In Soft Core, we are introduced to Ruth, who lives in a crumbling Victorian with her ex-boyfriend, Dino, in San Francisco. Ruth has recently begun working as a dancer at a strip club, where she calls herself Baby Blue and spend her nights seducing patrons from all walks of life. But then Dino, who Ruth is still very much emotionally attached to, disappears, leaving Ruth feeling adrift. She finds her way into San Francisco’s seedy sadomasochistic underbelly, reflecting on her life and forging some surprising relationships along the way.

The description of Soft Core makes it sound like Ruth is on an epic quest to find Dino, but that’s not really the case. Instead the novel, much like Ruth herself, is a bit aimless. It reads like a series of scenes rather than a book with a firm beginning, middle, and end. We are simply in Ruth’s head for this phase of her life, experiencing what she experiences; that’s the whole book. And I’m not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing. This is a deeply felt character study, incredibly intimate in its telling, that is both insightful and subversive. Brittany Newell is a phenomenal writer and a daring one, walking just the right side of a line between edgy and sensationalistic. Soft Core offers an unflinching look at the adult entertainment industry, with a seductive, fever-dream-like feeling to the prose. It really embraces its seedier qualities, while also offering a sensitive and complex portrayal of a sex worker. I was captivated by it all the way through, although I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the ending.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the complimentary reading opportunity.

The prose absolutely crackles in this one--it's casually, flippantly pyrotechnic. I both enjoyed and admired this book quite a bit. I'm not sure that it totally follows through on all the pieces tosses up in the air, but I'm personally more interested in a book that confidently expresses a mood than one that perfectly sticks all of its landings, plot-wise. I loved spending time in this world.

3.5 ⭐️. what an insightful exploration into the world of smex work. ruthie/ baby/ miss sunday was such a complex, complicated character that I couldn't help but root for.

ty to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five enthusiastic stars! This book was the wildest, most fun, most interesting ride! I had a blast reading this but was also genuinely impressed by the quality of the writing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and couldn’t put it down. I found myself distressed when it was over because I just wanted to learn more about this motley crew of characters.

For anyone who loves a quirky literary fiction novel with strong found family vibes, this is for you.

Soft Core was one of those books where I really got sucked into the main character’s life and felt like I knew them. Newell has a great way of writing her characters in such a lovely way where I didn’t just want to know about this lives because it was interesting, but because I genuinely cared. I loved the confusing turns the story took at the end of the book as well and think that added to my rating for it. Thank you to the publisher for the arc copy.

Nop. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone with this book but I clearly made the wrong choice. This book wasn't for me at all.

The writing style was weird, the plot completely off and I just did not care for it.

I strongly disliked the characters.

I have absolutely nothing good to say about it.

Sorry.

Soft Core is sharply witty at some points and quietly heartbreaking at others. Ruth is a likeable character made all the more relatable by her flaws, and by the end of the story she feels like an old friend. Literary fiction fans will not want to miss this one! Full review at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/4947/soft-core

Soft Core is very much a no-plot-just-vibes kind of book, which worked for me at times but lost my interest along the way. The writing is strong, and there are definitely some interesting moments, but I found myself wanting more character development—especially when it came to Dino (still not entirely sure what his role was supposed to be). The main character being a stripper added some intrigue, but overall, I was hoping for a bit more depth. Not a bad read, just not totally satisfying.

Having not read this author before, I can say the writing ws esily the best prt and their talent is present throughout.

The story itself was muddled and made for a different audience than myself.

The mystery aspect was tepid
The prurient acts deliberately shocking and did not move the plot along.

Again, I applaud the effort and recognize it just wasn't for me.

I was expecting more of a focus on the mystery of Dino, however it felt more like reading diary entries from Ruthie on her day to day life.

Soft Core seduced me from the start and kept my attention through its entirety. Brittany Newell’s prose is well crafted and this fever dream of a story was perfectly raw and satisfying. I highly recommend this atmospheric, unhinged novel to anyone who enjoys an unconventional story of love and power.

• ruth, a stripper, lives with her ex-boyfriend dino in a massive victorian when one day he disappears. on a journey to figure out where he went, taking her to dive bars & bus depots & bdsm dungeons (where she takes a gig), and meeting a number of people along the way, including emeline, the strip club’s new hire who seems eerily familiar.
• this is a story of power, love, & loss, the the way the three main themes intertwine in ruth’s narrative voice is very well done. she’s a girl longing for connection (something we can all relate to), just not always in the best places.
• i thought this book was the perfect amount of “unhinged woman figuring out her life” and i really didn’t see the twist at the end coming, which made for a fun conclusion.

A fever dream of raw experiences of a sex worker, drug laced and an unreliable narrator are some of the words I would use to explain Soft Core. This isn't the type of book I would blindly recommend to just anyone. For the right type of reader though, this is a great read. For fans of Melissa Broder, Jen Beagin, Emma Cline, Anna Dorn and Mona Awad this would be an auto-read pick though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the wildest and most interesting books I’ve ever read. It was actually very difficult to come up with comps for this because in my opinion it was very singular but I’ve listed books & media with similar vibes or themes.

In this story we follow Ruth (AKA Baby) who works as an exotic dancer (you guessed it) and later on as a dominatrix, after her ex, Dino, who she still lives with, goes missing. Along the way, Baby meets some very unique characters while looking back on her relationship with Dino and the factors that led to its demise including her own intimacy issues.

This is an 80% thoughts 20% plots story so be aware of that in deciding whether to pick this up. That being said, I devoured this slice of life journey. I was impressed with how well written this story was. Brittany Newell has major literary talent; that much was obvious. Baby’s voice was captivating, unique, and raw. She was a very complex and perhaps unlikeable character but one that it was impossible to look away from. I cannot WAIT to read more from Newell.

A quote I loved:
…”though I stayed in the bath until long after dinnertime, I still couldn’t get clean. This filth was not moral or social but intercellular. I’d been contaminated by male longing, operatic and shabby. I was paid to be a beam of light while dudes displayed their darkness. I carried their essences home with me, the secret stuff they’d never tell their wives or friends or therapists. Don’t repeat this to anyone, they whispered, or else. How could I? Where would I even begin? Try as I might to have boundaries, shit still oozed in.”

Thank you so much to FSG for the #gifted copy of Soft Core! I may have screamed when I opened the mail. Also thank you to netgalley for the eGalley!

4.5/5 rounded up!

This was so wonderfully thrilling. Just teetering on the edge of surreal, its carries a Lynchian strangeness. I loved this book. It is completely propulsive, grimy, snd exciting. So thrilled to be introduced to Newell’s work.

This was a fever dream of a novel and I absolutely loved it. I loved the character driven and inner thought writing and following Ruth/Baby’s weird kinky escapades. I feel like there was something missing to make this a 5 star read but honestly had a great time reading this.

If you want a sad girl’s spiral that gives A24 vibes look no further than Soft Core. I was expecting this to be more of an unhinged who done it but instead I got this beautifully lonely and strange tale of a young woman struggling with self love. I plan to reread this and annotate the hell out of this when I get my hands on a physical copy. Thank you so much to NetGally and the publishers for the ARC to review.

I entered this book expecting a fun, surface-level romp, but got a mysterious, thought-provoking meditation on longing, loneliness, and the purgatory of coming of age. The atmosphere was ethereal and visceral; the main character rich and complex. At first I longed for more clear “answers” or development to the mysterious and characters we are introduced to, but by the end, understood that these were merely background factors to display her constant state of yearning, loss, and the torment of a life in limbo. Stunning writing while still giving wit, beauty, and a healthy dose of messiness.

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Ghoul Von Horror's Reviews > Soft Core
Soft Core by Brittany Newell
Soft Core
by Brittany Newell
5948071
Ghoul Von Horror's reviewJan 30, 2025 · edit
did not like it
bookshelves: 1-star-hated-it, almost-dnfed, ambiguous-ending, audio-book, fiction, forgettable, gay, netgalley, read-books-2025, started-great-ended-meh, taboo-s, unhinged-women

[TW/CW: Language, drinking, smoking, drinking pee, drug use, cheating, child abandonment, toxic family relationships, alcoholism, eating disorder, bullying, family drama, use of c-word]

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Ruth is lost. She’s living in a drafty Victorian with her ex-boyfriend Dino, a ketamine dealer with a lingerie habit, overdosing on television and regretting her master’s degree. When she starts dancing at a strip club, she becomes Baby Blue, seductress of crypto bros, outcasts, and old lovers alike. Plunged into this swirling underworld of beautiful women, fast cash, ungodly hours, and strangers’ secrets, Baby’s grip on reality begins to loosen. She is sure she can handle it—until one autumn morning when Dino disappears without a trace.
Thus begins a nocturnal quest for the one she still loves—through the misty hills of San Francisco; in dive bars and bus depots; at the BDSM dungeon where she takes a part-time gig. Along the way, she meets Simon, a recluse who pays her for increasingly bizarre favors; a philosophizing suicide fetishist named Nobody; and Emeline, the beautiful and balletic new hire who reminds Baby of someone . . .
Release Date: February 4th, 2025
Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Some of the most insane things mentioned

What I Didn't Like:
1. Writing got to be too much
2. Felt like there was no point and aimless
3. Over the top things happening to just happen

Final Thoughts:
Nothing is worse than reading a book and thinking it'll go somewhere or have a message. I felt like I was trapped on the ocean in a boat being hit by wave after wave. Half way through this book I kept trying to understand where it was going and what the book was trying to tell me. In the end though I felt like it was all pointless. You're just traveling around with Ruth as she does the most crazy things but getting little pay off for the adventures.

Ruth's boyfriend is missing and outside of his warning to not call the cops she does nothing to find him. How is she paying rent when he was so secretive about his money? Why did she start to think she saw him in so many people? None of this is explained. You're just cast into this ever moving too crazy unbelievable world that Ruth owns. The language is peppered with complex sentences that you shouldn't think too hard about. Ruth decides to move in a new person. It all seems like worthless.

We never learn about why Dena was messing around with Ruth or if she was. How did she end up in her life but small world her dad was the one that Ruth used to sleep with.

Every page felt like a hurtle. I read another book from this author; Oola and did not like it either. Those characters in the book also went no where and the story just sits in this almost limbo. It all felt so stale and meh.

My review for Oola
IG | Blog

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for the ebook edition of this book and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a ride! I think it would be easy to write this off as purely sensational based on the subject matter alone, but it's so much more than that. For people feeling lost or on the cusp of change, this could be a life changing story.