picked up patricia because i wanted to read the book the cover blurbs were raving about. i still want to read that book. this is not that book.

self-indulgent and dragging first and second acts are so caught up in the characters, complexes, and institutions they're lampooning that they end up almost as vapid and certainly as weightless. satire requires clarity of purpose and target etc etc

was originally going to give this a 2.5, but a satisfying—if unearned, and unsubstantiated—third act brought it up a bit.

ultimately, i can't help but feel like this is a book that's begging to get picked up for a movie deal, which would probably be the best fate for it. it'd certainly make a better (clearer, better constructed, more precise) movie than it does a novel.

Content Warnings

savvylit's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Patricia Wants to Cuddle is perhaps the perfect beach read. It's fun, mysterious, campy, and a little bit scary. As though you were actually watching reality TV, reading this book makes you voyeuristically invested in the exaggerated dynamics of The Catch cast. That in itself is quite an entertaining feat! But then add Bigfoot literally lurking in the background at all times? Next-level amusement.

However, there were two aspects of Patricia Wants to Cuddle that I wish were further explored: queer romance and Patricia herself. I would have loved to have "met" Patricia sooner in the story. Alas, I may just have to continue wondering about her. Was Patricia a villain or just misunderstood??

Edited · 3d

Content Warnings

page_28's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Super weird and fun. Pretty quick read. Great rep of queer community.

Content Warnings

emzhay's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This was fun, but not as exciting as it’s made out to be. It’s more of a comical unpacking of reality television than a lesbian horror romcom.

Content Warnings

gruhuken's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful fast-paced

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

3.5

I really love this kind of horror. I had a lot of fun reading this; the humour was pretty funny, it had a few really scary moments and the ending was surprisingly sweet. It felt a little too short, I wanted to know way more about the strange main character (what the hell was she even doing on the dating show to begin with??). The second half is where it becomes a slasher but I also felt that went by far too quickly, as if it was trying to get the characters out of the way rather than giving time to breathe within kills. A lot of questions, especially about the members of the island group, went unanswered in a way that didn't satisfy me. Would recommend this though, if not just for a quick, weird and funny queer read about. Found family? And sasquatches.

Content Warnings

chasingpages1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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