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readingwithlex's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
she said is somebody gon match my freak….. and he did
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
tariana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
I don't even know where to start talking about this book. I read it through my French Class Book Club, recommended by a fellow student. I hated the main character all the way through it up to the epilogue. She lacks communication skills, she is super emotionally dependent of her husband, she is mean, she has “Bentinho” vibes, and she is a bad mother (if you decide to have kids for whatever reason, own your responsibility and take good care of them, they didn’t ask to be born).
Despite all of that, the book really kept my interest through its writing, there’s a dark mysterious tone that makes you curious about what is going to happen, specially because the story is narrated through a week of the characters life, as the days pass you get more excited about the plot.
Despite all of that, the book really kept my interest through its writing, there’s a dark mysterious tone that makes you curious about what is going to happen, specially because the story is narrated through a week of the characters life, as the days pass you get more excited about the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism and Toxic friendship
zorc_'s review against another edition
The protagonist’s “struggles” with her husband were a genuine slog to get through. Though she is quite toxic, I don’t think that’s what turned me off to this book. I think it just lacked any entertainment value for me. That’s probably my fault for picking a darkly satirical book that parodies French romance novels. But hey, if you’re looking for novels with morally dubious women as their protagonists, this book may very well be for you: as much as her plot bored me, the protagonist has a fascinating mindset and way of interacting with the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Emotional abuse
Genuinely sad and crappy marriage, a woman making herself miserable, stunted emotional development, intrusive thoughts, anxiety thought patterns, dismissiveness toward therapycultbyproxy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
this novel tested just how far my “i support women’s wrongs” extends.
it was a strong descent into the madness of a truly obsessed and calculated woman and how she views her marriage, truly unlike anything i’ve ever read before. like a clementine, her taste for revenge was best described as sour, not seasonal, and was always neatly pre-packaged. and in the end, all i could say was they deserved one another.
(thank you for the recommendation Masego, it was definitely very “Gone Girl” meets “YOU” vibes x)
it was a strong descent into the madness of a truly obsessed and calculated woman and how she views her marriage, truly unlike anything i’ve ever read before. like a clementine, her taste for revenge was best described as sour, not seasonal, and was always neatly pre-packaged. and in the end, all i could say was they deserved one another.
(thank you for the recommendation Masego, it was definitely very “Gone Girl” meets “YOU” vibes x)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism
_meganrose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
WTF did I just read? For a debut novel, it was impressive. This was my face the entire time while reading it 😧😳 No plot, just vibes. And by vibes I mean a look inside a horrifically insane woman’s mind who is chronically obsessed with her obscenely average husband for no apparent reason. Disturbingly fascinating read. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
mikaylachavez's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
vbarsi's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think it's fair to say I mostly enjoyed the first half of the book, listening to the stream of consciousness of what seems to be a self-tortured woman who is devoted to her husband in a way that I would describe as pathological. Despite this woman constantly twisting herself into knots and beating up on herself, I was intrigued to find out where the story was going because listening to her constant critical evaluation of her life and her husband's behavior was entertaining... until it started to become tedious and unattractive.
The main character of the story has what many would characterize as an enviable life, being married to a wealthy and successful man and living a posh lifestyle. But I can only take so much of a manic personality that's laced with heavy doses of what seems to be absurdly unhealthy self-recrimination. I stuck with this book and followed the main character down an ugly rabbit hole hoping there would be a destination, or satisfying landing point, that rewarded me with some kind of emotional payoff. I did not feel rewarded when I got to the end of the main character's story arc.
I will admit the twist at the end caught me off guard and it was a nice little sleight of hand by the author. Unfortunately, for me, by the time I turned the last page, metaphorically speaking, I was not a happy camper and could only shake my head. I will concede that many readers have been delighted with the story and resolution contained in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, the writing/translation is well done, but the story just did not do it for me.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Kiiri Sandy. The main character does not have an easy or pleasant personality to present to the reader and despite that, Ms. Sandy made the story infinitely more digestible than if I'd read it on the page and had to come up with a voice for this character in my head.
The main character of the story has what many would characterize as an enviable life, being married to a wealthy and successful man and living a posh lifestyle. But I can only take so much of a manic personality that's laced with heavy doses of what seems to be absurdly unhealthy self-recrimination. I stuck with this book and followed the main character down an ugly rabbit hole hoping there would be a destination, or satisfying landing point, that rewarded me with some kind of emotional payoff. I did not feel rewarded when I got to the end of the main character's story arc.
I will admit the twist at the end caught me off guard and it was a nice little sleight of hand by the author. Unfortunately, for me, by the time I turned the last page, metaphorically speaking, I was not a happy camper and could only shake my head. I will concede that many readers have been delighted with the story and resolution contained in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, the writing/translation is well done, but the story just did not do it for me.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Kiiri Sandy. The main character does not have an easy or pleasant personality to present to the reader and despite that, Ms. Sandy made the story infinitely more digestible than if I'd read it on the page and had to come up with a voice for this character in my head.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Infidelity
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Stalking, and Alcohol
opplecopter's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
likeagilmoregirl's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Instead of recounting the premise of this novel as other reviews have done very well, I would simply like to say that this novel is not going to be for everyone, but it is worth the attempt.
The narrator in this novel (the wife/Obsessor) can only be described as unwell and unlikable. I found this stream-of-consciousness narration difficult to get through at times, yet I felt just connected enough to keep reading. The wife is awful, but familiar. She is representative of the contradictory lives that people who identify as women are expected to lead. And because of that, it was easy to relate to her and even easier to hate her.
For a majority of this work, I expected to rate this 3.5 stars. Until the last 30 pages. The final chapter and the epilogue completely change the perspective we have of the wife’s actions with an abrupt, yet not completely unsurprising turn. Was an epilogue really worth treading through the entire novel? For me, absolutely, it was well worth it. This was a 5 star read for me and I can’t wait to read it again.
The narrator in this novel (the wife/Obsessor) can only be described as unwell and unlikable. I found this stream-of-consciousness narration difficult to get through at times, yet I felt just connected enough to keep reading. The wife is awful, but familiar. She is representative of the contradictory lives that people who identify as women are expected to lead. And because of that, it was easy to relate to her and even easier to hate her.
For a majority of this work, I expected to rate this 3.5 stars. Until the last 30 pages. The final chapter and the epilogue completely change the perspective we have of the wife’s actions with an abrupt, yet not completely unsurprising turn. Was an epilogue really worth treading through the entire novel? For me, absolutely, it was well worth it. This was a 5 star read for me and I can’t wait to read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy