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itstheesilvie's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fortunately or unfortunately this book made me reflect on myself and previous relationships I had with some of the women in my life. It was definitely a book that every character was so relatable yet unhinged and fucked up. It was incredibly raw writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Gore, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
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 contentorchidd's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
this was like reading about poorly adjusted people on reality TV
tags: lesbian gender, butch/femme, homonormativity, performativity (and inability to stop performing), construction of femme gender as in opposition to butch gender
tags: lesbian gender, butch/femme, homonormativity, performativity (and inability to stop performing), construction of femme gender as in opposition to butch gender
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Torture, Cursing, and Body horror
Moderate: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Excrement
grace_b_3's review
The writing style just wasn’t for me. Normally, I try to give books at least 50 pages, but I didn’t see the point with this one as I could already tell it wasn’t for me. If you aren’t of a literary bent, I’d skip this one.
Upon looking more into this (I read some reviews to see if I should have given it more of a chance),it seems like the main character Sasha is a bit of a self-insert for the author. The author wrote an essay called “High Femme Camp Antics” which has a lot of parallels to the little of Dykette that I read. To be honest, learning that really solidified my decision to DNF this book for me. An “unlikable” protagonist seems a little different when that character is espousing some of the author’s own views and characteristics. It seems less like a storytelling choice.
Upon looking more into this (I read some reviews to see if I should have given it more of a chance),
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
nibs's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I'm sure some people will like it, but this is not my sort of book. Hard to get into it with how superficial and performative the characters are. I didn't appreciate the amount of kink and bother horror either.
Small moments of interesting stuff buried in so much wealthy people surface level stuff.
I did have a fun time discussing this at bookclub though.
Small moments of interesting stuff buried in so much wealthy people surface level stuff.
I did have a fun time discussing this at bookclub though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Sexual content
butlerebecca's review against another edition
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Idk about this one - not what I expected but had very poignant reflections on gender and performativity throughout
- Update a month after reading, I keep thinking about this so I'm upping in from 3.25 to 3.75, left some lasting thoughts about queerness and the performance of desire
Main character is insufferable and wish she was reflective about this sooner than the last 5% of the book
First time I read a book with a character that uses he/she pronouns interchangeably throughout - I want a book from baby Jesse’s perspective!!!
And Jules was totally Rachel Maddow, right?
- Update a month after reading, I keep thinking about this so I'm upping in from 3.25 to 3.75, left some lasting thoughts about queerness and the performance of desire
Main character is insufferable and wish she was reflective about this sooner than the last 5% of the book
First time I read a book with a character that uses he/she pronouns interchangeably throughout - I want a book from baby Jesse’s perspective!!!
And Jules was totally Rachel Maddow, right?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia
zankzank's review
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
2.0
Most writing was smart, funny, but the main character so chaotic at times she was genuinely hard to follow. I was bored by a considerable amount of the book: too much fashion & food descriptions ad nauseam. Could not suspend my disbelief enough to imagine Instagram allowing that scene. Most engaging short snippets evoked pathetic desperation well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
irenemarie's review against another edition
tense
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Excrement
m_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