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A review by amy_lynda
All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
1.0
First, massive TW: there's quite a bit of sexual abuse, specifically child molestation, and emotional abuse. In other books I've read, the author generally used foreshadowing to alert the reader beforehand to abuse--Elizabeth Church DOES NOT do that in this book. The abuse happens and is frequently referenced out of nowhere. The reader is almost never given any sort of warning, so be wary!
Secondly, Javier, the Spanish man Ruby (aka Lily) falls for, has a stereotypical "Spanish" accent. I have numerous friends from many Spanish-speaking countries, and NONE of them had that accent. It was horrible. Ruby also describes Javier as "exotic" and lists this as one of the reasons she's with him. This is yet another red flag for me. As a Latina of mixed Indigenous and European (including Spanish!) descent: I HATE BEING DESCRIBED THAT WAY. So does EVERY WOMAN AND MAN OF COLOR THAT I KNOW. DO NOT USE IT. EVER. It is almost always used in a sick, dehumanizing, racial sexual-fetishism way.
Third, it appears that Church, has some issues with BDSM? At one point, Javier spanks Ruby before "making love" to her. In fact, I believe she describes it as "tender lovemaking." While I do agree that Javier is certainly physically and emotionally abusive to Ruby, especially later on in their relationship, I had a difficult time understanding WHY Ruby thought that being spanked in the bedroom or experiencing any sort of pain alongside pleasure is a bad thing. That bit just felt particularly preachy from Church, for no apparent reason.
Fourthly, I don't think we got enough of Ruby's emotional journey towards healing. The abuse of her childhood drives the entire book, but her healing is only given a page or two. It fell flat, and didn't seem realistic at all.
I did enjoy the historical aspects of Vegas, which I don't come across often, but that wasn't enough to make up for the major issues in the book.
Secondly, Javier, the Spanish man Ruby (aka Lily) falls for, has a stereotypical "Spanish" accent. I have numerous friends from many Spanish-speaking countries, and NONE of them had that accent. It was horrible. Ruby also describes Javier as "exotic" and lists this as one of the reasons she's with him. This is yet another red flag for me. As a Latina of mixed Indigenous and European (including Spanish!) descent: I HATE BEING DESCRIBED THAT WAY. So does EVERY WOMAN AND MAN OF COLOR THAT I KNOW. DO NOT USE IT. EVER. It is almost always used in a sick, dehumanizing, racial sexual-fetishism way.
Third, it appears that Church, has some issues with BDSM? At one point, Javier spanks Ruby before "making love" to her. In fact, I believe she describes it as "tender lovemaking." While I do agree that Javier is certainly physically and emotionally abusive to Ruby, especially later on in their relationship, I had a difficult time understanding WHY Ruby thought that being spanked in the bedroom or experiencing any sort of pain alongside pleasure is a bad thing. That bit just felt particularly preachy from Church, for no apparent reason.
Fourthly, I don't think we got enough of Ruby's emotional journey towards healing. The abuse of her childhood drives the entire book, but her healing is only given a page or two. It fell flat, and didn't seem realistic at all.
I did enjoy the historical aspects of Vegas, which I don't come across often, but that wasn't enough to make up for the major issues in the book.