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A review by fantasynovel
Cam Girl by Elliot Wake
4.0
Am I the biggest idiot ever? I thought this book was YA when I put it on hold at the library! It's almost embarrassing to admit what I thought this book was. Okay, fine. What I THOUGHT this book was: A high school student named Vada (I got that part right!) is driving and gets into an accident. Her friend dies. For some reason, Vada becomes a Cam Girl who operates out her bedroom without the fam figuring it out (kind of like Brie Larson's character on United States of Tara). She falls in love with one of her clients, but he's creepy (obviously) and, I don't know, they meet in IRL and it's bad. I thought this book was one of those YA internet horror stories with a cam girl twist!
Luckily, the real book was much gayer. A car crash happens in circumstances Vada in't willing to tell the truth about. An innocent boy dies. Vada and her best friend Ellis (this is a "gal pal" situation, you guys) split up after the accident bc of Vada's internalized homophobia and inability to be with Ellis. Vada becomes a cam girl. Shit happens. And that shit is a LOT grittier than I thought it would be. I know, I know, glitter than a YA internet horror story?? You bet! And the gritty stuff is interesting. It's complex. It submerges you in these characters until you can barely breathe.
And it's also beautifully written. Okay, okay, it may get "purple prose-ish" in some places. But there are turns of phrase that left me actually gasping. And this is one case of an artistic narrator actually narrating as if she's an artist! I can't list how many books I've read where the main character is an artist but doesn't think about art unless she's actually painting. Vada's brain practically runs on art. She's constantly thinking about how she would paint something, what kind of art-style a scene looks like. Colors constantly filter through her brain. It's beautiful.
Cam Girl also tackles sexuality and gender identity, and I love it. Bisexuality is described as something real, not a phase or something that doesn't even warrant a name. I legit almost cried when ppl called themselves bisexual and didn't say any shit about "not liking labels".
Anyway, if you don't mind graphic sex scenes or tragic backstories, and if you want read a multi-layered gay romance, I'd pick this one up.
Luckily, the real book was much gayer. A car crash happens in circumstances Vada in't willing to tell the truth about. An innocent boy dies. Vada and her best friend Ellis (this is a "gal pal" situation, you guys) split up after the accident bc of Vada's internalized homophobia and inability to be with Ellis. Vada becomes a cam girl. Shit happens. And that shit is a LOT grittier than I thought it would be. I know, I know, glitter than a YA internet horror story?? You bet! And the gritty stuff is interesting. It's complex. It submerges you in these characters until you can barely breathe.
And it's also beautifully written. Okay, okay, it may get "purple prose-ish" in some places. But there are turns of phrase that left me actually gasping. And this is one case of an artistic narrator actually narrating as if she's an artist! I can't list how many books I've read where the main character is an artist but doesn't think about art unless she's actually painting. Vada's brain practically runs on art. She's constantly thinking about how she would paint something, what kind of art-style a scene looks like. Colors constantly filter through her brain. It's beautiful.
Cam Girl also tackles sexuality and gender identity, and I love it. Bisexuality is described as something real, not a phase or something that doesn't even warrant a name. I legit almost cried when ppl called themselves bisexual and didn't say any shit about "not liking labels".
Anyway, if you don't mind graphic sex scenes or tragic backstories, and if you want read a multi-layered gay romance, I'd pick this one up.