Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

I have the edition with the two other stories but I'll read those at a later date, which is why I'm commenting on this one.

THGWSWLS has a lot of hype... but it didn't hit. I wanted it to get progressively worse but instead there was like 1 gross scene and then it ended. The end was weird and while I did like it, it came too fast and just fell flat. We also didn't get to explore Zoe as a character as much as I would've liked.

Content Warnings

emily_tench's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

exhumedprince's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

3.0

Content Warnings

tinyjude's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.0

Never read this after having a meal!!!

I had read some vague stuff about how disturbing this book could be, but I was definitely not prepared for whatever the fck this was. I am beyond disgusted. I can enjoy horrible fictional stories but this seems to be out of my taste completely. I just felt so sick and ready to throw up while reading it.

I can understand how someone in such a vulnerable state can go down that route and spiral so fast but the stories (like the baby jesus christ I'M PRAYING THIS NEVER HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE WTF WTF WTF) where way too much for me and too fast. The relationship barely develops, suddenly the convo turns "sexy" but feels more like 50 shades of grey bad ff (eugh) and then THAT. I won't spoil but, just, NO.

The ending was confusing but reading some theories about the cover, I got my horrifying answer 😳 100% not for me.

Content Warnings

jiobiee's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

OVERALL: 7.8/10, or 3.9/5

A deeply disturbing short story. I'm not sure if I should've been the person to read this, knowing now where this goes, but Eric LaRocca's intricate, repugnant prose makes my stomach churn and has embedded itself into the darkest corners of my mind. This is not a work for everyone.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, told through emails and instant messages in early 2000's chatrooms, follows two lesbians who enter a romantic and sexual... arrangement.

Agnes posts on an LGBT forum trying to sell her antique apple peeler, which may or may not have been touched by some famous old composer, when Zoe reaches out to her with the intent of buying. After learning about her financial and personal troubles, Zoe sends Agnes enough money to cover a couple months' of rent, and suggests that they should enter a slave/master relationship. She agrees, and Agnes is at the behest of Zoe's every whim- even when they become exponentially more depraved. She reaches a breaking point, once, but soon realizes she craves Zoe's approval more than she feels shame about her actions.

I need to address some points mentioned by other reviewers, because as a queer person myself, who has been in queer relationships and despite all appearances continues to be queer, I am deeply uncomfortable by the casual transphobia that runs rampant on this page. The author is, in some way that they are comfortable with defining, nonbinary. Perhaps LaRocca has no issue presenting themselves as masculine- that's fine! But to assume and double down that the author is a cis man when it isn't difficult to see that they aren't, is despicable. Or, perhaps it's only convenient to recognize nonbinary folk when you can infantilize them or use them to further your own narrative. Whatever the case may be, a lot of people have proven to me that they are not the pillars of LGBT+ community or allyship that they claim to be.

I also take issue with the blatant dismissal of the themes and content of the story by labeling it as "offensive trauma porn" and nothing more. We should not limit our community to only indulging in spineless, gutless fluff. Not that the fluff doesn't have it's own value, but queer people are not here to be precious perfect little babies. I am sick and so, very tired, of people trying to sanitize queer content; we are not allowed to bare our souls, tell meaningful stories, or present in any way that shows any ugly bits of humanity. And beyond any of the actual disturbing content- yes, fictional lesbians are allowed to jump into abusive relationships- many real lesbians do!

Which, isn't to say that this work doesn't deserve criticism. It does. Any criticism Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke has gotten, from a narrative, literary standpoint does not bother me in the slightest.

My biggest gripe is that Zoe and Agnes do not have their own distinct voices. I can get past these two texting in the most flowery prose I've ever seen come up in casual conversation (mainly because I have been known to talk like an asshole at times, lol), but unfortunately these two characters feel like they're the same person. I don't think the inclusion of the police report as a means to transition into the story was necessary; it would read just fine without it.

You wouldn't need to tell us that Agnes is dead to know that she is.

Some people take issue with the BDSM themes, viewing it under a critical queer eye, and frankly, to an extent I do agree. It isn't representative of kink. Where I differ, though, is that I don't think the intent was to be representative of kink.I just think Zoe's kind of a freak. Agnes, too, by the end of the story.

I don't take issue with the Agnes' wish to carry a child as a queer person, personally. I am someone who is utterly disgusted, repulsed, and terrified of motherhood and the thought of carrying life within me makes me want to vomit. I hate it. It's the reason why I say that I'm not sure I am the right person to read something like this. But, I'm not every queer person, and I'm certainly not every lesbian- lesbians who want children and want to carry their children do exist. I don't think it's that wild or crazy of an idea, and I didn't pick up on any notion that LaRocca feels like all women feel a pull to motherhood.

Some people said that Agnes and Zoe follow a logic that doesn't make any sense. I disagree. Just because you or I would never jump to any of those same conclusions, does not mean that no one does. Fiction would be boring if people acted purely logically all the time.

There's a sickening sense of impending doom in every word on these pages. There was never a moment where this story didn't feel tense. I think the most chilling part about it, to me, was how wholeheartedly devoted Agnes was to Zoe,

to the point of obsession. It is a painfully obvious metaphor, to me, that their relationship is supposed to represent this sort of fucked-up progression of toxic relationships. Agnes, broken by her parent's decision to disown her two years ago, broke, and with an almost non-existent support system, becomes susceptible to Zoe's manipulation. Zoe is a sick individual. She realizes this. Her need to get off on having power over Agnes outweighs her desire not to hurt people. Agnes begins to change every aspect of herself to serve Zoe, and obsesses over her, her relationship with her, and her parasite- her "child"- even when Zoe decides that they both have gone too far. Agnes' obsession has grown to such a point that no semblance of identity is left- just the corpse of the parasite remains.

I know people that act like either Zoe or Agnes. They are just as vile. And that is deeply, deeply disturbing.

If any of the subject matter sounds interesting to you, then I would say it is worth a read. Please come to your own conclusions. And again, this story is not for everyone.

"What have you done today to deserve your eyes?"

Content Warnings

clovetra's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

i’m sitting here cackling because what in the actual fuck did i just read. i’m crying from laughter right here. does that say something deeper about my psyche at the moment? probably. was this incredibly silly goofy? yes!!!!!

my only real gripe is this is solely related to one of my triggers. now i’m fine with gore in my horror. hell i’ll watch horror movies with gore. but you bring bugs into My Horror??????? ohh i lose my mind. bugs have always been an insane trigger for me. i am always afraid bugs are in my ears. i was told once that biting your nails gives you pinworms and as a girlie with dermatillomania i had a panic attack over that thought. once i woke up in my bed to an earwig next to me and now i am always paranoid ill wake up and an earwig is in my bed. needless to say, a bitch doesn’t like bugs!!!!! so i’ll say this book really did have me!!!!!

i don’t know what you’d call this book but it wasn’t really… horror? idk i’d say it’s more like psychological thriller. but also i realise im incredibly desensitised to weird shit so.

i wish there was more time to expand on the fucked up relationship between these two but also this is a novella so. i’m not mad.

the ending is lowkey kinda funny? not funny haha funny goofy. i liked the way the ending brought us all the way to the beginning as well. nice little tie in.

i feel like im going to be severely judged for actually saying i had a good time. i cant say i enjoyed myself but lowkey i don’t think that’s the point. i had a good time. i felt like agnes reading this — enjoying it but not really but kind of but hating it but loving it. yeah. this isn’t a book ur meant to love. it’s so fuckjng insane. but i liked it! i’m not mad at it! i can also understand why everyone i know of either thinks this is mediocre or horrible! i am in the minority! long live the apple peeler and finneas!

Content Warnings

joeywins's review against another edition

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dark 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

2.25

Well, its morbid and that is what I was looking for.
This felt like it needed another draft or some longer time to brew. The concept is very appealing to me- unconventional relationship that turns to horror done with early internet culture.
Nothing is built up though, I have no idea who these women are- if you told me it was the same woman talking to herself i would believe it because there is no character! I cannot describe them beyond their roles in the story.
It seems everything that happens serves to just give us some graphic imagery. Yes its done well, but that doesn't make a story. I just keep asking myself why do this if you're not going to commit? Don't give me unrelated stories that kind of thematically connect, give me what you said you would provide. Aughhhh!!!

I read it in less than a day, so I'm not too frustrated, but I wish this was better than it was. Thought this was going to be a 5 star, ended with me shrugging my shoulders.

Content Warnings

pendularium's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

2.0

I believe I bought this book because it was recommended time and time again by various people promising a 'disturbing' and 'thought provoking' read on booktok. This was not that book. The gore often felt unnecessary, and the writing only really shone in the titular Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke - I found Agnes' emails in particularly genuinely captivating. The through line of the human desire for connection was...fine? It was best done in Things Have Gotten Worse, but even there it felt like some more time between emails - or more content of Agnes and Zoe talking would have significantly helped it out. I have nothing much to say about the other two short stories, other than that the last one (You'll Find It's Like That All Over) genuinely baffled me in why exactly it was there at all.

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