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the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Still gathering my thoughts. If Girlcrush had leaned heavier into horror, a la The Substance or Patricia Wants To Cuddle, I think this could’ve been great.
I really enjoyed the variation in prose in the novel’s last third that was perfectly disjointed and paced to demonstrate a psychological descent-into-madness type narration. However, I’m not even sure if that was the intent.
I thought up until the very end that this was a twisty genre horror thriller following a deeply, deeply flawed victim, but the epilogue instead reframes the entire novel to become a strangely out of touch and unbelievable sci fi rom com.
I really enjoyed the variation in prose in the novel’s last third that was perfectly disjointed and paced to demonstrate a psychological descent-into-madness type narration. However, I’m not even sure if that was the intent.
I thought up until the very end that this was a twisty genre horror thriller following a deeply, deeply flawed victim, but the epilogue instead reframes the entire novel to become a strangely out of touch and unbelievable sci fi rom com.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexism, and Sexual violence
No instances of psychosis/schizophrenia however the way in which certain events are framed may be triggeringkatieb94's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’ve given this book 3.5/4 stars because I found it very readable and did end up enjoying it- but the second half of the book is a mess!
The premise of this book is basically what happens when a woman discovers her sexuality and then loses herself in the world of social media. Earths breaks up with her boyfriend and discovers she might be a little bit gay when she sees the woman he cheated on her with and instantly obsesses over her.
A little bit of insta-love but they don’t actually end up together. If they did I’d have a completely lower rating.
I did like the inclusion of a non-binary character- Eartha’s best friend Rose, as well as the LGBTQ characters being very open with their sexuality. It was quite refreshing. I guess it’s because it’s set in 2030 (but there’s nothing really different?)
Nether the less, Eartha is a very relatable character. She is a human being who messes up and makes mistakes! She is not perfect- she is messy, suffers from mental health issues and knows when things are going wrong for her.
Sometimes queer characters are written as if they are perfect and glorious- we know from the off that she isn’t.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the fact that before she goes viral, Eartha is an artist. After, that fact is basically mute. She doesn’t mention her art again. It’s just her queerness and her love life. I wish we’d seen more of that creative side.
I very rarely read books about queer characters and this was definitely enjoyable. I’ll definitely read more to see how they compare.
3.5/4 stars.
The premise of this book is basically what happens when a woman discovers her sexuality and then loses herself in the world of social media. Earths breaks up with her boyfriend and discovers she might be a little bit gay when she sees the woman he cheated on her with and instantly obsesses over her.
A little bit of insta-love but they don’t actually end up together. If they did I’d have a completely lower rating.
I did like the inclusion of a non-binary character- Eartha’s best friend Rose, as well as the LGBTQ characters being very open with their sexuality. It was quite refreshing. I guess it’s because it’s set in 2030 (but there’s nothing really different?)
Nether the less, Eartha is a very relatable character. She is a human being who messes up and makes mistakes! She is not perfect- she is messy, suffers from mental health issues and knows when things are going wrong for her.
Sometimes queer characters are written as if they are perfect and glorious- we know from the off that she isn’t.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the fact that before she goes viral, Eartha is an artist. After, that fact is basically mute. She doesn’t mention her art again. It’s just her queerness and her love life. I wish we’d seen more of that creative side.
I very rarely read books about queer characters and this was definitely enjoyable. I’ll definitely read more to see how they compare.
3.5/4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Biphobia and Sexual assault
untanglingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoilers hidden :)
It was definitely a book that I enjoyed reading. It was easy and fun to read.
And I found the main character quite relatable - at least at the beginning. But she seemed to be less and less relatable and became completely obsessed with her social media personality and her manager.And she went on some pretty strange dates even though she was always thinking about Phaedra. Sad that they didn’t end up together.
I really loved Rose as Eartha’s best friend (and very nice that there was an nb “main” character included). I was also a big fan of Phaedrawho sadly was completely ignored in the last part of the book.
The ending was okay, but I really would have wished for a big apology towards both Rose and Phaedra at the end.
I’d say it’s definitely a good book with lots of queer representation but if you don’t want to scream “Stop it!” at the main character in every chapter, it’s probably not the best choice :D
It was definitely a book that I enjoyed reading. It was easy and fun to read.
And I found the main character quite relatable - at least at the beginning. But she seemed to be less and less relatable and became completely obsessed with her social media personality and her manager.
I really loved Rose as Eartha’s best friend (and very nice that there was an nb “main” character included). I was also a big fan of Phaedra
The ending was okay, but
I’d say it’s definitely a good book with lots of queer representation but if you don’t want to scream “Stop it!” at the main character in every chapter, it’s probably not the best choice :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia and Gaslighting
shaylees's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
This book felt unfocused, and like it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to spoonfeed and spell out all the most basic ideas of white western feminism or force you to read between the lines to have any understanding of what’s actually meant by the words on the page. Rose was really loveable, and I would have loved to see more of them, or at least have their story wrapped up in some way? , the settings for parties and sex scenes were very engaging and immersive, and the premise has a lot of promise. However, this book needed a few more rounds of editing, a lot more fleshing out, and maybe a sensitivity reader or some more research on the queer nightlife scene. That said, I am definitely interested in seeing what this author does in the future with a bit more experience!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, and Alcohol
megspiteri's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
2.75
I really don't know how to feel about this book. Some parts really made me think about the concepts of influencers and cancel culture and felt very much like an episode of black mirror. But other bits I just did not get. I didn't like or understand the directors notes that were occasionally included. The ending was pointless too, I felt that there needed to be a big revelation or something and it just ended. Some parts were scarily relatable and could easily happen but overall I just didn't get it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault
kenzibir's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Man I have mixed feelings about this book! I enjoyed it, it has some important messages in it, but I was hoping for more of a queer romance book. Definitely worth the read but prepare yourself for a darker plot than you you think it’ll be!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
emminkirjakasa's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Absolutely loved the start of the book, and that i would give 5 stars. The ending loses one star, since i think there was a bit too much going on. If the book was just about Eartha, Rose, and Mona, dating girls for the first time, trying to find yourself after coming out, then i would have loooved the book. When all the shit went down in the last 1/3 of the book, i lost the one star.
+ Bisexual representation and great examples of biphobia that was easy to relate as a bi girl.
+ Non-binary character!! Always love that!
+ You could feel Florence through the book. The music, the apartment, the pink hair.
+ Shows just how toxic social media can be.
+ The descriptions of depression were extremely accurate.
- Director's notes felt a bit out of context for the book.
- Ending felt a bit rushed and many characters just got left out from the story.
- The sexual assault storyline felt a bit rushed and the fact that it was just hinted and not actually said out loud made if feel a bit weird.
I forgot that the book was set in 2030 and actually didn't make any difference to the story that i just thought it was a 2023 but in alternative universe where Instagram is Wonderland, Tinder is Fire and London is Olympia.
I will be reading the new book that comes out next.
+ Bisexual representation and great examples of biphobia that was easy to relate as a bi girl.
+ Non-binary character!! Always love that!
+ You could feel Florence through the book. The music, the apartment, the pink hair.
+ Shows just how toxic social media can be.
+ The descriptions of depression were extremely accurate.
- Director's notes felt a bit out of context for the book.
- Ending felt a bit rushed and many characters just got left out from the story.
I forgot that the book was set in 2030 and actually didn't make any difference to the story that i just thought it was a 2023 but in alternative universe where Instagram is Wonderland, Tinder is Fire and London is Olympia.
I will be reading the new book that comes out next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia
bethancy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Oof this book gave me anxietybookbean94's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
kate_in_a_book's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault