Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Tampa

It feels wrong to say it here, but this was a disappointment. What I was expecting was a disturbing story of a twisted, complicated mind and a nuanced examination of pedophilia explored through the perspective of a woman and society's view on it.

What I got was some nasty descriptive imagery that bordered on ridiculous. Once the novelty of that wore off a shocking amount of boredom followed. Cause the main character is entirely one dimensional, having a single minded purpose of foking teen boys. That doesn't make for a very compelling read at all if the book has nothing else going on. Cause the side characters as well failed to elicit an emotional response in me, and the language too was unremarkable.

There were hints there that could have made for a compelling social commentary, but those weren't explored beyond a few brief sentences.

You are foul to me and I just wallpapered my cervix with the name of a teenage boy.

Okay, I guess...

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amswimmy's review

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

fucked !!!!

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enchantressreads's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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xdawnsii's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm giving Tampa 3 stars because I honestly don't know how to rate a book like this.

I read this book in one sitting, mostly because I didn’t want to have to pick it up again. This book makes you feel absolutely awful while reading it. It is disgusting and tragic. I can’t recommend this book, because it is such a challenging read.

The end of this book is infuriating. You spend 200+ pages reading the main characters deranged and demented thoughts, holding your breath and continuing to read this book solely for the satisfaction of Celeste Price ending up in prison. This book is a painful commentary about how male victims & female offenders are not taken seriously.

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evdark's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The writing was gripping, and the reason the book was written was important, but the author absolutely failed to deliver the message she set out to achieve. It is based on a true story of a teacher that had sex with her 14-year-old pupil in 2005. Nutting wants to make a point that young men are never seen as victims of sexual assault, and it is too easy to forgive the woman in the situation. Which is exactly how I felt after reading the book. Having just read Lolita, the standard might be set a little high. Psychologically, I can tell this author wanted to be provocative and maybe even erotic but did not truly understand the mindset she was trying to convey in the female pedophile and ended up taking a very male stance to this. Stalking. Obsession with semen. Souvenirs and pornography. It didn't feel authentic to a female pedaphile and this author was just winging it. It was well-written but poorly crafted, and it made me feel icky after reading it even though I have no problem with any of the graphic sex, I had a problem with almost everything else. It did the worst thing a book can do. It wasted my time. The ending was downright awful.

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