The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

I moderately enjoyed the book and think that Jen Beagin is a very talented writer but I struggled with the characters. For some reason, everyone who encountered the protagonist Mona, fell into instant lust with her. She was kind of a special snowflake character that apparently no other character could resist. It came off as too silly.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a novel about an unusual cleaning lady and the clients she works for. It describes her journey both forwards and backwards depending on which clients she becomes entangled with. It’s a bit unsettling at first and has some really dark and weird humour but I actually really enjoyed it. It was very raw and different. The subject matter might not be for everyone as it deals with quite a bit of family trauma like abuse, incest, addiction, neglect, among many others. Despite dealing with the very serious subject matter, it is really hilarious and refreshing.

I loved the character and the wild ride the story took. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

I really enjoyed the straight forward attitude of the main character, Mona, who speaks her mind often. Mona's character is a bit dark but very entertaining and hilarious.

Cleaning lady Mona lives in Taos, New Mexico. Here, Mona’s previous lives materialize through her clients.

… He made her feel desperate, horny, and deranged. …
“You make me feel … Spanish,” she said. …
“I love your maybe-Spanish eyes,” he said …

“… I swear she [Shiori] tasted like ginger and lychee.”

“I paid the man seventy dollars to make a recording of himself reading my toast in an Indian accent … .” … “It’s supposed to be funny,” Mona said, and shrugged.

I didn’t know racism was funny and edgy.

"Vacuum in the Dark," with its few laughable moments, falls short of framing its excessively eccentric characters.

i'm not totally sure what to make of this book overall! it had a lot of neat elements going for it. i particularly enjoyed mona's discussions with terry in her mind, as well as the back story that unfolded throughout the novel. however, it was very odd — from the hidden turds at the beginning to the photographs to the art sessions. i'm going to need to think this one over for a little while!

I found Vacuum in the Dark to be a remarkable read. This was an amazing fun story that kept me in stitches from start to finish. The story was about a very exceptional woman dealing with the most extensive issues in America today.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to obtain an advanced copy for an honest review.

Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin is a sequel to Pretend I’m Dead, which I didn’t realize when I requested this book. However, it really didn’t matter or take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was tragic, weird, strange, dark, funny and did indeed have laugh out loud moments. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this one. And while I’m being honest, I have to say that at the beginning I had a hard time getting into the book and almost chucked it a couple of times. I am glad that I finished. Sometimes it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and this was worth it.
This ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Scribner for the opportunity to review Vacuum in the Dark.
I ended up not connecting with the main character or any of the plot lines at all. It is described as funny but I do not understand how. For me it was confusing, nonsensical and just not my style.
I ended up skimming it and not enjoying it at all.

2.5/5 stars

When I first got this book I had no idea that it was connected to a previous book (Pretend I'm Dead). I thought about reading the first book. But then decided to just read this book and see if it could stand on its own. It definitely does. Although the main character Mona's story does apparently begin in the first book.

This book is divided into four parts. It's basically four different stories that are connected and all narrated by Mona.

This is a very adult book. The humor is at times dark. The narrator is Mona. She is 26 years old and a cleaning lady. There were definitely times when things in this book piqued my interest. But this story really is unlike anything I normally read. The first section was about someone pooping all over a house she was cleaning. And truthfully I did not find this funny. There is a chapter about her mother, which I also didn't love. There are lots of mentions of incest and rape. And parts of the story were a bit crude and vulgar to me. And then the book just ends. The book is different and interesting, but just not for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The blurb for this book refers to this being “a constantly surprising, laugh out loud funny novel.” As a reader and reviewer I see this being true for the first 10-20 pages of the book. After that the book takes on the tragic life of a woman who grew up with traumatic experiences and poor role models. These factors play a role in how Mona gets through life, most of it in a detached way. The lack of love for herself results in others treating her poorly too. A few exceptions arise when Mona confides in her neighbours and the man she met during an earthquake.

Many parts of this well-written somewhat exploratory novel are very affecting and uncomfortable but needed to be told for the reader to understand the character. Read this book to learn about the less hilarious side of Mona’s life and how Mona tries to make changes in her life and move forward.

Thanks to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin, is the story of Mona a house cleaner who has dialogues with her inner voice, she calls Terry. Mona makes up names for her lovers, Mr Dark, Mr. Disgusting, neighbors, Yoko & Yoko. A lot of toilet talk, poop, stool, smell of urine, with a few cleaning tips thrown in. I did not finish reading this book but having read 30%, I do feel certain that it was not going to be for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange of an honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written. The characters were complicated. Not a dull story. I recommend this book to everyone.

What a strange journey Mona took me on. I’m not sure how to review it. A complicated woman living a complicated life? With, dare I say it, other complicated characters? Regardless, it was not dull!

This book hits all the right notes for me. It has a raw energy that is sad and dark in one moment and laugh-out-loud funny in the next, but mostly it's just very strange. I didn't realize this book is a sequel until I look the author up for other books she has written. I am definitely going to buy the first one to find out how it all began.
Thanks you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I got this as a arc e book from this site. I enjoyed reading it. It was well written. It is made for the 18+ crowd because of the content in it. It was my first book by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.