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amonkman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
siftalinds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Huge win for hairy lesbians though
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Abortion
thisbookrox's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
loscamp4lyf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Vomit
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Author: Samantha Allen
Genre: Horror
Rating: 1.50
Pub Date: June 28, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Unique • Absurd • Gruesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
On this season of The Catch, contestants must compete for love. And their lives.
When the final four women in competition for an aloof, somewhat sleazy bachelor’s heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, they prepare themselves for another week of extreme sleep deprivation, invasive interviews, and, of course, the salacious drama eager viewers nationwide tune in to devour. Each woman came on The Catch for her own reasons—brand sponsorships, followers, and, yes, even love—and they’ve all got their eyes steadfastly trained on their respective prizes. Enter Patricia, a temperamental and woefully misunderstood local living alone in the dark, verdant woods, and desperate for connection. Through twists as unexpected as they are wildly entertaining, the self-absorbed cast and jaded crew each make her acquaintance atop the island’s tallest and most desolate peak, finding themselves at the center of an action-packed thriller that is far from scripted—and only a few will make the final cut.
💭 T H O U G H T S
How did this bizarre, satirical, completely outside my comfort zone, novel fall into my hands? Well that's the beauty of online book club events. This is nothing I would have ever picked up on my own accord, but peer pressure is real even in adulthood.
Writing this review is difficult because I don't even know what I read. I was expecting one thing and got something completely different - so I definitely think there was poor marketing of what this book is. The build up through the first half was slow, yet the second half was packed with senseless violence and trying to cover too many different storyline.
I understand Patricia Wants to Cuddle is Samantha Allen's attempt at social commentary through the reality show trope. However, when I finally made it to the end, I was confused because nothing was resolved. It was was one of those books that left me with that 'what the heck' feeling. I am not really sure what I read. One thing I am sure about is I am not the intended audience for this book. While it's hard for me to see myself recommending this to anyone, if you're book club is looking for something that is guaranteed to spark discussion than this would definitely fit the bill.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the reality TV trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"By the way, Maggie, quick news flash from the future: we don’t wear socks with Birkenstocks anymore."
"Imagine a world so small that your ego can fill all of it."
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Sexism, Sexual content, and Abortion
the_vegan_bookworm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
The build up is extremely slow with the action not happening until the last 20%. The parody reality show and it's contestants are interesting, but they are not strong enough to make up the entirety of the book's focus.
The queerness is fairly understated and not as prominent as I thought it would be. That is completely fine in general, but I went into this expecting it to be a lot more significant.
I just felt like the book went from endless content about the reality show, to senseless and overly graphic violence, to an abrupt ending. No questions were answered for me. I have no idea why anything happened in the story or what triggered the plot or even what the connections are between the remaining characters. For some books, the unexplained ending is done in a way to keep you thinking. For this book, given the absence of answers about anything else, it just left me feeling lost and disinterested.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Cancer and Racism
shayminxcx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Lesbophobia
megj23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Cancer and Vomit
hannahpings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
self-indulgent and dragging first and second acts are so caught up in the characters, complexes, and institutions they're lampooning that they end up almost as vapid and certainly as weightless. satire requires clarity of purpose and target etc etc
was originally going to give this a 2.5, but a satisfying—if unearned, and unsubstantiated—third act brought it up a bit.
ultimately, i can't help but feel like this is a book that's begging to get picked up for a movie deal, which would probably be the best fate for it. it'd certainly make a better (clearer, better constructed, more precise) movie than it does a novel.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Abortion
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
page_28's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Vomit