balfies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Cole is 17 and sex obsessed. He has a reputation. His life revolves around girls, porn, and talking about girls and porn with his best friend.
Then a definitely-not-gay venture. Then a torrid love affair with a European girl. Then an understanding of why his reputation is what it is. Then a heartbreak. Then vacuous, alienating loneliness.
Daniel Handler is one of the best writers for young people. This was vicious and elegant.
Then a definitely-not-gay venture. Then a torrid love affair with a European girl. Then an understanding of why his reputation is what it is. Then a heartbreak. Then vacuous, alienating loneliness.
Daniel Handler is one of the best writers for young people. This was vicious and elegant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, and Sexual content
madeincanada82591's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
spiderfelt's review against another edition
3.0
Handler is not exaggerating; this book is all the dirty parts. I need to wash my eyes out with soap after finishing that one. This is the tale of a self centered, smooth talking, callous boy who lacks any empathy for the people he uses. This is not 80s Judy Blume; this is teens living with easy access to porn in their pockets and casual hookups. As a parent of teens, it made me uncomfortable and sad. Sexuality is complex, now more than ever.
littleelfman's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler alert: this book is ALL the dirty parts. It is candid, unflinching and (at many times) uncomfortable. But it is brilliant as it presents a starting point for so many discussions about sex, sexuality, consent, and relationships. Not for the prudish, let's just say that.
readingundertheradar's review against another edition
Cannot be bothered to finish the remaining 40 pages of this. Literally just stream of consciousness of a teenage boy minus everything that is not dirty. Just not my jam. Would rather have development mixed in.
prlaw1517's review against another edition
1.0
What on earth did I just read? Lacking the finesse I expected from Daniel Handler’s prose, All the Dirty Parts describes love found and lost from a sex addicted teenager.
The main character has no redeeming qualities. He is predatory towards girls, objectifies women, is dismissive towards his friends, etc. Yet he never learns that his misogynistic attitudes are wrong. He never grows up, not even the slightest.
I think this book could have been redeemed if Cole actually realized he had a problem—that he was addicted to sex and pornography. That’s a growing issue for young men today, and Handler could have written a book wherein young men reading it realize how their sex drives are warped by the over abundance of porn and the commodification of women’s bodies. But he didn’t write that book. Instead he wrote a “romance” with a flimsy female lead and an unredeemable ass of a male lead. What a disappointment.
The main character has no redeeming qualities. He is predatory towards girls, objectifies women, is dismissive towards his friends, etc. Yet he never learns that his misogynistic attitudes are wrong. He never grows up, not even the slightest.
I think this book could have been redeemed if Cole actually realized he had a problem—that he was addicted to sex and pornography. That’s a growing issue for young men today, and Handler could have written a book wherein young men reading it realize how their sex drives are warped by the over abundance of porn and the commodification of women’s bodies. But he didn’t write that book. Instead he wrote a “romance” with a flimsy female lead and an unredeemable ass of a male lead. What a disappointment.
ladyofaragon's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't going to review this because, simply put, it's complicated and I'm tired. All I can say is that the bad reviews lambasting the protagonist for being morally reprehensible are missing the point. Now direct your eyes to my own two-star rating. That is because it was, like, not very good at what it was trying to do. Okay cool.
nickie184's review against another edition
4.0
Stars for a really good effort at getting into this boy’s head. I think we all knew people who had a bad reputation in school.
There is lots of sex in the book, fyi ARC copy.
There is lots of sex in the book, fyi ARC copy.
ellieafterall's review against another edition
1.0
Yikes. Could not even finish it. It normalizes sex and everything but like...every single page?! And he’s cheating on girls & sleeping with one like every single page and of course he doesn’t get called out for it, just told in a side conversation that people think he’s being sleazy. If a girl did this, she’d be slutshamed to hell and back???
And that’s why this book isn’t important. It’s not necessary. Sex is already seen as natural and a thing guys seek and that’s considered normal but never for girls. If this was written in the POV of a girl, I think I would’ve kept going. Even if she was describing sucking a dick every single day, I would be right there with her going “Yes baby!!! Defy those gender expectations!!! You do what you want!” But frankly, I do not care about this dude. He genuinely acts like all girls are good for is sex. I mean, really, I don’t even mean that as a joke. He literally says that? Every time he mentions a girl, it’s in relation to the pleasure he feels. So, bye.
P.S. I wrote this at 2am thoroughly disgusted so ignore the grammar issues
And that’s why this book isn’t important. It’s not necessary. Sex is already seen as natural and a thing guys seek and that’s considered normal but never for girls. If this was written in the POV of a girl, I think I would’ve kept going. Even if she was describing sucking a dick every single day, I would be right there with her going “Yes baby!!! Defy those gender expectations!!! You do what you want!” But frankly, I do not care about this dude. He genuinely acts like all girls are good for is sex. I mean, really, I don’t even mean that as a joke. He literally says that? Every time he mentions a girl, it’s in relation to the pleasure he feels. So, bye.
P.S. I wrote this at 2am thoroughly disgusted so ignore the grammar issues