There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Maybe I'm too old to be reading book where two of the narrators are young enough to be my daughters. Although, as this is set in the 90s, and I was a teen in the 90s, I should recognize myself in those voices.

The writing is good, and compelling, but I do question who this book is targeted it. It ALMOST read like a Lifetime movie.

Teens with eating disorders, having sex with much older boys. Mothers who are just...bad people. It's a lot for one book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Don't take the stars like its a bad book because its not. I liked it but it was harsh. I don't know how to explain but to suggest you read it. It is worth it, it's just going to leave a taste in your mouth.

Given the content of this book, I could not use it in a classroom. Trigger warnings for many things including inappropriate relationships (statutory rape, obsession), drug use, and eating disorders. All said, an engaging and compelling read. Not totally perfect, but excellent for a debut, and I look forward to seeing more of what Novak comes out with in future.

Elliot and I would be the same age now but we couldn't be anymore different even if we did spent our teenage years during the 90s. I remember the songs "Macarena", "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "Chumbawamba" and lived through the times when heroin (aka anorexic) chic was in and Kate Moss had the hottest body. However, the lingo used in the book is foreign and sometimes hard to follow. It doesn't matter if you don't fully understand what she is writing though. Although the lingo is tricky, the characters are real and familiar. The storyline is pretty easy to follow. I like how it is written from each characters point of view so it gives more depth and understanding to story. The ending is left open and I guess it is up the reader to make up the rest of the story for the rest of Elliot's life.

Got this as an ARC from NetGalley. I liked the idea of a 90s-set epic, but in practice this book didn't resonate with me and I DNF-ed at 30%. Grit and lots of trappings of 90s culture. Probably will be a great book for some, but didn't connect with 2/3 of the perspectives enough to continue. Not adding a star rating because didn't finish.

Kind of not sure how to review this one. When I read the description for this book on Netgalley I got really excited. I grew up in the 90's so all the pop culture references here brought back some pretty fond memories and a few not so fond ones, but overall I enjoyed the tone that was set, however, if one wasn't alive during that era, a lot of the references here may go over your head. I won't give a lot away here, but all the characters here are beautifully, spectacularly unhinged and the author builds a strong sense of foreboding, as each character follows his/her narrative. The only problem is, the plot feels somewhat...incomplete. There is so much potential in this story line that is not seen through. I waited and waited for the character's story lines to intercept finally, but they never did, which made the conclusion to this novel very anticlimactic.
I do know that this may still undergo some editing, but in it's current form it seemed somewhat incomplete.

This was an ARC copy from Netgalley, so thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this.