another edition

4.0

It’s a tale as old as time. Girl meets junkie. Girl flees to New Mexico after his death. Girl cleans houses to support herself. Girl washes hands with poop thinking it’s decorative soap. Girl…

Okay. Wait. That’s entirely too romantic to be the tale that’s as old as time.

What Beagin has created is a compelling story full of awkward, yet comedic situations that reveal the inner workings of a 26 year-old cleaning lady trying to accept, or maybe repress, her dark, DARK past. Vacuum in the Dark is an uncomfortable book that readers will either love for its complexity or simply label too confusing. For this gal, it worked. (Shivers remembering awkward situations) Oh, yes. It worked.

bigsister's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

greesman's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

claudiarose's review against another edition

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just love this series, and I found Vacuum In The Dark even better than Pretend I’m Dead. 
This is funny, and dark, and twisted, and oddly relatable. Mona just might be my favourite fictional character. 

sal_mah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

mrnltt's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

send_motivation's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious fast-paced

4.0

xtinee's review against another edition

4.0

I first read [b:Pretend I'm Dead|36373223|Pretend I'm Dead|Jen Beagin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514904933l/36373223._SY75_.jpg|45264934] and I enjoyed it while reading but I hated the ending because I felt like it didn’t have closure. The main reason I decided to read the Vacuum in the Dark (the sequel) was for closure. I thought it was much better. I couldn’t put it down. The praise written on the book all talks about how funny it is. I would say it's much more dark than funny but I still enjoyed it. It is light but at the same time manages to cover a range of dark and deep topics. This sequel made up for the first novel. I think it's still necessary to read the first one to get the most out of this one but given that they are both short its a worthwhile investment.