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amyredgreen's review against another edition
2.0
I feel bored just thinking about this book. Started out okay but once it got to Part 2 and the whole girlfriend experiment thing it was sooooo uninteresting. Really did not care about anyone in this book.
tjcook87's review against another edition
4.0
The early going was rough, but it picked up about halfway in, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down. Never knew what to expect, surprising ending, fun characters you love to hate, better than I was expecting.
sarahthell's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't get into it; didn't finish it. This chick's lifestyle stresses me out.
kierstyq's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
This one took me way too long to finish and I just don't know what the point of the book was. Some interesting ideas but all together a slow, confusing book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
tashreadsbc's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Answers by Catherine Lacey
This asks so many interesting questions about love, fate, choice, self control. I was obsessed with this one. Her writing is beautiful.
I did prefer the one narrator, not liking as much as it bounced from POV to POV, but it was still good and very effective. Loved Mary, but Ashley made me laugh, she was a character that stood out.
It's got a speculative element with this girlfriend experiment, and while I don't like science in a book, I love the questions the genre brings up.
My first 5 star of 2025, well deserved. If you like literary fiction, centered around women, asking questions about how to love, how we exist, what we give up in relationships, I think you should read this.
The best part is that I feel it handles a lot of topics, and its the kind of book you can take your own opinions from. The end left me with more questions than answers, but that didn't affect my enjoyment.
I was tabbing like crazy for this one. I had to try and limit myself to not underline whole sections.
5/5 obvs
This asks so many interesting questions about love, fate, choice, self control. I was obsessed with this one. Her writing is beautiful.
I did prefer the one narrator, not liking as much as it bounced from POV to POV, but it was still good and very effective. Loved Mary, but Ashley made me laugh, she was a character that stood out.
It's got a speculative element with this girlfriend experiment, and while I don't like science in a book, I love the questions the genre brings up.
My first 5 star of 2025, well deserved. If you like literary fiction, centered around women, asking questions about how to love, how we exist, what we give up in relationships, I think you should read this.
The best part is that I feel it handles a lot of topics, and its the kind of book you can take your own opinions from. The end left me with more questions than answers, but that didn't affect my enjoyment.
I was tabbing like crazy for this one. I had to try and limit myself to not underline whole sections.
5/5 obvs
costumelly's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled to get into this one but then dove back in and managed it. While the premise was interesting and the prose was gorgeous, it felt more like a vehicle for prose than story, but maybe I’m just reeling from the experience of dating artists and the sociopathic movie star at the center of this novel was just too familiar to elicit anything but dread. In the end when he just used her for a movie I was relieved that it wasn’t more sinister.
Also …where the fuck is Chandra?
Also …where the fuck is Chandra?
youngbull's review against another edition
3.0
Will have to update this review when I can find my notes on this book. 3 stars because I don't remember hating it so
andymascola's review against another edition
3.0
A woman from Tennessee moves to NYC. Her body is racked with pain. She engages in expensive woo-woo treatment that makes her pain go away. To pay for the treatment, she’s hired to be an emotional girlfriend for an A-list actor. Mostly good, occasionally great.
allymcbeal's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 / 5
ARGH. This book has SO much potential. After reading the first chapter I thought it had the potential to become on of my favorite books of all time. The way the author described chronic pain, and the emotional relief of a diagnosis, of a reason for agony, was beautiful and moving. Then, things go off the rails. This book is just so unfocused. It has interesting things to say about pain, love, identity, celebrity, emotion, and a hundred other topics, but it tries to say all of them at the same time and ends up diluting the best parts of itself.
I won’t get into specifics because the story does unravel in an unexpected way, but I’ll say that it really loses me when the POV changes perspectives in Part 2. There’s all these big, heady, significant ideas being set up, but they’re dropped before the author can really say anything on them. The most frustrating part of the novel is the “twist” at the very end that feels out of a much lesser piece of writing.
All that said, I do still think this book is worth reading because there are moments of real brilliant writing here. Here’s my favorite passage, Mary is in the middle of a street festival, on drugs, watching a couple argue. She imagines their fight
ARGH. This book has SO much potential. After reading the first chapter I thought it had the potential to become on of my favorite books of all time. The way the author described chronic pain, and the emotional relief of a diagnosis, of a reason for agony, was beautiful and moving. Then, things go off the rails. This book is just so unfocused. It has interesting things to say about pain, love, identity, celebrity, emotion, and a hundred other topics, but it tries to say all of them at the same time and ends up diluting the best parts of itself.
I won’t get into specifics because the story does unravel in an unexpected way, but I’ll say that it really loses me when the POV changes perspectives in Part 2. There’s all these big, heady, significant ideas being set up, but they’re dropped before the author can really say anything on them. The most frustrating part of the novel is the “twist” at the very end that feels out of a much lesser piece of writing.
All that said, I do still think this book is worth reading because there are moments of real brilliant writing here. Here’s my favorite passage, Mary is in the middle of a street festival, on drugs, watching a couple argue. She imagines their fight
“Why are you not me? Why are you not doing life like I would do it? I thought being in love meant getting to be two people. How could you do something I wouldn’t do? This is impossible and insane. I cant only be one person. I need to be you, too. Let me be you”.