Insatiable - by Daisy Buchanan

Violet’s at a party she doesn’t want to be at but ultimately finds the one person who fuels her next chapter in life. Lottie is the reason "Insatiable" is a story; she’s the reason Violet begins her journey through various sex parties, a brand-new job offer, and a chance to become the person she’s always wanted to be. It’s about greed and finding oneself in the darkest of times, but is the life Lottie offers truly what Violet wants?

I wasn’t 100% sure when I started this book, but now I know, and all Daisy Buchanan did was irritate me. I enjoyed the overall story arc and the events that unravelled within it, but I didn’t like a single one of the characters used to make the story happen. Violet, the protagonist, was so overly flawed that there wasn’t really any part of me that enjoyed reading about her and the life she was living. A lot of the time, I questioned her choices. Would someone do this in real life? Would a woman of her age say that? How can a girl in her position be so naive? Why is she always ignoring her better conscience? Gosh…it was annoying beyond belief, frustrating. She’d think one thing, one thing that I’d actually agree with, and then she’d say the complete opposite. I was also perplexed by her decision-making and was starting to question whether I could be friends with this woman if she were real. My answer to that is no, never.

I’ll give Buchanan points for making all her characters grossly realistic, but I hated all of them, and it kind of made me hate the book a little too. I couldn’t find a single ounce of love for any of them, and I haven’t had that with a book before. I wanted to whack some sense into them all, push some form of joy into their personalities, somehow. However, saying this, this could all be a sign of me disliking what the story was about as a whole. The novel was sexy, alluring, flailing in a sea of filth, don’t get me wrong, but I think it was that which made the characters unbearable. It was so dirty that their sexual greed was starting to become a little mechanical and unnecessary.

I know that this was what the book was based on entirely and that it’s all supposed to be part of the story, but - like I said before - it’s also the reason I didn’t love it entirely. I think it was too much and I would rather have read Violet’s story through a less sexual lens. I think the morals in the story might have been more powerful without all the sex shielding the themes, though Buchanan made it very clear that people have sex for all kinds of reasons, and hiding from the truth was one of them in "Insatiable." So, in a way, it was necessary for Buchanan to have written it the way she did; it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Furthermore, Buchanan wrote a strong story from start to finish. Her writing felt real in terms of setting, as well as most of the dialogue and inner dialogue. I simply had some wholehearted dissatisfaction surrounding Violet’s actions. I also thoroughly disliked the ending; it was confusing, and I wish Buchanan had made Violet’s relationship with this older woman, Sasha, clearer throughout the story. I would have understood why Violet chose her in the end after practically saying yes to the option I begged her not to say yes to. It was vexing, to say the least and you’ll understand what I’m talking about if you take a leap of faith and read it.

All in all, I give this book 3.5 stars. If you’re into next level filth, then you’re going to have a blast with this one, but if you want characters that you can actually like and sympathise and connect with on positive emotional levels, then I’m afraid you might be heavily disappointed. Buchanan’s characters let me down, which let the whole story down, and that was saddening because it would have been a 5-star novel otherwise and I’d have been spared the let-down.

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https://amzn.eu/d/hsEvoRr

Sluts - edited by Michelle Tea (Featuring work by 36 writers)

"Sluts" is a collection of fiction, memoirs, poems, and essays diving deep into sex, especially queer sex. It really gets into what being a "slut" means and how that can be different for everyone, all while giving a shout-out to people's sex drives and unapologetic queer lives. It throws you into the lives of tons of different people, from those awkward school moments to the tough stories of drag queens fighting for their place.

I was super into this anthology; it's as naughty and edgy as it is fascinating. Every story grabbed me, and I give credit to the writers who shared their own stories. I especially loved the lesbian stories and their focus on hot, real sexual intimacy. It was sweet, kinda dirty, but also reassuring. I don't usually read stuff that gets so real about queer sex lives, so "Sluts" totally opened my eyes to how I see sex and the fact that it shouldn’t be a shameful thing. Everyone's different, with their own limits and desires, and how intimacy brings people together.

Yeah, sometimes it felt like it was pushing it a bit, but maybe that's just my inner prude talking but it could also be really beautiful and erotic. So I wouldn’t argue if someone said that reading it in public might be risky, especially around family, but it's just a book; a book about something a lot of people see as taboo. And so if it's not your thing, don't sweat it, but I will say that it’s not just graphic; it also brings attention to queer stereotypes and the homophobia that's still out there. This book feels like something society needs because it drops some unexpected knowledge on you that’ll be sure to impact the way people live their lives.

There's so much to it that I wanted more. Some stories ended too quick, but the ideas were solid, with characters I loved to hate because they were so perfectly flawed. The settings felt real, unless the story was set in a cool dystopian country that was a nice change from the bog-standard world we live in as readers. That was another thing I loved; every piece was different. With different genres, voices, points of view, so it felt like I was reading a bunch of different books in one. That helped break up "Sluts," which is a hefty 448 pages, but still an easy read. I wasn't bored for a second reading about the same topic for a whole week, which is a win for books that are over 300 pages.

It's poetic, satisfying, sexy, and captivating. I'm definitely going back for a second round with some of the short stories; ones written by Gabrielle Korn, Chloe Caldwell and Lydia Conklin. This is a book you shouldn't miss, especially if you're a bit of a slut yourself. So, if you're into something a little out there or just want a break from your usual reads, "Sluts" is it. You can take your time with it, that's the true beauty of it; leave it for months and come back whenever and I doubt you'll hate it...or maybe you will, who knows? I can't say it's for everyone, even though I kinda did, but it's worth a shot.

Sluts features work by: DL Alvarez / Jeremy Atherton Lin / Vera Blossom / Chloe Caldwell / Cristy Road Carrera / Sam Cohen / Tom Cole / Lydia Conklin / jimmy cooper / Lyn Corelle / Jenny Fran Davis / Cyrus Dunham / Hedi El Kholti / Robert Gluck / Miguel Gutierrez / Gary Indiana / Taleen Kali / Cheryl Klein / Gabrielle Korn / Nate Lippens / Meredith Maran / Carta Monir / Amanda Montell / Carely Moore / Bradford Nordeen / Baruch Porras-Hernandez / Kamala Puligandla / Brontez Purnell / Liara Roux / Andrea Sands / Daviel Shy / Jen Silverman / Anna Joy Springer / Laurie Stone / McKenzie Wark & Zoe Whittall

By your copy of the book here: https://amzn.eu/d/28rVukJ