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mandareads222's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Cursing, Kidnapping, Confinement, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Vomit, Death of parent, Excrement, Violence, Medical content, and Death
Minor: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Infidelity
rachaelwho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Gosh. Parts of this were so, so good. And parts of it were a huge mess-- over-explained, on-the-nose in a way that didn't seem arch or intentional, overwrought. You could see the wires in a bad way, especially with the unrealistic oversharing body/toilet stuff that she clearly REALLY wanted to work in, but I was kinda ready to forgive that bc the overall story was fun and clever. But then the last three or so chapters were a real disappointment. I think this book was maybe doing too much and it got away from her. I hope her next one is tighter, she can write and is really creative! I wanted to like the whole book as much as I liked most of the beginning, even the first 2/3 maybe, and it bummed me out to cool on it in the end.
Also, for all its handholding, I'm not sure the book managed to say "patriarchy" a single time, which beggars belief-- both bc Robin would absoLUTELY say it and bc it's clearly on the author's mind and she is so very not above beating a dead horse.
Also, for all its handholding, I'm not sure the book managed to say "patriarchy" a single time, which beggars belief-- both bc Robin would absoLUTELY say it and bc it's clearly on the author's mind and she is so very not above beating a dead horse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Blood
Minor: Vomit and Abandonment
audreyxine's review
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The characters were so interesting and I found Robin to be incredibly relatable (I may be a walking red flag because of this though). I had so much fun reading this and flew through it super fast. I thought the social commentary was thoughtful and interesting, but didn't leave a lot of room for nuance. It's refreshing to hear commentary from a queer woman who clearly hates everyone. I wish the escalation was more dramatic and drawn out, and I think I definitely enjoyed the satirical elements more than the actual story. 'm not a huge fan of the ending. it was annoying and absurd to see the friendship be redeemed and the character exposition was really over the top and on the nose. I wish Robin kept her angry gay insufferable bitchiness and for these women to rip each other apart. Overall though, I really enjoyed this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
timetotalkbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Violence and Toxic friendship
readwithbells's review
4.0
Chaos incarnate. I think you have to have a really particular set of political beliefs in order to enjoy the satire this book sets up. I cackled the whole way through it, it was hilarious (especially as I was on the plane home from my best friends wedding which I was officiating). I’m writing this review a month later and honestly I forgot I even read this book but it was really fun in the moment. A great bingeable read for the plane.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Murder and Homophobia
Minor: Racism
shaunashares's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Toxic friendship
stacy837's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Medical content and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, Blood, Alcohol, and Vomit
danajoy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Animal death, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
kellyreadingbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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
5.0
I can completely see why this book isn’t for everyone. And honestly, after reading this book I can see how I’m not everyone’s cup of tea either, and come to find more peace with it. This book is brilliant and addictive. It’s almost this dystopian world of weddings- brides have gotten crazy doing “charms” for their weddings to bring their marriages longevity like sacrificing rabbits and carrying sage and garlic bouquets down the aisle. Robin is a queer badass professor writing a dissertation on this craze when she’s asking to be maid of honor for her “basic bitch” PSL loving best friend Ellie from high school. Besides this strange movement of the government out to endorse weddings and increase the population being an intriguing plot point, I loved Robin. I loved the messiness of her strong opinions and boundary crossing for the things she believes in. She’s such a real and fascinating character to follow. I related so much to her not being able to let things go and harboring repressed emotions for years. This is a book about female friendship and toxicity that can follow it. It’s about societal expectations and gender politics. Beginning this book, everything is so black and white through Robins eyes and then we slowly as a reader follow along Robin seeing how everything is in fact, gray. This is definitely an atypical thriller that is so much more than the premise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Racism
pinesandpages's review
2.5
Well. This is a book that exists.
Let me start by saying when I first read the description, I immediately sent this to my best friend who loves to critique weddings/the wedding industrial complex/social pressures to get married/etc. She also loves thrillers. I thought “what could be better for her?”
And the answer is I will be texting her after I write this to say not to read it. My book club chose this as our April pick or else I would’ve DNFed it.
I didn’t hate this, and I did read it quickly because my whole experience was one large “huh.” Not enough to make me put it down, but I did mostly continue reading so I could roast it to my friends later. I don’t even want to get into all the reasons I disliked it but the main things are:
• a sledgehammer to the face would be more subtle than this book. The morals and theme were quite plainly and unequivocally stated even though it felt like it was written to be a “wink wink nudge nudge” situation. To be clear, I am quite liberal so I am onboard with the content, it was the delivery that completely lacked finesse that bothered me.
• very weird to be set in an alternate universe where everything is the exact same except there’s a more intense, government-supported focus on marriage and weddings. I’d forget this was not a standard contemporary world and then someone would say “she was approaching the “rotten” age where after that no man would marry her” and also “yeah we slaughter a bunny before the wedding to chase away marriage ruining spirits”
• I dislike the narrative style when the narrator is…reflecting back on something that has happened as if they are addressing the reader. Eg “Years later I would remember this moment and ask myself if…” and also “looking back, it sounds ridiculous but it honestly didn’t occur to me that it could be her.” These are both direct quotes. It’s a sudden shift in the writing style (bc most of it isn’t like that) and a blunt way to make the reader take note of the suspicious happenings just described, in case we didn’t pick up on it ourselves.
• Why did the two (platonic) best friends shower together so frequently? Can’t believe that was mentioned so casually and never addressed afterwards, but in middle school/high school they started taking showers together (naked, in one of their homes) and kept doing it through after graduating COLLEGE. This was described a few times, and this is literally a sentence in the book: “We would take showers together, at first wearing bathing suits, then eventually discarding them. We compared nipple hair, butthole hair, labia length and color, the amount of discharge left on our underwear at the end of the day, the blood clots clinging to the side of our tampons like red slugs.” And the rationale is bc they wanted to be as close to each other as possible and also otherwise they ran out of hot water. What?????
• truly cannot believe the epilogue, the two of them each only scratched the surface of their issues/beliefs/judgements despite the book’s premise making it seem like they’d be doing a deep dive and resolve everything.
I know I said I wouldn’t get into all the things I disliked and then wrote a lot of detail about several aspects, but once I started I couldn’t stop. And those were just the first things that come to mind, I’m sure I’ll think of other things later.
Let me start by saying when I first read the description, I immediately sent this to my best friend who loves to critique weddings/the wedding industrial complex/social pressures to get married/etc. She also loves thrillers. I thought “what could be better for her?”
And the answer is I will be texting her after I write this to say not to read it. My book club chose this as our April pick or else I would’ve DNFed it.
I didn’t hate this, and I did read it quickly because my whole experience was one large “huh.” Not enough to make me put it down, but I did mostly continue reading so I could roast it to my friends later. I don’t even want to get into all the reasons I disliked it but the main things are:
• a sledgehammer to the face would be more subtle than this book. The morals and theme were quite plainly and unequivocally stated even though it felt like it was written to be a “wink wink nudge nudge” situation. To be clear, I am quite liberal so I am onboard with the content, it was the delivery that completely lacked finesse that bothered me.
• very weird to be set in an alternate universe where everything is the exact same except there’s a more intense, government-supported focus on marriage and weddings. I’d forget this was not a standard contemporary world and then someone would say “she was approaching the “rotten” age where after that no man would marry her” and also “yeah we slaughter a bunny before the wedding to chase away marriage ruining spirits”
• I dislike the narrative style when the narrator is…reflecting back on something that has happened as if they are addressing the reader. Eg “Years later I would remember this moment and ask myself if…” and also “looking back, it sounds ridiculous but it honestly didn’t occur to me that it could be her.” These are both direct quotes. It’s a sudden shift in the writing style (bc most of it isn’t like that) and a blunt way to make the reader take note of the suspicious happenings just described, in case we didn’t pick up on it ourselves.
• Why did the two (platonic) best friends shower together so frequently? Can’t believe that was mentioned so casually and never addressed afterwards, but in middle school/high school they started taking showers together (naked, in one of their homes) and kept doing it through after graduating COLLEGE. This was described a few times, and this is literally a sentence in the book: “We would take showers together, at first wearing bathing suits, then eventually discarding them. We compared nipple hair, butthole hair, labia length and color, the amount of discharge left on our underwear at the end of the day, the blood clots clinging to the side of our tampons like red slugs.” And the rationale is bc they wanted to be as close to each other as possible and also otherwise they ran out of hot water. What?????
• truly cannot believe the epilogue, the two of them each only scratched the surface of their issues/beliefs/judgements despite the book’s premise making it seem like they’d be doing a deep dive and resolve everything.
I know I said I wouldn’t get into all the things I disliked and then wrote a lot of detail about several aspects, but once I started I couldn’t stop. And those were just the first things that come to mind, I’m sure I’ll think of other things later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment