Reviews with content warning for Blood - Patricia Wants to Cuddle

Like a lot of reviews have already said, great concept but a little shaky on the execution. Even so, it was a fun read. Part of that fun was saying “wait what just happened?” out loud to myself as I was reading.

I didn’t love the ending, I think it felt a little rushed and we never quite got any explanation for *why* the cult was doing what it did aside from some vague “she’s so amazing” stuff. I did love the epilogue though. I’d also love to read a prequel to this just about the formation of the Lesbian Death Cult (tm)

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jillaay_h's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

1.5

Title: Patricia Wants to Cuddle
Author: Samantha Allen
Genre: Horror
Rating: 1.50
Pub Date: June 28, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Unique • Absurd • Gruesome

📖 S Y N O P S I S

On this season of The Catch, contestants must compete for love. And their lives.

When the final four women in competition for an aloof, somewhat sleazy bachelor’s heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, they prepare themselves for another week of extreme sleep deprivation, invasive interviews, and, of course, the salacious drama eager viewers nationwide tune in to devour. Each woman came on The Catch for her own reasons—brand sponsorships, followers, and, yes, even love—and they’ve all got their eyes steadfastly trained on their respective prizes. Enter Patricia, a temperamental and woefully misunderstood local living alone in the dark, verdant woods, and desperate for connection. Through twists as unexpected as they are wildly entertaining, the self-absorbed cast and jaded crew each make her acquaintance atop the island’s tallest and most desolate peak, finding themselves at the center of an action-packed thriller that is far from scripted—and only a few will make the final cut.

💭 T H O U G H T S

How did this bizarre, satirical, completely outside my comfort zone, novel fall into my hands? Well that's the beauty of online book club events. This is nothing I would have ever picked up on my own accord, but peer pressure is real even in adulthood.

Writing this review is difficult because I don't even know what I read. I was expecting one thing and got something completely different - so I definitely think there was poor marketing of what this book is. The build up through the first half was slow, yet the second half was packed with senseless violence and trying to cover too many different storyline.

I understand Patricia Wants to Cuddle is Samantha Allen's attempt at social commentary through the reality show trope. However, when I finally made it to the end, I was confused because nothing was resolved. It was was one of those books that left me with that 'what the heck' feeling. I am not really sure what I read. One thing I am sure about is I am not the intended audience for this book. While it's hard for me to see myself recommending this to anyone, if you're book club is looking for something that is guaranteed to spark discussion than this would definitely fit the bill.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the reality TV trope

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"By the way, Maggie, quick news flash from the future: we don’t wear socks with Birkenstocks anymore."

"Imagine a world so small that your ego can fill all of it."

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I was pretty disappointed by this book. I went it expecting a queer horror story featuring a sasquatch, but I felt like it didn't deliver on any of those points.

The build up is extremely slow with the action not happening until the last 20%. The parody reality show and it's contestants are interesting, but they are not strong enough to make up the entirety of the book's focus.

The queerness is fairly understated and not as prominent as I thought it would be. That is completely fine in general, but I went into this expecting it to be a lot more significant.

I just felt like the book went from endless content about the reality show, to senseless and overly graphic violence, to an abrupt ending. No questions were answered for me. I have no idea why anything happened in the story or what triggered the plot or even what the connections are between the remaining characters. For some books, the unexplained ending is done in a way to keep you thinking. For this book, given the absence of answers about anything else, it just left me feeling lost and disinterested.

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shayminxcx's review against another edition

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funny fast-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

4.5

This book was really fun and a worthwhile read. I had a great time with it , especially as a lover of overproduced reality tv. It was quite short yet the pace was perfect and it didn’t lag or feel too rushed.

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