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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
tense
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
I found this a very difficult read, my copy made it seem like a lighthearted lesbian romance buy it was brutal. I feel like blurbs need to contain aerate information about their contents!
That said it was very well-written and mostly enjoyable, although toward the end I just wanted to finish the book to end that awful relationship.
That said it was very well-written and mostly enjoyable, although toward the end I just wanted to finish the book to end that awful relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia
I loved this book so much - the start was by far the best as it was laugh out loud funny. I think it puts into perspective people’s relationships both with their partners and their friends and I honestly had no idea where it was going. I wish it had stayed as funny as the start throughout but overall an enjoyable read.
Yeah no, this book is a big No for me. I really tried to get into it, but ultimately couldn't get myself to finish it.
There were multiple things I did not like.
For one the main character is absolutely obsessed with her manipulative girlfriend who is permanently gaslighting her. Her therapist is absolutely unlikable, literally skipped all parts with her, because I got so upset reading them. Consent is often not explicitly given, more like assumed or pushed onto the main character. And I dont see the comparison to fifty shades of grey at all. I mean yes, the characters have sex constantly but it's only described very vaguely if at all.
Don't recommend it
There were multiple things I did not like.
For one the main character is absolutely obsessed with her manipulative girlfriend who is permanently gaslighting her. Her therapist is absolutely unlikable, literally skipped all parts with her, because I got so upset reading them. Consent is often not explicitly given, more like assumed or pushed onto the main character. And I dont see the comparison to fifty shades of grey at all. I mean yes, the characters have sex constantly but it's only described very vaguely if at all.
Don't recommend it
This was quite splendid - If you watched Fleabag but wished it was properly lesbian and more sexually explicit then this is very much the tome for you - properly laugh out loud throughout and also heartwarming, clever and thoughtful, like a clever panda doing stand-up comedy. It delves into issues about relationships, monogamy, control, finding yourself and all that sort of big gay jazz. Thumbs, toes and ear lobes up and I can see why it won the Polari Prize.
DNF @ 45%
Thought it would get better but it’s just an example of an incredibly toxic relationship and a whingey main character who just expects other people to run her life
Thought it would get better but it’s just an example of an incredibly toxic relationship and a whingey main character who just expects other people to run her life
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF @ 25%: I truly hated the main character's voice in this one. I really tried to push through but life is too short to read books you're not enjoying! Thank u, next
Sometimes love and obsession are hard to tell apart.
I can see why maybe this isn't a perfect read for some, and why it might have put others off, but I really really liked this? Definitely not a run-of-the-mill litfic or romance, it's funny and disturbing and makes you think, doesn't give you many clear-cut answers.
Julia's feeling a bit stagnant in her life, her job and in romance. A few bad experiences and sexual hijinks lead to her realising that she's a lesbian, and she finds a new lease on life: new queer friends, new hobbies, and most excitingly for her: dates with women. She looks forward to having a lot of feminist sex (whatever that is) and being in an equitable relationship, but of course, when she meets a hot polyamorous artist, things don't go according to plan. It's not quite a coming of age story, but coming into oneself; about toxic relationships, abuse, friendships, how people hurt one another, setting boundaries and learning to be yourself.
The thing is (and this is what makes the book good, imo) that Julia is far from a perfect character. She does and says things that will make you want to shake her. She makes decisions where you, as the reader, are just like, "Hey? Julia? YOU'RE IN THE WRONG." But at the same time, you feel for her, because she's slowly being sucked into this abusive, controlling relationship, being talked into things she clearly doesn't want to do, and being gaslit out of her mind. The book is pretty explicit and deals with a lot of kink, and there are some criminally under-negotiated things that Julia is subjected to. But even that isn't a cut-and-dried thing, because Julia ends up genuinely enjoying some of what she does, and that muddies the waters even more for her, makes it harder for her to realise that she's involved with an abuser. IDK, I think it was really interesting, and a look at abusive, toxic relationships that we don't see often.
One of my favourite things, though, is the genuine sense of community and family in the book, and all of Julia's relationships with her friends and family and sweet old Eric. And I loved when, at the beginning, she realises that's she's a lesbian and is filled with such genuine joy about it, and about being part of the queer community. She's slightly obnoxious about it (for comedic effect) but I couldn't help feeling vicariously happy for her. Even as she goes on to realise that relationships with women can be just as complicated and have just as many problems as ones with men, that sense of joyful pride was always there, and I loved it. The book does, alas, fall into that familiar cis-centric pit with some of the language that it uses. Sometimes it would be good about it; other times, markedly not so.
This won't be for everyone (I wouldn't call it erotica, but there's a lot of sex, and a lot of it is kinky, and there's a lot more fisting than I'd have thought; Julia is literally thrown in at the deep end) but I do tentatively rec it. It made me laugh and smile and think, and made for an interesting read.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
a fair amount of BDSM, under-negotiated kink, consensual non-consent, watersports, abusive relationship, gaslighting, drug use
adventurous
emotional
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: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment