A review by 1000journals
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Let me start by saying I’ve developed a bit of a parasocial relationship with Coco Mellors. She’s an author AND Fashionista AND living an international lifestyle, everything I want for myself. Well, my interest in Coco is more that of research and manifestation, not parasocial, but that’s an essay for another time. I say this because I expected to have bias and to make a disclaimer for my bias, but I feel pretty unbiased when I think about all the work that should’ve been done to this book. She said it was in edits for a long time, and you can tell because it has that “I’ve been working on this forever so now I’m rushing to just get this process over with” feel. It had quite a few typos, corny lines that were so corny and frequent they were distracting, and random characters with random plot lines. However, I loved this book, and I already feel the shadow of it following me for months to come. Yes it could’ve been cleaner, but Cleopatra and Frankenstein might’ve changed me a tiny bit, and anything that’s ever changed me has always been kinda messy. 

The ending… the ending!!!! The art installation? This is NOT a romance book. This is about the things that make us who we are. As someone who also deserved more love than I received as a child, this book is a reminder that having a late start does not make the race. My childhood hasn’t irredeemably damaged me. I wish I could get to know these characters even more!!! I wish Coco got to know them more as well, but she said her second book is even better and not many people can say that after a bestseller so I trust her as a storyteller. She treated so many diverse topics with such care, which is evidence of her rich and varied life. 
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