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.

I listened to the audiobook read by Christine Lakin, who really brought Ruth to life for me with her intimate narration. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary reading opportunity.

I love the way that Newell writes. This book was just so interesting and I loved peeking into the life of a fictional sex worker written by a sex worker. Although the book was really fun to read, I feel like there wasn’t a strong story overall. 3.5 stars rounded up.

It felt like two books meshed into one - it didn’t pay off.

I really enjoyed the club scenes and would've loved to read more but I didn't care about the relationship with Dino. It felt like there were two different plots occurring at the same same but overall would've preferred to read about the club vs her filling the void / looking for Dino. Especially since, as the reader, felt no connection to his character or as a means for them getting back together.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

Wow!! I could not stop listening to this audio! It had me hooked from the very first chapter! The narrator did great! Such great writing style!

This book came highly recommended by a friend, so I was very excited to listen to the audiobook narrated by the talented Christine Lakin. Unfortunately, I think this just wasn't for me right now. Even after making it about 25% of the way into the book, I'm not quite sure what the plot was?

The story loosely follows the daily life of Ruth, aka Baby, an exotic dancer who is currently living with her ex-boyfriend. You get glimpses of her past relationships, but in a sort of clinical way that doesn't reveal much about the main character and her motivations. The writing is excellent and witty, and the narration is great, but unfortunately, it ultimately wasn't enough to keep me engaged.

A really fun read that was also super mysterious and dark. I liked it but didn’t love it. It had moments where it reminded me of Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me. I found there was a whole lot going on and a lot of jumping back and forth in the story where I was often confused as to what was going on and where we were In the story, the pacing wasn’t awesome. I will probably forget about this book if I’m being honest. It seems as though I’m in the minority as a lot of folks loved this one. I liked it but it was maybe not for me.

Soft Core by Brittany Newell was so good and was an immediate recommendation to all my friends once I finished listening. A solid 4.5 stars for me. I was lucky enough to be given an ARC of the audiobook and was not disappointed. The narrator Christine Lakin did a phenomenal job differentiating the cast of characters and all their voices. I was immediately hooked by her voice and can not imagine this story being read by anyone else. Her tone was perfect for our main character Ruth/Baby/Ms. Sunday. I will be keeping an eye out for any other audiobooks narrated by Lakin.

Now focusing on the actual plot of Soft Core and what to expect...let me just say this: UNHINGED WOMAN. If you love an unreliable narrator who is also just a girl, this book is for you. More of a vibes-over-plot kind of book, but it also follows more of a plot than other books that fit this genre. The readers are genuinely taking a peek into Ruthie's life in one of her hardest moments. The vibes are simultaneously intense, but also mundane. That mood is set for the entirety of the story. Soft Core focuses on our main character Ruth who is a stripper in San Francisco and also goes by Baby at the club. It takes you through her everyday life as a sex worker, while also living with her recent drug dealer ex-boyfriend Dino, who she is still in love with by the way. They live in this old Victorian house together and the readers get to see the memories they have made through Ruth's flashbacks as she reflects on their relationship. These flashbacks are passionate and intimate and is the readers' only lens they have of knowing Dino because he disappears.

Quickly, the readers learn that this isn't the first time Dino disappears, given his profession. Thus, Ruthie continues stripping and living her life However, our girl is struggling hard. By Dino disappearing, the weight of the breakup further pushes Ruthie into a heavy blanket of grief. The writings in these sections were so relatable. But this story gets crazy quickly, especially when we are introduced to mysterious characters. My favorites are Emmaline, the newest and most hated stripper at the club attempting to befriend Baby, and Nobody an e-mail client who fetishized s*icide who she meets when she also becomes a dominatrix. Throughout this, Baby/Ruth tries to find Dino in strangers throughout her day and you start to wonder if it is truly Dino. Newell did such an amazing job and I won't stop talking about Soft Core for the next few months.

Now, the only thing that takes this away from being a five-star read is some of the loose ends. I felt that most were necessary and left perfectly as they were. But other relationships, felt completely cut off, as if there was more for Ruth to explore there. I felt this, especially with Nobody. Overall, I ate this up and heavily enjoyed it as an audiobook.

Huge thank you to Brittany Newell and Macmillan Aduio for the advanced audiobook copy.

This book fell a little flat for me, between the open gaps in Dino's disappearance and the lack of storyline/plot. I just thought this book would be better than what it was. A lot of the everyday sex work scenes and commentary just became repetitive and were rather boring.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

The description of this book was sooo intriguing, but I just could not get into it. I made it about 20% before giving up. I was eager to start this, but after I did I just was not excited to pick it back up. Felt a bit aimless -- like there was no clear plot or goal to the story. The strip club/sex work aspects were definitely intriguing and I wanted to keep reading if only to hear more about that world, but still just wasn't enough to keep me interested. I saw another review describe this as "underwhelming" and I think that was just the right word. Disappointed!

Soft Core was such a wonder of a book. Reading the description, I assumed it would be a light book but it was so powerful and impactful. Brittany Newell has written a wonderful piece on grief, loneliness and human connection. The narrator was wonderful and really added to the atmosphere of the book. I loved this novel and look forward to reading more of the authors work.

THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!

A unique story that I could not put down. Soft Core follows Baby, an exotic dancer, who finds herself slowly descending into madness when her drug-dealer boyfriend falls off the face of the earth. While looking for him (and in ways herself) she finds herself joining a BDSM, but things quickly take a turn.

Part literary thriller, part slice-of-life story - Soft Core was such an enticing read. The audiobook was impossible to put down. I will definitely be recommending this one.

This was a really interesting listen. You get the perspective of a sex worker and it dives into kinks too. Also, trying to find her missing ex-boyfriend too was a nice touch. A very entertaining listen.

Thank you Macmillan audio for the gifted audiobook.

While this book explored intriguing themes, I had a hard time connecting with the story. However, that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

• 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.

I will always pick up books like this because the ideas of gaze and power interest me. I would have worshipped this book in my early twenties. But having read a few books that addresses these topics, I'm not entirely sure what's new about this one. How does it separate itself from the tens of books that talks about power, sex, and gaze from sex work or adjacent perspectives? It's more slice of life than a thriller-ish book that I thought it was going to be from the blurb, but that's okay, it focused more on Baby/Ruth's everyday feelings and grief.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC.

4.5/5

For a novel about a stripper and a dominatrix, this was incredibly relatable. It covers love and loss, passion and rage, and everything in between. This was beautifully written, and I can't wait to read it again.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I'm a bit torn on how I feel about this book. It was certainly a unique experience reading it -- it felt like a mix between Margo's Got Money Troubles and The Hop by Diana Clark, both of which I loved. Perhaps it was because I listened to the audio instead reading with my eyeballs.

I love an unreliable narrator as much as the next person, but wished there had been slightly more truth revealed -- I ended the book unsure of what was true and what wasn't, but not in a fun way. But I think maybe my expectations were just a bit off going into the book.

I think readers will enjoy this one -- especially those who loved the aforementioned books, as I do think it's an excellent mix of the two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Soft Core by Brittany Newell.

This was almost a DNF for me, I have a pretty weak stomach and gagged a bit during the beginning. I’m glad I kept going, but while I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it either. We’re following Ruth/Baby who is a sex worker looking for her MIA boyfriend. The writing was beautiful and descriptive but fell flat at the end. A lot of side quests and random loose ends. 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of Soft Core by Brittany Newell narrated by Christine Lakin. This book fell very flat for me, and while I can appreciate a young girl struggling to find herself and worried about how the world perceives her, this book seemed chaotic with no real purpose. I feel like it wants to be relatable to girls in their early 20's who feel lost and want to give up and say "screw it, I'll just become a stripper!" but Ruth is late 20's and seems content doing nothing with her life. The entire book is just following Ruth/Baby through her daily life, and it reads more like a diary than anything. The description was misleading, as I thought there would be effort into looking for Dino after he went missing, but instead, she just carries on with life, half worried about him but doing nothing to try to locate him. The narrator had great vocal switches, but she read too slow for my liking. I wanted to DNF at 30% but ended up speeding the audio up to 1.5x just to get through the book.

soft core by brittany newell 💓 a young woman's madcap search for her missing ex-boyfriend takes her into the sexual underground.

immediately while reading the first chapter I knew I was going to love this book. to start, THE WRITING- the descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was there. the sultry, moody venues where the air is heavy with sought after perfumes. newell captured the bittersweet, raw and gritty essence of working in clubs while navigating the complex emotions of being young and vulnerable.

💭 the pacing is dreamlike, mirroring our fmc’s descent into desperation. beneath the messy exterior all she yearns for is overcoming her loneliness with love and cherishing the minimal moments of connection that she gets. yet at the end of the day… who doesn't? soft core is more of a literary fiction (heavy on the vibes) with mysterious elements sprinkled in!

after deep diving and reading every interview where this author was talking about this book, I learned that all of the “dungeon” scenes are nonfiction and based on real events that happened to newell while working at fantasy makers, a famed BDSM home! thank you for letting us take a sneak peek into your world 👀

fair warning: the ending is lowkey up for interpretation so if that’s not your jam, good luck charlie! thank you macmillan audio for an early copy! the narration was a top tier performance 🎧 5 stars!