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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i would have liked if the story focused a little bit more on the mystery aspect of Dino’s disappearance, but overall it had it’s fun parts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Excrement
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
no plot just vibes and very okay writing
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the kind of book that feels like a fog— there’s a lot of fog references in the book, because duh, San Francisco, but this book feels like a cloud of perfume, or walking through mist. I feel hazy thinking about it. Dino is one of the most well written characters I have ever read, and Emmeline made me envious of an entire woman’s vibe in a way I haven’t felt since I read Normal People and wanted Marianne’s idgaf turtleneck girl attitude. I loved this book. I loved Ruth. This is a perfect, holy little book.
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I mostly enjoyed this book but the synopsis really built it up so that my expectations were not met. There is barely a plot! On the positive, the writing is wonderful and there are moments of tenderness that really hit despite the overall messy woman vs. void vibes. This story in the hands of a lesser writer would have left me quite annoyed upon finish. As it stands, I’m mildly annoyed but will be thinking of this one a lot.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
An atmospheric and dreamy coming of age novel, I enjoyed this one quite a bit! I really appreciated the writing style, it was often poignant without being over the top, it felt true to Ruth’s character and her journey through grief and loneliness. I also liked that there was a sort of grittiness to the book while also maintaining a mundane, everyday feeling especially around sex work and desire. This is a book that’s kind of hard to pin down in a review because the style and content is so wispy and weird, but I definitely enjoyed the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief