A review by atlastheninth
Monstrous by Nicole M. Rubino

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

DNF at 15% 

 

I’m not the target audience for this book. Now why did I request it? Well, it was in the categories adult and LGBTQIA+ and the blurb sounded a interesting and a bit sarcastic. But I think the blurb is completely serious and it is a straight NA romance. (The author also says so on Insta so not sure what went wrong here) (There are some sapphic SCs). Me reading the blurb and thinking the MC is a man is my fault I suppose, in retrospect I could have seen that. 

 

So again this is definitely not something I normally read and I’ve only read 15%, do keep that in mind for what follows. 

 

The MC definitely has “I’m so special” vibes. As in there is some actual internal monologue similar to “I’m different than everyone else, I didn’t belong anywhere, but now I’m in a place where everyone is different in the same way as me and I should belong. But I’m still so different.” It's annoying. 

I also didn’t particularly like any of the other characters. 

To the romance: That was the most cliché YA beginning I’ve ever read. She’s the new person and he’s the mysterious, popular pretty boy that is kind of an asshole and every other girl is super into him. 

Mild spoiler: I’ve read until the first murder and then the first thing the MC does is faint into the arms of the LI. 

I don't want to read that sorry.