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kirstym3692's review against another edition
1.0
I have no idea how I even managed to finish this book, but everybody on Goodreads said good things about it. Guess it just wasn't for me...
judeandolin's review against another edition
4.0
Short synopsis: The book centers around Vada (the POV protagonist) and Ellis, her best friend and sometimes more. After an argument, the two get in the car on an icy road and... well, you can guess the rest. Vada, an artist, no longer has full use of her dominant hand, she's partially responsible for someone's death, and when she again refuses to have "the talk" with Ellis, the two go their separate ways, even though neither can really forget about the other (and by this I mean Vada outright stalks Ellis).
The good:
The pacing. The writing (although it tended to be kind of purple, I was able to turn off my instinct to cringe and read it smoothly). The characters in this book were enormously flawed and mean and sometimes selfish, which made them feel authentic. It isn't a typical romance, which was great. It wasn't about the characters' quest to fall in love; the characters were in love from the beginning, and the book follows Vada's gradual acceptance of their relationship and everything that will come from it. I've never read a f/f romance before, so this was new territory for me. What I loved the most about this book (and why it got 4 stars rather than 3) is how much it made me think. Everything I know about gender/sexuality/romantic attraction/etc. I learned from Tumblr, so those subjects were things I'd already thought about many times.
But what made me really think was the idea of masculinity vs. femininity, and how Vada could be in love with
The notsogood:
Sometimes, as I mentioned, the writing overpowered the story. However I know from following the author on Twitter that this is his style, and I've already bought Unteachable to read next so it obviously wasn't that negative.
One thing that did bother me was Vada and Ellis fighting so often. I know why they fought, and I know that the volatile side of their relationship had to be shown, but it did come off as annoying or irritating at times, like being on a see-saw. Perhaps this was the point.
Another thing, personal: I'm one of those killjoys who thinks that tension in a book shouldn't be solely based off of characters keeping secrets from each other. So while the tension was exciting and interesting and had me turning pages frantically (I say this metaphorically because I was reading on a Kindle), part of my brain was screaming, "Why don't you people just speak to each other honestly???"
Also, confession time: I had no freaking clue what "cam girl" meant before starting this book. My asexuality is showing, lol. :-\
The good:
The pacing. The writing (although it tended to be kind of purple, I was able to turn off my instinct to cringe and read it smoothly). The characters in this book were enormously flawed and mean and sometimes selfish, which made them feel authentic. It isn't a typical romance, which was great. It wasn't about the characters' quest to fall in love; the characters were in love from the beginning, and the book follows Vada's gradual acceptance of their relationship and everything that will come from it. I've never read a f/f romance before, so this was new territory for me. What I loved the most about this book (and why it got 4 stars rather than 3) is how much it made me think. Everything I know about gender/sexuality/romantic attraction/etc. I learned from Tumblr, so those subjects were things I'd already thought about many times.
But what made me really think was the idea of masculinity vs. femininity, and how Vada could be in love with
Spoiler
the masculine side of Ellis while still fearing what she feels for the feminine side. Another really interesting thing is the whole time I was trying to figure out who Blue was, I kept assuming they were a boy. There were moments when I thought, "No, wait, it has to be Ellis," but these thoughts were always pushed to the side because I assumed Ellis would never do something like that. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I was attracted to Blue when I thought he was a man, and I was attracted to Ellis when she presented as a man, but when she did anything feminine I didn't find it attractive, just pretty or dainty. I thought that was a really interesting thing to do, to show that yes, reader, you know that man you were attracted to? It was actually Ellis, so what does that say about your sexuality or romantic interests? It made me question myself and my interests in a subtle way, which I thought was really powerful.The notsogood:
Sometimes, as I mentioned, the writing overpowered the story. However I know from following the author on Twitter that this is his style, and I've already bought Unteachable to read next so it obviously wasn't that negative.
One thing that did bother me was Vada and Ellis fighting so often. I know why they fought, and I know that the volatile side of their relationship had to be shown, but it did come off as annoying or irritating at times, like being on a see-saw. Perhaps this was the point.
Another thing, personal: I'm one of those killjoys who thinks that tension in a book shouldn't be solely based off of characters keeping secrets from each other. So while the tension was exciting and interesting and had me turning pages frantically (I say this metaphorically because I was reading on a Kindle), part of my brain was screaming, "Why don't you people just speak to each other honestly???"
Also, confession time: I had no freaking clue what "cam girl" meant before starting this book. My asexuality is showing, lol. :-\
jenhurst's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked how dark this was and how complicated Vadar and Ellis both were. It’s kind of a mystery and kind of a romance but doesn’t quite fit into either. The driving factor in the story isn’t the romance or the mystery. The driving force in the story is about exploration of gender and sexuality. Can you love someone and can it transcend gender is the question asked. Elliot wake’s writing is beautiful and keeps me engaged the whole time.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
Am I the biggest idiot ever? I thought this book was YA when I put it on hold at the library! It's almost embarrassing to admit what I thought this book was. Okay, fine. What I THOUGHT this book was: A high school student named Vada (I got that part right!) is driving and gets into an accident. Her friend dies. For some reason, Vada becomes a Cam Girl who operates out her bedroom without the fam figuring it out (kind of like Brie Larson's character on United States of Tara). She falls in love with one of her clients, but he's creepy (obviously) and, I don't know, they meet in IRL and it's bad. I thought this book was one of those YA internet horror stories with a cam girl twist!
Luckily, the real book was much gayer. A car crash happens in circumstances Vada in't willing to tell the truth about. An innocent boy dies. Vada and her best friend Ellis (this is a "gal pal" situation, you guys) split up after the accident bc of Vada's internalized homophobia and inability to be with Ellis. Vada becomes a cam girl. Shit happens. And that shit is a LOT grittier than I thought it would be. I know, I know, glitter than a YA internet horror story?? You bet! And the gritty stuff is interesting. It's complex. It submerges you in these characters until you can barely breathe.
And it's also beautifully written. Okay, okay, it may get "purple prose-ish" in some places. But there are turns of phrase that left me actually gasping. And this is one case of an artistic narrator actually narrating as if she's an artist! I can't list how many books I've read where the main character is an artist but doesn't think about art unless she's actually painting. Vada's brain practically runs on art. She's constantly thinking about how she would paint something, what kind of art-style a scene looks like. Colors constantly filter through her brain. It's beautiful.
Cam Girl also tackles sexuality and gender identity, and I love it. Bisexuality is described as something real, not a phase or something that doesn't even warrant a name. I legit almost cried when ppl called themselves bisexual and didn't say any shit about "not liking labels".
Anyway, if you don't mind graphic sex scenes or tragic backstories, and if you want read a multi-layered gay romance, I'd pick this one up.
Luckily, the real book was much gayer. A car crash happens in circumstances Vada in't willing to tell the truth about. An innocent boy dies. Vada and her best friend Ellis (this is a "gal pal" situation, you guys) split up after the accident bc of Vada's internalized homophobia and inability to be with Ellis. Vada becomes a cam girl. Shit happens. And that shit is a LOT grittier than I thought it would be. I know, I know, glitter than a YA internet horror story?? You bet! And the gritty stuff is interesting. It's complex. It submerges you in these characters until you can barely breathe.
And it's also beautifully written. Okay, okay, it may get "purple prose-ish" in some places. But there are turns of phrase that left me actually gasping. And this is one case of an artistic narrator actually narrating as if she's an artist! I can't list how many books I've read where the main character is an artist but doesn't think about art unless she's actually painting. Vada's brain practically runs on art. She's constantly thinking about how she would paint something, what kind of art-style a scene looks like. Colors constantly filter through her brain. It's beautiful.
Cam Girl also tackles sexuality and gender identity, and I love it. Bisexuality is described as something real, not a phase or something that doesn't even warrant a name. I legit almost cried when ppl called themselves bisexual and didn't say any shit about "not liking labels".
Anyway, if you don't mind graphic sex scenes or tragic backstories, and if you want read a multi-layered gay romance, I'd pick this one up.
babs_reviews's review against another edition
3.0
First, I feel like it's necessary to state that my rating had nothing to do with the subject/content matter. It's a very controversial subject that is heavily seeded in current society. My opinions/views, or lack of, in regards to the subject do not reflect on my rating. The subject and the message it sends seems very personal to the author and I respect and admire that.
With that being said, my rating stands at 2.5-3.
The opening of the book wasn't a fit for me, I also don't think it meshed with the tone of the rest of the book. The writing was over the top. This happened several times throughout the book, it was overdone. It was like the author wanted something deeper but the execution was off.
I didn't connect with the main characters as well as I would have liked. In fact, I disliked Ellis from the very beginning and as the story unfolded I couldn't stand her. I lost a lot of respect for Vada in the end. There was so much more happening beyond lies and I couldn't fathom how she was able to sweep it away.
It wasn't a predictable story but I had a pretty good hunch of what was to come. Once again, execution was key and there were a few times the story dragged and others it sailed through parts that could have used some depth.
The message was a strong one. The whole book centered around the subject of who you are inside versus out and how to deal and cope with it. I think it's a great testament to how people struggle to be at peace with who they are. I commend the author for delivering the dilemma in a unique way.
With that being said, my rating stands at 2.5-3.
The opening of the book wasn't a fit for me, I also don't think it meshed with the tone of the rest of the book. The writing was over the top. This happened several times throughout the book, it was overdone. It was like the author wanted something deeper but the execution was off.
I didn't connect with the main characters as well as I would have liked. In fact, I disliked Ellis from the very beginning and as the story unfolded I couldn't stand her. I lost a lot of respect for Vada in the end. There was so much more happening beyond lies and I couldn't fathom how she was able to sweep it away.
It wasn't a predictable story but I had a pretty good hunch of what was to come. Once again, execution was key and there were a few times the story dragged and others it sailed through parts that could have used some depth.
The message was a strong one. The whole book centered around the subject of who you are inside versus out and how to deal and cope with it. I think it's a great testament to how people struggle to be at peace with who they are. I commend the author for delivering the dilemma in a unique way.
ploppypooh's review against another edition
5.0
That was real rough. I think I need to go lay down now
nadiastanley's review against another edition
3.0
Deeply baby trans content of which I have remarkably mixed feelings around. Did I have fun? Yes. Would I recommend? Not sure.