by Samantha Allen (Allen)
Patricia Wants to Cuddle is for everyone who wishes that an episode of The Bachelor were interrupted by a killer cryptid. It felt like both a love letter to this style of reality TV and a violent critique of its heteronormativity. At any rate, the writing is so frequently laugh-out-loud fun that I kept reading banger lines to my partner.
The setup is that four women are making their way to an island near Seattle for the pen-penultimate round. As an early page that I referred back to frequently puts it: “your official Final Four are: Christian influencer Lilah-Mae Adams, fashion vlogger Amanda Parker, auto show model Vanessa Voorhees, and HR rep Renee Irons.” One woman on the production crew also gets multiple point-of-view chapters. Plus, there are epistolary novel style chapters that cover discussions on the show’s fan forum and a series of diary entries concerning missing hikers from decades before.
The contestants are so vividly written that my one complaint about the book is that the horror novel plot does ultimately derail the reality TV drama that I was more invested in. But what can an author do, write poorly instead? This book was a delight to read! My thanks to the library staff member who recommended it recently.
(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Hide by Kiersten White, Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews or The Grace Year by Kim Liggett.)
( official Samantha Allen web site )
Recommended
by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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