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A review by hectaizani
The Fear by Spencer Hamilton
2.0
I requested a complimentary copy of The Fear from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This review was difficult for me. The Fear started out with so much promise. Ash and Jack, a lesbian couple had just moved to Austin, TX to escape their disapproving families and start their new married life. Their thought was that Austin is progressive and they'd have an easier time not being judged for their sexuality. So far, so good.
On their first day in their new home they went to a local event and met with a hate crime in the parking lot. Jack's mental health spirals and Ash is left in a care-taking role. Cue the pandemic. Now Ash has to deal not only with Jack but also with a global crisis. Seems legit. Still with me?
Here's where the two stars comes in. Even though I could tell that the author was trying to keep his story together it jumped the rails. The dialogue gets repetitive, I got less and less sympathetic towards Jack's incessant ranting and more and more just wishing it was over. The story itself takes a very weird turn and we end on both a cliff-hanger and a "what the heck did I just read?" This is a highly character driven story that fails to engage the reader with the characters. Although I felt some sympathy for their plight at the end of the day I just didn't care what the outcome was going to be.
Overall, I'd have to classify this as torture porn as much of the book is spent fetishizing the trauma inflicted on a lesbian couple. My bad for not realizing from the synopsis that the main protagonists were lesbians as penned by a male author. Just like most lesbian porn created by male directors the primary audience is going to be men.
This review was difficult for me. The Fear started out with so much promise. Ash and Jack, a lesbian couple had just moved to Austin, TX to escape their disapproving families and start their new married life. Their thought was that Austin is progressive and they'd have an easier time not being judged for their sexuality. So far, so good.
On their first day in their new home they went to a local event and met with a hate crime in the parking lot. Jack's mental health spirals and Ash is left in a care-taking role. Cue the pandemic. Now Ash has to deal not only with Jack but also with a global crisis. Seems legit. Still with me?
Here's where the two stars comes in. Even though I could tell that the author was trying to keep his story together it jumped the rails. The dialogue gets repetitive, I got less and less sympathetic towards Jack's incessant ranting and more and more just wishing it was over. The story itself takes a very weird turn and we end on both a cliff-hanger and a "what the heck did I just read?" This is a highly character driven story that fails to engage the reader with the characters. Although I felt some sympathy for their plight at the end of the day I just didn't care what the outcome was going to be.
Overall, I'd have to classify this as torture porn as much of the book is spent fetishizing the trauma inflicted on a lesbian couple. My bad for not realizing from the synopsis that the main protagonists were lesbians as penned by a male author. Just like most lesbian porn created by male directors the primary audience is going to be men.