I love Sloane Crosley's essays, and she really does have a finger on the pulse of what it feels like to be in your 30s in New York City. So much of this novel resonated, though I wasn't necessarily as drawn in as I hoped I'd be. I'd recommend this to any fan of Crosley's essays, though it's super different from her other novel (which I enjoyed), THE CLASP.

Running into all your former boyfriends sounds like an absolute nightmare but also the most interesting story. This is true with Cult Classic. I couldn't put this down and cringed the whole way thinking about what it would be like if I was the main character.

This book had a cool cover. Stellar name. Great synopsis.

But whenever I began reading it… it’s just not for me. I think the majority of it was the writing style. It was almost like there were SO many words, but none of them were relevant in really moving the story along. It was clunky and there was so much information to retain. I would find myself forgetting what was being discussed until she got back around to it 5 or 6 pages later.

I did finish it out and I do think it had a nice premise. It just fell short for me.

As always, this is just my personal opinion of the book. You may end up loving it!

I really wanted to love this book but it fell a little short for me. I think the premise is solid, the execution was a little lacking. But this book was an interesting way for the main characters to figure out how they feel about each other. We see that question floating from time to time, "if you were in a room with everyone you loved, who would you choose?" Cult Classic is an interesting take on that question.

A quirky good read that will leave you wanting to know what happens next on the surface. Underlying, a stark look at the complexities of human emotions, relationships, and an invitation for self reflection. This would be a good summer read, beachside or pool side.

Truthfully, I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into, and from the book blurb I had a somewhat different idea of the trajectory of the novel, but I still greatly enjoyed this weird, wild, oddly wholesome ride.

Despite the cynicism permeating much of the story, it ends on an uplifting, hopeful note, somewhat at odds with the protagonist's history - but then again, isn't character development what we're asking (nay, demanding) of writers these days? Take a walk down the Memory Lane of Broken Hearts with Lola and you too might find yourself waxing poetic about your own failed relationships. I know I spent some time musing about what, if any, closure I would receive from running into my own exes. The death bookending the story feels somewhat jarring and out of left field, but I can see how it might be a neat way to wrap up the cult storyline with a final bow.

Crosley's writing style and voice sounds exactly like what you'd expect from someone named Sloane Crosley - just wrought enough, clever but not overly fond of its own cleverness. It's an easy enough read but one that demands your full attention, no skimming here as each page presents at least one snappy sentence that you'll want to appreciate. Crosley has a way with turns of phrase that make me want to pick up more of her work.

this is definitely not without its audience, I am just not in that audience. written in the exact style I find insufferable. if you like sally rooney you'll probably like this. I loved the prologue though

The synopsis of Cult Classic had all the makings of a really good, juicy story: Lola is engaged, but she isn't quite sure about the relationship. While out with some friends one night, she runs into an ex. And then another one. Over the course of a few days, she runs into an alarming amount of exes that cause her to question what she wants out of a relationship and also why her former boss seems so invested in her progress. Trust me: you'll never guess the reason!

I'll be blunt: I did not get on well with this book. I was very enamored with the synopsis, but the execution was what kind of ruined it for me. The dialogue and humor in this were very...grating, for lack of a better word. All of the characters in this talked like they were from Gilmore Girls. You know what I mean: very dry, sarcastic, try hard-y funny. False disaffected and jaded. It's something that I see in a lot of literary fiction set in New York nowadays, and I gotta say...it makes me not want to step foot in New York ever again lol. Something else that I really hated was the ending. It felt really rushed and a little out of left field.

Cult Classic, while disappointing to me overall, did have some really poignant passages about the main character's views on love and life. Although I wasn't a fan of the book as a whole, I know I'll remember those passages for a long time.

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t in the mindset for this book but I could not for the life of me get through it. I’m sure it has some merits but for me personally, it just wasn’t a book that I enjoyed.

“Romance may be the world’s oldest cult…. So you’d better have a good goddamn reason for saying ‘nah, not enough.’ The love lobby is worse than the gun lobby.”

Thanks to NetGalley and FSG for the ARC.

Witty and biting. I loved getting to know Lola and company.

One night after dinner with her former coworkers newly engaged Lola runs into an ex. And then the next night she runs into a different ex. What begins as an uncomfortable coincide becomes a bit weirder when she learns about a mysterious connection her former coworkers have to her romantic life. As this process of the past returning to the present continues Lola must grapple with her feelings around her engagement and her prior relationships. Is there such a thing as closure? Can we move forward without looking back?

This has all the elements I usually love and yet it wasn’t love for me. I liked it fine, but it wasn’t a page-turner. I kept putting it down and focusing on other things, which I never do when I really love something I’m reading. It was well-written and occasionally funny in a smart/satirical way, but I personally didn’t connect with the characters and felt the main character was a bit annoying at times. Nothing about this was similar to my experience as a millennial since I’ve spent most of my adult life married and maybe that’s where the disconnect is for me.

I do think this will resonate with lots of women. If you loved the tone of the tv series Russian Doll or the book A Touch of Jen then you’ll probably like this! It fits right into that darkly comedic and a little bit bonkers (in a fun way) genre and I could totally see Natasha Lyonne playing Lola.

I worry my response is a “me” problem - I really should have liked this book more. I read it in fits and starts and so the story just didn’t flow for me. The writing was clever and I’m sad I didn’t feel more for this one. I say - give it a shot and read it for yourself.

This was my first Sloane Crosley and I'm excited to dig into her backlist now. This book is strange and dry and funny and I really enjoyed it! Her humor might not be for everyone but it was perfect for me at this moment.

I must admit that I was disappointed by this novel -- I'd so been looking forward to it, and I loved the writer's dry, acerbic tone. I laughed out loud many times during the hundred or so pages I read, but the novel didn't quite kick into gear enough for me to finish.

Maybe I'm not smart enough to read this very strange book? Maybe it's just not right for me? I'm not sure but I can not read this one any more.

4.5/5 — This was my first Sloane Crosley book. Somehow I had never heard of her before this point, even though she's a bestselling author & a magazine writer, and now I'm excited that she's on my radar!

Cult Classic follows Lola, who is about to get married although she has her doubts. One night she runs into an ex-boyfriend. The next day she surprisingly sees another one. And then another. Eventually she finds out that there may be a reason for these coincidences and it's bizarre, for both her and the reader. This book is unique, complex, clever and entertaining. The blurb describes it as a “masterfully crafted tale of love, memory, morality, and mind control, as well as a fresh foray into the philosophy of romance," and I couldn't agree more.

Lola's millennial state of mind and interpretation of modern day dating is absolutely hilarious. She may be aloof and a bit detached, but her dry sense of humor had me laughing out loud! The characters were so perfectly human (and flawed). This book focuses on what our relationship history says about us and what it accumulates to over the course of time. The writing is sharp and witty, often a rambling train of thoughts. I found myself fully engaged throughout and thought there were some really thought provoking moments that added depth to the overall story.

I think this would make a great book club book! Read this if you’ve ever accidentally/coincidently run into an ex at random and began to question the world around you.

**Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sloane Crosley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review**

A classic "it's not you, it's me" situation with this book. In another time I would've eaten this up and absolutely adored it but I think I just wasn't in the headspace for this book to tell me that modern dating sucks. I'm in the throes of modern dating, I don't need a 300 page novel to tell me all of this. Please don't get me wrong, it's good! If you read the synopsis and it grabs you I think you will ultimately like this book, it's not false advertising or anything. It just wasn't for me at this time in my life!

Full disclosure: I didn't make it past 30%. This is so freaking pretentious. I can expand on about how absolutely ridiculous a character like Lola is, but I just don't have any interest in spending another minute with this story. If you are in the mood for a thoroughly cynical, narcissistic, painfully try-hard character who so desperately needs the reader to know she's "witty" and "biting" when she's really just missing the forest for the trees, this is the story for you. However, if you are nauseated by people who think being happy or liking literally anything makes you shallow or boring (think "really? You get excited about Christmas? I mean, if that's your thing I guess), move on to the next book on your to-read list.

**Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC**

I really hate to DNF but I’m at 64% and I can’t make myself commit to this book and care. There’s a lot of smart writing and some very funny observations, and it’s possible I’ll try again later- but I just don’t need a book with this much navel gazing right now. So far we have chatted with exes and gone to a wedding….just….here is my synopsis so far:

“I have ex boyfriends that a cult is making me run into using psychic powers and I’m not sure I want to marry my fiancée what is wrong with me it’s probably society actually and I use big words.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy, but this one was a miss for me. Maybe it picks up later, but if it does I really wish it did so before almost two thirds in.

Genius. So out there and I loved the humor, I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. I think every woman can relate to Lola at some point in their lives!