Having really enjoyed Sloane Crosley's essay collections, I was curious about her turn to fiction. Cult Classic included the wry and clever turns of phrases that are Crosley's hallmark, and I very much enjoyed the writing and the first portion of the plot.
Lola excuses herself from a dinner in Chinatown with former colleagues to buy cigarettes and runs into an old flame, and from there keeps finding herself back in Chinatown and running into more exes - perplexed by the coincidence, she subsequently discovers they may not be coincidences at all.
It kept me curious as to where it was going, though I was a little perplexed myself the closer to the end I got, and while I appreciated some aspects of the ending, it felt like it went off the rails a little bit. Still would rate a solid 3.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is definitely for the literary fiction aficionados. If you don't love literary fiction, I don't think this is for you. I liked the book and the storytelling, while often feeling uncomfortable and sometimes confused by the awkwardness and symbolism. You'll either love this one or you won't! There isn't really an in-between!

This was a pretty funny book, which is not what I expected. It did have its suspenseful twist and turns. The book gave me more of a rom-com feel than a thriller. However, I did enjoy the book a lot. I enjoyed the bond between the characters. Throughout the book, the characters were trying to figure out who they are in the busy city of New York City.

Overall, Cult Classic is a fun read. Definitely not what I expected but overall well-written. I would recommend this book for any rom-com lovers who want a bit of suspense.

I love Sloane Crosley's voice. I was very excited to get my hands on an early copy of this book and started it, then stopped, then started again, and ultimately DNF. Yet... I liked what I read. I saw another review, which says "This is such a strange book. I liked it, but I didn’t. I was interested in it, but I wasn’t." and no review has ever said exactly what I was thinking better. The concept, the characters, the writing, the wit -- all the ingredients are there. I'd even recommend this to others. I'm disappointed in myself for not finishing it. But for me, at a certain point, I just felt done with it. Is this the strangest review I've ever written? Yes. Did I hate this book? Absolutely not. I genuinely don't know what to do with my feelings about it and can't figure out why I couldn't finish it. The writing is gorgeous and I'm a Crosley fan! So, yes, I think you should read it. I hope you love it. Tell me how it ends.

Instantly intriguing. The author’s grasp and explanation of Lola’s psyche and POV are spot on!
Sarcasm and reluctant elf-reflection? Relatable.
If you’re a bit cynical and appreciate your humor on the dark-ish side, you will enjoy this read.

This was such a darkly fun, satirical, wild, and clever ride but ultimately I just didn't care. I mostly enjoyed it while I was reading it but when I put the book down I was over it. I'm giving it 4 stars though for me it's more of a 2 star because I think it will be a banger for the right reader. It's very busy and drags in parts and I think that was my biggest issue with it. If the writing had been scaled down, I think I would have loved it.

The title and description of this book made it sound so interesting! Lola is at dinner with some former colleagues from a now defunct magazine but she steps out to get some cigarettes and runs into an ex, which isn't unusual, even in a large city like New York. Then she runs into another ex, and another and it starts to feel a bit weird. She then finds out that one of her friends and her editor from the magazine have set up a cult-like group that is focusing on creating closure through commerce. They'll sell you packages that will help with all your angsty issues and they're using Lola and her many exes as a test case. As usual, cult like behavior screws up everything and Lola winds up overly stressed about running into all these exes and the impact it's having on her life and lackluster engagement.

I won't say I liked this book or that I disliked it. I think the only reason I finished it is because when I was about to give it up because I was bored and annoyed I realized i was halfway through and should just tough it out to see if it got bettter (it didn't). I think I'm also getting tired of the trope of New Yorkers being shitty people who are never satisfied so they feel they can be shitty friends and companions. Also, stop with the ability to live in the city with the combined salaries of a glass-blower and writer for an online website, even in the crappiest of crap holes without 15 roommates in 200 sq. ft.

Thanks to NetGalley & Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the free e-book.

I’m a huge fan of Sloane Crosley’s essay collections and was really excited to check-out her work in fiction. The plot summary for this one evoked Mona Awad (but maybe even more weird!) but was entirely it’s own thing.

The way that Crosley juxtaposes ex-boyfriend troubles and cult troubles in this story is really special. She explores the ways in which we editorialize our memories in order to make something meaningful in a way that is both haunting and hilarious.

This book felt like if a horror film decided to become a pop song, and I loved it.

Couldn’t get into it fully. Interesting idea—exploring past relationships with the main character but I also felt like the pacing was too slow at times. Obviously such a personally experience but I wasn’t completely drawn in and I didn’t care about the main character very much. It was an okay read for me.

This book was such a fun ride! The twists and turns were unexpected. The book starts as one thing, then changes into something completely different… it was great!

I loved Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley! I had been familiar with her essays, but hadn't yet read her writing. I found that Cult Classic was a terrific introduction to Crosley. Part rom-com, part mystery, and genre-mashing in the best ways, Cult Classic is also deeply funny. I highly recommend it!

Feels like going through the looking glass on past relationships, analyzing present relationships, and a little bit of what the hell is going on? With a main character you’re not sure you like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, a unique story about what we give and take in relationships.

Perfect millennial female fiction -- the descriptions of the different boyfriends, and what it's like bumping into an ex after years was hilarious and cringe-worthy at the same time. The ending kind of lost control -- is it weird that I would have liked this to stay just a psychologically nuanced portrait of what we look for in others as we grow up? More classic, less cult would've won five stars.

I'm not sure what I read. I liked it but wasn't completely drawn in. Because I wasn't engrossed I don't think I gave it the attention it deserves and most of it went over my head.

Cult Classic = Instant Classic. I've heard a lot of recommendations to listen as an audiobook, so I may do that as well for a new experience. I was so excited to read this book and it did NOT disappoint. I cannot believe this is the only Sloane Crosley book I've ever read. A mistake on my part, for sure!

cult classic is about lola, a jaded new yorker about to get married who suddenly starts to encounter every one of her exes about town, except it's not really a coincidence...

reviewing this 6 months after reading it and i genuinely do not remember most of the events of this book or even how it ended, besides one striking paragraph about men that reveals lola's her fascination for masculinity and the attraction/repulsion impulse behind her dating life. kind of has cool girl monologue iconic potential!

what stayed with me really is the impression of a smart, well written book, that sadly doesn't dive satisfyingly into the issues it brings up (love, dating, wellness culture and its cultish ways...) and unfortunately having a disaster woman as a protagonist and exposing her dysfunction doesn't necessarily make for compelling character exploration. it's still a fun read and i finished it quickly, but it lacks a little bit of heart i think.

 I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

DNF @ 43%

Wow do I just not care. I gave this book three chances to get better. On three different occasions (and days) I wanted to give it up. Finally at about 40ish percent I decided I was not making 2023 start with a torturous story such as Cult Classic feels to me.

The concept is interesting but the execution, writing, and lecturing is poorly done; and at times obnoxious. Our leading lady runs into her multitude of boyfriends one day after the other as she is leading up to marrying her live-in boyfriend (who somehow had a short list of exes; while hers is a mile long). The most interesting moments of the book at the backstories about the exes she runs into; and the most boring are those moments where it’s her and the fiancée. If this book doesn’t end in them splitting up I’d be shocked. Unless the whole point is to say that life-long love is mind numbing dull. At which point I’d argue, after 15 years of my own relationship, that you’re obviously not with someone who challenges or interests you enough if you are bored that quickly. But to each their own.

In one piece of fairness to Cult Classic. I am going to be 40 next month; and I understand from others reviews and those who like this that it is written for millennials (which I both am technically by date; but also not I remember using card catalogues, didn’t have internet until I was in high school and went through most of college without even t9 texting). So perhaps I truly am just too old to get the nuances, internet memes or jokes that (apparently) persist throughout.

Although, what I feel is more likely is that, while a jaded goth girl, I’m not quite as down on relationships as those younger than me tend to be. Probably based on my 15 years with my husband to date. So if the concept interests you and you’re between 25-35 years old then this may really work for you. To me it just felt like being lectured by someone, with a great thesaurus, who hasn’t had enough experience with long term love to even understand what their characters should be or could be striving for.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

So I have an issue toward the end of the year I don’t sleep well for a week or two so that I read all the books I had planned. These last two weeks have been so much fun! This was one of the books I actually wanted to purchase since my review is beyond late. I am so sorry but thank you for writing such an awesome book.I have never read anything like Cult Classic in that it’s one of those storylines that feels like I should have seen it before, so it has this combination of eeriness and comfort that works really well but mostly it’s just so damn funny.
If you’ve ever had friends or family that are just too invested in your love life, then you only know a fraction of what Lola (our main character, YES it has all the Lola jokes you might think of and then some! I know that this is way after publication day but Run don’t walk to get this book READ & OWNED!

Well this isn't what I was expecting at all. This was sci Fi mixed with a love story. We all think we can find better or the often asked what if. Well our girl just get to do that in the cult classic go back and run into every one she has dated to see if they are the one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Cult Classic.

This book is hard to review. The synopsis sounded great- ex boyfriends suddenly popping up all over the place? Apparently that's where I stopped reading the description, because I was totally thrown by the rest of the book. The story was actually fairly interesting BUT this author is so wordy, that the first half of the book was all thoughts and little action. Also, I found her final decision (no spoilers) completely ludicrous and impossible to believe, considering what she learns at the end. Lots of potential here, but disappointing overall.