Member Reviews

I am very sorry to say that I couldn't finish this book. I really loved the cover and the writing style. Unfortunately, I was not fast enough to read it until it got archived. I would have loved to read the end of this book.

Was this review helpful?

DNF 50%
I am suprised i lastet that long, but since the chapters were short i tried to push trough, but at some point i was just bored. Francis was meeting girl after girl, after Jasmine broke up with him... he seemed sad at first but it went extremely quickly, it all felt random and awkward... plus the sexscenes weren`t...exactly good, just again awkward.

Was this review helpful?

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Was this review helpful?

This a fictional account of Frank or Francis King just after his breakup of his second long term relationship and his struggle to find his next long term relationship or the chance to come back to this girl again. This is a guy in his on fictional words admits to manipulating women and claims he is good at it. In the first part of the book In my opinion it was a bit sophomoric but i found myself almost rooting for this fictional character at the end. There are sexual situations in this book and I would rate the level of description at mild to medium level. I feel that summary is a bit misleading as it describes his thrust into the digital age. This was not his means of most if not all of his hookups. I would rate this book average. Thank you to Netgalley and BHC press for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Yeah it's a hard no from me. This is the type of man your Mom told you to stay away from. I have encountered this type of man in my path. I eat little boys like this for breakfast. I read it in hopes that he would find the love of his life and change his ways. Never happened. Read at your own risk. Happy reading!

Was this review helpful?

This book is about a young man venturing through today's hook up culture. At 37, I don't consider myself old, and I've experienced partaking in this culture myself, but man, this book was really terrible. And that's a lot for me to say. The writing was fine, but I felt like there was no storyline at all other than just a bunch of sex. I'm not a prude by any means, but this book was boring as all hell.

I felt like the author was writing from his diary, and talking about his own exploits. I'm not slut-shaming or sex-shaming at all. Again, I've been one to fully take advantage of our hook-up world, but man, sometimes I had to laugh at how obviously thirsty the content was.

Just not the book for me.

1/5 Stars

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I didn’t know what this book was about before I read it but I definitely didn’t think it would be like this.

Was this review helpful?

This book caught my attention with its catchy title and cover. I read the summary, and it seemed like it would be interesting. It was the story of a young man's dating adventures. I teach in a high school and am always looking for male perspective reads. This is NOT it. I would give zero stars if I could.
The writing itself is not terrible. The content is. I am not a prude, but this book is too much. The main character fancies himself something special - he is not. He is a skeez. He doesn't respect himself or the multiple women he screws. He thinks he is the greatest lover these women have had. I doubt it. The book has zero plot or point. There is nothing here. I read the entire book waiting for some type of epiphany or something - don't waste your time. This is not even the same caliber as the soccer mom porno read in book clubs a few years back. Even E.L. James would pass on this one.

Was this review helpful?

A graphic exploration of the modern hook-up culture as seen through the eyes of Francis, a twenty-three-year-old misfit. "Girls I know" was right up my alley.

This book was extremely relatable and uncomfortable at the same time. I can't begin to tell you how real Francis felt to me - at the brink of adulthood, going against instilled values to find ecstatic satisfaction in lots of causal sex, nightlife and alcohol. The many girls Francis sleeps with are unmemorable and bleak, not because it's the truth, but because Francis chooses to see them this way, because that's what hook-ups should feel like, right? But is this what true happiness looks like?

Then comes the uncomfortable part: I hated Francis. For objectifying women like me who are at the other end of these hook-ups, and who look as uninteresting as the girls in this novel. Sleeping with someone looking only for casual sex is just that - being nothing but a body to someone looking broadly for excitement and approval from strangers. While Francis checks for consent and shows respect to these girls, it's as shallow as it gets.

And I really respect the author for being so brutally honest about this reality in his book. There's not really a higher moral at the end, or a change of character where Francis realizes what he's looking for. Instead, it's as raw and real and the truth that no one really wants to admit, especially as it comes from a male character.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I feel pretty indifferent about this one. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. I had trouble connecting with the characters and felt not a lot of them were fleshed out. I really enjoyed the writing style but wish there was a stronger story line.

Was this review helpful?

In early pages, the narrator states "Two things I had no control over, the mess in my car and the woman in my life." Even with an unreliable narrator, I expected more. The reader is thinking ummm you have control of both of those things. Also, did he mean women plural? Another thing was the repetition of language... new car, new car scent... I craved more economy with language.

Was this review helpful?

Whew. It's really too bad this wasn't my thing because I loved the neon light vibe of the cover art.

This book is all about hook-up culture, from the perspective of Francis King, a twenty-three-year-old who was just dumped. For the first time in his life, every night is full of bars, drugs, alcohol, casual sex — all with no strings attached.

I've got absolutely no issue with all of the above, but the way it was executed fell flat. The entire book pretty much describes Francis' nightly escapades in detail, and by the halfway mark, I was constantly asking what's the point?
"Being happy is only up to you, not anyone else. If you think you need someone to fulfill your happiness, you're never going to find it."

This quote appeared around 80% into the book and it was when I asked, was THIS the point? Because if it was, I could have told you that a LOT earlier, and thirty-seven chapters of sex scenes could have been condensed into three. Ultimately, I felt like the plot was missing a clearer exposition. climax, and resolution — it felt like a repetitive meander through life.

Because the book was all about Francis' various hook-ups, it felt like I barely got to know any of the girls well when all ten or so of them practically got the same amount of screentime and had no distinguishing feature. The only side character that stood out more was Bree, whose bluntness I appreciated even though she got very annoying.

Even Francis was not a likable main character. It took a long time to reach his character development and supposed moment of self-realization, and even then it was anticlimactic. I also don't know if it's due to the nature of hook-up culture or Francis himself, but many times he acted entitled and self-righteous, and he objectified women constantly in his internal monologues. It became very tedious to be in his head. The way Francis thought about women honestly made me very uncomfortable, along with some of the dialogue:
"How about pizza?" I offered.
"Gross."
"Chinese."
"They eat dogs."

Ultimately, the writing style was okay; it was very straightforward and easy to understand, but the nature of the internalized plot made the story feel like it dragged, and the sex scene on every other page got so repetitive, I'm not sure what it added to the story beyond the first five. Even at the end, there were some hook-up scenes that felt unnecessarily thrown in, smack dab in the middle of character development.

Overall, perhaps reading about hook-up culture just isn't my thing because it's the furthest thing from my lifestyle. I've seen other reviews on NetGalley saying that this book felt real and that it was thrilling, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.

Was this review helpful?

This book was interesting! And I say that in the best way possible. I was not sure what to expect when I started reading it, but it did manage to pull me in, and keep me interested.

I related to parts of the book in a few aspects, especially with this being a "Hook up" culture. Dating is hard, so I understood that completely. It's scary how accurate this book is for so many situations!

Was this review helpful?

Girls I Know is a fun thriller with A LOT of character! Definitely recommend this book! Releases soon!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so real that it sucked you in and made you feel a part of the story. You didn't want it to end!

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to enjoy and finish this book but at the point I could no longer keep track how many women the main character sleeps with, I lost interest. Other than his promiscuity, I feel that the main character Francis could have been a likable character but reading about the frequent escapades just was not (personally) for me.

Was this review helpful?