3.5

I’ve been wanting to read this novella since it was nominated (and won) best novella in the 2022 Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, so I couldn’t request this audio review copy faster when I saw it available on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I think audio was not the way to go for me with this story. I liked the narrator, Elana Dunkelman; however, I think the writing itself was best suited to be read physically.

This novella is incredibly short (under 80 pages) and it packs a punch. It follows a courtesan named Jewel after her friend is murdered by a client and somehow comes back to life. It’s a great exploration of exploitation and the failures of capitalism in a bleak dystopian future. The writing was lush and atmospheric but something about the reading experience just didn’t stick with me as much as I wanted it to. I will definitely be rereading this with my eyes at some point, and I will continue to check out work by Premee Mohamed.

I enjoyed this so much more than I expected to - it was a delight! The story has resonance and I'll be thinking about it for a while. I just wish there was more!

Premise - a client kills a sex worker in a world of extreme wealth inequality, but the dead sex worker returns for revenge.

I didn't mind the experimental writing style at all and found the story haunting and beautiful. It was easy to root for the characters, even when I disagreed with their choices. I just wish the story went deeper into the world building, the plot, the characters, everything - I think I'll always be a novel over novella girl.

Thanks, NetGalley and Neon Hemlock, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For me, And What Can We Offer You Tonight was a confusing mess with a decent idea that never hit its potential. The story follows Jewel who is a courtesan in a luxurious house. Jewel's friend Winfield is killed by a client but then during her funeral Winfield wakes up and wants revenge. This is a cool idea but then everything just felt jumbled and confusing.

I’m not a writer so I hate calling someone’s hard work confusing but I was confused for most of this short story. I never had a full grasp of what was really going on and I did not get any resolution I was hoping to get.

I love novellas and how authors can fit so much character development and world-building in such a short story but I also found that lacking in this book too.

For me, this is sadly a very difficult book for me to recommend, even with how short it is.