Scan barcode
eliya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
so sad i didn’t review this after i read it
took me about 9h 48m to read this book
i imagine me reading this as a 22 year old sobbing, clutching it to my chest curled up while Retired From Sad, New Career in Business by Mitsky plays loudly, so distressed i’m not bothered by the hair of mine that was caught on the wall as i slid down.
i read this book and i began to see myself from back then in such a different light. sympathetic but pitiful. i get why i lost all my friends, i guess. the aching desire to not be alone spun me around more than anything else. i did love this book.
when the dog died, i saw the signs coming and i was truly devastated.
took me about 9h 48m to read this book
i imagine me reading this as a 22 year old sobbing, clutching it to my chest curled up while Retired From Sad, New Career in Business by Mitsky plays loudly, so distressed i’m not bothered by the hair of mine that was caught on the wall as i slid down.
i read this book and i began to see myself from back then in such a different light. sympathetic but pitiful. i get why i lost all my friends, i guess. the aching desire to not be alone spun me around more than anything else. i did love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Classism
henrytinker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It starts off slow and at the start I found the main character unbearable. But it does pick up once the romance starts, and I thought the musings on codependency, love and addiction were interesting. I also liked the ending.
The sex scenes the main character has with random men are cringy and uncomfortably relatable. The sex scenes with the merman are spicer than a lot of mainstream romance novels, but if you are expecting monsterfucking this is not the book for you.
I really didn't like how other women in the novel were described. I get that it's about the main character's internalised misogyny but it was excessive and didn't let up. Also didn't like how homeless people were described, or how Theo (the merman) was coded as disabled when on land and how the descriptions of him were uncomfortably ableist (use of the word handicapped, the main character liking that he is dependent on her etc.). I don't think the last was the author's intention, but it's right there and hard to ignore if you are disabled.
That's not to say it's bad or you shouldn't read it, it's just not going to be for everyone. I feel like this book was kind of marketed as a fun, weird romance when it's actually an existential novel about depression and love addiction. Also didn't particularly find it funny, but there are definitely some insightful observations in there.
The sex scenes the main character has with random men are cringy and uncomfortably relatable. The sex scenes with the merman are spicer than a lot of mainstream romance novels, but if you are expecting monsterfucking this is not the book for you.
I really didn't like how other women in the novel were described. I get that it's about the main character's internalised misogyny but it was excessive and didn't let up. Also didn't like how homeless people were described, or how Theo (the merman) was coded as disabled when on land and how the descriptions of him were uncomfortably ableist (use of the word handicapped, the main character liking that he is dependent on her etc.). I don't think the last was the author's intention, but it's right there and hard to ignore if you are disabled.
That's not to say it's bad or you shouldn't read it, it's just not going to be for everyone. I feel like this book was kind of marketed as a fun, weird romance when it's actually an existential novel about depression and love addiction. Also didn't particularly find it funny, but there are definitely some insightful observations in there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Classism