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dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-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
I liked this! Didn’t know where it was going to go but I rly liked the ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
Let me start by saying—Cleopatra and Frankenstein is one of those books that feels like you're floating in a hazy dream the whole time you're reading it. The writing? Stunning. Descriptive, moody, and often painfully beautiful. It definitely earns its spot on the “sad girl literary fiction” shelf.
The novel follows Cleo, a young British artist, and Frank, an older American ad man, who impulsively marry after a whirlwind romance in New York. What follows is an intimate, messy, and often bleak exploration of their relationship—and the web of people around them—as they each try to find themselves (or lose themselves) in love, ambition, addiction, and identity.
Now, my feelings about this book are... complicated. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It’s very character-driven, which I usually enjoy, and Mellors really knows how to write interiority. There were moments—especially during Cleo’s depressive episodes—that hit way too close to home. But what kept me from fully loving it was the lack of character growth. These people felt real, but also kind of stuck in their own cycles, like they never really learned or changed.
If you're looking for something plot-heavy, this might not be for you. But if you’re into messy, melancholic stories with poetic writing and emotionally distant characters spiraling through life, this might just scratch that itch. It didn’t become a favorite for me, but I can totally see why it resonates with a lot of readers.
The novel follows Cleo, a young British artist, and Frank, an older American ad man, who impulsively marry after a whirlwind romance in New York. What follows is an intimate, messy, and often bleak exploration of their relationship—and the web of people around them—as they each try to find themselves (or lose themselves) in love, ambition, addiction, and identity.
Now, my feelings about this book are... complicated. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It’s very character-driven, which I usually enjoy, and Mellors really knows how to write interiority. There were moments—especially during Cleo’s depressive episodes—that hit way too close to home. But what kept me from fully loving it was the lack of character growth. These people felt real, but also kind of stuck in their own cycles, like they never really learned or changed.
If you're looking for something plot-heavy, this might not be for you. But if you’re into messy, melancholic stories with poetic writing and emotionally distant characters spiraling through life, this might just scratch that itch. It didn’t become a favorite for me, but I can totally see why it resonates with a lot of readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
At the start I found this book to be edging on pretentiousness but it quickly changed my mind.
You fall in love with each character despite them all having a plethora of flaws. You root for everyone in their own way, and you root for each relationship in its own way. I’m happy with how everything came together at the end even if it’s not the ending I wanted. I also found how it was written to be new and interesting; I liked the jump from character to character and how the writing style would change based on that.
This is a book that I didn’t want to finish because of how much I loved it and is one of my favourite books in a very long time.
You fall in love with each character despite them all having a plethora of flaws. You root for everyone in their own way, and you root for each relationship in its own way. I’m happy with how everything came together at the end even if it’s not the ending I wanted. I also found how it was written to be new and interesting; I liked the jump from character to character and how the writing style would change based on that.
This is a book that I didn’t want to finish because of how much I loved it and is one of my favourite books in a very long time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
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: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Body horror
dark
emotional
tense
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
Not great, not bad. Everyone needed therapy. The poor sugar glider. Also this book needs a lot of trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Dementia, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got this book during a book exchange, it was pitched by my friend as a story that plays in New York. As I am going there soon I wanted to read it and before me unfolded so much more. The friend group is split into those who loved the book and those who hated it. Hating this story comes with a very adjusted life. If you (over)emphasise with story characters, can relate to a certain degree of self doubt followed by destruction and have clung onto a relationship (friend or amorous) just to not be alone, you might just fit into the group that enjoys this read. There is no happy ending per se, we just learn about a year in the life of two people, but the potential left at the end of the story is so uplifting and hopeful that I put it down very happy and relaxed at the turn of the last page. I am looking forward to reading more of Coco Mellors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Suicide attempt