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A review by eshurricane
Vibe by Liza James
5.0
Dark and gritty and everything I didn’t know I needed.
Vibe is a character-driven book centered around Aura, a woman who escaped from an extremely abusive cult, and Ruby, a stripper with her own abuse-filled past. They meet when Aura goes to the strip club to fulfil her boyfriend's sordid desires, despite not being into women. But when Ruby enters the stage, it's electric, and the two have this connection that while is an element of any good meet-cute, is so much more intense than most. Their vibe is palpable, I could taste it, a testament to the author's skill with visceral language and heady descriptions.
The book is told in dual POV first, so we get chapters from both women. As I immersed myself more and more into Aura's PTSD from being in the cult and Ruby's hardship being abused by a powerful man in the club, my heart grew more entwined with these characters. And as they discover each other, Aura trying to figure out what these feelings and urges are, and Ruby trying to understand feelings of caring for someone romantically beyond just lust...it's fucking delicious.
There is so much going on externally that weaves itself into the lives of these women, but their personal journeys of self-growth and actualization are so prevalent and important alongside them falling in love. And it happens so gradually and organically that it feels so realistic. These two people need to overcome so much trauma and face their own demons, and then somehow end up fighting alongside each other. It's heartwrenching.
When I got to the end of the book and read the acknowledgements and read about Liza's personal journey and how she wants to show everyone that they can face their demons an have freedom, I cried. There were a few times I choked up reading this book, but her personal truths made me actually cry. Because as much as I tout that we need more normalization, that there needs to be more stories that just have LGBTQ characters doing normal shit, this is the reason why stories about characters needing to slay their demons to love who they love are still important. Because there are people out there struggling with this. And they need to know that it's okay and we're in this together, and they can find freedom.
I know that I'm super lucky that I grew up with open-minded family and support from my social circle to explore my sexuality in a healthy way. That I was able to have my journey quietly and free of judgement throughout my teens and into my twenties before I heard the term pansexual and suddenly felt like I'd my people. Not everyone gets to have that privilege or freedom, and I hope beyond hope that despite having to overcome hardship and oppression that any of you out there struggling get to the point where you can be yourself and love yourself and others openly without fear. These feelings and this message are so interwoven into this tale and it's so powerful.
Anyway, all this rambling to say—BUY THIS BOOK. And the sequel. I'm already into it and it's just as amazing.
Vibe is a character-driven book centered around Aura, a woman who escaped from an extremely abusive cult, and Ruby, a stripper with her own abuse-filled past. They meet when Aura goes to the strip club to fulfil her boyfriend's sordid desires, despite not being into women. But when Ruby enters the stage, it's electric, and the two have this connection that while is an element of any good meet-cute, is so much more intense than most. Their vibe is palpable, I could taste it, a testament to the author's skill with visceral language and heady descriptions.
The book is told in dual POV first, so we get chapters from both women. As I immersed myself more and more into Aura's PTSD from being in the cult and Ruby's hardship being abused by a powerful man in the club, my heart grew more entwined with these characters. And as they discover each other, Aura trying to figure out what these feelings and urges are, and Ruby trying to understand feelings of caring for someone romantically beyond just lust...it's fucking delicious.
There is so much going on externally that weaves itself into the lives of these women, but their personal journeys of self-growth and actualization are so prevalent and important alongside them falling in love. And it happens so gradually and organically that it feels so realistic. These two people need to overcome so much trauma and face their own demons, and then somehow end up fighting alongside each other. It's heartwrenching.
When I got to the end of the book and read the acknowledgements and read about Liza's personal journey and how she wants to show everyone that they can face their demons an have freedom, I cried. There were a few times I choked up reading this book, but her personal truths made me actually cry. Because as much as I tout that we need more normalization, that there needs to be more stories that just have LGBTQ characters doing normal shit, this is the reason why stories about characters needing to slay their demons to love who they love are still important. Because there are people out there struggling with this. And they need to know that it's okay and we're in this together, and they can find freedom.
I know that I'm super lucky that I grew up with open-minded family and support from my social circle to explore my sexuality in a healthy way. That I was able to have my journey quietly and free of judgement throughout my teens and into my twenties before I heard the term pansexual and suddenly felt like I'd my people. Not everyone gets to have that privilege or freedom, and I hope beyond hope that despite having to overcome hardship and oppression that any of you out there struggling get to the point where you can be yourself and love yourself and others openly without fear. These feelings and this message are so interwoven into this tale and it's so powerful.
Anyway, all this rambling to say—BUY THIS BOOK. And the sequel. I'm already into it and it's just as amazing.