Reviews

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins

oroseo's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

hypnotically engaging, strange way to learn about the manson family, excellent writing

shaeloef's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

aclopez6's review against another edition

1.0

This book started off so strong! As it went on, I think it was just not for me. I needed something with a faster-pacing, and enjoyed the pieces of poetry embedded throughout, but honestly just became bored. Initally bought (tbh) because of the gorgeous cover and fun title.

dobbyhasnomaster's review against another edition

2.0

This book was really weird, in the most boring way possible. I didn't like long-ass chapters with the backstories and letters from her parents because they felt kind of irrelevant. I think with a few more rounds of editing, this story could have been told better.

abookwithreview's review against another edition

2.0

I was so hopeful about this book and honestly, I only finished it because I hoped it would improve. The main character is a narcissistic sex goblin who I have little to no sympathy for despite her strange and chaotic upbringing. The flashbacks to the mom's letters are so strangely juxtaposed to the story that they almost don't feel like the story of a different character. And I realize that that is supposed to be like a parallel between the wanderlust of the main character and her mother, but it mostly just makes me confused and angry. As a new parent who gave birth a year ago, I was really hoping for some commiseration on the feeling of kind of wanting to run when you have postpartum depression, and all I got was a selfish bitch who actually did run, but not because of the baby, because she wanted to fuck some guy in the desert.

coleyglasses's review against another edition

got stuck on the mega long biographical chapter 😭 otherwise probably would have loved it

looseeaah's review against another edition

4.0

Would be a 5 star if not for the use of the word “hella”.
Will probably think about this one for a long time.

vivacissimx's review against another edition

3.0

Let me begin by saying there are narratives of women who leave their families and children which make no excuses but are nonetheless carefully and, dare I say it, compellingly written. This is not one of them. This is self-pity. The narrator makes herself deeply known but the trick is, they aren't worth knowing. She has exactly two states: deeply apathetic and extremely horny, and both of them are coping mechanisms. I picked this up because the title is beautiful, but by the end I was clueless as to who this "loved" person is, and very much not convinced that the narrator identifies themselves as having agency in their own decisions.

The writing is gorgeous (although it melds into itself) but truly I am tired of white authors masturbating in front of us and expecting applause after.

kristinarattler's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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

4.0

okl_auren's review against another edition

1.0

Not my vibe. I’m usually all for “unlikeable” characters, but literally every single person in this book was insufferable. Marketing for this book didn’t indicate that it was autofiction, which I think I’m discovering is NOT my thing. This book had potential, the premise is interesting, but once actually reading is just not what I was expecting. Maybe for some this would be interesting but not for me lol!