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A review by brigit_reads
#Babymachine by Katie Ford, Cassandra Dee
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
One word: Awful.
This is possibly the worst book I’ve ever read. Not sure how this got published. I almost never give books 1 star because I think authors should be appreciated for their work, even if it’s not my cup of tea. But this book? No. I’m sorry but if I could rate this 0 stars, I would.
I cannot believe that this was written by a woman. The language used reeks of misogyny. In Mason’s POV, he refers to women as ‘bags of bones,’ and calls them whores. Beth also frequently slut-shames herself and other women.
Another issues I have is the vocabulary choices. I cannot express how bored I was reading about how ‘curvy’ and ‘voluptuous’ Beth’s body was. I do not care what she looks like enough to read about it every single paragraph. If this story featured a plus sized protagonist for the representation, I appreciate that. But in this book, Beth’s ‘curviness’ was only there as a kink for Mason. Stop fetishizing plus size women! Appreciate them and respect them instead.
On the topic of word choice, does someone want to tell me why the hell genitals were referred to as ‘fuckrod’? I would rather read ‘velvet wrapped steel’ over ‘fuckrod’. There are so many other bizarre words the author uses to describe anything sexual. It was just weird and really killed the mood.
Another thing that really irks me is the title. It has no relevance to plot, like at all. She doesn’t get pregnant until the epilogue. And then, the extended epilogue, which is 10 years later, she has 9 kids. Either she had a shit ton of twins and triplets, or she was pregnant every year for 10 years, which can’t be healthy for the mother.
Maybe I shouldn’t complain about this since I should have figured it out from the synopsis, but why are we still using the ‘innocent librarian virgin with the super experienced old dude who is literally the hottest guy ever?’ Aren’t we bored of this yet? Also, they did not have a single interesting conversation.
I get this is a short ‘book’ (if you can even call it that), but there was zero character development. Beth was the same innocent librarian with no personality at the end of the book as she was at the beginning. Mason was also a complete douche and his monologues (which were frequent and all said the exact same thing), did not match up with his actions or lifestyle, like at all. The man had no morals and did not redeem himself at the end. Mason’s monologues, as I mentioned before, were so repetitive. Every single one had the line ‘Beth doesn’t deserve this,’ and then he precedes to screw her over and be an asshole. What a loser.
Also, something slightly concerning: Beth did not have a single friend during the whole book. Her dad and step mom added nothing to the story and did not offer any real support. Her whole life basically revolves around Mason, which is super unhealthy. Don’t get me wrong, Mason’s friends were absolute trash, at least he had a life outside of Beth.
My final complaint is a big one for me. The attempted sexual assault being used a little plot line because the author got bored is disgusting. Not only is the trauma completely glossed over, there was no need for that. Lazy writing and honestly super harmful.
So yeah, don’t read this book. I lost 2 hours of my life that I will never get back. Dora the Explorer is more interesting than this shit show of a book.
P.s If you’re the author reading this, what the actual fuck?
This is possibly the worst book I’ve ever read. Not sure how this got published. I almost never give books 1 star because I think authors should be appreciated for their work, even if it’s not my cup of tea. But this book? No. I’m sorry but if I could rate this 0 stars, I would.
I cannot believe that this was written by a woman. The language used reeks of misogyny. In Mason’s POV, he refers to women as ‘bags of bones,’ and calls them whores. Beth also frequently slut-shames herself and other women.
Another issues I have is the vocabulary choices. I cannot express how bored I was reading about how ‘curvy’ and ‘voluptuous’ Beth’s body was. I do not care what she looks like enough to read about it every single paragraph. If this story featured a plus sized protagonist for the representation, I appreciate that. But in this book, Beth’s ‘curviness’ was only there as a kink for Mason. Stop fetishizing plus size women! Appreciate them and respect them instead.
On the topic of word choice, does someone want to tell me why the hell genitals were referred to as ‘fuckrod’? I would rather read ‘velvet wrapped steel’ over ‘fuckrod’. There are so many other bizarre words the author uses to describe anything sexual. It was just weird and really killed the mood.
Another thing that really irks me is the title. It has no relevance to plot, like at all. She doesn’t get pregnant until the epilogue. And then, the extended epilogue, which is 10 years later, she has 9 kids. Either she had a shit ton of twins and triplets, or she was pregnant every year for 10 years, which can’t be healthy for the mother.
Maybe I shouldn’t complain about this since I should have figured it out from the synopsis, but why are we still using the ‘innocent librarian virgin with the super experienced old dude who is literally the hottest guy ever?’ Aren’t we bored of this yet? Also, they did not have a single interesting conversation.
I get this is a short ‘book’ (if you can even call it that), but there was zero character development. Beth was the same innocent librarian with no personality at the end of the book as she was at the beginning. Mason was also a complete douche and his monologues (which were frequent and all said the exact same thing), did not match up with his actions or lifestyle, like at all. The man had no morals and did not redeem himself at the end. Mason’s monologues, as I mentioned before, were so repetitive. Every single one had the line ‘Beth doesn’t deserve this,’ and then he precedes to screw her over and be an asshole. What a loser.
Also, something slightly concerning: Beth did not have a single friend during the whole book. Her dad and step mom added nothing to the story and did not offer any real support. Her whole life basically revolves around Mason, which is super unhealthy. Don’t get me wrong, Mason’s friends were absolute trash, at least he had a life outside of Beth.
My final complaint is a big one for me. The attempted sexual assault being used a little plot line because the author got bored is disgusting. Not only is the trauma completely glossed over, there was no need for that. Lazy writing and honestly super harmful.
So yeah, don’t read this book. I lost 2 hours of my life that I will never get back. Dora the Explorer is more interesting than this shit show of a book.
P.s If you’re the author reading this, what the actual fuck?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment