Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
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This short, quick read is structured as the narrator's retrospective on her first foray into a relationship with a woman. From the beginning the reader knows with clarity that this is going to be nothing but the most extreme of toxic relationships. There is no good person in this relationship. The woman with whom the narrator becomes involved is nineteen years older and in a long term relationship. The story follows the flirting start of their relationship, the obsessive and sometimes manipulative and violent course, and the expected downfall. It is my impression that neither of these characters is meant to be likeable. They are flawed, they are struggling, they're in an affair. But their personalities and characteristics play well to the obsessive, unhealthy nature of their time together.
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The writing style and tone kept me entranced the entire time even when, on occasion, I felt the dialogue between the two main characters felt odd and a bit pretentious (think an A24 movie or a 2010 hipster). But that is how the characters are designed to be.
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Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read an LGBTQIA cult classic.

This novella had me hooked from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down. It’s beautiful, intense, and heartbreaking in all the right ways and made me feel more deeply than I have for a while, despite how quick of read it is.

The narrator tells us the story of her first same-sex “relationship”. It’s intimate, and a bit of a train wreck that is more relatable than I’d like to admit. I wish I’d read “Women” when I was coming out of the closet years ago.

Thank you to the publisher for the e arc in exchange for an honest review.
Everything is in it's context, and reading the afterward helped me put this book in it's context. The author talked about how a friend said this book was the most closeted book they'd ever read, and that the book didn't seem like it wanted to be written, and the author also didn't have a lot of queer community and knowing that context of the writing in the book helps me understand and appreciate it more.

On its own, it's difficult to know exactly what the commentary is the author is getting at. I kept wondering what the point about mental health was going to be, what the lessons were going to be with this relationship, would the girlfriend find out...though I suppose not all books need a point? However, it is hard to read about someone discovering their sexuality in this way that leaves the reader - in this case, me - thinking about how many women try to date out women like me in order to sort through their vague gay feelings. I almost DNFed because a lot of what the book was addressing didn't seem to have much redemption, and while that isn't going to happen in real life, I also find myself more judgemental of books and characters who will probably or likely end up straight after a little meeting with one lesbian. I think this could've been solved if there were more direction to some of the points in the book and threads, and again, the afterward helped me make more sense of this.

I would be curious to read anything else by this author from more recent years.

I got the chance to read the re-release copy coming out this summer on Netgalley, having never read the original version released in 2014. After finishing the book and reading in the end notes what a cult classic this is, I’m not surprised. I’ve never read a book that was so raw and unfiltered. At times I felt taken aback by the pure view into the narrator’s mind, unabashedly honest, a guttural reaction to heartbreak. This is a novella that lets the reader sit with feelings of confusion and mania without intending to problem solve, simply to bring to light the depth of emotion that women feel. The effect is devastatingly beautiful. I wish I had read this book ten years ago, and I wish I could gift it to my younger self.

i wanted to read this book because i (as a lesbian) wanted to read a book about lesbians. but i am also aroace, which means i have absolute zero idea if a relationship is supposed to be this complicated and messy?

i'm mostly glad it was only around 100 pages. i was hooked in the first chapter and it interested me a ton, but by the time the second chapter ended i was slowly losing interest. i was still interested enough to finish the book all the way through though! but i don't think i can quite give this 3 stars.

this book feels like the author and i are sitting in a bar on one random night chatting about our life and past. and in some parts the author even references the writing of the book and the manuscript and conversations with her editor, which is quite cool. there were a couple scenes and plot points that i thought were either odd or extremely unnecessary. i went into some detail on this on my goodreads review!

overall, it was very... fine. it didn't give me any lasting impacts, and that's alright. if you thought it was emotional and impactful and whatnot then cheers! good for you. but it was not that for me.

This. Was. A. Beautiful. Novella. Full stop.

Topping out at just over a hundred pages, this novella packed a punch and utilized ALL of it’s small-but-mighty page space. Written in a memoir style (but listed as fiction), Women read like the not-so-distant cousin of In The Dream House. Both stories explore the gut-wrenching (and relatable) struggle of mental health, love, addiction, and the intensity of wlw relationships.

I found this novella on a whim, I am so glad I did. Women gives Michelle Tea vibes. After reading Women, Chloe Caldwell is now on the short list of my instant favorites.

This story is unrelentingly thought-provoking and heartbreaking... in the way that only an honest retelling of actual life can sometimes be.
Beautiful story. Quick read. Wonderful.

I'm torn about a rating for this book. On the plus side, it was a quick read, and fairly interesting. At one point, I thought I'd stop reading but was surprised to learn I was more than halfway through the book.

I wasn't thrilled with the stereotypes in the book and the back and forth between the characters got old fast. The book was filled with lots of "I'm not a lesbian, but I sleep with her, I use drugs, I'm depressed and angry" vibes. If that's the direction the author wanted to take, I think it deserved a longer, much deeper dive into the story. If it was just a quick memoir of a first lesbian encounter, it probably could have been shorter.

This novella was a quick read. I finished reading it in two days. It tells the story of an intense semi toxic relationship. I found the lead character to be interesting. She is instantly drawn to the character Finn. Finn an older woman who is already in a long term relationship is begins an affair with the main character. From the beginning it is easy to see that this will be a fling. It is a hot burning relationship that obviously will be a memory the main character will carry with her forever.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc!

although this novella is receiving positive reviews and people are speaking very highly of the contents within, it truly just fell flat for me; for some reason, it did not feel as lgbt as I hoped, but other than that, it was a very quick, enjoyable read.

not really sure why this is getting so many rave reviews. just did not work. queer stereotypes, very superficial. just really did not care about this book.

gorgeous, erotic. a classic in the queeer world that I somehow never heard of?? signn me up. and this one was well worth the (very quick: under 100 pages) read

A deep feelings memoir about first love with a woman. The rollercoaster of emotions was well written. It reads as the author’s self therapy to get over a toxic relationship.

throughout the entire book, i found myself torn between giving it three stars and five stars. (so why not meet in the middle with four stars?!) initially, i questioned if the content offered anything new, but then memories of my
20-year-old self, grappling with the discovery of my attraction to women, flooded in. this book resonated deeply with the tumultuous journey of navigating some really heavy emotions while still closeted. (granted, nothing this dramatic happened to me, but everything FEELS more dramatic when you're in the closet)

as a 27-year-old happily married woman, i might not have required this book, but the 20-year-old version of me desperately did. this book has so many beautiful quotes but i think caldwell's exploration of the intricacies between women can be beautifully encapsulated in the quote "what happens between women is the most interesting thing in the world, because it is the least described.'

thank you to netgalley & harper perennial for the arc of this newest edition, in exchange for an honest review

I have a mixed reaction about this, coming at it with no prior knowledge of the book or of its fame. Some parts were painfully relatable, and almost all of them lie in the area of self-discovery, when one comes late in life into realizations about own self and preferences. The bit that seemed overblown and alienating in its over the topness was the actual development of the love story -- normally I would just read on because not everything in the world has to be personally relatable, but the contrast between the bits that were and weren't put me off the romance. A quick and interesting read, overall.

This book was so wonderful. Once I read it, I knew I wanted to own it and be able to read it again.The main characters are so real, even if you can't relate to everything they are going through and have experienced. It is an absolutely beautifully written story, and it was a quick read too. I would have devoured it in one sitting if I had the chance. I highly recommend others pick up this book and read it.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book.

Wow. Hadn’t heard of this before but so glad I stumbled onto this rerelease on NetGalley. Perfectly captures all-consuming young love, attraction, and obsession, I couldn’t put this novella down and read it in one night. The characters are messy and imperfect in all the ways humans tend to be and the ongoing start and stop and start again drama between the protagonist and her female lover feels maddening and real.

this book has left me with a lot of mixed feelings.

a seemingly straight women gets into a romantic or mostly sexual relationship with a soft butch. there are no boundaries, at least non respected. this is a short novella about an intense short lived relationship.

my favorite thing about this book was the diary like was it was written, even though it was fiction is almost like i was being told a true story directly from the mouth of the main character.

i saw myself in the main character, in the trying to fill an empty hole inside yourself with drugs, sex, people, experiences and then trying to turn that into art and failing. or succeeding?

even though this book was short, it took me a while to get through. it’s not dense by any means, but living in the MCs head is not an easy task and the way the book is written gives you no option but to.

i loved all aspects of this book separately, and only mildly enjoyed them all together. the writing, the characters, the story line, the book length. i can see why it is highly rated.

I really enjoyed this novel and would have read it in one sitting if it wasn’t for work and responsibilities! Still, I read it in a day. I couldn’t get enough of these two lovers. So toxic for each other, clearly, yet obviously so in love. I like how it handled addiction with honesty and zero glamor. Addiction fuels mental health instability and vice versa. These women were truly addicted to each other. It felt very raw and honest and you just wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. I found myself rooting for them even though they were obviously not good for each other. Also, the ending. No spoilers but this ended just the way it should have.

a story about me is that i remember reading this back upon original release and as a then baby queer, i don't think that i was quite ready to reflect on what this little novella does to communicate the emotions of trying to comprehend your own sexuality.

it reminds me of rewatching the l word, it reminds me of but... i'm a cheerleader. it reminds me of sitting in my room desperately seeking any book i could find that MENTIONED queer women and subsequently asking myself, "am i gay?" then going through period of convincing myself boys who i no longer remember the name of were soooo cute. years later, i still remember the name of the girl in algebra ii that i used to write bad poetry about. this book really asks you if you're gay, then gently reminds you that straight people don't spend all their time asking themselves if they're straight.

this story is about a young writer who encounters a soft butch about twenty years older than her named finn. their relationship starts as that homoerotic friendship replete with cuddling, with wanting to be around each other all the time - you know that old chestnut.

finally, finally, the two get together. for our protagonist, the connection is affirming. there's literally a moment where you can feel with her that sensation of, "oh, that's what i've been missing."

our story descends into chaos from there and it's sweet and it's sexy, but between navigating the toxicity of that first love that truly feels like love and finn carrying on a relationship with our protagonist despite having a partner back home, we're treated to a lot of prose about a first, big relationship being the center of your universe and when it evolves to something you do because it's something you're doing.

a really great story about what it felt like for me - and a lot of other people, i'm assuming - to be a baby queer, trying to learn about your own identity, then heartbreak, too.

lots of classic queer references in this, too! anne carson! jeanette winterson! leslie feinberg! annie on my mind! the l word! definitely a time capsule of a story. for me one of the best parts of this reading experience was though some things were absolutely lesbian cliches, the differences between what the world looked like just ten years ago and now, just in terms of lesbian visibility in media, is really kind of neat. also loved the imagery of the color blue throughout, too.

You can’t always predict what gets famous or why. This novella of a torrid love affair between two women had somehow made it. Something about it struck the chord with the general audience and a slew of celebs of screen and written word as the many pages of praise preceding the story AND the numerous quoted letters to the author in the afterword attest so loudly to.
Apparently, people found this sort of story relatable, be it their coming out book or what. It boasts a sort of beyond-queer appeal.
Outside of all the noise, if you just take the story as is, it’s an easy one-sit read about a woman in her twenties who moves to NYC and begins an affair with a butch nineteen years her senior. The butch is in a ten-year relationship with a woman, but this is the first lesbian affair for the younger one. Cue in drama, heavy heavy drama. Bucketloads of drama. In some ways exactly the sort of drama ugly clichés about lesbian relationships might be talking about. Unnecessary, ludicrous, overbrlown drama.
And yet, something about this tiny book—the confusion of it all, likely, of figuring out one’s sexuality and one’s needs and wants in a relationship—had really connected with the audience over the years, hence this ten-year anniversary reprint from a major publisher.
Well, look at you go, tiny book. It is objectively compelling, so kudos there. Otherwise, your level of emotional engagement will depend entirely on your levels of personal confusion. Thanks Netgalley.