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lizawall's review against another edition
5.0
I want to go on a date to a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru with this book, and tbh reading it I feel like I did. Florida is important to my heart in a weird and confusing way, and reading this I realized how I have not even realized how much I wanted queer stories in Florida. I would recommend to anyone interested in queer women, or Florida, or drive-thrus, or having a body that might/definitely is/ definitely will someday break down, or a heart with love troubles.
misskamibee's review against another edition
5.0
I don't often read a lot of short stories; not because I don't enjoy them in general, but because they are not always great. Most leave me either wanting more from them, or feeling like there was just too much in there to make a good story. They are incredibly hard to write, as you have such a small window to get your reader hooked emotionally, and tell a whole story arc from beginning to end in a very short amount of words. Few people do this well- O. Henry, Edgar Allen Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle are a few who spring to mind. I am so pleased say that these stories are on that level of amazing. I found myself not zipping through this book, like I do with so many of the novels I read. It truly was a book that I wanted to savor, that I did not want to come to an end. Every single story in this collection has an emotional pull and characters that are so relatable and feel like you know them, or ARE them. Each story has the perfect amount of tension that makes you hold your breath, not knowing what will happen next and fearing perhaps the worst. These stories also highlight the fact that regardless to what the dynamic is of any given relationship (man/woman, woman/woman, man/man) we are all human and have the same responses to life. Thank you, Kristen, for this wonderful piece of real life.
sakeriver's review against another edition
There’s something about these stories that feels unreal to me, even while they also feel true and well-observed. It may just be that Florida always feels sort of fantastic to me in fiction, but I think it’s more than that. It’s in the narration, I think, which is both intimate and sort of removed, which creates for me a sort of dreamlike quality. But, yes, these are very good stories.
quetzi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
peachycat's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Nothing special to say about why I didn't like it. Just not very interesting.
brianreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this one up after I loved her first novel, Mostly Dead Things. I wanted more Arnett! This collection of short stories reads like a painter’s experimental sketches. Arnett is exploring different women, situations, topics, fleshing out where her interest might lie for further investment. Nonetheless, like many short stories, they stand alone in piquing your interest, even if they leave you feeling an uncomfortable sense of non-closure (in the case of these stories, likely intended).
Arnett has a way of writing emotion and higher level themes, always grounding the stories in visceral meaty details of real life: period blood, insect bites, warm coke, damp pits, hair pins falling out, and so many sweaty beverage glasses in the Florida heat. She has this uncanny ability to notice those details as real parts of life, there behind/supporting the dramatic plot points; she doesn’t gloss over them in pursuit of a larger story. Real things happen in real life, and sometimes you have to stop your “journey” and empty your menstrual cup.
There were a few standout stories for me. The eponymous Felt in the Jaw, weaves together fear of being alone, health scares, and sadness that binds people together. Aberrations in Flight was a metaphor-laden exploration of relationships. And See Also: A History of Glassmaking drags you through details of a day in the life of Patricia, a data entry technician whose Florida life lives up to the strip malls and pitchers of margaritas you’d imagine. Notice of a Fourth Location was also a standout because it was such a “WTF is going on?” story. Next level Arnett.
If you loved Mostly Dead Things (still her best work to-date), give this one a read. If you were on the fence about it, you likely won’t care for these stories. I’m looking forward to her future work! And in the meantime, find her on twitter - she’s on fire over there.
Follow me on Instagram: @brianreadsbooks
Arnett has a way of writing emotion and higher level themes, always grounding the stories in visceral meaty details of real life: period blood, insect bites, warm coke, damp pits, hair pins falling out, and so many sweaty beverage glasses in the Florida heat. She has this uncanny ability to notice those details as real parts of life, there behind/supporting the dramatic plot points; she doesn’t gloss over them in pursuit of a larger story. Real things happen in real life, and sometimes you have to stop your “journey” and empty your menstrual cup.
There were a few standout stories for me. The eponymous Felt in the Jaw, weaves together fear of being alone, health scares, and sadness that binds people together. Aberrations in Flight was a metaphor-laden exploration of relationships. And See Also: A History of Glassmaking drags you through details of a day in the life of Patricia, a data entry technician whose Florida life lives up to the strip malls and pitchers of margaritas you’d imagine. Notice of a Fourth Location was also a standout because it was such a “WTF is going on?” story. Next level Arnett.
If you loved Mostly Dead Things (still her best work to-date), give this one a read. If you were on the fence about it, you likely won’t care for these stories. I’m looking forward to her future work! And in the meantime, find her on twitter - she’s on fire over there.
Follow me on Instagram: @brianreadsbooks
kelswid's review against another edition
4.0
https://bookshouting210423985.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/reunited-and-it-feels-so-good-3-20-19/
thesearethebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lou_alien's review against another edition
Beautiful, evocative writing, but the medical trauma hit too close to home for me and I couldn't handle it.
meganmilks's review against another edition
5.0
Tender, nervous, somewhat alienated lesbian domestic/natural realism set (entirely?) in Florida. Lots of weird body stuff, mostly in the realm of the real, including a fantastic story featuring period problems. A few stories deliver this subtle but very affecting build of suspense/danger/threat.