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A review by bookish_redpanda
Tell Me What You Want by Lucia Franco
1.0
I wanted to love this book. The tropes of brother's best friend and age gap got me.
I've been following Lucia on IG for a while since I started slowly working my way through her Off Balance series, and saw all the hype and the teasers for this one, and it seemed right up my alley. And then I got into the thick of it.
This is an erotica book. Very minimal plot. Probably about 80% spice. And in all honesty, the spice was kinda repetitive after a while. Very minimal character development. Characters that were very one-dimensional and didn't really grow throughout the book - though when the entire book takes place over three months, what growth can be done?
It was only as I was reading it that I realized just how... lets say problematic some parts of it were. Did I finish reading it? Yes. Was it a decent read? Also yes, it kept me entertained between ARC reads of other books when I needed a break from all the dark romance I've been devouring. But as others have stated, there are some problems.
Vanessa. I hate to say it, but she's the root of most of the problems. Yeah, okay, her childhood sucked a little with the age gap between her and her brother, losing her parents and being raised by said older brother so she didn't end up in the system. Tragic backstories are FMC staples these days. It's her contradictory views on sex work - it's okay for her to be a cam girl, but heaven forbid if you're a stripper. She's a beauty influencer - something that I feel is quite dated nowadays. She seems to only be focused on money and the potential of retiring early. Whilst I understand this (coming from a profession where I'll literally be working until I die, especially in this financial climate), that should not be your entire focus. Yes, with the changes in the plot seeming to develop her character slightly, she still remains very one dimensional.
I also feel she's very shallow, in the sense that beauty does appear to be skin deep for her - she's 23, and had breast augmentation surgery because of her "bee sting A-cups". I could dive more into that, but that would take us on a whole new rant. And the throwaway comments of both MC's being bisexual? Just that. It was a plot device, not a character trait. Especially in regards to Vanessa's experimentation as a teen which started this "relationship".
Then Reed. I wanted to love him. He's the bad boy, ex-convict. Which again I feel was used more as a plot device to give reason for Vanessa and him to reconnect, rather than for character growth/development. The response from Vanessa when she finds out? Honestly, totally not realistic, no matter what you feel for someone. She was almost blasé about it all. If my fiance was to turn around tomorrow and tell me he did the same thing, I'd be walking away instantly.
Reed's ease at "flipping" his choices - especially when it comes to the cam-girl stuff - makes him feel a lot younger than his 30-odd year old self. I'm in the age bracket he is, and I can say that all the guys my age? They wouldn't make half the choices made, because they're mature. Reed is definitely thinking with his dick like an 18 year old.
And the fact that they were No one else think that was a major issue?
There are so many more issues that I've found within, but I honestly can't even cobble together the words for it.
This could have been an amazing story exploring the world of the taboo nature of cam-girls/paid sexual content (see Nyla K's Only For The Fans). But it just fell short on so many levels for me. I'm honestly surprised I finished the book.
I've been following Lucia on IG for a while since I started slowly working my way through her Off Balance series, and saw all the hype and the teasers for this one, and it seemed right up my alley. And then I got into the thick of it.
This is an erotica book. Very minimal plot. Probably about 80% spice. And in all honesty, the spice was kinda repetitive after a while. Very minimal character development. Characters that were very one-dimensional and didn't really grow throughout the book - though when the entire book takes place over three months, what growth can be done?
It was only as I was reading it that I realized just how... lets say problematic some parts of it were. Did I finish reading it? Yes. Was it a decent read? Also yes, it kept me entertained between ARC reads of other books when I needed a break from all the dark romance I've been devouring. But as others have stated, there are some problems.
Vanessa. I hate to say it, but she's the root of most of the problems. Yeah, okay, her childhood sucked a little with the age gap between her and her brother, losing her parents and being raised by said older brother so she didn't end up in the system. Tragic backstories are FMC staples these days. It's her contradictory views on sex work - it's okay for her to be a cam girl, but heaven forbid if you're a stripper. She's a beauty influencer - something that I feel is quite dated nowadays. She seems to only be focused on money and the potential of retiring early. Whilst I understand this (coming from a profession where I'll literally be working until I die, especially in this financial climate), that should not be your entire focus. Yes, with the changes in the plot seeming to develop her character slightly, she still remains very one dimensional.
I also feel she's very shallow, in the sense that beauty does appear to be skin deep for her - she's 23, and had breast augmentation surgery because of her "bee sting A-cups". I could dive more into that, but that would take us on a whole new rant. And the throwaway comments of both MC's being bisexual? Just that. It was a plot device, not a character trait. Especially in regards to Vanessa's experimentation as a teen which started this "relationship".
Then Reed. I wanted to love him. He's the bad boy, ex-convict. Which again I feel was used more as a plot device to give reason for Vanessa and him to reconnect, rather than for character growth/development. The response from Vanessa when she finds out? Honestly, totally not realistic, no matter what you feel for someone. She was almost blasé about it all. If my fiance was to turn around tomorrow and tell me he did the same thing, I'd be walking away instantly.
Reed's ease at "flipping" his choices - especially when it comes to the cam-girl stuff - makes him feel a lot younger than his 30-odd year old self. I'm in the age bracket he is, and I can say that all the guys my age? They wouldn't make half the choices made, because they're mature. Reed is definitely thinking with his dick like an 18 year old.
And the fact that they were
Spoiler
married within 3 months despite Vanessa being all "I can't love anyone"?There are so many more issues that I've found within, but I honestly can't even cobble together the words for it.
This could have been an amazing story exploring the world of the taboo nature of cam-girls/paid sexual content (see Nyla K's Only For The Fans). But it just fell short on so many levels for me. I'm honestly surprised I finished the book.