Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Exalted

It’s surprisingly funny, but the characters are incredibly annoying and to top it off I heard the audiobook and I cringed with every word. It was a bit too slow for me so I skipped the whole second part lol, but the first and last part were entertaining enough. Overall, not my kind of book but the plot was so unhinged that I had to finish it.

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applesodaperson's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book was honestly very silly and stupid. But despite that, I enjoyed it for the most part. I have been reading a lot of heavy nonfiction books recently, so I think my brain just needed a break from critical thinking, and this book just felt like stupid brain candy. It came at the perfect time, but I think if I had read it in a different context, I might have DNF'd it.
My first criticism is that I don't really think that Dawn's perspective was very necessary. It didn't bring much to the story that we don't already get from Emily's perspective. Because they have very similar lives and personalities. But Emily is just more interesting, and the book focuses more on her because it is ultimately about her astrology Instagram account. So I think this should have been just about Emily, and Dawn should have just been a side character, not an entire perspective.
I did kind of appreciate the representation of dysfunctional LGBTQ+ people and relationships. Not all LGBTQ+ representation has to be perfect and fluffy, with perfect people. There are lesbians that are just as much of a mess as some dysfunctional straight people. It is good to have representation of all kinds, even where the characters are hot messes with dead end jobs and toxic relationships. I would be interested to know if the author herself is a lesbian though.
Another thing that I didn't like was the pop culture references. They were done in a way that really dates the book. Like even the references to the movie Parasite are feeling outdated already. And this will just get worse with time. It really takes the reader out of the book and shows exactly when the book was written. Another thing that contributes to this is the lingo used. This book uses the word "cheugy" which also already feels outdated, and will be so cringe even 5 years in the future.

Holy cow though my least favorite thing about this book was the unexpected incest. Like it sucked so bad and was so so stupid. It didn't really bring any depth to the story or the characters, and felt mostly done for shock value, especially since it happens literally the morning after they sleep together. Literally hated this choice so so much.

The last criticism I have of this book is just that it isn't the most well written book. But despite all of that, I did have a somewhat fun time reading it, but definitely don't go into it thinking it is a literary masterpiece though.
Read from the Provo library.

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arog513's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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apoppyinthewind's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A odd book with Emily & Dawn, two characters who are pretty unlikable, have incredibly messy lives, and are completely obsessed with astrology. Yet I was pretty sucked into reading their miserable altering POV chapters. Which is impressive because I normally DNF books with characters I dislike. It hits that sweet spot between loathsome & train wrecks you can’t look away from.

Still, it wouldn’t be on the top of my recommendation pile.

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tkhz's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A dual-perspective novel following two astrology-obsessed main characters in Southern California who are disconnected from reality in their own ways. One is a delusionally confident, prone-to-arson late 40's lesbian, the other a mid-20's starving actress turned astrology influencer out of necessity.

Both of our narrators are deeply flawed people and the book explores how they see the same people and events in wildly different ways. However, while it's okay to have imperfect characters, I found myself pretty annoyed with both of them because of their delusional tendencies. It felt like both characters spent the entire story lying, daydreaming, manipulating people, and not really doing anything while facing no consequences or really changing as people.

I also was not a fan of the accidental incest plot twist. Felt too weird and unhinged even for a book that is inherently both of those things.

Content Warnings

erika4america's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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