A review by nikica_k
Fail Seven Times by Kris Ripper

emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This wonderful story follows Justin, who is navigating falling in love with his childhood best friend, Alex, and Alex's long-term girlfriend, Jamie. It's a story about polyamory, love, kink, but mostly about a man learning to let other people close and let himself be cared for.
I suppose that your mileage may vary when it comes to this, but I didn't find Justin's long character development boring, even though it took him ages. It seemed real and made sense for him in context.

As probably in all of zir works, Kris Ripper tries to deconstruct the idea of sexuality and leaves the characters a lot of freedom in their queer identity. I also appreciated the portrayal of kink - it seemed genuine and raw and less concerned with the mechanics of it than with the feeling and the connection.
This quote from the beginning of the book really stayed with me - it seems so raw and beautiful at the same time:
Suddenly I could see it so fucking clearly it was hard to resist doing: I’d stride over, confident, because I knew them, and they knew me, and we all felt this thing between us. I’d meet their eyes, unashamed and unafraid, and drop down, and the icy chill of the water would be shocking on my skin, the heavy wetness of jeans would tug at my waist, and I would ignore it.

I’d want to look into their faces, but even in the fantasy of it, I was bashful, lowering my head. They would touch me, of course. Coax me past embarrassment, meet me in a place of mutual exposure, of shared vulnerability.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings