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literarycrushes's review against another edition
4.0
When I heard Caitlin Barasch describe the plot of A Novel Obsession during a debut author's panel at the Brooklyn Book Festival, I immediately added it to my TBR. The story is absolutely cuckoo-banana-crazy-pants in the best way as it centers around Naomi, a 20-something girl fantasizing about writing her first novel living rent-free in her Grandmother’s Greenwich Village townhouse while working part-time at a Brooklyn bookstore. She’s recently entered her first real relationship with Caleb, a Welsh transplant who she had assumed moved to New York City for work, but recently learned the real reason was to be with his ex-girlfriend Rosemary. Rather than accept the fact that they broke up for their own reasons and move on, Naomi becomes obsessed with Rosemary and begins stalking her for the sake of a possible novel idea.
Emboldened by something in-between jealousy and literary aspiration, Naomi follows Rosemary around the city, stalks her online presence, and eventually allows herself to get dangerously close. I absolutely loved this novel – not only because (as a true Gemini and a writer) I can relate to the desire and obsession of wanting to find out more about someone/something you shouldn’t, but because it was executed so well that it felt like a true literary exploration of a flawed character, and an exploration of self-worth and learning how to receive love.
Naomi identifies with something in Rosemary (beyond basics, like how they’re both native New Yorkers working in publishing who share a mutual taste in men), and stalking Rosemary allows her to look at and learn about herself in a weirdly roundabout way that she feels comfortable with. If Rosemary is worthy of receiving love, then perhaps she is too. And, as always, I love a story where the man is essentially beside the point “Only when I reveal my worst self and am forgiven for it will I be certain I am loved.”
Emboldened by something in-between jealousy and literary aspiration, Naomi follows Rosemary around the city, stalks her online presence, and eventually allows herself to get dangerously close. I absolutely loved this novel – not only because (as a true Gemini and a writer) I can relate to the desire and obsession of wanting to find out more about someone/something you shouldn’t, but because it was executed so well that it felt like a true literary exploration of a flawed character, and an exploration of self-worth and learning how to receive love.
Naomi identifies with something in Rosemary (beyond basics, like how they’re both native New Yorkers working in publishing who share a mutual taste in men), and stalking Rosemary allows her to look at and learn about herself in a weirdly roundabout way that she feels comfortable with. If Rosemary is worthy of receiving love, then perhaps she is too. And, as always, I love a story where the man is essentially beside the point “Only when I reveal my worst self and am forgiven for it will I be certain I am loved.”
abbuelita's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed this! The main character was fascinating and I couldn’t help rooting for her even as she became more unhinged. The sentence-level writing was excellent. Only reason I didn’t give five stars is because the ending felt like it was missing something.
scavengercat's review against another edition
3.0
4 ⭐️? I love a weird book. But I saw the ending coming and that made me enjoy it less when it happened.
alybre13's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent debut novel! "You" by Caroline Kepnes *Lite*, and from a female protagonist's perspective.
Major trigger warning for infertility
Major trigger warning for infertility
emilyhwinn's review against another edition
4.0
Content warning: This book contains content that is related to rape, sexual abuse, stalking and some sexually explicit content.
That being said, it was a very fast moving story… it felt sort of like watching a train wreck driven by a delusional narcissist. The anti-heroine was delightfully unlikable (yes, really) and the novel did a good job showing how easy it is to cross the line from often joked about “Facebook stalking” to full on obsession. I couldn’t put it down!
That being said, it was a very fast moving story… it felt sort of like watching a train wreck driven by a delusional narcissist. The anti-heroine was delightfully unlikable (yes, really) and the novel did a good job showing how easy it is to cross the line from often joked about “Facebook stalking” to full on obsession. I couldn’t put it down!
shimauchiha's review against another edition
4.0
Read this if you like:
-Women who self-sabotage, stalk and write.
- Complicated female dynamics.
- Book-within-book meta-narratives.
Do not read this if:
- You're triggered by
- You can't like unlikable characters.
- You only like stalkers in thrillers or mysteries.
- You'd be disappointed in a build-up with no confrontation.
My thoughts:
This book is kind of like [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660] meets [b:You|36430011|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549463282l/36430011._SY75_.jpg|39913517]. Where instead of sleeping for a year, this time the rich white female protagonist decides to fill the void by stalking her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
There are some issues. At the beginning, the narrator's obsession goes from 0 to 100 so suddenly and she expresses no consideration of the consequences of her actions that she comes across as psychopathic, whereas the rest of the book mostly takes the position that she is just a run-of-the-mill stalker.
Reflecting that, the tone of the book also shifts from a more thriller-esque beginning to a more contemporary-introspective-character study towards the end. So depending on your personal tastes, you might find yourself enjoying one half more than the other.
The other issue with the inconsistency is that the beginning sets you up to expect a thriller-style conclusion with a huge confrontation, but the actual ending is the quieter type that suits the second half of the book, but might feel disappointing for the first half.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this. To me, this felt like a version of the voice-y angsty female narrators that have become popular with the likes of [a:Ottessa Moshfegh|3276202|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568839250p2/3276202.jpg] and [a:Salley Rooney|19172475|Salley Rooney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], but less sophisticated and with more influence from faster-paced, plot-driven genres, which made it an easier read.
Besides, I will always have a soft spot for books with writer characters.
-Women who self-sabotage, stalk and write.
- Complicated female dynamics.
- Book-within-book meta-narratives.
Do not read this if:
- You're triggered by
Spoiler
rape or infertility- You can't like unlikable characters.
- You only like stalkers in thrillers or mysteries.
- You'd be disappointed in a build-up with no confrontation.
My thoughts:
This book is kind of like [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660] meets [b:You|36430011|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549463282l/36430011._SY75_.jpg|39913517]. Where instead of sleeping for a year, this time the rich white female protagonist decides to fill the void by stalking her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
There are some issues. At the beginning, the narrator's obsession goes from 0 to 100 so suddenly and she expresses no consideration of the consequences of her actions that she comes across as psychopathic, whereas the rest of the book mostly takes the position that she is just a run-of-the-mill stalker.
Reflecting that, the tone of the book also shifts from a more thriller-esque beginning to a more contemporary-introspective-character study towards the end. So depending on your personal tastes, you might find yourself enjoying one half more than the other.
The other issue with the inconsistency is that the beginning sets you up to expect a thriller-style conclusion with a huge confrontation, but the actual ending is the quieter type that suits the second half of the book, but might feel disappointing for the first half.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this. To me, this felt like a version of the voice-y angsty female narrators that have become popular with the likes of [a:Ottessa Moshfegh|3276202|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568839250p2/3276202.jpg] and [a:Salley Rooney|19172475|Salley Rooney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], but less sophisticated and with more influence from faster-paced, plot-driven genres, which made it an easier read.
Besides, I will always have a soft spot for books with writer characters.
laura_shipman's review against another edition
2.0
This book had such a promising plot but ultimately went nowhere, made me cringe the entire time, and failed to deliver at the end. I’m extremely upset because this book could have been great if the plot was executed differently.
frannook's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Well, I'll be damned. This was a weird book and a wild ride.
steepedpages's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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
1.5
This was a disappointment. I was hoping for something edgier, more intense or creepy, but the stakes never felt raised. The protagonist is incredibly unlikable, but doesn't seem to realize how awful she is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Stalking, and Infertility
Moderate: Sexual content