annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it had a killer prologue and a promising concept, but its execution with the titular "cult" was not my favorite. i actively disliked the journey and wanted to abandon it but pushed through. . i wish it leaned more into its mystery and grand conspiracy aspects; that would have made its bordering-on-pretentious philosophical musings on love and the human experience more bearable. the main character always had some snarky quip and after a while it became annoying, a guard put up to forgo genuinely engaging with other characters.
also, i would like to propose that the title should have been Cult Following rather than Cult Classic.
Spoiler
the prologue hinted at some unthinkable wrong Clive committed to earn him his death, but in the end it was more deus ex machinaalso, i would like to propose that the title should have been Cult Following rather than Cult Classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Blood, and Cancer
lindsayerin's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
ukponge's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
recapece's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
glammster's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault
krysley's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I'll be honest . . . I don't know what the purpose of this story was. And, for some reason, I thought there'd be a sci-fi aspect to it (there definitely wasn't, but that's on me for not paying more attention to the synopsis).
So many times I would pause in listening to Cult Classic and actually wonder out loud: "Where is this book even going? What's the point?" Normally, the point of the book would come around sooner or later and sometimes there would be a great payoff coming from nowhere at the very end that would make the book worth it. That was definitely not the case here. In fact, I totally guessed what would happen.
Sloane Crosley narrates the story herself and, while not awful, it was a struggle to understand conversations - she had absolutely zero character voices. I like to give authors credit for at least trying to narrate their own books because it's not an easy job.
I'll be honest . . . I don't know what the purpose of this story was. And, for some reason, I thought there'd be a sci-fi aspect to it (there definitely wasn't, but that's on me for not paying more attention to the synopsis).
So many times I would pause in listening to Cult Classic and actually wonder out loud: "Where is this book even going? What's the point?" Normally, the point of the book would come around sooner or later and sometimes there would be a great payoff coming from nowhere at the very end that would make the book worth it. That was definitely not the case here. In fact, I totally guessed what would happen.
Sloane Crosley narrates the story herself and, while not awful, it was a struggle to understand conversations - she had absolutely zero character voices. I like to give authors credit for at least trying to narrate their own books because it's not an easy job.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
mondovertigo's review
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Infidelity
shannon_michelle's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This one is hard to rate. The prose is very good, and there are some gems I want to stitch on a sampler in this book. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters overall, even the protagonist, Lola. Given how much time we spend in Lola’s head, at the end of the story I didn’t feel as if I knew her. I was surprised by some of her actions at the end of the book and not in a good way. And that’s the other negative…the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfactory. No spoilers, so I’ll keep it vague, but I certain actions and reactions from main characters just didn’t jive with their personalities. I still enjoyed the prose in this book enough that I’m glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion and Sexual assault
booksoflore's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Immediate reaction (two minutes after finishing it)? I feel underwhelmed. I think this might be because of the narration style. It’s always interesting when audiobooks are read by the authors. You think: here’s the person who should know what everything and everyone should sound like. But they are rarely voice actors or orators. Crosley has a great speaking voice that conveys humor really well but, I found her narration to be a bit lacking. Characters blur into each other as there is little difference between the tones and expressions of even the main characters. Dialogue blurs, which I definitely had to get used to. Overall a slightly lackluster listening experience.
As far as the actual story goes. It was fine. I think Crosley does a really good job of leaning into the unreliable narrator that is Lola. I like that this book focuses on so many relationships but that we only see them through the eyes of this woman who is occasionally very hard to like. She’s a bit of an asshole. And we never get the other side. Which, I like because often times in relationships and breakups, we never really get to know fully what the other person was thinking and feeling. Even Lola’s search for closure in the end was completely about herself and not the literal dozens of people that she’s been involved with. People who have moved on, who have accepted her as a part of their life. Though I wasn’t particularly hooked to this book until about70% through, i think it asks interesting questions about fate, relationships, and the individual nature of closure.
As far as the actual story goes. It was fine. I think Crosley does a really good job of leaning into the unreliable narrator that is Lola. I like that this book focuses on so many relationships but that we only see them through the eyes of this woman who is occasionally very hard to like. She’s a bit of an asshole. And we never get the other side. Which, I like because often times in relationships and breakups, we never really get to know fully what the other person was thinking and feeling. Even Lola’s search for closure in the end was completely about herself and not the literal dozens of people that she’s been involved with. People who have moved on, who have accepted her as a part of their life. Though I wasn’t particularly hooked to this book until about70% through, i think it asks interesting questions about fate, relationships, and the individual nature of closure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Cursing
Minor: Sexual assault
savvylit's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my first book by Sloane Crosley and she definitely lived up to her hype as a clever and witty author. Cult Classic has some excellent one-liners and a handful of very insightful passages on the nature of modern relationships. That's where the novel really shines - when it's focused on the hilarity of heterosexual relationship tropes.
Including the word "cult" in the title is a dead giveaway that one appears in the novel. (That's about all I feel I can mention without giving anything away.) I loved the premise of someone having to revisit what are essentially the ghosts of boyfriends past before settling down for marriage. Brilliant! But when it came to the actual cult, the content was disappointingly real. I was hoping for a bit of magical realism or creepiness - or both! Alas, this novel was ultimately not creepy or magical.
I enjoyed Crosley's authorial voice, so I'd love to check out more of her work! Sadly, though, I don't think I'll be recommending Cult Classic to anyone I know.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for providing me with an advanced copy of Cult Classic in exchange for my honest review!
Including the word "cult" in the title is a dead giveaway that one appears in the novel. (That's about all I feel I can mention without giving anything away.) I loved the premise of someone having to revisit what are essentially the ghosts of boyfriends past before settling down for marriage. Brilliant! But when it came to the actual cult, the content was disappointingly real. I was hoping for a bit of magical realism or creepiness - or both! Alas, this novel was ultimately not creepy or magical.
I enjoyed Crosley's authorial voice, so I'd love to check out more of her work! Sadly, though, I don't think I'll be recommending Cult Classic to anyone I know.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for providing me with an advanced copy of Cult Classic in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault