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kassieaitana's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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
2.0
Busting a nut over Sigmund Freud is actually insane, that fucker is in hell cackling and rubbing his hands together manically over that.
The second half is more interesting than the first. It’s definitely hard to get through. It’s weird and boring at the same time. This is not a sexual liberation book, has nothing to do with sex positivity. It’s infuriating to see reviews trying to spout that.Our unnamed main character actively uses sex as a way to cope AND self harm. She cries during sex, begs to be hurt, can’t orgasm in front of men, and gets upset if they do want her sexually and even more so if they don’t. Which, yeah no not great but THAT’S when she’s relatable for me. And it’s all kind of ruined by her thinking about sex literally 24/7, using self deprecation every chance she gets in dialogue, and her random pick me behavior. But even that is bland and boring. I wish there was really ANYTHING going on in this book because it could have been more than what it was. Also, the whole student thing was pointless to me. What was the reason that had to be added? It did nothing. glad she went to some form of therapy in the end, even if it was out of spite.
The second half is more interesting than the first. It’s definitely hard to get through. It’s weird and boring at the same time. This is not a sexual liberation book, has nothing to do with sex positivity. It’s infuriating to see reviews trying to spout that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Sex used as self harm, incest tagged due to weird oedipus implications, hallucinations/delusionskarlybug's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
3.0
this was interesting. i think i pulled it off the shelf randomly because i knew i needed a short novel for one of my reading challenges. i barely skimmed the back cover and so i wasn't really prepared for the story. the narrator is unfortunately too relatable, and i enjoyed the unfolding look into her subconscious. while i couldn't stand the obscene overuse of the phrase "twin orbs" & similar nauseating imagery (was this an intentional choice within the voice of the narrator, or just an author who's read too much romantasy & needed an editor???), i ended up generally enjoying this, and i'll probably read more from this author in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
a_violentfemme's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-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
2.0
Honestly I can see what the author was trying to achieve with this but the execution fell very flat for me and I felt that it was trying to be clever whilst simultaneously saying very little. There was no real exploration into Freud's theories which could have made this a really interesting novella.
The main characters 'traumas' felt very one-dimensional (daddy didn't give me enough attention/wasn't hugged enough as a child) and sex/masterbation scenes felt forced, cringe worthy and were lacking any sense of "sexual liberation" that I've seen mentioned in some other reviews.
And whichever reviewer on the back of the book who compared this to fleabag is just plain wrong.
I'm giving this a 2 purely for the reason that I finished it and was only mildly bored whilst doing so.
The main characters 'traumas' felt very one-dimensional (daddy didn't give me enough attention/wasn't hugged enough as a child) and sex/masterbation scenes felt forced, cringe worthy and were lacking any sense of "sexual liberation" that I've seen mentioned in some other reviews.
And whichever reviewer on the back of the book who compared this to fleabag is just plain wrong.
I'm giving this a 2 purely for the reason that I finished it and was only mildly bored whilst doing so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
therosepages's review
dark
reflective
slow-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
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
applesodaperson's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-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
This book was seriously awesome. Everything I wanted from a literary fiction book. It was such a compelling character study with some weird elements thrown in. I felt so bad for the main character but also understood how she was really creating her own problems.
The way this book dealt with daddy issues was so interesting, and not something I have really seen in other books before. It is of course uncomfortable, but this book is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.
This book really reminded me of Fleabag. They both have similar themes of having very dysfunctional relationships with sec and men and romantic relationships. And I love Fleabag so of course I would like this.
Anyways, I like how complex her relationship with her father is. She feels so weird about it and has such a hard time articulating it and communicating with him about it. Because that is really what this book is about. Just her starting the healing process, but still being nowhere near finishing it.
Of course the best part of this book was Sigmund Freud. As a psychology student, this is just so relevant to me lol. I love how unclear it was and how the reader is supposed to doubt if Freud really exists.And it is definitely my interpretation that he was not real and the ending definitely confirms that. But I love how she basically manifested him in order to help herself process things and deal with her problems. Because when the book starts, she has just barely hooked up with her parent’s coworker and her roommate’s brother. So life is kind of a mess.
The one thing I didn’t like was that I think the story should have focused more on her being a teacher, because it was such a small plot point that I kept forgetting she even had a job.
Read from the Provo library.
The way this book dealt with daddy issues was so interesting, and not something I have really seen in other books before. It is of course uncomfortable, but this book is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.
This book really reminded me of Fleabag. They both have similar themes of having very dysfunctional relationships with sec and men and romantic relationships. And I love Fleabag so of course I would like this.
Anyways, I like how complex her relationship with her father is. She feels so weird about it and has such a hard time articulating it and communicating with him about it. Because that is really what this book is about. Just her starting the healing process, but still being nowhere near finishing it.
Of course the best part of this book was Sigmund Freud. As a psychology student, this is just so relevant to me lol. I love how unclear it was and how the reader is supposed to doubt if Freud really exists.
The one thing I didn’t like was that I think the story should have focused more on her being a teacher, because it was such a small plot point that I kept forgetting she even had a job.
Read from the Provo library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
dixiecarroll's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Horrifying and sick! I loved it! This is for weirdos and freaks… enter at your own risk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, and Abandonment
rupanjali's review against another edition
dark
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
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Suicide
ford_defect's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-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
1.0
I very rarely find myself writing reviews, but this book made me so uncomfortable (and maybe that was the point) that I feel like I have to write about it. I hated this book from the first chapter. I have no idea why I kept reading. Maybe I thought it would get better? Maybe I told myself, "It's so short, so I should just get it done with." But every time I picked this book up and started reading, I found myself thinking, "When is this going to end?" And yet, I persisted.
The main character's self-loathing was the whole narrative, and over and over and over, she kept betraying herself, which made her incredibly annoying. Especially when she was like "Woe is me. I'm so disgusting," to other people when she is the one who got herself into that situation in the first place. I remember this scene where she had some self-realization about that, but that didn't change her behavior whatsoever in the coming chapters.
This book made me want to bleach my eyeballs due to all the gratuitous sex scenes that added barely anything to the plot other than to make the main character feel bad about herself for something she chose to do. And almost all of the descriptions of men and women were hard to read as well. The only description I enjoyed was of her roommate. It felt like she had a deep crush on her roommate, but nothing came of it. Why describe this woman more beautifully than any man in the story and have nothing happen between you and her besides some petty drama about sleeping with her brother?
1/5. Should have been a lesbian drama.
This book made me want to bleach my eyeballs due to all the gratuitous sex scenes that added barely anything to the plot other than to make the main character feel bad about herself for something she chose to do. And almost all of the descriptions of men and women were hard to read as well. The only description I enjoyed was of her roommate. It felt like she had a deep crush on her roommate, but nothing came of it. Why describe this woman more beautifully than any man in the story and have nothing happen between you and her besides some petty drama about sleeping with her brother?
1/5. Should have been a lesbian drama.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Suicide
takin492's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content