Ew. What a toxic family. What a nasty group of people in general. A bunch of spoiled, selfish, rich a**holes. It was hard to care about the story, because I didn't care for any of the characters. I felt the most for Lucia, but sometimes I find it hard not to wonder what someone could have done to contribute to their plight, and why they didn't leave instead of piling more on. I don't know who I'd recommend this to... maybe people into snobby, artist communities or anyone craving a trouble dose of family drama. The audio is done well. The cover is beautiful. Basically everything else made me cringe.

None of the characters in here are likable, and that, I believe, is intentional. That being said, it was still hard for me to connect with much in the story, and usually I can get behind the drama about the rich behaving badly, likable characters or not. The pacing was a little slow also which may have been part of the issue, but it does pick up as the book moves on. I thought the writing was well done and the narrator for the audio was good, overall this just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I do love the cover, it is absolutely perfect for this.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the copies to review.

This one didn't quite hit the mark for me. Despite the author's commendable writing style, I struggled to connect with the story and characters.

The narrator, Juliet Stevenson voiced the MC, and other characters very well, however, I just struggled to remain engaged.

However, tastes vary, and others may find the book more appealing.

DNF. I don’t often give up on the books I choose to read but The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendeson was just too hard to endure. It was so slow and I felt it particularly hard to connect with any of the characters. I wanted to like this audiobook but that was not to be. The cover drew me toward wanting to listen to this audiobook but unfortunately that was its only redeeming quality.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing a free copy of this audiobook. All thoughts below are my own,

I’m sure we can all think of someone we know who is like Ray Hanrahan. An egoist who makes his failings everyone else’s problems. If he tripped over a log, it was because his wife or children didn’t warn him it was there. Anyway, I felt true fury about Ray Hanrahan and honestly hoped someone would murder him just to get him out of the book. Alas, this is not a murder mystery..

Instead, it’s a family drama where the narration flits around between members of the Hanrahan family. Lucia, his talented wife who he sidelines, Patrick, his stepson who he constantly belittles, Leah, the daughter who serves him like a nanny, and Jess, the daughter who seems to have broken free.

What the book did well:
* Made me empathize with Ray’s victims / family (even Leah).
* Helped me understand the mentality of women who stay with their abusers and what it takes to help them break free.

Without spoiling anything, I felt very unsatisfied in the conclusion of this story. I think the author wanted things to feel unresolved, but it didn’t work for me.

The narration was ok, with accents for the different POVs.

An exploration of how a family can implode on the back of a giant ego. The patriarch, Ray, is an artist about to have an important show, but is convinced his wife is seeking sabotage as she is also an artist. In the mix of it all, three kids. Honestly, I got lost in many of their separate plot lines. I have decided that generational, family drama is not my favorite.

That being said, the narration was amazing! Easy to understand. Different vocal tones. Emotional expression. It saved me from filing this book as DNF.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Charlotte Mendelson for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book - it is set in London's art world, with lots of characters in a dysfunctional family setting. What's not to like?
It just didn't move me at all. The characters were impossible to like or even feel anything for - 2.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

What makes great art? Walk through any museum and you'll be surrounded by works of varying importance. I'll admit that sometimes a visit to a museum leaves me overwhelmed by the things that I see. Yes, there are obvious masterworks. The Mona Lisa has been a permanent resident of the Louvre since the 1700s. It is safe to say that art gains its significance through the collective impact it has on society throughout history. In her novel The Exhibitionist, Charlotte Mendelson explores a family and the impact that has on their dynamic.

Ray Hanrahan is an artist, though this painter's star seems to have faded from his glory days. It has been several years since his last exhibition, and the art world is beginning to forget about him. Not to worry, though. Ray is mounting a comeback, a new showcase of his work that is sure to bring him back into the limelight and cement his status as one of the country's preeminent artists.

The Hanrahan is in various levels of support of their patriarch. Ray's wife Lucia is also an artist, one who (rumor has it) is said to be more talented than her husband. This forms a wedge between the couple causing verbal spats and threats of infidelity. Not even Lucia's battle with cancer was able to mend the pair's discontent. As the gallery is prepared for Ray's revival, the marriage seems to be at a breaking point.

Then there are the children. The eldest daughter Leah is in full support of her father. She is Ray's biggest champion who has become his right hand in mounting his artistic resurgence. Her sister Jess has completely removed herself from the situation, seeking exile in Edinburgh, away from the family. Then there's Patrick, the nervous stepson who is too afraid of his parents to admit that he dreams of leaving their life to become a cook at a pub. As the family gathers for Ray's big day, their interpersonal tensions threaten to derail the entire event.

The Exhibitionist was released in the UK last year where it garnered critical acclaim and was longlisted for the 2022 Women's Prize. As it makes its US debut this week, I fear the novel may not meet the same acclaim with this new audience. The publisher advertised the novel as comedic, but I didn't find myself laughing at it. Instead, I was turned off by the main character Ray. He's an entitled jerk who treats his family extremely poorly. Even so, the rest of the family is hardly innocent. The novel takes place over a weekend where we are subjected to their troubles which are all mostly self-inflicted. I kept wanting to shout at them to just talk to each other and tell the truth! There are deeper contemplations on the nature of art, relationships, and class, but I found the characters too grating to get much meaning out of anything else. Mendelson provides a few glimmering moments of brilliant insight that only added to my longing for a book that focussed more on the deeper themes than the trivial family squabbling. I know the book has garnered acclaim, but it simply didn't land with me. I was perfectly happy to be finished with the entire family.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Charlotte Mendelson for the ARC copy of this story. I am reviewing the audiobook version.

This story left me angry. I understand that it is meant to be a comedy, but I feel like that was badly missed. I didn't find anything at all funny about this book. Of all books that I have read and all characters in those books, Ray is easily one of my least liked. He is terrible!

I would have liked to see a better plot, I'm still not entirely sure what the plot should have been aside from Ray being terrible to his family. I would have liked to see some sort of character grown from other characters. It is an extremely slow and drawn out book.

I feel that the narrator was just okay but probably one of the best parts about the book.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy anything about it and would not recommend.

This book was really not my jam and isn't an issue with the author or the writing, it's a me issue. I would like my time back.

I was provided the opportunity to listen to this novel by Netgalley and Macmillan Audio.

I'll be honest, the title & the cover were what intrigued me what I requested a copy (I knw, never judge a book by its cover, but I grew up with the story of Madeline and I loved the design of the house she lived in). Anyway, after reading the description of the novel, I got the sense it would be a good laugh. I'd further read some good things about this author and her novels and became excited to read.

As I started listening, I was not as enthralled with the novel as I thought I would be. The storyline is very plain and undesirable. The Hanrahan Family is somewhat of a high end, posh, English family. While the family that is slowly falling apart, came together to support each other during a big event for the family, there was a lot of family drama. Ray, one of the main characters was very self-absorbed and I truly believe, he believed everything should be served to him on a silver platter because of all he has accomplished.

I found myself not enjoying the characters or the storyline of this novel, nor was I laughing. I felt like I had travelled back in time, to a previous generation where the men dominated and everyone else followed their lead. While that doesn't make this a bad book, I feel it might have been better if told differently.

Enjoyed the narrator as her voice was paced well and suited for the tone of the novel.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and found the narration pleasant to listen to. The story was a struggle for me to get into and I didn't find any of the characters to be likeable. That made it hard for me to stay focused and perhaps a physical copy would have been more enjoyable. I do really like the cover though!

✍️ My Thoughts…
About The Narration:
An entertaining reading. I thought the narrator did an excellent job matching the tone of the book and highlighting the anxiety and narcissism of the characters. My preferred listening speed: 1.25x

About The Book:
What worked for me: I enjoyed glimpsing inside the world of artists, and how this family (at least on the surface) came together to support one another, even if they had hesitations. There was lots of family drama and characters who decided this was the opportune time to shake-up their world and finally become a new version of themselves.

What didn’t work: Most of the disagreements / problems seemed like petty,, problems-of-the-privileged, which I found hard to feign interest in for the length of the book. There were some pretty self-absorbed, unlikeable characters, and it felt a lot like a night-time soap opera.

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you like stories about politely feuding families on their way to implode
🔹 you like characters who are a challenge to like
🔹 you like stories about characters who are struggling to find their authentic self
🔹 you like stories where characters explore their sensuality

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC. Just so insanely fun and original and truly had no idea where this was going at any point.

I'm not sure what I think of this book... It is well written, intriguing, and infuriating.
This book is very character focused, which is usually a good thing for me. If you need to like the characters, to root for them, in order to finish a book, this one may not be for you. The characters are well developed and distinguishable, but not very likable. I didn't even like Lucia very much, despite feeling sorry for her. She was dealing with a lot with her health, but the amount of terrible behavior she put up with from Ray is ridiculous.

But I was intrigued throughout. I wanted to see what would happen (even tho there really isn't much plot here).
This family felt real, sadly. Ray was an awful man, but not a caricature. Leah, the daughter who idolizes her father is a bit of a shrew. I felt sorry for the women and despised the men in this book, but I was there, in the house with this toxic family. I will read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always try my best to read and listen to my advanced reader copies because I know how important this review is, but The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mandelson was very difficult for me to get through even with the audio.

The characters were extremely frustrating and I could not believe they treated each other in such a way as a family. DNF at 25% and even that was a struggle for me. There was so much emotional abuse that was treated so naturally it so beyond anything I could tolerate.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the new novel by Charlotte Mendelson and narrated by Juliet Stevenson - 3.5 stars!

The Hanrahan family has gathered in London as the patriarch, Ray, prepares for an exhibition of his art. While once highly acclaimed, this will be his first exhibit in many years and one that he is sure will set his place in history. His wife, Lucia, is an artist as well but Ray has always made sure she didn't shine. His children have complicated relationships with him, and there are quite a few secrets here as well.

Ray has to have the worst personality - you can literally not gleam any redeeming qualities to him at all. A total narcissist, he's cruel to his wife, who is dealing with breast cancer, and to his children. While I normally enjoy books concerning family relationships, this one was more of a struggle to get through. It's on lots of must-read lists though, so you may have a different reading experience!

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I found it horribly insufferable. The characters alone made me want to stop reading this book and throw it somewhere no one could find it. I was really disappointed in the entire endeavor. I always want a book to bring out strong emotions in me. This one did that. Just the wrong ones.

Every character in this book is absolutely deplorable. I felt so bad for Lucia, the wife, and their three children. They are all just so fucking unhappy and it made me so sad. I wanted more for them and honestly wanted the husband to kick rocks.

Outside of having regretful feelings about the characters, I was intrigued by each characters story. Their unique POV's were interesting, however I just couldn't care about their lives. It's frustrating for me, especially being the type of person I am, for me to feel empathy for so many people who don't stand up for themselves. Even with this I still wanted to hear how things ended for them. There were a few scenes I was actually kind of shocked by so I had to rate this a bit higher for that alone.

Overall, I admire the author for writing this family in the way she did. If you want a story to fill you with the absolute most rage, go read this!

Oh goodness, how I wanted to be able to get into this book. I originally got the e-book and then the audiobook with the hope having a narrator read this to me would make it somehow better. Sadly, it didn’t and I found myself disliking the characters even more as time progressed. I am not sure where along the way I thought this was intended to be a funny or humorous book but it did not hit that mark for me and I found myself cringing at most of the interactions and dialogue. I do not know how these characters were able to go through this book the way they were thinking “everything is fine”. Perhaps it was their inability to see the truth of the situation or the exaggerated dysfunctionality of the family and each of its members. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job with the voices and I thought she gave each character a unique personality.
I cannot say this book was particularly my “cup of tea” but sometimes we run across books that don’t find us in the right moments to receive them. It was a bit slow in its pacing and I think I was looking for something that would make me chuckle. However, it does seem as though this book has won some awards so it is worth the endeavor if it feels right for you.