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greyemk's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My bookstore had this before the release date!
This is a book with layers. I could see them working together, I felt how the book was working, but it was also deceptively simple. The prose is straightforward and the plot is a bit ridiculous. This was a book I could feel bursting at the seams with ambition, that was mostly successful but messy at the edges. Personally, I like a book like that.
Jhanvi is trans but stuck in a dead end life. She has always been a misfit and is very angry with how the world treats her - not only as a non-passing, ugly trans woman but also as a socially inept person who can’t fit in anywhere. The book is filled with longing - for connection, femininity, recognition of potential, mutually fulfilling sexuality, beauty. The depth of the anger and self-loathing around these topics surprised me in a good way - it felt honest and true, in a way “representation lit” rarely allows itself to be.
This cast of characters… oh man. For an honest skewering of white progressives read this. But also Jhanvi is working out her own role in this space. Is she oppressed? Oppressing? Manipulating? Being honest and demanding respect? Getting what she’s owed? Using her identity as cover to be an asshole? The book offers no answers. All the characters suck but are also filled with those moments of compassion and charisma and intention and just like Jhanvi does you end up kind of loving them despite themselves.
This book is very preoccupied with community and ties or duties to each other. What does blood family do that friends don’t? How does gatekeeping actually function? What is the role of envy? Control? And how do these features of human life interact with lefty politics of the privileged Bay Area variety? The book is both totally scathing and also admiring somehow. It asks seriously: who is this for, and if we believe in humanism, in helping everyone live their best life, who is this for?
This is already super long, so I’ll say I really enjoyed the process of writing this review. It’s making me pull out the themes in a more coherent way. This book reads super fast (esp for a ‘literary’ novel) and you don’t really notice all of this as you go… though I will warn the tone can be pretty caustic.
This is a book with layers. I could see them working together, I felt how the book was working, but it was also deceptively simple. The prose is straightforward and the plot is a bit ridiculous. This was a book I could feel bursting at the seams with ambition, that was mostly successful but messy at the edges. Personally, I like a book like that.
Jhanvi is trans but stuck in a dead end life. She has always been a misfit and is very angry with how the world treats her - not only as a non-passing, ugly trans woman but also as a socially inept person who can’t fit in anywhere. The book is filled with longing - for connection, femininity, recognition of potential, mutually fulfilling sexuality, beauty. The depth of the anger and self-loathing around these topics surprised me in a good way - it felt honest and true, in a way “representation lit” rarely allows itself to be.
This cast of characters… oh man. For an honest skewering of white progressives read this. But also Jhanvi is working out her own role in this space. Is she oppressed? Oppressing? Manipulating? Being honest and demanding respect? Getting what she’s owed? Using her identity as cover to be an asshole? The book offers no answers. All the characters suck but are also filled with those moments of compassion and charisma and intention and just like Jhanvi does you end up kind of loving them despite themselves.
This book is very preoccupied with community and ties or duties to each other. What does blood family do that friends don’t? How does gatekeeping actually function? What is the role of envy? Control? And how do these features of human life interact with lefty politics of the privileged Bay Area variety? The book is both totally scathing and also admiring somehow. It asks seriously: who is this for, and if we believe in humanism, in helping everyone live their best life, who is this for?
This is already super long, so I’ll say I really enjoyed the process of writing this review. It’s making me pull out the themes in a more coherent way. This book reads super fast (esp for a ‘literary’ novel) and you don’t really notice all of this as you go… though I will warn the tone can be pretty caustic.
gracefallsthroughtherabbithole's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
theaceofpages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A trans woman sets out to take advantage of a rich friend group and learns who they are in the process. I can definitely see that this book has a market and will be enjoyed by many, but unfortunately I struggled to get into this one properly. I didn't like the characters and while unlikable characters can be fun to read about, I didn't really find this to be the case with these ones. I suspect this at lest in part has to do with some of the people I've had to deal with in real life. But if you like the sound of a trans woman surrounded by dysfunctional friend group drama (I feel like this makes up too much of the book for my taste) then I hope you enjoy the story!
I received a free cop of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I received a free cop of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria, Cursing, and Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia and Drug use
Transphobia includes slurs and genital questions/discussionskatepilled's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This was an ARC— I found the premise of this novel to be so fun, but at times it was truly unpleasant! The major theme seemed to be the flippancy of friendship, which made me feel bad. I was so invested in finding out what happened next I could not look away. Could have been a delicious rom com?
Anyways, 4 stars. I am interested to see how this changes between now and the final copy released on pub day!
Anyways, 4 stars. I am interested to see how this changes between now and the final copy released on pub day!
coffeedrool's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ARC
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