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kelkelkelkelly's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
3.0
I’m rating this book right in the middle because I’m not sure what to make of it. I believe it’s satire but even then I’m not sure it’s even particularly good satire. But it’s definitely unique and I will be thinking about it for a long time.
The story is like if White Lotus read a bunch of queer theory, spent 50+ hours on lesbian TikTok engaging in discourse, then declared it could be the voice of a generation. It’s hyper-niche - I think the only people who could get through it are upper middle class queers in major metropolitan areas of North America. The references are so specific and trend driven that it already feels dated to read, and will probably be illegible in ten years.
The POV character Sasha is deeply unlikable, self-obsessed, manipulative, performative, controlling, and vain. The other characters are all thinly drawn, and it’s hard to tell if that’s to underscore Sasha’s self-obsession or bad writing. Lou, the only character of colour, is a particularly egregious example of this, seeming to be mostly ignored in the story as though the author couldn’t decide what to do with them, or otherwise demonstrating by omission that Sasha doesn’t care about anything she can’t fuck, control, or hate.
The novel is an uncomfortably frank look at how power works in queer social dynamics, albeit a very narrow sampling of the highly wealthy, mostly cis, and butch/femme conforming. It depicts the ways femme identity can be weaponized to conceal manipulation and controlling behaviour, brushed off as games and “high femme camp antics”, and insisting that if you don’t get you simply must not be smart enough. The book misapplies therapy speak and queer theory citations constantly, blurring the line between critique and asinine nonsense.
In all this, it’s impossible to tell if this was the author’s intent or if she’s just done a sloppy job at writing a complicated character. Either way, it gets points for originality and entertainment value.
The story is like if White Lotus read a bunch of queer theory, spent 50+ hours on lesbian TikTok engaging in discourse, then declared it could be the voice of a generation. It’s hyper-niche - I think the only people who could get through it are upper middle class queers in major metropolitan areas of North America. The references are so specific and trend driven that it already feels dated to read, and will probably be illegible in ten years.
The POV character Sasha is deeply unlikable, self-obsessed, manipulative, performative, controlling, and vain. The other characters are all thinly drawn, and it’s hard to tell if that’s to underscore Sasha’s self-obsession or bad writing. Lou, the only character of colour, is a particularly egregious example of this, seeming to be mostly ignored in the story as though the author couldn’t decide what to do with them, or otherwise demonstrating by omission that Sasha doesn’t care about anything she can’t fuck, control, or hate.
The novel is an uncomfortably frank look at how power works in queer social dynamics, albeit a very narrow sampling of the highly wealthy, mostly cis, and butch/femme conforming. It depicts the ways femme identity can be weaponized to conceal manipulation and controlling behaviour, brushed off as games and “high femme camp antics”, and insisting that if you don’t get you simply must not be smart enough. The book misapplies therapy speak and queer theory citations constantly, blurring the line between critique and asinine nonsense.
In all this, it’s impossible to tell if this was the author’s intent or if she’s just done a sloppy job at writing a complicated character. Either way, it gets points for originality and entertainment value.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Classism, Sexual content, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Excrement
Explicit kink contentm_onalisaa's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
- Loveable characters? Yes
0.25
i no longer identify as a lesbian
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Abandonment, Body shaming, Medical content, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Biphobia, Sexual violence, Body horror, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
icmcmx's review
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Don't. Just save yourself the time and just go straight to therapy.
It's like the writer took the most absurd things she could think of & threw them together in this grotesque mess of words.
This is not being queer. Please don't think that this is it.
Also would love to call the RSPCA for that poor dug.
It's like the writer took the most absurd things she could think of & threw them together in this grotesque mess of words.
This is not being queer. Please don't think that this is it.
Also would love to call the RSPCA for that poor dug.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual content, Torture, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Classism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Medical content, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
britt_zonnebloempit's review
tense
medium-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
0.25
I wish I could give this minus stars. The quarter star is for Vivienne and Vivienne only.
As a lesbian, this book is full of the most fucked up bullshit I have ever read in my entire life. There is so fucking much wrong with these characters. I'm pretty sure Sasha has about a million personality disorders that she refuses to acknowledge and get help for, instead behaving like the most toxic ass bitch I have ever read about in my entire life.I'm also very much wondering where she gets the idea that she's a gold star lesbian (an outdated as fuck term imo) when she also mentioned sucking dick in the park after dark, identifies as "straight for butches," and keeps calling Jesse her boyfriend, NOT TO MENTION that Jesse is expressed as wanting testosterone but it being too expensive (and thus, identifying as trans? Making Sasha bisexual at best?)
And then that fucking livestream between Jesse and Darcy? For fucks sake, if I could somehow erase these images from my fucking brain I would give just about ANYTHING. I did NOT need to read that. At all.
What the fuck was up with that "can i come inside" bullshit too????? Some r@pe kink shit.
Also, a list of the extensive and healthy meals the dog gets from her owners:
- eye goop from her own eyes
- eye goop from her owners' eyes
- diabetic cat food
- a raw meatball (with herbs)
- a meatball baked in sauce
- leftovers from a plate
Not once did I see them give Vivienne dog food. Not. Once.
And then there is the constant, blatant fatphobia. Not just towards the women, no, towards the DOG too. Jesus fucking Christ.
Idk where this author got all these ridiculous ideas, but again, as a lesbian, none of this shit is true for most of the lesbians I know. Literally none of it.
As a lesbian, this book is full of the most fucked up bullshit I have ever read in my entire life. There is so fucking much wrong with these characters. I'm pretty sure Sasha has about a million personality disorders that she refuses to acknowledge and get help for, instead behaving like the most toxic ass bitch I have ever read about in my entire life.
And then that fucking livestream between Jesse and Darcy? For fucks sake, if I could somehow erase these images from my fucking brain I would give just about ANYTHING. I did NOT need to read that. At all.
Also, a list of the extensive and healthy meals the dog gets from her owners:
- eye goop from her own eyes
- eye goop from her owners' eyes
- diabetic cat food
- a raw meatball (with herbs)
- a meatball baked in sauce
- leftovers from a plate
Not once did I see them give Vivienne dog food. Not. Once.
And then there is the constant, blatant fatphobia. Not just towards the women, no, towards the DOG too. Jesus fucking Christ.
Idk where this author got all these ridiculous ideas, but again, as a lesbian, none of this shit is true for most of the lesbians I know. Literally none of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
fkshg8465's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I was really excited to read this, but it fell flat for me, and I really could’ve done without the whole green string thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
annietaber's review
Literally so disturbing and for WHAT. I like a dark novel but the sudden body horror was simply too much and wasn’t even remotely connected to the plot or any character development. Shock just for scandal’s sake. I couldn’t recommend it to anyone in good conscience. Also, the characters never revealed who they were. Each action they made caught me off guard consistently; I’d think I knew each character and then they’d react in a way completely unhinged from any prior development or plot. Seemed confused in its vision and goal; instead all I got was that to be a modern lesbian you had to mutilate yourself— literally and figuratively. I thought about finishing just to say I’d read it, but after sleeping on the horrifying porno scene, I couldn’t justify putting myself through that for a book that wasn’t even important to me in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Gore, Blood, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
the_lesbrarian's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This disturbing and complex novel is one I will be thinking about for a long time, but will probably never be able to read again. Centered around three very online butchfemme couples on Christmas vacation in upstate New York, Dykette explores the nuances of contemporary lesbian identity through the eyes of a deeply unlikeable narrator, Sasha. We watch relationships unravel into queer body horror at the intersection of exaggerated performance of online and real-life identity.
rep: 3 main lesbian couples, non-binary lesbians, butch/femme dynamics, he/him lesbians, they/he/she lesbians
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual violence
sunbeam_reader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a VERY hard book to rate. I really enjoyed it and read it very fast. Part of me loved this book and part of me was disgusted by it. Definitely check trigger warnings before reading! But what I will say is that the writing is fantastic and it's a very easy book to read, it goes fast and I think the pacing is great. This is impressive espy considering that the book takes place in one setting and over a very short period of time (exactly 10 days, each chapter is a day).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Body horror, Sexual content, and Gore
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Lesbophobia, Excrement, and Biphobia
toffishay's review
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I don't really know how to feel about this book. There are really interesting points of character exploration with Sasha at times and some interesting asides about WLW culture and relationships and love. Those are the strongest parts. But so much of the book is dragged down in obvious sociological observation. One more than one occasion the book practically stops altogether to reiterate a point that it doesn't think you picked up on the first time. It really broke the tension of the build up, so when the climax happens, it kind of just...happens. It was close to something great, but I think it just missed the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Physical abuse and Vomit
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