Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Luster

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

yustawrites's review

funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This books got me out of a reading slump. I can't help but compare it to Queenie, but this was much better. I DNFd Queenie quite quickly, whereas this book intrigued me.

It didn't match all of my expectations. If it's called Luster, I really expected more eroticism or kink. This books was more about loneliness, family issues, art as a way to deal with life. The writing was so good and I actually expected the plot to take a sinister turn but this also never came.

Overall I really enjoyed this story, and it was full of brilliant writing that made me reflect on things along with Edie. There was no BS or unnecessary long scenes. The story moved quite fast in a way that kept you engaged rather than confused.

I particularly enjoyed the clever and accurate descriptions of how it feels to live in someone else's house/flat. And although sometimes I thought Edie makes questionable decisions that don't make her situation any better (and then she's like: why is my situation not any better??) - it was quite frustrating - but at the same time I realise as an onlooker it's not all what it seems. I have to give Edie credit because she has a good heart and tries to make the most out of her situation, wherever she is!

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thenovelmaura's review

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

I knew before I started that I probably wouldn't love this book, simply because it's character-driven literary fiction and that isn't my usual fare (it was a Christmas gift). However, this ended up being particularly hard for me to read because I couldn't find much to appreciate beyond the perspective of a life I'll never live (a black 23-year-old woman in NYC who is in a relationship with a married man). It was well-written in some respects but was also overloaded with metaphors and comparisons that felt unnecessary. I'm all for realism and I don't expect every story to be upbeat and free from struggles or pain or awkwardness; what I couldn't get over was how none of the characters in the story (besides Akila, who is 13) acted logically or said what they actually meant.

I was interested in the storyline if only because I had no idea why these things were happening and what would come next, so that was compelling in a "can't look away" way. But if the book wasn't so short I probably wouldn't have been able to finish it. This quote sums up Edie's character pretty well: "I almost lose a seat to a woman who gets on at Union Square, but luckily her pregnancy slows her down." If you know you won't be able to force your way through a novel where the main character's primary trait is a blatant disregard for anyone who isn't her, then you should avoid this one.

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suchsweetsorrow89's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

the only reason why i picked up this book was that my friend constantly raves about it. i can see exactly why she loves it so much. this book, as most reviews probably say, is a weird and strange book. i hate to compare books because I believe that an author's work should be taken as is, but this book highlights and mirrors similar themes that you will find in my year of rest and relaxation and the bell jar. this story follows edie, a black woman in her 20s that is struggling with her relationships to men and her parents, how to live life in general, and how to make money when suddenly caught in between jobs. the main character, through her random and sometimes absurd thoughts and motives, takes us on a journey even though the plot is somewhat generic. i love books where the main plot is a bit generic because it highlights the inherent struggle one faces in their everyday lives when not working or really given any sense of who they are, where they come from, and what they could be (and also what it requires to be that thing/person). while this book is absurd in a way similar to my year of rest and relaxation, what separates the two is clear as day: one is absurd, and one is just strange. being 'strange' means it's realistic and human, just not entirely normal in the way that one would imagine. i think this book has many beautiful lines, and while the language is a bit confusing at times, i also think it symbolizes and emphasizes that edie, while lost in life, is smart. though she cannot see it (and the book is written in a way that we can feel that lost feeling she feels), we intrinsically know that she is smart enough to move through life and move through the world-- she just quite literally has no clue on where to go. personally,

i love that we do not get this 'happy ending'. as someone who loves the odyssey and the Iliad, the themes of wanting memorialization in some way or another-- not necessarily to prove that she was great-- but that for a moment in this big phenomenon called life-- she was at least there. ending on this note of striving and some level of understanding between herself and the world but still not quite figuring it out was an unconditional route in these types of books and hence why i love it so much

. raven breaks from the traditional 'tragically beautiful sad girl' narrative in a way that's beautiful. all this being said, this book is much sadder than those other books so please be aware. i certainly can tell i will be in a slump after this because it is heavier than you'd expect, and so there is a chance that you might too.

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itsbumley's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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kaicedcoffee's review

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
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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evalotteli's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

2.0

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jules44's review

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dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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angel_kiiss's review

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Now I understand what people mean when they feel seen by another human being. This woman is both the girl I hate and my best friend. A girl who probably hates me but I do anything I can to impress her.
Out of all the “unhinged” women I’ve read, Edie feels the most real; she’s layered and complex, a nice girl and sometimes horrible person, she’s lovable but that is hidden beneath her antagonistic flaws.

Who hasn’t found themselves in love with someone before they realize it wasn’t ever really love. Who hasn’t been struck by the reality of a person only after you’ve dug yourself six feet for them.

I can’t believe this was a debit novel. Very few books have moved me this much, and even fewer gripped me like this from beginning to end.

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lilawsahar's review

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

3.25

This book is about a young woman discovering herself in NY. I would say she finds herself through the women that support her even though they should be the last people on earth to do so. It was strange but I kept wanting to read it.

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