Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Cult Classic. I am a huge Sloane Crosley fan, but this was unlike any of her other books. It's very "trippy," yet her trademark wit and humor is very much a part of the story. I laughed at times, but the story was so bizarre that I kept losing interest. It's like if the plot lines of” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Truman Show” merged together and the main character switched to a female lead. This book was way out of my comfort zone, as I've never been a fan of magical realism in any media form. I enjoyed the humor and the writing is fantastic, but the story itself was too over the top for me.
The main character, Lola, who is currently engaged to her boyfriend, starts to run into all of the exes. And then she realizes that it's not a coincidence that this is happening. I liked the NYC setting and I could picture Lola walking around Chinatown, but I just wasn't interested enough in the story. The ending was pretty far-fetched and by then, the humor and sharp wit wasn't enough for me to fully enjoy the story. Some interesting passages, but it was mostly a miss for me.

Ghosts of boyfriends past. There is plenty of humor and cleverness, like Crosley’s other books. I was hoping for some plot and there didn’t seem to be much of one.

Great new read from Sloane Crosley, of whom I am a huge a fan! Huge Russian doll vibes, great recommendation for anyone who is a fan of that show.

I think if this had come out further apart from This Time Tomorrow, I would probably have less comparisons and more compliments.

I loved the premise of this book! The premise, plus the beautiful writing and compelling characters made this a can't-put-down read for me. Definitely a must read for fans of Crosley.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. A beautifully written and deeply intriguing story. So original and I loved the setting, the characters were captivating and the plot kept me so engaged.

Imagine running into an ex every time you go out; in my opinion, that sounds kind of horrible. Especially if there is a cult involved, pulling the strings behind the scenes. This story combines elements of rom-com and science fiction verging on fantasy in a way that I found intriguing. It took me a while to get invested in the story, but once I did, there were some twists that sucked me in. Exploring Lola’s previous relationships show how she had grown and changed from college to the present, as each interaction led to some reflection. Each is a piece that makes Lola into who she is in the present day. And all of this leads back to her current relationship. Lola's journey asks you to reflect on where you have come from and as a result of that, where you are going.

My only complaint about this book is that the writing style is a little pretentious, but in a way that a lot of readers tend to enjoy. I had to go back and re-read some parts a few times to understand what was going on. But more often than not, the flowery language added dimension to the story.

Overall, a very clever and fun read!

I liked The Clasp. I love books about cults. This one is such a smart mix of creep and romance and also comedy- and I never find books to be funny! The main character, Lola, is a writer for Modern Psychology magazine and a serial dater. She likes her life just fine until she runs into one of her exes. Then another. And then another. Coincidence no longer covers what is happening to her and Lola finds herself at the center of a contemporary cult’s actions. This writing is so engaging and feels like you're watching a movie. I couldn’t put it down. I can't believe how I enjoyed this self deprecating and odd humor. There are many characters in this book and at some points I did get slightly confused, but it didn’t take away from the overall impact.Furthermore, this is one of the best book endings ever. I don't want to say much more and I'm being vague on purpose as to not spoil. I really enjoyed this though and now consider Sloane Crosley an auto-buy.

Cult Classic follows recently engaged New Yorker, Lola, who keeps running into her exes in Chinatown. As these - supposedly - chance encounters keep happening, Lola is forced to contend with her feelings about both her romantic past and the future of her current relationship. Later, when she meets with her best friend and former boss, she realizes these "chance encounters" aren't "chance" at all...

This book was pretty w e i r d. The concept is really intriguing, but ultimately the story fell flat, it felt rushed and the plot was too vague to be engaging. The ending pulled it together for me, but it felt way too sudden. The writing was incredibly introspective, but pretty dull... Parts of the story will stick with me because of how bizarre it was, but I didn't love much about this one besides its potential.

Thank you #NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the arc!

Lola is haunted by the boyfriends of her past... or are they haunted by her?

Sloane Crosley explores relationships, memory, and how we construct our stories in her new novel Cult Classic.

I loved Crosley's writing in I Was Told There'd be Cake and was very excited to dive into her second novel. Crosley's writing remains filled with keen, cutting observations.

There were times toward the middle where the book dragged a bit for me. Though the novel isn't long, I wondered if the same effect could be achieved a little more tightly. Also, there is a cynicism bordering on coldness throughout that might be polarizing.

Still, the book has a clever premise that follows through to the very end. For the right reader at the right time, this will be a fantastic read!

loved this - the writing was so interesting and the plot kept me on my toes while still taking time for me to be introspective about love, relationships and the value of closure

I gave this book the best chance I could, but in the end, I just could not keep reading. I was bored.

Weird. Fascinating. I loved it and also…didn’t love it? The concept of it was intriguing, but I think I was hung up by the writing style (thank god I can easily look up words on my kindle). The ending was great but also felt rushed. I’m so conflicted on this one, but overall I’m glad I read it.

Lola keeps running into her exes forcing her to get closure by thinking about her previous relationships and what went wrong. She is currently engaged and this also causes her to look at her current relationship. Is running into every single one of her exes a coincidence? Nope. She’s been involuntarily drawn into this weird cult.

I don’t know how to review this book. I liked it I think but didn’t love it. It was a strange book with a unique plot. I liked the writing and the plot but also wished more been explained as far as the cult goes. I don’t know. I wouldn’t have wanted the book any longer though as the length was just right.

I can’t really explain more so read the book if this one sounds like your style.

Entertaining.
Many thanks to Farrah, Straus and Giroux and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Crosley's latest takes a look at what it means to commit through examining the main character's past relationships in a social experiment of what it looks like to have access and run into everyone you've dated -- and how that might also impede the ability to move forward. Really good book with Crosley's signature wit!

What a ride. First of all, hats off to the author because this writing style is punchy af. I swear I had to read slower than most books because I feel like I'd miss something (a joke, a whip smart reference)

Plotwise, I love it in theory, but it definitely dragged in the middle before an oh-so satisfying ending!

2.5 stars.

The premise for this novel was intriguing and I was curious to see where things might go. Unfortunately, it was just too dry for my tastes. There is a distinct literary feel about the writing, which was fine, but the tone came off as pretentious. The voice became too introspective, focusing on the meaning behind everything rather than actually delivering plot, and that made it overly clinical rather than fun. There were some good ideas and the ending was well-played, but mostly I was just bored.

—c u l t c l a s s i c—⁣
Who is an author you have been reading for a long time?⁣
—⁣
I stumbled on one of Sloane Crosley’s hilarious essay collections when I was 25 or so and let me tell you- it was like listening to that song that you SWEAR was written just for you because you feel it so deeply and profoundly. I am a decade+ older and have not read another author who can speak as well for me generationally (elder millennials, unite). ⁣
—⁣
Cult Classic is Crosley’s second novel and like her essays, it is deeply wacky, often hilarious, and sometimes deeply felt. It follows a thirty something New Yorker, Lola, who is recently engaged and begins strangely running into all her exes. These “chance” encounters force her to reflect and consider these moments in her life and ruminate on her current relationship. There is more than meets the eye, of course (I won’t spoil).⁣
—⁣
This book is capital W weird. In all, I enjoyed it. The concept and plot are pretty bonkers but Crosley’s writing is (to me) so delicious. The story didn’t totally work for me but I loved the character development and there are particular parts of the story (the part with the wedding Lola attends was so bizarre and funny)that will stick with me. ⁣
—⁣
In all, super strange and novel little novel.⁣
—⁣
Thank you @netgalley and @mcdbooks for the chance to read this! ⁣
—⁣
#bookreview

Sloane Crosley's writing is beautiful and I was intrigued by the blurb that I read but after reading the book, I felt underwhelmed by the plot. This one didn't stack up to some of her other books. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.