Woof, I do not know about this book. A MC who is obsessed with the thinly veiled Timothee Chalamet (who she ends up meeting and gets involved in his friend group!?), a non-binary person who is repeatedly named as "the person called Sam" and the endless descriptions of online videos and scrolling social media all left me a bit cold. I feel like this book had nothing new to say, was wholly unbelievable (and for no discernable reason), and I sped through it. Just left with a lot of questions about who this book is for and what the overall purpose was.

This was super different than my typical read so I was apprehensive at first but I loved it. I found myself identifying with Elsa’s journey so much.

Definitely a bit depressing at times and I felt as if the ending was lacking a bit of closure. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an eARC of Misrecognition in exchange for my honest review!

I can admire what this book aims to accomplish, even while I don't completely click with it. There's praise to be given for how much this character study devotes itself to fleshing out the hollowness of Elsa's life. She's this pitiful and lonesome being who uses Instagram, YouTube, and her obsession over multiple people (including Timothée Chalamet) as entities that she can rely on to fill up the emptiness inside herself. As bleakly compelling as this can be to follow sometimes, it's also capable of putting me in a restless state that wants to dive into more substantial meat. At least this is only novella-length, although even then, the prose can get a bit too verbose. Again, I understand that this is supposed to display the shallowness of Elsa's world, but the execution isn't completely smooth nonetheless.

Overall, I'm officially rating Misrecognition three out of five stars. It's perfectly all right, and I suppose I'll keep an eye out for more of Madison Newbound's work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Try as I might, I could not get into this book. For me, the characters as well as story fell flat. It was disappointing as the premise seemed really interesting.

This was a DNF at 30%. The MC is plagued by personal failures and I could not get into the plot. It felt like endless sadness and self pity.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book just wasn't for me, and it's a shame because I love reading about unhinged women. This book starts off pretty slow and uneventful. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, and when it did, boy the revelation was such a letdown. This book has this weird tone, and I didn't care about the plotline. The only positive was the writing. I think the author has a lovely prose and wicked sense of humor, but her storytelling is rather stale.

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of "Misrecognition" by Madison Newbound.

Woof...this novel was, unfortunately, a letdown for me. I was excited to dive into a novel that explores queer identity, internet commentary, overconsumption, etc., but alas, this novel falls short. "Misrecognition" is lacking in depth overall, with an undeniable flatness to the characters themselves. I also didn't like the author's writing style, finding myself skimming my way through the back half of the book. Another reviewer describes the book as "no plot, just vibes," which couldn't be more accurate. I won't be picking up another book by this author.

I wanted to like Madison Newbound’s MISRECOGNITION so much more than I did. The premise sounds excellent and I was hooked on that alone; however, the novel does not quite fulfill it. The main character Elsa never came across as obsessive or anything remotely having any kind of energy to it. Overall the book felt like one overly long scroll through Instagram, the kind where you look up to realize it’s been far, far longer than you’d intended and all you have to show for it is a general “ick” for falling down a social media hole. I do appreciate the type of character-focused, somewhat anti-plot style Newbound uses, but something did not work here. Maybe I’d feel differently if Elsa had done something like make a decision near or at the end that had “burn it all down” consequences or something. She is depressed, which is effectively rendered through the rather gauzy feel at the beginning of the book. The whole novel having this feel didn’t work, though, most likely because it kept Elsa too far out of reach. I didn’t care what happened to her after the book ended, but I wish I did.

Frankly, this was a miss for me, and I found myself slogging through it just to finish. The drawn-out prose felt more tedious than insightful, and I never really connected with Elsa, the main character. Her constant drifting and obsession felt flat, and instead of evoking empathy, it left me feeling bored.

I’ll admit, the Timothée Chalamet-inspired character was a hard sell from the start for me as well (cue Michael Bluth here: HIM???), and it felt like a forced attempt to capture a modern “cool” vibe. What could have been an interesting look at queer identity and postmodern adulthood just didn’t land for me. By the time the story delved into Elsa’s confusing connection with Sam, I was already checked out. The book had some potential with its themes, but it was lost in a sea of aimless internet scrolling and a protagonist I couldn't care about.

There were parts of this book and I did enjoy but for the most part I found myself pretty bored unfortunately. Dnf at 56%

I really enjoyed this! At first, I had rated it 4 stars but, after a little more reflecting, I decided to lower my rating. This book is definitely for the girlies who love character-based literary fiction! As a huge fan of authors like Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh, I thoroughly enjoyed Newbound's writing style. Her descriptions of the setting and how the characters feel about themselves and the world around them was beautiful. However, I feel like a lot of the plotlines never really wrapped up, and because of this, the ending felt abrupt. I would've loved to see some of the themes the book discussed, such as queerness, explored more deeply. Although the plot fell a little short for me in this story, I look forward to picking up another one of Newbound's books in the future!

I was really excited for this one but it ultimately wasn't my cup of tea. The main character Elsa felt very flat and the story as a whole held very little depth. While on the flip side, there were some moments that had too much detail, for instance when the interface of Instagram was described. I'm not sure I can really recommend this one, sadly.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book so much. The first half of the book was very slow and I ended up putting the book down for quite a while. Eventually when I came back to it, it seemed to move at a faster pace, but I did not gain any more interest in it than I previously had.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free book. My opinions are my own.

Left in the dusk by her past partners, Elsa struggles to rediscover balance in her life. Will love be enough to pull her out of this rut?

I really struggled with the writing and the pacing in the book. The summary copy sounded super interesting, but the book itself was super hard to get into. It tries to add, I guess, a layer of suspense by going on about "the man and the woman" who have seemingly ruined Elsa's life. There's very little movement or intrigue in the opening scenes with fairly regular, boring conversations happening between her and her therapist and then with her parents at home. Again, the book promises to be so interesting, but it gets bogged down in all the wrong details while trying to be evasive about the interesting parts. The writing style also just felt a bit pretentious and almost like it was trying too hard to be something it's not.

This book compactly describes the melancholy of our basic cycles of life. I was drawn in by Newbound’s prose, stayed for Elsa’s story, and was left with much to ponder. Newbound’s commentary on daily technology use also felt timely. Might re-read in the near future!

Content Warnings: Depression, Self Destructive Behavior, Parasocial Relationship/Stalking

I thought the writing style of this book was interesting, but ultimately it isn't for me. The main character, Elsa, is a depressed person coming out of a polyamorous relationship and then entering into one with a nonbinary celebrity (?). Not sure if the nonbinary individual was celebrity, but the one they accompanied is clearly some sort of insert for a contemporary heartthrob that I am too out-of-touch to identify. The parasocial relationship/stalking element happens with said nonbinary individual, referred to throughout as "the person called Sam," and also later when Elsa cyberstalks the social media of the polyamorous couple with which she has broken up.

If it sounds like I can't describe the plot it's because there really isn't much of one. It's just following Elsa as she meanders from location to location and engaging with different people, whether online or in real life. I found that at times this was engaging, such as Elsa making a trip to Sephora and getting her makeup professionally done, but overall pretty lackluster. I also didn't like how the polyamorous relationship that led to Elsa's depression was depicted because it really wasn't paid that much attention. For such a powerful catalyst, it's not well described or detailed, so it's unclear if it was unhealthy, healthy but then got complicated, or some of the million other variants.

If you like no-plot-just-vibes, particularly if those vibes are sad-but-terminally-online-and-in-therapy, then I'd give this a try. I think some will dig Elsa and her experiences, even if I didn't. Just keep in mind the comments in the rest of my review.

I enjoyed misrecognition overall. I liked being in Elsa’s head and seeing her coping with the fallout from a failed relationship. I also liked the commentary about the Internet and how it kind of sucks you in and alters your perception of reality. The audiobook was OK. I probably would just read on the page.

Misrecognition is a poignant exploration of identity, obsession, and the search for meaning in the aftermath of heartbreak. Madison Newbound crafts a compelling narrative that delves into the intricacies of human connection and self-discovery.

Elsa’s journey is a raw and relatable portrayal of someone grappling with loss and the struggle to redefine oneself. The portrayal of her fascination with the actor and subsequent shift to Sam is beautifully nuanced, highlighting her desperate need for understanding and belonging.

Sam’s character adds depth and complexity to the story, challenging Elsa to face uncomfortable truths about her past and her desires. The book’s setting, during a vibrant theater festival, serves as the perfect backdrop for Elsa’s tumultuous internal journey.

Newbound’s writing is evocative, drawing readers into Elsa’s world and her emotional turmoil. *Misrecognition* is a thought-provoking read that explores the blurred lines between love, obsession, and identity.

A powerful story of self-discovery and the quest for meaning in the face of loss.

DNF'd this book around right after 50%. Unfortunately, was not for me. Felt like another obsession based novel like Y/N, Eileen, Pizza Girl, Perfume & Pain, the list goes on that the media has been eating up this year. Although for me, there is too much fluff and lacking depth. The MC is listening to makeup videos and aimlessly walking through Sephora for 25% of this book. I will not be finishing and spending time on other reviews! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.