ik that this is the whole point of books but i just love it when someone can express the complex shit in your mind with their words and you’re like “EXACTLY?!”

Generally enjoyed, but characters were frustratingly insufferable

a hard read only in the sense that it forced me to examine past toxic relationships with men, sex, and my own womanhood. It was heartbreaking and honest- some of the quotes seemed like they came straight from my own subconscious.

At the beginning of the book and a great deal throughout it, I was annoyed and frustrated with the MC. As the reader I was frustrated at how she was able to articulate what she’s feeling but not see WHY she was feeling it. I hated Ciaran. He is such a trash person. But by the last 3rd of the book, my empathy grew for the MC. I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t relate to some of the thought processes or actions she felt as a woman. My heart hurt from the fact that she had no ability to see and love her self. She lost the core of herself when she was with Ciaran and having sex with other men. She lost herself in men. And I’m glad that by the end of this book she realized that and became okay with the truth that finding yourself again can be a lonely process, but “that was all right. That would follow.”

LOVED LOVED LOVED this book as a woman in her early twenties. I will be telling all of my girlfriends about this book and, quite honestly, anyone that will listen. I think this book found me at a good time.

well - that was awful. i have to be honest: i skimmed the last few pages because i just found it THAT unbearable. acts of desperation technically had everything i usually like in a book: unlikeable characters, less plot more vibes, a messed up, obsessive love story. but this just didn't work. the mc is soo whiny and the love interest is not just unlikeable, he is literally a major abusive asshole. i didn't understand how this love story even came to be: she falls for him even though he treats her like garbage right from the start.
even worse than the relationship is the prose: pseudo deep and philosophical tumblr-esque quotes on every other page. idk it was soo annoying.
reading this felt like an complete waste of my time, i absolutely hated it.

That was a train wreck, but overall I enjoyed. Recommended if you’re feeling angsty and want to feel bad about the men you let be mean to you in your early twenties.