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sjhonarvar's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.0
April book club read! (Sam, please don’t hate me for this review, I still love you 🫶) I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle through slow reads, so that definitely contributed to my lack of interest in this book until about halfway through. It picked up pace for me when things heated up (and boy, did they heat up) but I still found the characters really unlikable, despite the fact that I had every reason to find them relatable (this does not include the Housemistress, that’s my GIRL). That being said, what I DID love about this book is that it’s quite possibly the gayest book I’ve ever read (said with much enthusiasm). Also, the power imbalance between the love interests left an icky taste in my mouth at times, making it difficult to appreciate the romance. While I have my qualms with this one, it’s still worth a read for anyone who loves queer literature 😌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Drug use
raphynette's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Drug use
camillessi's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
I'm so conflicted on what to rate this book.
On the one hand, I was objectively aware the whole time that the writing was pretentious, the lack of dialogue spacing and tags a style that always seems to try too hard in my mind. But if I ignored the part of me that kept noticing that, the prose was excellent. I could so clearly understand the emotional turmoil within our protagonist. Maybe it's because I'm also a lesbian? Something about the way it was written struck a note with me. I have never felt so seen in a lesbian novel before.
I don't know. The last 30 pages I kept wondering, what do I think of this book? What do I think of it objectively? Is it something I would recommend to other people? How does it make me feel at the end?
Even the way I'm writing this review is sounding more flowery than I usually would write.
Anyway, I still don't know how I feel about the book or how it made me feel. But like I said, I feel like this is written specifically for lesbians. In the end, I felt like I had to give it 4.5 stars. Would otherwise be a 5, but the strange dialogue choices irritated me; I felt like I could never get used to it and kept getting confused.
But it's been a while since I gave a book 5 stars on here, so I decided to round up instead of down.
On the one hand, I was objectively aware the whole time that the writing was pretentious, the lack of dialogue spacing and tags a style that always seems to try too hard in my mind. But if I ignored the part of me that kept noticing that, the prose was excellent. I could so clearly understand the emotional turmoil within our protagonist. Maybe it's because I'm also a lesbian? Something about the way it was written struck a note with me. I have never felt so seen in a lesbian novel before.
I don't know. The last 30 pages I kept wondering, what do I think of this book? What do I think of it objectively? Is it something I would recommend to other people? How does it make me feel at the end?
Even the way I'm writing this review is sounding more flowery than I usually would write.
Anyway, I still don't know how I feel about the book or how it made me feel. But like I said, I feel like this is written specifically for lesbians. In the end, I felt like I had to give it 4.5 stars. Would otherwise be a 5, but the strange dialogue choices irritated me; I felt like I could never get used to it and kept getting confused.
But it's been a while since I gave a book 5 stars on here, so I decided to round up instead of down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Gaslighting and Sexual assault
booksillremember's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Came for the plot, stayed for the prose.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
binevolentbookworm's review against another edition
this felt like a whole lot of nothing happening and the writing style was grating, at best.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Lesbophobia
bronzeageholly's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“If I could choose a different chest I would choose this water. If I could choose a different body I would choose this water”
This beautiful book felt like dipping into someone’s mind, like slipping off the edge of a pool and finding it’s deeper than you thought.
The tension, the longing, the summer heat. Mrs S is a sensual, delicious dive into sexuality and gender, into watching and being watched, into what it’s like to live in your own or other people’s ‘natural’.
The themes of performance and of nature (with key motifs of water, earth, the moon) were carefully and clearly positioned throughout the text: each with transformative powers poignant to the metamorphosis of the protagonist. Through the main character’s observations of light and scent we understand how they view the world and the actions of others. Each relationship formed was palpable, with moments of humour just as precious as the moments of drama.
There was something deeply personal and deeply reflective about this text that I could not demand loudly enough that everyone reads this book.
((definitely an 18+ read!))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Alcohol, and Drug use
katndrsn's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
abbie_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free eARC!
A sultry and sensuous debut told from the POV of a butch lesbian working as a matron at a prestigious girls boarding school - this is one to add to your summer reading list if you want to read more stories about queer desire (though with a melancholic edge) and aren’t afraid of a little stylistic experimentation.
A sultry and sensuous debut told from the POV of a butch lesbian working as a matron at a prestigious girls boarding school - this is one to add to your summer reading list if you want to read more stories about queer desire (though with a melancholic edge) and aren’t afraid of a little stylistic experimentation.
.
Set in an undisclosed location in England, in an undisclosed time period (I was picturing the 90s though), our protagonist arrives at an elite girls boarding school to work as a matron. Presenting as a butch lesbian with an Australian accent, she causes a stir among ‘The Girls’, and eventually catches the eye of the headmaster’s wife, Mrs S., an older, femme woman, and the tension escalates over the course of a summer heatwave.
.
The author does a great job with the atmosphere of this one, and that coupled with the anonymity of it all (no one is named properly) gives way to a heady read, as the reader you feel in the grips of the protagonists desire and infatuation with Mrs. S. I did go back and forth between loving the writing and finding it tiring. K Patrick omits a lot of articles and verbs, with mostly short sentences, and so sometimes I found it quite stilted. However, this did also fit well with the feeling of long, sticky, breezeless summer days where time seems to slow to a crawl. I can see this one dividing readers, for sure!
.
I loved how the author explored the different power dynamics between all the characters, particularly The Girls and the protagonist. Teenage girls can be so cruel, and Patrick perfectly captures their seemingly casual cruelties aimed at our butch protagonist with merciless precision. Stifled giggles, snide remarks, a look between two girls - it’s excruciating at times but an accurate portrayal of being different in an environment so rigidly controlled by antiquated feminine values and tradition.
.
Erotic, brimming with tension, definitely a debut to keep your eye on!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
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