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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Hi, hello, this book about a sex worker made me cry.
(Obviously it is about so much more than a sex worker but that got your attention right?)
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year so you can imagine my excitement when this fun proof dropped into my letterbox courtesy of the lovely team over at 4th Estate!
Happy to report it did not disappoint and Ruthie (a.k.a Baby, a.k.a Miss Sunday) has careened headfirst into my roster of favourite protagonists. Do I want to BE her? Do I want to be WITH her? Maybe a little bit of both, although I'm not sure either would be a good idea!
Split into three parts, we first meet 'Baby', a dancer at a San Francisco strip club who is living with her ex-boyfriend Dino. They still maintain a love and respect for each other and she definitely relies upon him to give her some semblance of stability, just ignore the fact that he is a drug-dealer! When Dino suddenly disappears one day without so much as a goodbye, she finds that without his structure and support she feels a little lost. She sees him around every corner, customers at the club take his shape, strangers on the street have his face, and she twists her mind into knots wondering where he has gone.
We are also introduced to "Miss Sunday", Ruthie's dominatrix alter-ego, and through her encounters with clients, we see how she is forced to confront some pretty intense stuff about her own sexuality, desires, and sense of self. It’s not just about the physical part of things, though, as it really digs deep into the emotional side of love and self-acceptance. There’s a lot of internal conflict as she navigates the tension between who society says she should be and who she wants to be.
Her growth through the book is very satisfying and I was rooting for her from the first page, despite her flaws. Watching her evolve, even if it’s uncomfortable at times, was a journey I wanted to share with her. The supporting characters, too, are well-crafted, they’re not just there to serve the plot, they feel like actual people you could know, multi-dimensional and believable. From her fellow dancers and dommes, to her clients and friends, each with their own back-stories and motivations, they really made her world feel fleshed out and realistic.
Ruthie's journey isn’t just about finding Dino, or even finding love, it’s about figuring out how to love herself, flaws and all and you know I love to read a book that isn’t trying to sugarcoat things. This is an exploration of identity, love, and vulnerability that unexpectedly got me in the feels. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s real, a hot mess of a book in the best way possible!
(Obviously it is about so much more than a sex worker but that got your attention right?)
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year so you can imagine my excitement when this fun proof dropped into my letterbox courtesy of the lovely team over at 4th Estate!
Happy to report it did not disappoint and Ruthie (a.k.a Baby, a.k.a Miss Sunday) has careened headfirst into my roster of favourite protagonists. Do I want to BE her? Do I want to be WITH her? Maybe a little bit of both, although I'm not sure either would be a good idea!
Split into three parts, we first meet 'Baby', a dancer at a San Francisco strip club who is living with her ex-boyfriend Dino. They still maintain a love and respect for each other and she definitely relies upon him to give her some semblance of stability, just ignore the fact that he is a drug-dealer! When Dino suddenly disappears one day without so much as a goodbye, she finds that without his structure and support she feels a little lost. She sees him around every corner, customers at the club take his shape, strangers on the street have his face, and she twists her mind into knots wondering where he has gone.
We are also introduced to "Miss Sunday", Ruthie's dominatrix alter-ego, and through her encounters with clients, we see how she is forced to confront some pretty intense stuff about her own sexuality, desires, and sense of self. It’s not just about the physical part of things, though, as it really digs deep into the emotional side of love and self-acceptance. There’s a lot of internal conflict as she navigates the tension between who society says she should be and who she wants to be.
Her growth through the book is very satisfying and I was rooting for her from the first page, despite her flaws. Watching her evolve, even if it’s uncomfortable at times, was a journey I wanted to share with her. The supporting characters, too, are well-crafted, they’re not just there to serve the plot, they feel like actual people you could know, multi-dimensional and believable. From her fellow dancers and dommes, to her clients and friends, each with their own back-stories and motivations, they really made her world feel fleshed out and realistic.
Ruthie's journey isn’t just about finding Dino, or even finding love, it’s about figuring out how to love herself, flaws and all and you know I love to read a book that isn’t trying to sugarcoat things. This is an exploration of identity, love, and vulnerability that unexpectedly got me in the feels. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s real, a hot mess of a book in the best way possible!
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
The setting did a lot of heavy lifting for me. I frequently found myself bored with the meandering. An unreliable narrator is floundering and sinking deeper into her delusions. I expected a bit more but overall the writing was very nice. I just didn’t know what to do with our main character.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An okay read about an unreliable main character. I found myself connecting with her but also felt the plot was…strange? Boring? Not sure.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and I do think the synopsis make it sounds like it has more of a plot than it does. This book follows the day to day life of a sex workers as she copes with life after her ex boyfriend has disappeared. I found myself really into the writing and the story despite the fact that nothing really happens. This isn't a book that I could recommend for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
extra points for the modern SF lore
felt like autofiction morphing into magical realism, losing some of the initial realistic threads in favor of fantastical themes and symbolism throughout the books progression: particularly, the hallucinations coming to life, plotlines crossing paths, doppelgängers, etc.
prose was a but clumsy at times, but emotion was always intense and raw.
felt like autofiction morphing into magical realism, losing some of the initial realistic threads in favor of fantastical themes and symbolism throughout the books progression: particularly, the hallucinations coming to life, plotlines crossing paths, doppelgängers, etc.
prose was a but clumsy at times, but emotion was always intense and raw.