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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I kept putting this off because the premise just didn't grip me right away. I eventually got around to it based on all the good reviews, and what I've learned is this: trust Sarah Gailey. They will always write a book that is better than you expect, that goes down weird little paths and surprises you in some great ways.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Dnf. Got about half way, plot was ok, but for some reason this book just didn't hook me
god this went so hard!!
the general summary is "a woman who works in human cloning research learns that her husband has made a (more complacent and accommodating) clone of her to be his new wife" but this book does KEEP happening. i don't think it's quite THRILLER in style but it certainly has elements. i would say that it does a lot of horror as well, in its twists, in its main character's attitude, and especially in its ending.
one thing that i think rules about this novel in its like, style and what it chooses to detail or not, is how it just hits you in the first 20-30 pages with "yeah we make human adult clones with sentient feelings and thoughts and then we kill them. normal stuff happens all the time" and you the reader are like "okay.. does anyone.. have any type of like RESERVATIONS about that or......" and you don't get ANSWERED about that right away but like..
so i loved that unreliable narrator. i said this re:Plain Bad Heroines but i simply love it when women are shitty and mean and do cruel stuff to each other because they can. thank you Evelyn Caldwell for gaslight gatekeep and girlbossing your way through this book
ending blew me away. chef kiss. incredible.
anyway i'd heard about Sarah Gailey from some of her other books and was mildly interested in Magic for Liars, i thought Upright Women Wanted sounded a little too, twee-Tor.com-novella with a cute tagline, but after reading this book i have no choice BUT to stan so i suppose i'll check em out
the general summary is "a woman who works in human cloning research learns that her husband has made a (more complacent and accommodating) clone of her to be his new wife" but this book does KEEP happening. i don't think it's quite THRILLER in style but it certainly has elements. i would say that it does a lot of horror as well, in its twists, in its main character's attitude, and especially in its ending.
one thing that i think rules about this novel in its like, style and what it chooses to detail or not, is how it just hits you in the first 20-30 pages with "yeah we make human adult clones with sentient feelings and thoughts and then we kill them. normal stuff happens all the time" and you the reader are like "okay.. does anyone.. have any type of like RESERVATIONS about that or......" and you don't get ANSWERED about that right away but like..
Spoiler
yeah! the answer is yes they do! but the MC is so, just, the way she is that you don't really get that sense until partway throughso i loved that unreliable narrator. i said this re:Plain Bad Heroines but i simply love it when women are shitty and mean and do cruel stuff to each other because they can. thank you Evelyn Caldwell for gaslight gatekeep and girlbossing your way through this book
ending blew me away. chef kiss. incredible.
anyway i'd heard about Sarah Gailey from some of her other books and was mildly interested in Magic for Liars, i thought Upright Women Wanted sounded a little too, twee-Tor.com-novella with a cute tagline, but after reading this book i have no choice BUT to stan so i suppose i'll check em out
Clones clones and more clones. Clone ethics! Would you fuck your clone? Would you like your self if you met your self? A ship of Theseus story with some murder thrown in.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
3.5 stars. It's a slow burn of a book, I'll warn you. I get the reviewers that reference Orphan Black (if you haven't watched it yet, WHY THE HELL NOT?!) and Westworld, though this book does have some similarity, don't expect it to be fully those either. The first 3/4 of the book are slow building and nicely detailed. The last 1/4 is very fast and has the reader appreciating the details that lead to the conclusion. It's an ending that really satisfies - it's not a rushed ending, mind you - you know the kind, where the writer seems to just be done with the story, does a massive brain dump & run? In this case, the speed fits perfectly into the story while answering questions the reader has along the way.
I also recommend reading the acknowledgements at the end, as it presents a deeper level to the story that you may not have thought about while reading it.
I also recommend reading the acknowledgements at the end, as it presents a deeper level to the story that you may not have thought about while reading it.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One thing that I love about Gailey’s writing is that it doesn’t feel like genre fiction. Although there are domestic thriller and sci-fi elements to the story, it’s primarily about a middle-aged woman’s interior life.
She doesn’t explore who she’s been programmed to be, and how that affects her current life or the lives of others.
Evelyn is a complex woman and this book explores her life after an extra marital affair without assigning blame. I like the complexity of all of the characters.
This is the type of thriller, I love, but I realize that many people want something that is much faster pace, and that follows the traditional beat of a domestic thriller. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone that likes a plot driven story.
She doesn’t explore who she’s been programmed to be, and how that affects her current life or the lives of others.
Evelyn is a complex woman and this book explores her life after an extra marital affair without assigning blame. I like the complexity of all of the characters.
This is the type of thriller, I love, but I realize that many people want something that is much faster pace, and that follows the traditional beat of a domestic thriller. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone that likes a plot driven story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Abortion