rachel_jozie's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
4.0
**📚REVIEW📚**
31st Read of 2023 = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
*I’m not going to give you the ‘what this book is about’ blurb – you can read that elsewhere.
1. This was my introduction to Lucy Leitner and it’s safe to say I fell in love with her writing style and subject matter.
2. As someone who ‘needs’ to use social media for my hobby (book reviews/promotion), I find it both necessary and disgusting; more disgusting by the day, sadly. Many large influencers become super cringy as they try to keep contracts/make money/etc. on social media, and while I understand the point behind what they’re doing, I cannot, CANNOT, understand harmful “wellness” influencers – people like Gwyneth and Goop, for example. Leitner sweeps in with a hilarious take on one such influencer in an incredibly well written and entertaining short story. With an ending that just makes sense.
31st Read of 2023 = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
*I’m not going to give you the ‘what this book is about’ blurb – you can read that elsewhere.
1. This was my introduction to Lucy Leitner and it’s safe to say I fell in love with her writing style and subject matter.
2. As someone who ‘needs’ to use social media for my hobby (book reviews/promotion), I find it both necessary and disgusting; more disgusting by the day, sadly. Many large influencers become super cringy as they try to keep contracts/make money/etc. on social media, and while I understand the point behind what they’re doing, I cannot, CANNOT, understand harmful “wellness” influencers – people like Gwyneth and Goop, for example. Leitner sweeps in with a hilarious take on one such influencer in an incredibly well written and entertaining short story. With an ending that just makes sense.
chmccann's review
3.0
This is a short, punchy send-up of Instagram healthism, much like [b:Puritea|60702461|Puritea|Lucy Leitner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648419381l/60702461._SY75_.jpg|95698894]. I didn't like this one quite as much, but it was still fun. I admire the level of ambivalence such a brief, broadly satirical tale has evoked for me. Is the story just viciously derisive of @wellnesswarrior497? Or is it truly sympathetic to her on some level? Is she getting what she needs/deserves, or is she a victim of a horrific cabal?
Also, the description of the sensory deprivation room was really chilling - that will stay with me for a while! Very impressive for a mere four paragraphs!
Also, the description of the sensory deprivation room was really chilling - that will stay with me for a while! Very impressive for a mere four paragraphs!
karlakayjenniges's review
5.0
Transgressive fiction is a genre of literature which focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual or illicit ways.
Quiet Horror-Subtly written horror that uses atmosphere and mood, rather than graphic description, to create fear and suspense.
I need to explain my reasoning for including the definitions of the two genre's above.
In sharing comments on IG, Lucy expressed her interest in how I would classify this story. (Appreciated)
The fact that this was written as IG posts and IG lives was compelling. We can easily connect with the style for obvious reasons. We also can understand that sense of wanting to fit in. We have possibly experienced it or have seen it many times, sometimes not as a fortunate experience. I am not speaking for or about any one person , specifically. Just an observation.
@wellnesswarrior497 is extreme, she wants the likes, the recognition, to be an IG sensation. She has been invited to a wellness retreat, and she posts almost every moment, sharing her total experience. She quickly learns that nothing in her world is as it seems.
While reading this I learned quickly that something just isn't quite right. The sense of dread creeps in and heightens the anticipation of learning what is truthfully happening. We are given glimpses and the tension builds bringing us to a sad ending. A few moments actually had me reeling with swaggering thoughts. I went back and read it again, and then I read it to my fiance. Then I sat on this review until my thoughts were hopefully gathered and I could share the story without spoiling any of it.
Admiration, for Lucy Leitner, that is the word to describe how captivating this was. It captured the essence of Social Norms, Mental Health, and the blindness to facing to what some may call "our inner demons."
Quiet Horror-Subtly written horror that uses atmosphere and mood, rather than graphic description, to create fear and suspense.
I need to explain my reasoning for including the definitions of the two genre's above.
In sharing comments on IG, Lucy expressed her interest in how I would classify this story. (Appreciated)
The fact that this was written as IG posts and IG lives was compelling. We can easily connect with the style for obvious reasons. We also can understand that sense of wanting to fit in. We have possibly experienced it or have seen it many times, sometimes not as a fortunate experience. I am not speaking for or about any one person , specifically. Just an observation.
@wellnesswarrior497 is extreme, she wants the likes, the recognition, to be an IG sensation. She has been invited to a wellness retreat, and she posts almost every moment, sharing her total experience. She quickly learns that nothing in her world is as it seems.
While reading this I learned quickly that something just isn't quite right. The sense of dread creeps in and heightens the anticipation of learning what is truthfully happening. We are given glimpses and the tension builds bringing us to a sad ending. A few moments actually had me reeling with swaggering thoughts. I went back and read it again, and then I read it to my fiance. Then I sat on this review until my thoughts were hopefully gathered and I could share the story without spoiling any of it.
Admiration, for Lucy Leitner, that is the word to describe how captivating this was. It captured the essence of Social Norms, Mental Health, and the blindness to facing to what some may call "our inner demons."
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