Reviews

Writing style wasn't for me. I felt the pace was off at the start as it was very slow, taking me a while to grasp what was going on in the plot. I didn't like the continuous use of water imagery around the waves and the sea when looking at loss, I felt it was trying to make the novel something it wasn't and a bit on the nose with her dad being lost at sea.
I did think the themes of grief and adjusting after loss were interesting. I also liked the exploration of love but felt it wasn't looked into thoroughly enough for my liking which could have been due to the length of the book being just over 200 pages. This book personally wasn't for me and I think overall the story is quite forgettable, which is interesting considering the unusual themes of BDSM and doms. To be honest if it was any longer I think I would have DNF'd.

andforgotten's review against another edition

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4.0

I thought I'd take a peek at this for a laugh but turned out quite enjoying it, particularly the prose.

angelheaded_hipster_'s review against another edition

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4.0

Belated review but I felt this book deserved one. I can see why this book has many ratings on the lower side, but I found the writing intensely lyrical especially on the themes of isolation and loss, I connected with it immediately, sometimes reading passages multiple times because they were so beautifully written. The characters are somewhat vapid and ill-defined, and the plot meanders (it gives me a strong sense of one of those oppressively warm evenings after a day at the beach, spaced out and formless and hazy) but this makes the fractured, fragmented, refracted sense of Echo's grief all the more poignant. A tender novel about vulnerability, loss, control.

Anyway here's some lines I underlined:

On being queer and hearing men talk about women in a similar way that you feel about women but not having the words to express that yet:
"She was a woman in control, generous with her body, the spectacle of it, the idea of it in dialogue with other bodies, mind. I imagined she didn't think about sex in terms of men or women, but grace, strength, and beauty. I wanted to be part of this. I don't think this is what my father wanted. His desire was clear and common. Mine had a syntax I had yet to discover."

"Maybe this night would be transformative. Maybe it would be weird or boring. Whatever it would be, it would be with her and being with her felt urgent."

"

jenno's review against another edition

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I felt like this was all over the place and for being about 250 pages it felt really long with lose ends not being tied up, in a bad way.
And I feel like it is very forgettable sadly.

iina's review against another edition

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1.0

Eh, I tried. I think this was a classic case of a book not matching my mood, needs or interests. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and didn’t really get into Vogel’s writing either. That was a shame since the BDSM culture the book focuses (partly) on was the most interesting part to read about.

Thank you Dialogue Books for sending me a free copy of this book.

norawise's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

So many parts of this book are brilliant. I loved the poetic prose and depictions of BDSM. But overall it was just incredibly slow and disjointed. It felt unfinished, and I feel like the editing could have been tighter.

siobhanfuller's review against another edition

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reflective slow-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

1.75

This was a frustrating read. The concept was so original and it was well written, but it felt like the plot of two books had been smashed together with neither plot being fully realised. So much potential.

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