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BLOB: A Love Story – Maggie Su

⭐ 4/5 stars

Maggie Su’s BLOB is one of those books that won’t be for everyone—but if you love weird, offbeat stories, you’ll probably be hooked.

The novel follows Vi, a messy, flawed, and distinctly unlikable protagonist with a massive victim complex. She finds a literal blob in an alley and, in a moment of drunken desperation, takes it home. As the blob grows and transforms, Vi tries to shape it into her ideal partner, setting off an absurd yet deeply introspective journey of love, loneliness, and control.

I expected BLOB to lean more into the bizarre, but it actually had a lot more realism than I anticipated. Beneath the surreal premise, the novel explores themes of identity, alienation, and the human need for validation. It’s not plot-driven or fast-paced, but it’s an engaging, moody, and introspective read.

If you’re looking for shocking twists and a thrilling pace—this isn’t it. But if you’re into slow-burn psychological stories and don’t mind a protagonist as frustrating as your Monday morning alarm, BLOB might just be your next favorite weird read.

Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su is a strange, darkly comic and acerbic coming-of-age story that is perfect for the weird-lit lover.

The premise of Blob is a bit bonkers. Our protagonist Vi Liu is a college dropout still dealing with a breakup and bored in a job she hates. She finds a sentient blob in an alleyway outside a drag club. After taking it home and feeding it on a diet of sugary cereal and reality TV, Vi finds she can mould the blob (dubbed Bob) into her perfect man.

Vi is an intriguing and deeply flawed character. She is lonely, selfish, awkward and often mean-spirited but she also exhibits a deep yearning to connect and be loved. The daughter of a taiwanese father and white mother, and with a high-achieving doctor brother, Vi feels like the black sheep of the family and doesn't understand why life feels so much harder for her to handle.

I enjoyed the writing style and unfolding of the story which while strange and weird, with elements bordering on soft horror, was also funny and sarcastic at times, and deeply melancholic at others.

Along with the comically unfolding calamity that is a morphing Bob the blob, the story follows Vi in her daily life and also flashes back to her childhood experience, relationships (with family, friends and romantic) and litany of crushes and first loves.

I was often frustrated with Vi, empathetic towards her, sometimes shocked and repulsed and at others found her funny and relatable.

Exploring themes of identity, self-worth, connection, racism, mental illness, social artifice and norms, and more, the books delves into how we love and connect. I enjoyed reading this book and found it very compelling, though I fekt the ending was a tad trite almost and felt like the author bashed you over the head with the meaning of it all.

Overall, it you love weird lit-fic, I'd recommend Blob: A Love Story. I'm interested to read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There were multiple hinge-points in this book where it could have gone really weird, potentially even borderline-horror weird, but instead of weird blob fiction we got philosophical blob fiction. And while the message was sweet, the road to self-discovery dragged and the blob barely featured. I loved the first third and it was easy to read but I wanted more Flubber shenanigans in the end.

An easy, bizarre read that will make you extremely grateful you're not in your early 20s anymore. For fans of Melissa Broder's The Pisces or those looking for a surrealist take on Girls.

2 stars

**Thank you to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Basics
Author: she/her (USA)
Genre: literary fiction, weird, magical realism
Setting: a city
Themes: loneliness, mental illness
Vibes: tired, miserable

Characters
Vi - recently broken-up-with woman in a dead-end job who is really stuck in every aspect of her life
Bob - the sentient blob Vi found and is growing into her ideal man
Rachel - Vi's sunny, white coworker (foil)
Elliott - "Chinese drag queen frat boy lawyer"

Pros
+ unhinged barely-hanging-onto-reality fMC (asking someone you don't know if they are related to your ex because their incisor tooth looks the same is WILD)
+ reverse dismemberment / stretchy build-a-man
+ mentions Yoga with Adriene mention (love her)
+ mentions The Korean Vegan (also love her)
+ moldy apt does give me the heeby-jeebies (I have a mold phobia, especially in fabrics/walls)

Cons
- the flashbacks--while helpful at explaining the MC's trajectory--are ultimately boring and I've set the book down multiple times during those sections
- I have fallen asleep or put this book down at least 6x which is not a great sign (the book was so strong in the beginning but got weaker/boring)
- I know Bob is a blob-turned-hunk but the born-sexy-yesterdayness of it all is irking me
- Honestly, Vi has the life she has because she is a miserable *sshole of a person 💩 👎
- Justice for Bob the Blob
- if this doesn't end with Vi turning into a blob I'm going to be upset 🫠
- I hate the entire "beard" party scene. Just no.
- Vi is a miserable person who needs therapy before she's allowed to talk to people again (she constantly puts others down because she wants them to feel bad about themselves and be miserable too)
- right as Vi does one thing to turn her life around, she is immediately rewarded with someone super-hot asking her out despite her being a physical and mental mess. So cliche. 🙄
- some words are written \like this\ now which is very irritating
- now an open-mic night...why has this book devolved so quickly from everything I like (weird, body horror/transformation, unhinged fMCs) to everything I find cringey? 🙃
- this is really incorrectly marketed as a love story and shelved as "romance"
- I feel like this book wanted to say a lot but never actually said anything

Comp Recs
+ Monstrilio by Cordova

TW
heavy drinking, vomiting, bullying by MC in school (flashback), tying up to imprison

What do you do when you find a blob by a bin on a drunken night out? Why, you take it in, of course, and guide it in the ways of the force. But what if that blob has different ideas? And what if the plans you had weren't the best plans afterall?

I enjoyed this book for the most part but found it didn't really go anywhere until the very end. Then I understood the 'moral' of the story. The lead up was nice and the story easy reading, but it didn't feel like it had a purpose.

I seriously wish this app had half star ratings, then I would give it 3.5 stars. Fun, but not challenging.

I couldn’t put down this brilliant debut book. College dropout and socially awkward Vi is still struggling with her relationship breakup. On a drunken night out she finds a strange ’Blob’ and impulsively brings it home. Struggling with loneliness, Vi finds comfort in nurturing the Blob who miraculously transforms into a handsome boyfriend she names Bob. Being with the curious and spontaneous Bob gives Vi a new perspective on her own life, the value of family and friendship, and she finally realises the path to her own happiness.

This is one of those books where you can read it lightly and it would be a funny story. Or, you can read it heavily, and it’s actually a sad gal fic. It’s not long and both ways were enjoyable for me.

Blob follows Vi, a “chubby, socially challenged introvert” who was dumped by her only long term relationship because she moulded herself to be who she thought he wanted. Spiralling with poor decisions, she’s trying to find her identity again with her perfect “Blob” man 🤭.

The story is ridiculous but also pokes fun at societal expectations, many sad but true feels and I think Blob would be perfect for those whose pet has given them a purpose to get up every day.

A great debut and I’m looking forward to what Maggie Su releases next.

BLOB will be for you if you’re a fan of weird books and authors like Melissa Broder and Emily Austin. She’s a bit of a literary fiction genre bender with elements of romance, magical realism and slight sci-fi.

This book was just fun and vibes. The main character Vi is messy, vulnerable and flawed, yet still somehow loveable. She has a penchant for self sabotage and victimisation. The other characters are well developed and add to the story in a cohesive way.

The book focuses on the unfolding story with the blob, but is very reflective of Vi’s childhood and adolescence hence being a coming of age story. The book calls itself a love story, and I feel that the biggest love story in this book is about self-love, belonging and growing up. It gets quite deep.

This book was a fever dream. I truly didn’t know what to expect from girl meets blob, blob becomes hot guy, but it was a truly fun read.

While it wasn’t my favourite read (I’m not a huge fan of following repetitive daily life), I was captivated and had to keep reading. Vi is a very relatable character and perfectly encapsulates insecurity wrapped in malaise.

Such a great blend of surreal, longing, self loathing and everyday human emotions.

Thanks NetGalley and Hachette for the eARC.

BLOB - MAGGIE SU

When I saw the cover and read the synopsis of Blob, I knew that I was in for a weird time - and I was here for it. But I didn't expect the surprising depth and heavier topics that make this book such an excellent read. Here's the synopsis:

The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, Vi Liu has never quite fit into her Midwestern college town. Now at 23, after getting dumped and dropping out of college, Vi works as a front desk attendant at a hotel where she refills cucumber water samovars and fends off overtures of friendship from her bubbly blond coworker, Rachel. But when Vi decides to accompany Rachel to a local drag show, her life changes forever. In the alley outside the bar, next to a trash can, is a blob with beady black eyes. Unable to leave it behind, Vi picks up the creature and, in a moment of drunken desperation, takes it home with her.

Let's talk about the blob. Firstly, I love the idea of the blob, and how it becomes a character and a representation of love - and the idea of whether we can ever really have any control over love itself or someone we love. I think it's genius and it just works. If anything, I wanted more of the blob and more interaction with it.

This is a funny book, although it's darkly funny since Vi is our MC and she's hit rock bottom in terms of her life and what she wants to do with it. Because of this, the book actually deals with heavier topics such as racial discrimination, body shaming and self-worth. We learn more about Vi through her thoughts about the past, and I think this is beautifully done and, in my opinion, quite brave.

Brave because Vi isn't the most likable character, which may not work for all readers. But as we get to know Vi and follow on this incredibly wild journey, our perception changes and it's much easier to gain some understanding of her and her choices.

So, in the end, yes, it's a love story - but with a twist. Blob is an exciting and quirky read, and I'd recommend it to anyone, quite frankly. I can't wait to read more from Maggie Su in the future.

Thank you to Maggie Su, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Release date: 28 January 2025

Review score: 4/5

TWs: alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, body shaming

Blob by Maggie Su was the most brilliantly bizarre book - and I couldn't recommend it all.

Vi is lost, a self-sabotaging but quite loveable main character. While those around her try to absorb her into their own narratives, she strongly goes against the grain, acting in unexpectant and funny ways. Her mundane job and the banality of everything around her crushes against the surreal circumstances she pursues - like adopting a blob that turns into something more.

The book was great in pacing and length, and the writing style was captivating and accessible.

This was just such a rockin' book and I would love to see more from Maggie Su. Thanks NetGalley for my eARC!

In the strangest way possible, this book is both perplexing and heartfelt, confusing and obviously brilliant.

Vi as a character felt more real to me than I do to myself sometimes. She orbited a wonderful cast of side characters too, all of whom make the premise (and the inevitability of things happening) that much more exciting. She is real and down to earth and honestly messes up more than the standard anount (which is totally valid considering the situation)

And Blob: oh how I adore what you became. There were so many moments I could barely keep reading; it all just felt so real and painful and part of that place of existence that hurts.

There is so much reality and harness and beauty put into this novel, and it ends on the most perfect of notes 💜

Please, please give this book a go. My only advice? Trust the process - this one is about the adventure, not the destination.

At 23 years of age, Vi’s life is a mess, she is in a dead-end job, has no boyfriend, no friends, her apartment is a pigsty, she has dropped out of college and lies to her family. Life is looking pretty bleak for Vi. Invited out one night by her work colleague Rachel to a drag show. Vi discovers in the back alley of the club. next to rubbish bin, a blob with black eyes. In a drunken moment Vi feels a connection to the blob and takes it home. The blob morphs into Bob, who is well-endowed and with a set of abs. With all this perfection forming in her living room, life should become peachy for Vi, but no, things manage to go astray.

This is not a long novel but there is a lot packed in. The central character, Vi is beautifully crafted. For she is everyone at 23 years of age, a complete disaster. That age where everyone thinks you have your life planned out, but really you are faking it until you can make it. It is not just the lack of a life plan that has Vi in a quandary, she is socially awkward and she is instantly relatable through her imperfections. I mean how many of us have just wanted to slip out from a gathering unnoticed or had to deal with social encounters where you would rather hide under a rock? With the discovery of Bob, it gives Vi an opportunity to reflect on where her life is at and how she got to this position. This could have become a slog with a lot of introspection, but no. Maggie Su is able to cleverly use these moments to give Vi more depth and dimension. Allowing you to understand the weight of expectation from Vi’s family, her former boyfriend and the reasons for her reactions. Vi’s interactions with Bob are an interesting set of dynamics. Her treatment as the blob develops, becomes Bob are really intriguing and will make great book club discussion as to her motivations.
What I like is that you think you know where this love story is going but captain obvious is not part of this story.
Maggie Su has created a quirky, imaginative story that at its heart is the problem of trying to be the best version of yourself when everyone has an opinion as to who and what you should be.

I am a lover of the weird book. This is a weird book. There are a couple of lessons I think we are being taught by ‘Bob’, but I don’t want to spoil that for you.

Vi is a college drop-out, working in a dead-end job and recently single. She is a downer, pessimistic and seems to only do ‘enough’ and nothing more. One night her friend organises a night out and Vi finds a blob in the alley. She takes the blob home. Over time the blob takes on human attributes. Vi tries to mold him into what she considers the perfect man, but he resists, which in turn has an effect on shaping and teaching Vi.

This is a surprisingly funny and unique story about the human condition.