I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book when I saw there was a gorilla on the cover but it was actually a fun read! The final 4 women are are competing for one guy but believe it or not, they’ve all got their own motives. 😏 The cast head to a weird island that isn’t at all glamorous for the end of the show but things start to go LEFT!

Now listen, I’ve never cared much for the reality show, The Bachelor because it’s just never diverse enough for my liking but I feel like the author did a great job capturing what it’s probably like being on a show like this in real life especially with diverse contestants.

This was a fun read because it was mystery-ish + rom-com-ish + action-ish which kept me entertained. I loved the ending even though I would’ve wanted a few more pages of it.

Do you want to be cackling one minute and then a wee bit terrified the next? This PNW sapphic creature feature is for you!

Part horror, part comedy, Patricia Wants to Cuddle is one of the funniest books I've read this year!

Following four finalists on a Bachelor styled reality show. Unfortunately The Catch has run out of funds, so instead of the finale in Japan, they've settled for Otter's island instead. Known as a gay holiday destination in the 90's, Otter's island is now a ghost town after the suspicious disappearances of women rocked the small community.

Full of all the drama of a romcom and all the delicious camp cheesiness of a horror Patricia Wants to Cuddle was an addictive unputdownable listen! I loved the petty reality tv drama, the older lesbian guardians of the island, and the dash of weirdness. Who knew all I needed in my life was a female bigfoot?

I loved that this audiobook had multiple voice actors, it really brought the blog posts and the forum posts to life, without it getting confusing which can sometimes happen with only one narrator. A delightful listen that I'd recommend listening to during a hike or a camping trip to fully immerse yourself in the experience.

The end of this book felt a little unsatisfying, which is why I'm giving it 4.5 stars.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for this Audio Arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The synopsis calls Patricia Wants to Cuddle “a whirlwind romp.” I must have missed something because those aren’t the words I’d use to describe this story at all.

First of all, it’s horror. Fairly graphic horror. But you won’t know that until you’ve already endured roughly 70% of a slow build that introduces you to some of the most superficial people you could possibly ever meet. Of course, this is a campy read, so superficial fits, but when I spend over half the book getting to know characters, I think it’s fair to expect some nuance. Expectations were not met.

Speaking of campy and unmet expectations - to me, a campy read should make me laugh. It shouldn’t annoy me. I shouldn’t regularly cringe over how obnoxious the characters are. I should laugh. I did not laugh.

I did like that the story illustrated the performative nature of reality shows, influencers (and I say this knowing I’m a part of the book influencer community), and religion. Actually, it makes a statement about everything being performative and, yeah, I get it. Society is so damn frustrating. If this were solely meant to be social commentary on all of that, if I hadn’t spent almost the entire book waiting for a giant Sasquatch to make her appearance, maybe I would have liked this a bit more. And even though I do often feel like an outsider looking in, standing on my own little island, I don’t think everyone else is disposable. So I’m not exactly sure what the message was supposed to be here. Or, if it was what it sounded like to me, I am not sure that I liked all that the message conveyed.

The book is well written, but the storytelling lacked any real sense of direction. I think it could have been something great if either A) Patricia’s presence in the story had been more prominent or B) Patricia had simply never been a plot device in the story at all. Plus, give me characters who aren’t caricatures. Making me hate them still doesn’t make me want to see them die. I simply wasn’t a fan of how the author chose to execute her idea.

I am immensely grateful to RB Media and NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I finished it in one day. The story was very unique and had an element of mystery to it, which kept me wanting to know more. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained

This was beautifully off-kilter and by far the most unique book I have read all year. It was simply *chef's kiss. I was hooked from the beginning. The reality show parody interspersed with a truly bizarre and sweetly compelling mystery of horror, love, loss, and devotion all folded into a perfect entertaining read.

Even though this all takes place in a hyper-reality the characters are honest and real. Whether likable or not, you are going to find yourself rooting for all of them. That is the mark of a truly gifted storyteller. Author Samantha Allen is brilliant and I look forward to reading more from her.

All of the narrators did well with the characters. They clearly had a lot of fun with this one.

I am hesitant to say much more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I'll end this review by pleading with interested readers to keep their minds open and to enjoy the wild and quirky ride.

I am grateful to RB Media, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook!

This book was a shocking surprise. It was just what I expected from the synopsis, but with a darker twist. I’m not sure exactly how I feel. It was definitely fresh and different from many books. The main characters were extremely unlikable, just like the author intended and made me not sympathize with them the narrator was excellent.

This book was super fun! I really enjoyed the distinctive voice carried with each POV character, and loved the special considerations taken to flesh out their similarities and differences. I also really enjoyed the narration, which had some great acting and intonation. I do wish the ending were a bit longer, however. Will be recommending to my audience!

This book got me with some unexpected buzzwords, such as "queer specter" and "lesbian sasquatch". I asked no further questions, I simply buckled up and went along for the ride.

Patricia Wants to Cuddle follows the final four contestants of The Catch (Think "The Bachelor") as well as a producer, a cameraman, a Chris Harrison-esque host, and The Catch himself, Jeremy to a remote island off the Washington coast. Each of the final four women has their reasons for being involved in the show, and most of those reasons don't involve riding off into the sunset with Jer, who is a prince among men. The women are ready to put their best face forward in hopes of gaining more social media followers, but what they aren't prepared for is Patricia- the aforementioned queer specter witnessing the love connections from the woods.

This was an absolute riot, and I mean that in the best way. It gave me Fear Street, but made it hilarious. I really enjoyed the character development. The pacing is pretty fast, so I was never bored. I do wish there were more details about Patricia and life on the island. I was so curious about her and I would have loved a more thorough ending. Over all, I really loved this book and definitely recommend it if you want a creepy laugh.

I was able to listen to the audio version of this book, and it made the experience that much better. I really love audiobooks with full casts and this one in particular was great. Thanks so much to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.