To me The Pisces by Melissa Broder seemed like two books in one. One part looks at the life of a thirty something woman, sometimes with humor and other times with great sadness. Another part of the book takes a deeper tone, looking into the philosophical needs and wants of humans. I actually enjoyed both tones that this book set. I like the inner dialog that Lucy had with herself, picking at flaws in other women with whom she feels she has nothing in common..or does she? I didn't dislike the philosophical parts; many times Broder makes you stop and think about human relationships, but sometimes felt a disconnection between the parts. This was one of the more unusual books I have ever read.

I can tell this will be a love or hate book. I wanted to like it, but it was just too sad. Lucy needs more than group therapy. She needs intensive work with mental health professionals and not a group of woman who believe they are addicted to love.

Lucy is close to 40 and really should know better. But she doesn't. She is self-destructive and careless with other people's lives. I don't think there is much  humor in sex addictions or self harming. There was not a funny moment in this book. It just felt exploitive and very sad.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give this 3 or 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but it might be a hard sell for readers who don't have an idea of what they're getting into. It was cringe-y but in a fascinating, can’t look away from it way that I expected from Broder. Aside from the parts that brought triggered pangs of sadness because I’m a dog owner (once you get into it, you’ll see what I mean), I couldn’t put this down. Flew through it on my commutes. Also, I have to say I had no idea how Broder was going to wrap this one up, but I loved the ending. She manages to depict the merman as both a pitiful human and a monster, like our protagonist seeing her own reflection and being repulsed into remission. Masterfully done.

On May 1, The Pisces by Melissa Broder will be released into the world and everyone will be able to experience the bizarre potpourri of feelings that I encountered when reading this novel. I can't even quite describe this story to someone accurately: it's hilarious, salacious, disgusting, depressing, and pathetic all wrapped into one tale of a middle-aged woman trying (and failing) to finish her dissertation. Continue reading to see my attempt to untangle my emotions in my full The Pisces review.

So let me try to break down my thoughts on The Pisces: 
This book was all over the place for me emotionally. When I first started reading it, I had flashbacks to the also-funny Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I was laughing out loud with almost every page turn.

Our main character, Lucy, has just broken up with a long time boyfriend. Reeling from the emotional trauma, she's left her home in Arizona to stay at her sister's Venice Beach mansion to pet sit their dog while they travel for the summer. As part of her deal with her sister, she's going to a therapy group with a bunch of women to try to help her recover from the break up.

These therapy sessions are HILARIOUS and occur regularly throughout the entire novel. Lucy's commentary of the other members in the group and their discussions is insightfully comic. You will recognize the caricatures Broder has created in the people you see on TV or interact with every day. It makes it all the funnier. With the help of a member from this group, Lucy decides to try online dating. These end up failing epically, but my goodness these awkward sexual encounters had me LOLing big time.

This is where I should mention that this book is not for the sexually squeamish. There is a lot of stuff in this book that many call "erotic," however, I'd just say it's lewd. It's not like these are some steamy sex scenes that are romantic and swoon-worthy. They're really just about penises and vaginas and what happens with them. So prepare yourself.

Because then book got a little weird.

A little over halfway through the book, Lucy meets the merman. This is where things got bizarre AF for me. There are some strange scenes with the merman, and even thinking back to these parts of the book, I just feel a little dirty. If that makes sense?

Lucy's story takes a nosedive around here, and so much of the humor I loved in the first half disappeared. This is where the novel veered away from the 5-star rating it was holding onto and turned into a 2-3 star rating. You get knee-deep in her depression, anxiety, and obsession with this merman, and it definitely makes you feel icky. She makes some very poor decisions, and it's hard to feel sorry for her at all.

When I finished the story I was left with a myriad of feelings and am still confused how I felt about it. I LOVED the first half and bits and pieces of the second half. But there was also parts of the second half I could have done without.

Final thoughts: Ultimately, I'll settle on a fairly good rating (3.5 stars). Despite all the weird, icky feelings I had when reading this book, it was a page-turner for me. So obviously I enjoyed it!

I very rarely give books less than 3 stars...but I found this to be absolutely terrible. I love the concept of a woman falling in love with a merman - but I didn't need TONS of sexually explicit scenes described in great detail. The main character is pretty despicable (selfish, obsessed with men, etc.), so it was hard to find any redeeming qualities in this one. In one word = gross.

A colorful, striking cover, and catchy title (as a Pisces, I was simply intrigued by the concept and title alone) and I could not wait to read this. It's a fast read, at only 224 pages. My problem with this is the narrator's view towards women and how that it was nonstop, it really took away from where the story could have gone and just made for an uncomfortable reading experience.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book gripped me right from the beginning. I felt for the protagonist. I laughed with Lucy and I mourned with her. She was so relatable. A slew of meaningless sexual encounters while going to therapy for "love addiction", her lovable relationship with her sister's dog, the daily ennui, the trying to get by, the setbacks, the progress, and the questionable friendships she formed were all incredibly intriguing. And then she meets the merman - what should've felt silly or weird as a plot point totally worked. I had no idea mermen erotica could be interesting.

Over time, however, as Lucy's obsession with the handsome "swimmer" became more and more unhealthy, she turned into an unbearable, selfish individual and I stopped liking her entirely. The merman wasn't any better. What appeared as worldliness, intellect, and uniqueness at first, quickly turned out to be arrogance and egotism. And honestly, at that point, between their egocentric acts (her needing John to be with her at all times on land and him wanting her to join her underwater) and the raw and crass descriptions of their sexual encounters, I grew bored with the story, and that is really the only reason why I am not giving the book 5 stars. There is only so much merman sex you can take.

If we take the appearance of the merman and the potential for drowning herself (aka living with him in the ocean) as a metaphor for depression, the novel takes on a very meta and powerful meaning in regards to mental illness. And for that, I tip my hat to Melissa Broder. This reminded me a little of the movie Babadook, which depicted depression as this scary monster haunting the heroine's house.

This book just wasn't for me. The crude language and manner in which sex was discussed bothered me a lot. It made me feel depressed hearing the women's stories in Lucy's support group. However, I found Lucy to be witty and enjoyed her keen insights into relationships. This just wasn't enough for me to want to keep reading. When I saw how she was neglecting Dominic in favor for her romantic pursuits I could see the direction the book was taking on that and, not being able to bear reading about animals in pain or suffering, decided to put it down. I fully acknowledge it is my own eccentricity that did not allow me to finish the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review that with the recent release of The Shape of Water, I was fully expecting to love The Pisces.

The Pisces starts out with a very relatable female lead. She has had a hard time with love and is dating a man who just can't fully commit and she deeply wants commitment and love in her life. She is witty and sharp and funny. However, once she meets Theo the merman, this book takes a turn for the worst.

The concept Broder created of the merman was very interesting, and the ending and what Theo wanted was surprisingly satisfying. Lucy, our protagonist, becomes deeply, deeply unlikeable and starts acting in completely self-destructive and illogical ways. There were points where I was sincerely considering googling Melissa Broder to see if it was a pen name that a man who hated women and had a vendetta against them.

The sex scenes were uninspiring and oftentimes overly wordy, while also being very unbelievable and mostly incredibly offputting. The romance was lacking and any affection the characters had towards each other was very stilted.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I went into it with high hopes but those hopes were dashed on the rocks, much like the ones Theo and Lucy hung around.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I thought this book was going to be a weird and lighthearted romance, don't ask me why, but that was the idea that got stuck in my head so I requested the book. This book was not that, instead it was pretty damn obnoxious. The main character was obsessive and full of herself. She oscillated between being obsessive about a man and being obsessive about herself.

This obsession and unstable behavior led her to dumping her boyfriend. Then her long lost sister that isn't really a character in the book outside of three or four scenes saves the day. The sister whisks the MC to a fancy beach house, all expenses paid. Lcuy is ungrateful and petulant. She often thinks she is better than everyone around her, except when a man doesn't pay attention to her. She was dull and the type of person that I would avoid. I didn't enjoy her character in the slightest. 

I was interested in her main love interest in the book though. The swimmer (and the dog) were the only reasons I kept reading. The swimmer seemed to have a lot of background that wasn't covered, he was a pretty flat character. I was hoping he would get fleshed out, but by the time he did I was done. I didn't care about the book anymore. He was just as unstable as Lucy, but more dangerous. It was just a mess, which I normally enjoy, but my hatred of Lucy made it so I couldn't enjoy the story. I do have to praise the author for writing a character so awful that I couldn't find a single redeeming quality about them. That is impressive.

The writing itself was wonderful. The writing is what hooked me, even when I didn't like the characters or the plot. The author was able to keep the characters in that hyped up manic state and keep the story moving forward. The voice of Lucy wasn't ever broken. It was wonderful. I hated all the imagery of the swimmer being a woman and being a vagina. It felt over the top and awful, but it fit Lucy and her misogynistic view of women. So while I hated it, I had to appreciate that the author was able to keep that voice up even when it got to that ridiculous level. 

I was severely disappointed at the ending of this book. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. I can't say more without spoiling things, but it was a complete letdown.

3.5 Stars rounded to up to 4 stars

When Lucy's long-term relationship with her boyfriend Jamie becomes stagnate she decides they need a break, but when he quickly agrees she realizes this was not what she expected. As Jamie drifts further apart from her, entering a relationship with another woman, she becomes obsessed with getting him back...resulting in mandated counseling or charges being pressed against her.
Lucy's sister Annika offers up her home on Venice Beach as a reprieve from her troubles in Phoenix. Annika and her husband are going away for the summer, allowing Lucy to stay at the house in exchange for going to group counseling and caring for her sister’s beloved diabetic dog Dominic.
As Lucy tries to adjust to her new lifestyle and forgetting Jamie she finds herself seeking "love" but instead finding sordid and often disastrous sexual encounters through internet dating sites. Once night when she sits on the rocks next to the ocean she meets Theo, he seems different from other men and she feels an instant connection. As their relationship progresses she discovers that Theo is a merman causing Lucy to question love and sex and the challenges that come with relationships.

I was immediately in love with the cover of this novel and the plot piqued my curiosity. Lucy is a neurotic, obsessive and completely damaged woman constantly seeking attention from others...mostly men. She he finds herself in a woman's counseling group with other's who are just as irrational and fixated as she is. Although I don't think the novel is meant to be funny I found myself amused by her character and the trouble she often gets herself into. I feel like she is one of those characters that is so flawed you find yourself realizing your problems aren't really so bad after all.
I will warn readers that this novel does cover some dark issues such as depression and suicide as well as quite a bit of graphic sexual material so it may not be for everyone. It is a strange and unique story that I would definitely not classify as romance but maybe more idealized romantic fantasy? Lucy often confuses love with sex and her fantasies of what relationships should be are a far cry from anything she is actually capable of giving or receiving.
That being said I actually enjoyed this novel quite a bit and was really torn on giving it a 3 star or 4 star rating...I'm kind of in the middle on this one. It is a very strange novel, but it's well written and it kept me entertained.

If you like books whose narrators are completely self-obsessed, narcissistic, irresponsible, and clearly heading for some kind of reckoning that will likely involve the death or injury of an innocent animal whose entire role in the book is to be a symbolic sacrifice, then this is the book for you.

Have you ever fascinated about having sex with a mermaid/merman/merperson? Then this IS the book for you! Unfortunately, I have not and it was not.

I’ve been reading Melissa Broder’s work for years in different formats and styles (see her book of personal essays and corresponding twitter account, her poetry, and her monthly existential horoscope). I enjoy her voice and am willing to follow her down most paths, but I couldn’t get behind most of this storyline (falling in love with a mythical creature in a non-fantastical world).

The novel follows Lucy who is in a rut with her PhD dissertation, her long term relationship, and her life generally. She spirals when pieces of her life begins collapsing and escapes to her sister’s home on the beach where she begins group therapy, bonds with a dog, and falls for a merman.

Aside from grimacing during some of the sex scenes (this may just be me; I find most sex scenes to be gratuitous and unnecessary for my own interests, but they are probably delightful for people seeking steamy descriptions), I fell in love with so many of the sentences in this book. Broder has a beautiful way of writing about depression that really connects with me and I love reading her bits on this and generally moving through life. Single sentences are haunting and poetic and I’ve included some of my favorites below.

Overall — if you read this description and were like “OH YEAH!” you should pick up this book. If it didn’t sound like it was up your alley, you’re probably right and should skip it.

THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.

For a book in the women’s fiction world this book sure hates women.

Lucy, our loosely termed protagonist, spends her whole narrative judging other women (for being single, for being fat, for having the audacity to exist in the world without being hot). She’s messed up and hateful with apparently no recognition of that fact.

The books description of group therapy is dismissive and unkind, harmful to people who may be genuinely well served by the process.

By the middle of the book I was continuing solely to discover whether Lucy would ever realize how heinous she is, and to make sure Dominic (the dog she is watching) turned out okay.

Lions and tigers and Mermen? Oh my.

This book was brutally honest and uniquely human. It follows Lucy, a thirty-something woman who feels like she's failing at love and her Ph.D. Lucy, struggling with her anxiety and desperate for a break, takes up her sister's offer to dog-sit Dominic (my favorite character, by the way!) for the summer. It's while she's dog-sitting that Lucy meets Theo, an attractive and mysterious swimmer. It is at this point when Lucy starts to question what she thought she knew about love, attaction, and especially life.

The Pisces was one of the strangest books I've read all year. It honest about the human body in a way that most books just gloss over. It gave almost gross descriptions of bodily functions that people try to pretend don't happen and, while I had moments of, "Wow, that's disgusting", it made me come face to face with what it means to be human and everything that entails (yes, even the gross parts).

In addition to being real and human, this book dipped into the realm of fantasy with Theo. It brought in the fantastical element of a merman, but still made Lucy's relationship with Theo (as well as all of the other men) brutally honest. It brought dating in your late thirties and struggling with anxiety to light. It didn't romanticize anything. Which is partially why I loved to hate Lucy. From the outside, I could see everything she was doing to mess up her life, but, as someone who struggles with anxiety too, I could also put myself in her position and see exactly why she was living her life the way she was.

I give The Pisces 3.5/5 stars. It was bizarre, honest, fantastical, but there were moments I felt that it slowed and I was dragging to get through it. I wanted to like Lucy more and, while I could understand her motives (or lack thereof), I also felt like I wouldn't get along with her in real life.

Lucy has been writing her dissertation for thirteen years when she and her boyfriend break up. She's down in the dumps, and her sister Annika, who lives in Los Angeles, insists that Lucy house-sit for her. This includes caring for her diabetic dog. Even so, Annika is sure that getting out of Phoenix is just what Lucy needs to clear her head and start over. Lucy doesn't exactly agree. Although the house and property are picturesque, she still has to go to her love-addiction meetings---which, by the way, don't help at all---and her Tinder dates which aren't any better. Things change, however, when she meets a steamy swimmer while sitting on the beach rocks. This is her chance to put a positive spin on things. Can she make it work with him or will it be another Tinder-like fail?

I struggled from page one to get into this book and in the end, couldn't finish it. The level of self-loathing in the main character was more that I could tolerate.

Lucy struggles after breaking up with her long time boyfriend. She moves into her sister.'s beach house for the summer and meets a merman. This is a story about mental health, obsession and suicidal tendencies. Will she give in to her obsession with the merman or let it go?