Reviews with content warning for Vomit - A Novel Disguise

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen

4 reviews

mreadsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

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tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

2.75

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jessgj's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Crooked Lane Publishing for giving me an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Listen, I'm a simple person with messy taste. Romance book with a lot happening? Girl cross-dressing for a noble cause? Cozy mystery? I love all of these individually but when it's all together, I'm signing up.

This book didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed this book. Larsen has a gift at balancing Tiffany's struggles and the murder mystery. I never really felt like Larsen spent too much time on one or the other. It did feel a little tedious whenever she described the more mundane things of Tiffany's day like baking or the decor but if she had cut that out, the book would have felt too rushed. I enjoyed our key players and hope that some of the staff will return in future books.

I listened to this on audiobook so shout out to Marni Penning. She did a great job capturing Tiffany's complex emotions and in making the town Rector the grossest man on the planet. It really made me think of Burn Gorman in Bleak House and even Alun Armstrong at his most loathsome. I also appreciated the more subtle way they changed Samir's and Thomas' accents as they're the two POCs characters. It sets them apart without making it too othering or distracting.

It does get a little too "Not all white people" for me? Tiffany was always aware of the world's injustices towards the marginalized (As she's a spinster in the 1700s, living under her brother's thumb). However, her love interest is Indian-English and the prime suspect in the case is an African valet and as the book progresses, she laments and even apologizes for the cruelty of the world. It feels a little hamfisted. Still, I appreciate how she notes how the world really sucks for anyone not a Cis/Het white man, and doesn't make it a competition.

At the end, it does feel like it has a little too much, probably so Larsen can establish the needed characters for her next book. I think the book suffered a little from that and I wish she would have used that time. I also need to address something about one of the characters. I'll hide it so if you don't want to see, you won't. That said.....

Thmas was an enslaved child who was then purchased by a wealthy white woman. It's eventually revealed that he's her adopted son and they have a loving relationship.

I mention this because unfortunately, history is full of BIPOC children taken from their homes and stripped of their culture under the guise of having "Better lives" when in reality, they were treated no better than animals. It's hard to remember that history when reading this plotline about this one nice white woman. Not when I remember just how many children weren't as fortunate.

I didn't personally mind this storyline. I feel like this was a good way of adding diversity to the book while adding to the mystery itself. I also appreciated that Larsen didn't wave off the cruelty and injustice Thomas would endure as an African man. Thomas is also his own person and not just an Emotional Support BIPOC person to prop up Tiffany.

That said, as a Black woman, I felt the need to talk about this and warn BIPOC readers who might be triggered by this. I also felt like ignoring this would be dishonest. I'm not saying it's badly done but even a Michelin-starred meal with peanuts in it still needs to warn folks with peanut allergies, you know?

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ezwolf's review

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hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Okay, so I'll admit to being pleasantly surprised by this book, in a good way! I thought this was going to be maybe a queer story where a woman dresses as her brother and becomes involved with another woman in some way and I was very excited for that. This story is not that at all (other than Tiffany dressing as her brother), and while I was disappointed that it wasn't the gay story I expected, I still really enjoyed what the book turned out to be.

Reading a book where the main character is forty was incredibly enjoyable, even though I'm only in my late 20s, it was nice to read about a woman settled into life even if it's not the best life, and then getting to read about her making strides to improve her life and help those around her. Even though I figured out the murderer and the secret the duchess kept right away, the ending of the book surprised me for what it didn't do and that was really what sealed my enjoyment of it!

I also thought this was a great commentary on the way that women and people of color were/are treated and the way that society, both its rules and people, are quick to judge them.

***SPOILERS***

My only real grievance was that the character who was being blackmailed for being gay was also tried and hung for providing the duke with the poison. Obviously I know that he was just as in the wrong and gay people can do bad things, but it just didn't sit right with me considering the tone of the book, he could have been blackmailed for a different reason

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

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