erikamince_'s reviews
28 reviews

 

This coming-of-age horror story left me with chills. Who do you trust, and how do student-athletes find safe people so they can be human so that they can be just kids?  All the pressure, the over-medicating, pushing through pain. UGH. Heartbreaking. 

I loved the rich symbolism and imagery. The protagonist's journey of deconstruction is beautiful and heartbreaking. Every word feels intentional and moves the story. I love stream-of-consciousness, so I enjoyed the insights all the way.  I also adored the inclusion of fairytales. It feels similar to my own deconstruction when I started to trust myself and my own intuition and realized conformity is not love.  

I cried. I giggled. I came back alive. adrienne provides such a permissive perspective and a menu of options on how to feel good in your body, career, life, sexuality, etc. As a black queer woman, I felt incredibly seen and encouraged.

I’ve never felt more understood as a Virgo than I did while reading this book. LIKE COME ON. Organizing decades of journal entries alphabetically and turning stream of consciousness into a curated story of love, obsessions, self-doubt, and insights. Instantly HOOKED AND inspired!

My favorites from this collection include: “The Swim Team,” “Mon Plaisir,” and “Something That Needs Nothing.”  The stories are tender and heartbreaking and get under your skin. Most of the protagonists have depraved desires due to repression, abuse, and trauma, and you feel like you are crawling with them in these crammed liminal spaces.  Very uncomfortable. Very awkward. The stories are strange, and leave you thinking different about human connection and desires. I cried. I laughed. I cringed. I feel a little more human.