The Pisces

"Read this via audiobook. This was... not good. I suppose it wasn't terrible either. Unfortunately, I think the author was trying too hard to be profound and honestly just ended up spewing a load of crap throughout the entire book. You spend the entire book in the mind of the MC, who is a screwed up middle-aged woman who has no purpose in life and seems to screw up everything that comes her way. Not in a "cute, trying to find herself way," moreso in a "crash and burn, screw a bunch of men, and accidentally kill my sister's dog" kind of way. I really hated the main character, and I was absolutely rooting against her. She's depressed and miserable and doesn't try to help herself or anyone else, for that matter. I honestly wish she had drowned herself in the end. It would have made for a better ending and overall book. I get that the merman/siren was really more of a metaphor than anything and served his purpose, but it was just weird. Just be prepared for graphic language and sex scenes, including feces and period blood. I also hate how she talks about being attracted to the merman but, in the same thought, thinks about eating his tail fried with garlic butter. This was somehow more disturbing to me than her having sex with her Uber driver and letting him cum inside of her. This book was rough, and I think I might be clinically depressed after reading it. No thanks, I will not be picking up other books from this author. Please spare yourself the trouble. "

"And you thought all merman erotica had to be cheesy and poorly written! Not anymore! Melissa Broder makes smutty merman sex hot, hilarious, and thought provoking all at once. Read The Pisces and thank me later!"

"Every other page was whiplash of nice prose to the worst thing I’ve ever read. The first chapter mentions how intimate it feels to pick up dog ****, if that is any indication of what is to come without spoiling it."

"This book was a trip. After reading it I felt attacked scared and most of all breathless, this book resonated and reminded me parts of myself as a person who has huge difficulty in self image and what is self love and what is good for me and what I think is good for me. Though this book made me stare at the ugliness that I felt and had about things and experiences similar, the whole time I read this and silently judged the main character thinking of her to much in her head and not living, it was the same judgement that Lucy did to the women and group therapy and then in some stances I WAS Lucy. Through the discussion of abuse and anxiety and suicidal depression, which at common traits and things that flash through my own psych. I feel like this is a read most people (sex female driven tho) who are reaching those later years in life should read. Though I think it is a read people SHOULD, I know damn well it's not something you might want after the book ends. Finished the book in 7 hrs on my day off, it was a needed read.#thriller #romance #realisticfiction #kinda #mermaids #emotional "

"I might've burned through this book in less than 24 hours, but you didn't hear that from me.<br/><br/>If you have trouble with "unlikable" characters, you won't be too fond of the main character. Her inner monologue is academic, morose, obsessive, judgmental and kind of mean. She's smart, so she knows when she's making terrible decisions and does so anyway. If you've experienced mental illness, you might understand enough to forgive her for it. I recognized the "ick" of my lowest points in her narrative.<br/><br/>CW for suicidal ideation: <spoiler>I used to have constant, mundane, casual, sick, romanticized thoughts of suicide/death on loop in my head 24/7. You don't really want to die. You just want the pain to end and don't know another way. Depression blows, full stop.</spoiler><br/><br/>Imo, Lucy isn't an irredeemable asshole. She seems clinically depressed, in a rut, and directionless. If she can get through this low phase and find her happiness and inherent self-worth, she'll be a better person. "I still didn't love myself. I wasn't sure how or when that was going to happen. But maybe it would if I continued to stay alive."<br/><br/>I enjoyed this book though. It was surreal for the obvious- an actual merman. It was also surreal in that our story doesn't take place in the MC's "real life" with her usual job, scenery and life routine. She's at her sister's beach house, no bills, sorta/kinda no job to worry about - save for dog-sitting and figuring out writing her book. There were clear themes around the flawed ideation of death as a comforting escape, as well love's appeal versus its availability. Tbh, this ended up more like a fantasy/horror in a way.<br/><br/>Spoiler:<spoiler>Oh my god I <i>loathed</i> her for neglecting the dog in favor of running off with boy-toys, though. Unforgivable, truly. I saw that good boy's needless death coming from a mile away and it ****** me off. <i>You literally had one ******* job, you woman-child!!</i> Justice for Dominic!</spoiler><br/><br/>Also:<spoiler>Yes, there's mer-boning. Yes, we get a description of his piece. No, it wasn't sexy at allllllll. I even felt the MC was showing just how totally delusional, needy for attention and "under his spell" she was to even try it.</spoiler>"