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A review by books_first_
All Of My Friends Are Rich by Michael Sarais
5.0
Oooof, what a read.
Honestly, I finished this book yesterday afternoon and I am still not quite sure what to think or where to even begin to think about it. I have talked with some of my friends about it so I'll try to put my thoughts into some coherent sentences (please bear with me). The rest of this review will be underneath the spoiler tag though, as well as trigger warnings.
TW: suicidal thoughts, mental illness, talk of HIV, explicit sex scenes, alcohol and drug abuse.
So listen. I want to go through all the points that are whirring through my head one by one. As I said, this book is a whirlwind, I laughed, I was sad, I was outright disgusted and so much more.
So let's get this bread and start!
- The graphic sex scenes
Oh. Boy was I uncomfortable. During each of Leo's encounters with his clients I wanted nothing more than close my eyes, put my hand over them for good measure and hope that they would go away. Of course they didn't and while at the beginning I was straight up horrified, I do know why they are so vital for this book. There is a scene later on, when his friend Sara asks Leo why he didn't get a normal weekend job if he needed money so badly. And I admit, I thought the same at the beginning. But as soon as Sara asked him, my reaction was "Because he just got dumped, he's broke and he feels constantly horrible about himself. It was as much about the money as it was for validation." The kind of validation his friend's couldn't give to him because he wouldn't believe them when they told him he was great. He craved to be told he was goodlooking and smart by absolute strangers who didn't know about any of his baggage. It honestly makes so much sense that he chose this particular field.
The second reason why the sex scenes were important was because sometimes I was outright anxious and scared for Leo. He would go to a stranger's house who was double his age, part take in drug consummation and then would let the other man do with him whatever he wanted. No negotiation, no questions asked, nothing. Each sex scene was incredibly telling of how Leo felt at the time. He would be a little more attentive when he was feeling alright and he'd let completely go when he wasn't. At one point, he doesn't even talk to his friends anymore and lets himself be used and as a reader that evokes all kinds of strong feelings. Anxiety, pity, sadness... It was intense.
- The main character
Leo is... complicated. He is bi-polar, he just got dumped by his ex-husband who is now parading a younger and more successful man in front of his face and he is dealing with his money issues. That in itself is a lot. He also seems a little uncomfortable with meeting people who he doesn't already know. That is when he actually has to talk to them, just sex seems to work out fine. Leo is a troubled young man who is trying to get by and who is seeing how beautiful life could be because all of his friends have better jobs than him, make more money than him and are seeeeeeeeemingly happier than him. And it is so sad to watch. He is sarcastic and witty and so beautifully written that I was immediately completely immersed in his story and his thoughts and instantly liked him.
- the mental health rep
The mental health rep was wonderful. Leo is bi-polar and has times where he is on top of the world. Other times, he is feeling so low that he is thinking about simply not emerging from a bath tub. As hard that is to witness, I think that it is a great way to get a glimpse of what a mentally ill person is going through. As a reader, you become much more sensitive to how the character is feeling and it is hopeful that this can be taken away from the book and used in real life.
-the vegan rep
EVERYONE. The vegan rep. Holy shit. Not going to lie, I would give this book 5 stars for the vegan rep alone because it made me so freaking happy. I cannot start to tell you how much I hate lengthy descriptions of chicken or other dead animals in a book I had enjoyed until then. Because it's like a switch for me. I like a character, I read about their feelings for meat and I automatically like them less. It's just... this is something so very dear to my heart and to read about a character who was lowkey vegan without being preachy was exactly what my vegan heart needed. Because the hunt for the half off hummus tubs is real. Also the thinking about which sides you can make into a full meal at a restaurant you haven't chosen yourself. Fries are the universal friend of vegans everywhere and I LOVE TO SEE IT ACKNOWLEDGED!! I cannot stress this enough: this. made. me. so. happy.
- the characters
I am such a fan of the characters. They are all absolutely amazingly written and so fleshed out that I could not only keep them apart (which... is sometimes a struggle for me, not gonna lie) but I could also remember every fact about them. Sara in particular was a character I loved (even though I went in with LOADS of prejudice towards that name but that's just me lol) and honestly, the way Leo's friends had his back at all times and in any situations even though Leo felt lonely regardless was great. This book was definitely an homage to friendship and I absolutely loved seeing it. If I had one critique point about the characters though, it would be that the whole cast felt very white. I think the only person that was black was one of the men Leo's client Jimmy brought with him to Prague and i would have loved a more diverse friend group.
- the setting
Listen. As a person who is not British and who doesn't live in London but who actually feels that London is their actual home, I am ecstatic. Just the mentions of where Leo would go and in which part of town the parties were, made me feel like I was actually there. I also loved the descriptions of Paris and Prague which are also two cities I absolutely adore but due to what happened there, I didn't dwell too much on the cities themselves while reading. But London, man. Loved it. It made me miss London so acutely that I have much "Fernweh" today.
-the pacing
Here I have some critique, but it tiny. I feel as if the ending was a little rushed. The time between Leo deleting the apps and that (HILARIOUS) last sentence felt like it was going by way, way faster than the rest of the book and I would have loved to accompany him more on his way to get his life "back on track" as I felt that was an important part of the story. However, every single open question was answered at the end so I am quite happy non-the-less!
All in all, I had an interesting time reading this book. I honestly couldn't put it down and read it on one day and during a reading slump no less! This book is here to make you uncomfortable and to feel and as much as I was creeped out, cringing, outright scared for Leo, I appreciated that immensely immediately after reading. I can honestly just recommend you to give it a try, I promise you that you'll love it!
Honestly, I finished this book yesterday afternoon and I am still not quite sure what to think or where to even begin to think about it. I have talked with some of my friends about it so I'll try to put my thoughts into some coherent sentences (please bear with me). The rest of this review will be underneath the spoiler tag though, as well as trigger warnings.
TW: suicidal thoughts, mental illness, talk of HIV, explicit sex scenes, alcohol and drug abuse.
So listen. I want to go through all the points that are whirring through my head one by one. As I said, this book is a whirlwind, I laughed, I was sad, I was outright disgusted and so much more.
So let's get this bread and start!
- The graphic sex scenes
Oh. Boy was I uncomfortable. During each of Leo's encounters with his clients I wanted nothing more than close my eyes, put my hand over them for good measure and hope that they would go away. Of course they didn't and while at the beginning I was straight up horrified, I do know why they are so vital for this book. There is a scene later on, when his friend Sara asks Leo why he didn't get a normal weekend job if he needed money so badly. And I admit, I thought the same at the beginning. But as soon as Sara asked him, my reaction was "Because he just got dumped, he's broke and he feels constantly horrible about himself. It was as much about the money as it was for validation." The kind of validation his friend's couldn't give to him because he wouldn't believe them when they told him he was great. He craved to be told he was goodlooking and smart by absolute strangers who didn't know about any of his baggage. It honestly makes so much sense that he chose this particular field.
The second reason why the sex scenes were important was because sometimes I was outright anxious and scared for Leo. He would go to a stranger's house who was double his age, part take in drug consummation and then would let the other man do with him whatever he wanted. No negotiation, no questions asked, nothing. Each sex scene was incredibly telling of how Leo felt at the time. He would be a little more attentive when he was feeling alright and he'd let completely go when he wasn't. At one point, he doesn't even talk to his friends anymore and lets himself be used and as a reader that evokes all kinds of strong feelings. Anxiety, pity, sadness... It was intense.
- The main character
Leo is... complicated. He is bi-polar, he just got dumped by his ex-husband who is now parading a younger and more successful man in front of his face and he is dealing with his money issues. That in itself is a lot. He also seems a little uncomfortable with meeting people who he doesn't already know. That is when he actually has to talk to them, just sex seems to work out fine. Leo is a troubled young man who is trying to get by and who is seeing how beautiful life could be because all of his friends have better jobs than him, make more money than him and are seeeeeeeeemingly happier than him. And it is so sad to watch. He is sarcastic and witty and so beautifully written that I was immediately completely immersed in his story and his thoughts and instantly liked him.
- the mental health rep
The mental health rep was wonderful. Leo is bi-polar and has times where he is on top of the world. Other times, he is feeling so low that he is thinking about simply not emerging from a bath tub. As hard that is to witness, I think that it is a great way to get a glimpse of what a mentally ill person is going through. As a reader, you become much more sensitive to how the character is feeling and it is hopeful that this can be taken away from the book and used in real life.
-the vegan rep
EVERYONE. The vegan rep. Holy shit. Not going to lie, I would give this book 5 stars for the vegan rep alone because it made me so freaking happy. I cannot start to tell you how much I hate lengthy descriptions of chicken or other dead animals in a book I had enjoyed until then. Because it's like a switch for me. I like a character, I read about their feelings for meat and I automatically like them less. It's just... this is something so very dear to my heart and to read about a character who was lowkey vegan without being preachy was exactly what my vegan heart needed. Because the hunt for the half off hummus tubs is real. Also the thinking about which sides you can make into a full meal at a restaurant you haven't chosen yourself. Fries are the universal friend of vegans everywhere and I LOVE TO SEE IT ACKNOWLEDGED!! I cannot stress this enough: this. made. me. so. happy.
- the characters
I am such a fan of the characters. They are all absolutely amazingly written and so fleshed out that I could not only keep them apart (which... is sometimes a struggle for me, not gonna lie) but I could also remember every fact about them. Sara in particular was a character I loved (even though I went in with LOADS of prejudice towards that name but that's just me lol) and honestly, the way Leo's friends had his back at all times and in any situations even though Leo felt lonely regardless was great. This book was definitely an homage to friendship and I absolutely loved seeing it. If I had one critique point about the characters though, it would be that the whole cast felt very white. I think the only person that was black was one of the men Leo's client Jimmy brought with him to Prague and i would have loved a more diverse friend group.
- the setting
Listen. As a person who is not British and who doesn't live in London but who actually feels that London is their actual home, I am ecstatic. Just the mentions of where Leo would go and in which part of town the parties were, made me feel like I was actually there. I also loved the descriptions of Paris and Prague which are also two cities I absolutely adore but due to what happened there, I didn't dwell too much on the cities themselves while reading. But London, man. Loved it. It made me miss London so acutely that I have much "Fernweh" today.
-the pacing
Here I have some critique, but it tiny. I feel as if the ending was a little rushed. The time between Leo deleting the apps and that (HILARIOUS) last sentence felt like it was going by way, way faster than the rest of the book and I would have loved to accompany him more on his way to get his life "back on track" as I felt that was an important part of the story. However, every single open question was answered at the end so I am quite happy non-the-less!
All in all, I had an interesting time reading this book. I honestly couldn't put it down and read it on one day and during a reading slump no less! This book is here to make you uncomfortable and to feel and as much as I was creeped out, cringing, outright scared for Leo, I appreciated that immensely immediately after reading. I can honestly just recommend you to give it a try, I promise you that you'll love it!