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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have very complicated feelings about this book. It’s main saving grace is the narrator of the audio book who did a smashing job at sounding like a best friend telling you gossip. The story itself doesn’t represent either lesbians or the BDSM community in a positive light. The story features abuse, gaslighting, manipulation and cheating. The polyamorous character doesn’t practice consent and the BDSM scenes feature non-consensual touch. And the “moral ending” of the story returned the main character to a type of heteronormative queer relationship (which the story takes no time over… it’s just presumed to be healthy because it’s heteronormative.) Not sure I would ever recommend this one.
Oh and the main character is a wet drip. “I knew I didn’t want to do it but then I just found myself doing it anyway” is the kind of bad writing I would expect from bad YA fiction. Some reviews say that she’s relatable but personally I found her incredibly annoying. It is however typical of the “messy woman” genre for the protagonist to act as though she isn’t in control of her own life and to actively self-sabotage, so if you like that genre you might like this book.
Oh and the main character is a wet drip. “I knew I didn’t want to do it but then I just found myself doing it anyway” is the kind of bad writing I would expect from bad YA fiction. Some reviews say that she’s relatable but personally I found her incredibly annoying. It is however typical of the “messy woman” genre for the protagonist to act as though she isn’t in control of her own life and to actively self-sabotage, so if you like that genre you might like this book.
*I listened to this book on Audible*
The beginning of this audiobook was smashing. A woman who only later in life discovers she's a lesbian? Very interesting premise. However as the novel went on more and more things began to irritate me. From Julia only ever having had vanilla sex and not even knowing what fisting is, to most characters being quite underdeveloped. For example Julia's roommate Alice who breaks up with her boyfriend/fiancé but then gets back together again when seemingly nothing much has changed.
From the description I had expected a light read, but the story got a bit dark in the end. Sam pretty much had a breakdown with her controlling, manipulative behaviour. I did like how Julia saw the other side of it as she told us what the story would have looked like from Sam's perspective.
I found the end way too sugary sweet for a more 'edgy' book. It turned the otherwise 4 star read into 3 stars for me. Julia ending up with Owen's sister, with a new job and back dancing felt too perfect. I wish my life goals were this easily attainable.
The narration was good. I liked the generall narration voice, and the various UK accents. The French accent wasn't great, but forgivable. I loved how the narrator audibly sighed, paused and brought the emotions of the characters to life.
Overall I had expected more from this book based on the raving reviews (on Audible). In the end it all felt a bit unsatisfactory. I had wanted a bit more depth and bit less whining Julia.
The beginning of this audiobook was smashing. A woman who only later in life discovers she's a lesbian? Very interesting premise. However as the novel went on more and more things began to irritate me. From Julia only ever having had vanilla sex and not even knowing what fisting is, to most characters being quite underdeveloped. For example Julia's roommate Alice who breaks up with her boyfriend/fiancé but then gets back together again when seemingly nothing much has changed.
From the description I had expected a light read, but the story got a bit dark in the end. Sam pretty much had a breakdown with her controlling, manipulative behaviour. I did like how Julia saw the other side of it as she told us what the story would have looked like from Sam's perspective.
I found the end way too sugary sweet for a more 'edgy' book. It turned the otherwise 4 star read into 3 stars for me. Julia ending up with Owen's sister, with a new job and back dancing felt too perfect. I wish my life goals were this easily attainable.
The narration was good. I liked the generall narration voice, and the various UK accents. The French accent wasn't great, but forgivable. I loved how the narrator audibly sighed, paused and brought the emotions of the characters to life.
Overall I had expected more from this book based on the raving reviews (on Audible). In the end it all felt a bit unsatisfactory. I had wanted a bit more depth and bit less whining Julia.
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
No
i don’t really have much to say about this book. if you enjoy character driven stories focused on messy twenty-something-women, who are trying to figure themselves and their lives out, you’ll probably enjoy this book. julia realises she’s a lesbian, and subsequently enters a life of sm, bdsm, sex parties, and polyamory
i feel like this book could’ve been a lot shorter than it was. but i did enjoy julia’s journey. and the side characters were all fun. the writing style was also humorous. i particularly enjoyed julia’s correspondence with the elderly man that she meets through her job. it was very sweet and endearing.
i feel like this book could’ve been a lot shorter than it was. but i did enjoy julia’s journey. and the side characters were all fun. the writing style was also humorous. i particularly enjoyed julia’s correspondence with the elderly man that she meets through her job. it was very sweet and endearing.
emotional
funny
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
It took me a while to warm up to this - the first 100 pages seemed totally devoid of plot and were just absurdly raunchy. But then the rollercoaster started and I was totally hooked...
This was horrible. I considered giving it one star, which is typically reserved for only one book.
First of all, it’s positioned as being funny. It’s not funny. I was expecting Fleabag sort of humor, but anything that might be funny is just drained by the how the writing constantly seems to be pearl clutching about itself, as if the author can’t believe they wrote such a thing.
My biggest issue, though, is that a narrative that begins with a performative self-pat on the back about challenging patriarchy spends the rest of the book conflating queer behavior with abuse. Sam is poly and kinky. Sam is also directly abusive. Sam is not abusive because she’s poly and kinky, it’s because she is abusive. Full stop. The whole novel is a prescriptive rage against lifestyles that don’t appeal to respectability politics and heteronormativity even within same-sex relationships. It works so hard to put her sexual preferences in the same category as her abuse. For a narrative that celebrates breaking away from the confines of heterosexuality, it worked extremely hard to pass judgment on anyone that doesn’t subscribe to the author’s exact definition of what’s acceptable.
It should’ve been a red flag that Camille Perri is quoted on the back cover, because this book is based on many of the same cliches and stereotypes that made “When Katie Met Cassidy” such a disappointment.
First of all, it’s positioned as being funny. It’s not funny. I was expecting Fleabag sort of humor, but anything that might be funny is just drained by the how the writing constantly seems to be pearl clutching about itself, as if the author can’t believe they wrote such a thing.
My biggest issue, though, is that a narrative that begins with a performative self-pat on the back about challenging patriarchy spends the rest of the book conflating queer behavior with abuse. Sam is poly and kinky. Sam is also directly abusive. Sam is not abusive because she’s poly and kinky, it’s because she is abusive. Full stop. The whole novel is a prescriptive rage against lifestyles that don’t appeal to respectability politics and heteronormativity even within same-sex relationships. It works so hard to put her sexual preferences in the same category as her abuse. For a narrative that celebrates breaking away from the confines of heterosexuality, it worked extremely hard to pass judgment on anyone that doesn’t subscribe to the author’s exact definition of what’s acceptable.
It should’ve been a red flag that Camille Perri is quoted on the back cover, because this book is based on many of the same cliches and stereotypes that made “When Katie Met Cassidy” such a disappointment.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
“It’s hard to accept that you’re the villain of someone else’s story”.
When starting this book I sort of knew where it was going. A girl hasn’t had good experiences with men, oh she’s a lesbian now, blah blah. But the relationship she goes through with Sam is completely opposite of what I predicted. This book definitely has its wild moments and I read things I have never in my life thought I should read but it was a very good book and love, lost, and abuse. This book for sure isn’t for everyone, but I think those whole enjoy it at the beginning will really enjoy the book as a whole.
When starting this book I sort of knew where it was going. A girl hasn’t had good experiences with men, oh she’s a lesbian now, blah blah. But the relationship she goes through with Sam is completely opposite of what I predicted. This book definitely has its wild moments and I read things I have never in my life thought I should read but it was a very good book and love, lost, and abuse. This book for sure isn’t for everyone, but I think those whole enjoy it at the beginning will really enjoy the book as a whole.
Lots of fun whilst being an interesting look at power dynamics in queer relationships.
Read on audiobook
Read on audiobook