A review by humblebee20
You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian

4.0

This collection can be best described as a car accident: horrifying and leaves an undeniable impact, and yet you can't look away. I felt that aside from a couple of weaker stories, I loved this book. The stories are raw and even when they get weird, are powerful. Each is a punch in the gut (joke fully intended) that I didn't know I was exposing myself for. The way youth, sexuality and the perception of gendered expectations and roles worm their way into these stories give them all this grimy realness that sits on your tongue until it makes its way up into your brain. I'm often let down by short story collections, but despite myself, I picked up this one and had fun with it. I definitely can't stomach reading it again, but I guess the author did a great job then! Body horror, psychological horror, and even the horror of being perceived. Wonderful book that you should give a shot.