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Lovers XXX
Los Angeles, 1982: best friends Jude and Winnie are eighteen and working at a strip club. Soon they progress to modelling for Penthouse and Hustler, then to shooting hardcore porn. Dazzled by the drugs, sex and parties their new life offers, they are also beset by sexism, bitter competition and the precarity of life on the margins. When their friendship ends in recrimination and a dramatic act of betrayal, Jude goes missing and Winnie can find no trace of her.
Thirty years later, newly divorced and down on her luck, Winnie is ready to face her past. Determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Jude, she sets out to brave the dark underbelly of the adult industry. What follows is a gutsy, propulsive look at sex and power that builds to an unforgettable revelation about love.
'Impossible to put down!' Madeline Cash, author of Lost Lambs
Thirty years later, newly divorced and down on her luck, Winnie is ready to face her past. Determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Jude, she sets out to brave the dark underbelly of the adult industry. What follows is a gutsy, propulsive look at sex and power that builds to an unforgettable revelation about love.
'Impossible to put down!' Madeline Cash, author of Lost Lambs
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2026
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June 25, 2026
3.5 ⭐️s
The cover, title, premise, and 80s setting immediately caught my attention.
This is the story of Jude and Winnie, eighteen-year-old best friends who dream of becoming writers. In 1982, they end up in Los Angeles, broke and desperate for work, so they take jobs at a strip club. From there, they move on to nude modeling and eventually the porn industry. Amid the drugs, parties, and growing competition, the lines begin to blur, their friendship unravels, and one day Jude vanishes without a trace.
This took me longer than usual to read, not because of the book itself, but because my schedule has been crazy the past few weeks.
The first half of the book felt somewhat like a fever dream as we watch Jude and Winnie's transition into the porn industry. It is bleak and heartbreaking at times. The story also explores nature versus nurture and the insecurities both women struggle with.
For how close these two were supposed to be, I never really felt that friendship on the page. We are mostly told about their bond through snippets from when they were younger rather than seeing it develop in the present. While I mostly enjoyed the story, the pacing was a bit uneven for me, with the first half being much stronger than the second. Around the midway point, the story slows considerably, loses some momentum, and becomes a little repetitive in places. After all the buildup surrounding the mystery of Jude's disappearance, I found the somewhat ambiguous ending a bit dissatisfying. It felt rushed and left me wanting just a little more.
This is purely a personal preference, but while I am all for a feminist read, when every male character is portrayed as a bad guy, it starts to feel unbalanced, less realistic, and ultimately less enjoyable for me.
Sophie Amoss' narration captured the tone of the story and the emotions of the characters really well.
This was a solid read, but I needed a little more to bump it up another star. This was my first book by the author, but it piqued my interest enough that I'll definitely be reading more of her work.
Now available! My thanks to RBmedia and Netgalley for my ALC 🎧
The cover, title, premise, and 80s setting immediately caught my attention.
This is the story of Jude and Winnie, eighteen-year-old best friends who dream of becoming writers. In 1982, they end up in Los Angeles, broke and desperate for work, so they take jobs at a strip club. From there, they move on to nude modeling and eventually the porn industry. Amid the drugs, parties, and growing competition, the lines begin to blur, their friendship unravels, and one day Jude vanishes without a trace.
This took me longer than usual to read, not because of the book itself, but because my schedule has been crazy the past few weeks.
The first half of the book felt somewhat like a fever dream as we watch Jude and Winnie's transition into the porn industry. It is bleak and heartbreaking at times. The story also explores nature versus nurture and the insecurities both women struggle with.
For how close these two were supposed to be, I never really felt that friendship on the page. We are mostly told about their bond through snippets from when they were younger rather than seeing it develop in the present. While I mostly enjoyed the story, the pacing was a bit uneven for me, with the first half being much stronger than the second. Around the midway point, the story slows considerably, loses some momentum, and becomes a little repetitive in places. After all the buildup surrounding the mystery of Jude's disappearance, I found the somewhat ambiguous ending a bit dissatisfying. It felt rushed and left me wanting just a little more.
This is purely a personal preference, but while I am all for a feminist read, when every male character is portrayed as a bad guy, it starts to feel unbalanced, less realistic, and ultimately less enjoyable for me.
Sophie Amoss' narration captured the tone of the story and the emotions of the characters really well.
This was a solid read, but I needed a little more to bump it up another star. This was my first book by the author, but it piqued my interest enough that I'll definitely be reading more of her work.
Now available! My thanks to RBmedia and Netgalley for my ALC 🎧
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really hope the publisher has the guts to submit this rather explicit feminist novel about the porn industry for some literary prizes, especially the Booker, because this is fantastic: Rowbottom tells the story of two friends, Jude and Winnie, who run away from home and stumble into the sex industry in L.A., first as exotic dancers and nude models, then as adult performers. It's the early 80's, and they live through the end of the classic production period with premieres in movie theaters and enter the new world of porn mass distributed on VHS that sets in motion a shift to the extreme. What renders this book so compelling is that the author does not only seem very knowledgeable about her subject, no: This is a page turner with a fast story line that still thrives on complex character description. It's both a thriller and a character study, and I was glued to these pages.
Jude and Winnie are childhood friends, both from broken homes, both dreaming of becoming writers. The first half of the book focuses on Jude who just got out of reform school and now travels to L.A. to search for Winnie. After getting lost in a heroin haze with Vietnam veteran Laird, she finds Winnie working in a strip club and living in an apartment belonging to Brad, a porn mogul scouting video vixens. The friends turn into Velvet Waters and Puss Boots, two starlets trying to make it with the help of adult star Cherry Lynn... CUT! The second half of the book jumps to 2015, and after being separated for decades, Winnie now sets out to search for Jude, who might or might not be dead. Will Winnie find redemption?
What's astounding is that this is a novel about the exploitation of women and porn, but free of cliches. Wait, you might say now, two girls from broken homes do drugs and have sex for money with sleazy video vixen fuck boys? Isn't that, like, cliche to the max? But this text is smart: The characters are so self-aware, their psychological reasoning is so plausible, their vulnerability so palpable, and they are not simply victims, but three-dimensional persons being victimized. Jude and Winnie are caught up in a Gordian knot of troubles, both looking at the world from different places of trauma, both with a different attitude to sex, both with different coping mechanisms. It shows that the author has thought this topic through, has anticipated the readers' expectations, has read a lot of material about porn, and does not think in moral absolutes regarding the medium, but wants to talk about how the male domination of the industry is the root of the problem, and the stigmatization of women caught in the saint/whore dichotomy.
This is a book about capitalism, and how the patriarchy commodifies female bodies - and the text does not hold back. The way the narrative is constructed, with plenty of foreshadowings and puzzle pieces that are slowly put together, adds plenty of suspense, but more than anything, this is a story about love and how the world harms and compromises people. For everyone in this novel, life is relentless and shows no mercy - but the characters can choose to show mercy to each other. Often, they don't, for various reasons. The text also points to the real-world famous men who helped glamorize the scene and lifestyle that victimizes fictional Jude and Winnie: Warren Beatty, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson (I dare you to google these dudes with "porn"), William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski (sex and drugs as material for art, as self-expression), Larry Flynt (protection of porn as free speech). This does not mean that all men in the novel are bad though, and not all sex in the novel is violent, not even all sex that is filmed for public consumption. Andrea Dworkin and Catharine A. MacKinnon and their anti-porn arguments feature and are valued, then their hypocrisy is illustrated. The world is complicated, and the novel does not aim to diminish its complexity.
There is a lot of nuance to be found here, and plenty of scenes and singular sentences that encourage discussions and move readers. A great book, I hope it will get the recognition it deserves, and judges and readers alike will not dismiss it because they fear the topic it handles so intelligently.
Jude and Winnie are childhood friends, both from broken homes, both dreaming of becoming writers. The first half of the book focuses on Jude who just got out of reform school and now travels to L.A. to search for Winnie. After getting lost in a heroin haze with Vietnam veteran Laird, she finds Winnie working in a strip club and living in an apartment belonging to Brad, a porn mogul scouting video vixens. The friends turn into Velvet Waters and Puss Boots, two starlets trying to make it with the help of adult star Cherry Lynn... CUT! The second half of the book jumps to 2015, and after being separated for decades, Winnie now sets out to search for Jude, who might or might not be dead. Will Winnie find redemption?
What's astounding is that this is a novel about the exploitation of women and porn, but free of cliches. Wait, you might say now, two girls from broken homes do drugs and have sex for money with sleazy video vixen fuck boys? Isn't that, like, cliche to the max? But this text is smart: The characters are so self-aware, their psychological reasoning is so plausible, their vulnerability so palpable, and they are not simply victims, but three-dimensional persons being victimized. Jude and Winnie are caught up in a Gordian knot of troubles, both looking at the world from different places of trauma, both with a different attitude to sex, both with different coping mechanisms. It shows that the author has thought this topic through, has anticipated the readers' expectations, has read a lot of material about porn, and does not think in moral absolutes regarding the medium, but wants to talk about how the male domination of the industry is the root of the problem, and the stigmatization of women caught in the saint/whore dichotomy.
This is a book about capitalism, and how the patriarchy commodifies female bodies - and the text does not hold back. The way the narrative is constructed, with plenty of foreshadowings and puzzle pieces that are slowly put together, adds plenty of suspense, but more than anything, this is a story about love and how the world harms and compromises people. For everyone in this novel, life is relentless and shows no mercy - but the characters can choose to show mercy to each other. Often, they don't, for various reasons. The text also points to the real-world famous men who helped glamorize the scene and lifestyle that victimizes fictional Jude and Winnie: Warren Beatty, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson (I dare you to google these dudes with "porn"), William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski (sex and drugs as material for art, as self-expression), Larry Flynt (protection of porn as free speech). This does not mean that all men in the novel are bad though, and not all sex in the novel is violent, not even all sex that is filmed for public consumption. Andrea Dworkin and Catharine A. MacKinnon and their anti-porn arguments feature and are valued, then their hypocrisy is illustrated. The world is complicated, and the novel does not aim to diminish its complexity.
There is a lot of nuance to be found here, and plenty of scenes and singular sentences that encourage discussions and move readers. A great book, I hope it will get the recognition it deserves, and judges and readers alike will not dismiss it because they fear the topic it handles so intelligently.
June 26, 2026
3.5 I really appreciated how Lovers XXX challenges society's deep-rooted perceptions and stigmas surrounding women in the adult film industry, reframing the work as different forms of expression and art. The story kicks off in the 1980s, following two childhood friends who both come from difficult backgrounds and share a dream of becoming writers. As teenagers, they enter a whole "new world" to support themselves—starting with exotic dancing before transitioning to nude modeling and eventually adult films. It's a gritty look at the reality of doing what it takes to survive, complete with the expected sex and plenty of drug use. After a major falling out, the friends lose touch, and the narrative skips forward to their lives in 2015.
While I thought the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job, the pacing made me wonder if this story might actually be better experienced via a physical read. I didn't always feel entirely pulled into the book, finding myself deeply engaged in some parts while losing interest in others. The ending was great. Ultimately, though, I loved the overarching theme and the powerful way it challenges the outlook on women in this line of work.
*ALC (thank you, RBmedia | Recorded Books/ NetGalley)
While I thought the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job, the pacing made me wonder if this story might actually be better experienced via a physical read. I didn't always feel entirely pulled into the book, finding myself deeply engaged in some parts while losing interest in others. The ending was great. Ultimately, though, I loved the overarching theme and the powerful way it challenges the outlook on women in this line of work.
*ALC (thank you, RBmedia | Recorded Books/ NetGalley)
Review of advance copy received from Author
What better way to take down the patriarchy than a thought-provoking expose of exploitation/grooming in the porn industry? Using the neon-lit, gritty LA in the 80s as the backdrop? Iconic. There is a reason NYT said everyone will be reading this book this summer.
Despite the very sex-forward backdrop and subject matter, Lovers XXX isn't a "sexy" read and I would even say that some fantasy smut is far more crude. This is a very honest, well researched deep dive into the exploitation of young women in the porn industry. This will be the hot girl read of the summer and here's why.
First, Allie Rowbottom could teach a masterclass on character development and vivid scenery creation. Readers will feel transported to 80s parties with neon lights and shag carpets, cocaine dusting the air and cigarette smoke lingering. This book was completely immersive and felt impossible to put down. Second was the subtle, yet incredible way Rowbottom made the revelations obvious to both readers and the characters, simultaneously. I think it's possible this is just a me thing, but the manipulation was so well crafted that I too believe some of the evils weren't really too evil, until they were. A good example is Brad - I found I wasn't too mistrustful of him (he did house and feed the girls), until my trust was broken. Maybe I'm just gullible but I thought this was powerful. Third was the bold, ambitious approach to the porn industry which Rowbottom completely nails. Porn and sex workers are a taboo topic and it would take careful consideration to make this accessible and not overly vulgar. Her research surely did pay off and Rowbottom nailed the accessibility of the book. Although readers will need to be OK with reading very blunt depictions of what goes into the filming of a porn video! Fourth is the shifting of relationships to men in the book. From trust, to bonds broken/mistrust, to revenge, Rowbottom has written a story of female suffering to empowerment. There is a reason I think this will be the feminist book of the YEAR! Lovers XXX is tragic, yet emboldening.
Don't be afraid to read this book. I know you all read 50 Shades of Grey. You can read a longer more in depth review of mine on Substack (book talk with lauren).
Thank you Allie Rowbottom for a copy!
You can find me on Substack!
Despite the very sex-forward backdrop and subject matter, Lovers XXX isn't a "sexy" read and I would even say that some fantasy smut is far more crude. This is a very honest, well researched deep dive into the exploitation of young women in the porn industry. This will be the hot girl read of the summer and here's why.
First, Allie Rowbottom could teach a masterclass on character development and vivid scenery creation. Readers will feel transported to 80s parties with neon lights and shag carpets, cocaine dusting the air and cigarette smoke lingering. This book was completely immersive and felt impossible to put down. Second was the subtle, yet incredible way Rowbottom made the revelations obvious to both readers and the characters, simultaneously. I think it's possible this is just a me thing, but the manipulation was so well crafted that I too believe some of the evils weren't really too evil, until they were. A good example is Brad - I found I wasn't too mistrustful of him (he did house and feed the girls), until my trust was broken. Maybe I'm just gullible but I thought this was powerful. Third was the bold, ambitious approach to the porn industry which Rowbottom completely nails. Porn and sex workers are a taboo topic and it would take careful consideration to make this accessible and not overly vulgar. Her research surely did pay off and Rowbottom nailed the accessibility of the book. Although readers will need to be OK with reading very blunt depictions of what goes into the filming of a porn video! Fourth is the shifting of relationships to men in the book. From trust, to bonds broken/mistrust, to revenge, Rowbottom has written a story of female suffering to empowerment. There is a reason I think this will be the feminist book of the YEAR! Lovers XXX is tragic, yet emboldening.
Don't be afraid to read this book. I know you all read 50 Shades of Grey. You can read a longer more in depth review of mine on Substack (book talk with lauren).
Thank you Allie Rowbottom for a copy!
You can find me on Substack!
June 29, 2026
I don’t know how one writes about the 1980s adult film industry without making it feel lurid or sensationalized, but Allie Rowbottom managed to do just that with Lovers XXX.
It’s the story of Winnie and Jude, best friends who reunite in California after graduating high school. Broke and desperate, they take jobs at a strip club to make money – but it isn’t long before the allure of an even bigger payday leads them to nude modeling, and eventually into the porn industry. In this dazzling, deceptive world of drugs, parties, and sex, Jude and Winnie soon find themselves in competition with one another – until the day Jude disappears.
Rowbottom explores female sexual agency, power imbalances, exploitation, abuse, ambition, and the stigmas of women in pornography in a gritty narrative that is compelling in some ways, lacking in others. Atmospherically, Lovers XXX transported me to California in the 1980s, to dark dens of depravity and salacious adult film sets that, at the time, were largely unregulated. Rowbottom writes with surety, and she exposes the murkiest aspects of the early days of porn without being gratuitous or unnecessarily explicit.
Both Winnie and Jude are well-developed, complicated characters, with rich inner lives and complex motivations. What I was missing was a strong connection between them. I didn’t get a real sense of the depth of their friendship; the strength of their bond didn’t come across on the page.
I also didn’t care for the structure of the book, which I felt didn’t do the narrative any favors. I would’ve rather read Jude’s and Winnie’s perspectives in alternating chapters instead of spaced decades apart. I understand the decision to organize the book that way, but for me, it became repetitive and somewhat lessened the impact of some of the book’s more profound and revelatory moments.
But even with its flaws, Lovers XXX is an important, provocative, feminist work of fiction that shines a light on controversial and taboo subjects, through the eyes of two compelling and complex women. I enjoyed Sophie Amoss’s narration of the audiobook, although I would’ve also appreciated separate performers for Winnie and Jude. Thank you to RBmedia for the complimentary listening opportunity.
It’s the story of Winnie and Jude, best friends who reunite in California after graduating high school. Broke and desperate, they take jobs at a strip club to make money – but it isn’t long before the allure of an even bigger payday leads them to nude modeling, and eventually into the porn industry. In this dazzling, deceptive world of drugs, parties, and sex, Jude and Winnie soon find themselves in competition with one another – until the day Jude disappears.
Rowbottom explores female sexual agency, power imbalances, exploitation, abuse, ambition, and the stigmas of women in pornography in a gritty narrative that is compelling in some ways, lacking in others. Atmospherically, Lovers XXX transported me to California in the 1980s, to dark dens of depravity and salacious adult film sets that, at the time, were largely unregulated. Rowbottom writes with surety, and she exposes the murkiest aspects of the early days of porn without being gratuitous or unnecessarily explicit.
Both Winnie and Jude are well-developed, complicated characters, with rich inner lives and complex motivations. What I was missing was a strong connection between them. I didn’t get a real sense of the depth of their friendship; the strength of their bond didn’t come across on the page.
I also didn’t care for the structure of the book, which I felt didn’t do the narrative any favors. I would’ve rather read Jude’s and Winnie’s perspectives in alternating chapters instead of spaced decades apart. I understand the decision to organize the book that way, but for me, it became repetitive and somewhat lessened the impact of some of the book’s more profound and revelatory moments.
But even with its flaws, Lovers XXX is an important, provocative, feminist work of fiction that shines a light on controversial and taboo subjects, through the eyes of two compelling and complex women. I enjoyed Sophie Amoss’s narration of the audiobook, although I would’ve also appreciated separate performers for Winnie and Jude. Thank you to RBmedia for the complimentary listening opportunity.
June 27, 2026
My bookstagram friend Krissy (@books_and_biceps9155) put Lovers XXX on my radar. After reading her rave review on the novel and seeing it compared to Joan Didion meets Lauren Groff, I had to pick it up.
Even though I didn't find any Joan Didion or Lauren Groff in this novel, I am happy to report that Lovers XXX deserves all the hype that Krissy gave it!
This provocative, gritty, and oh-so-sexy story gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go until the very end. I could see how Lovers XXX was influenced by Shirley Hazard's Transit of Venus and I loved all the mentions of Eve Babitz in the novel. With themes of hedonism, friendship, feminism, and autonomy, it's such a unique and completely original tale with fully developed characters that it's one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
I listened to the audiobook version which is read by Sophie Amoss who did an amazing job bringing this story to life.
Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom was published on June 2 so it's available now. Many thanks to Libro.FM and Recorded Books for the gifted audiobook!
Even though I didn't find any Joan Didion or Lauren Groff in this novel, I am happy to report that Lovers XXX deserves all the hype that Krissy gave it!
This provocative, gritty, and oh-so-sexy story gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go until the very end. I could see how Lovers XXX was influenced by Shirley Hazard's Transit of Venus and I loved all the mentions of Eve Babitz in the novel. With themes of hedonism, friendship, feminism, and autonomy, it's such a unique and completely original tale with fully developed characters that it's one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
I listened to the audiobook version which is read by Sophie Amoss who did an amazing job bringing this story to life.
Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom was published on June 2 so it's available now. Many thanks to Libro.FM and Recorded Books for the gifted audiobook!
June 8, 2026
Such a great, compulsive read! I lost sleep staying up to finish this one. The setting, the writing, the characters, the societal commentary—everything worked for me. No notes!
This was a June BOTM add-on, and I’m so glad it was offered. I’m not sure I would have discovered this book otherwise.
Go in knowing only the synopsis and let the author take you on the journey!
This was a June BOTM add-on, and I’m so glad it was offered. I’m not sure I would have discovered this book otherwise.
Go in knowing only the synopsis and let the author take you on the journey!
Read
June 13, 2026i'm not connecting w this one for some reason but ty to the author for sending me an arc 🫶🏻
May 21, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book!
There are a lot of interesting and bold themes in this book - a look into the world of pornography in the 1980s, the trauma and impact it had on the young women trapped in its clutches. Unfortunately I kind of struggled to get through this one and I can’t really say why, I think a lot of the book focused on the character’s inner monologue and the plot drags a little during the second half. To be honest I don’t know if there were any twists or developments that I wasn’t expecting already, it pretty much followed the plot I was expecting based on the synopsis. The bond between the two girls enduring and developing throughout the book was probably the highlight, I think that understanding how deeply they care for each other from the beginning was a little hard to grasp considering Jude forgets she exists until she has no other options and they immediately begin to have tension as soon as they move in together, but overall I would say this book did a pretty good job of capturing the story/setting it set out to do.
There are a lot of interesting and bold themes in this book - a look into the world of pornography in the 1980s, the trauma and impact it had on the young women trapped in its clutches. Unfortunately I kind of struggled to get through this one and I can’t really say why, I think a lot of the book focused on the character’s inner monologue and the plot drags a little during the second half. To be honest I don’t know if there were any twists or developments that I wasn’t expecting already, it pretty much followed the plot I was expecting based on the synopsis. The bond between the two girls enduring and developing throughout the book was probably the highlight, I think that understanding how deeply they care for each other from the beginning was a little hard to grasp considering Jude forgets she exists until she has no other options and they immediately begin to have tension as soon as they move in together, but overall I would say this book did a pretty good job of capturing the story/setting it set out to do.
July 8, 2026
A literary fiction set in the 1980s that follows best friends Jude and Winnie, who have just turned 18 and are working at a strip club. Their friendship is an ‘us against the world, we can survive as long as we have each other kind of bond’. And survival is exactly what they need.
Amid the chaos of drugs, sex, and parties, their search for independence eventually leads them into the adult film industry, where they navigate exploitation, sexism, feminism, desire, competition, and so much more.
Thirty years later, Winnie is forced to reflect on a past she’s spent years trying to bury. But if she wants to find her best friend Jude, she’ll have to confront the memories she’s worked so hard to leave behind.
This was a captivating read—heavy at times and difficult because of the subject matter. It’s a thoughtful exploration of the early adult film industry and the exploitation of young women: their bodies, their minds, the grooming, the false sense of choice and security, and the lasting impact it leaves long after they’ve tried to move on.
Amid the chaos of drugs, sex, and parties, their search for independence eventually leads them into the adult film industry, where they navigate exploitation, sexism, feminism, desire, competition, and so much more.
Thirty years later, Winnie is forced to reflect on a past she’s spent years trying to bury. But if she wants to find her best friend Jude, she’ll have to confront the memories she’s worked so hard to leave behind.
This was a captivating read—heavy at times and difficult because of the subject matter. It’s a thoughtful exploration of the early adult film industry and the exploitation of young women: their bodies, their minds, the grooming, the false sense of choice and security, and the lasting impact it leaves long after they’ve tried to move on.
June 8, 2026
Thank you Allie Rowbottom and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook.
Wow! I could not put this down. The writing is fantastic and I really enjoyed how the narrative unfolded.
This story is about much much more than porn. It's a painful love story full of regrets and revelation. I identified so much with Winnie and I felt the depth of the story the author was trying to portray. Fundamentally, what it can feel like to be a woman in a world ruled by men.
I feel I read this story right at the right time in my life and I'm sure it will not be one I forget.
Beautiful read.
Wow! I could not put this down. The writing is fantastic and I really enjoyed how the narrative unfolded.
This story is about much much more than porn. It's a painful love story full of regrets and revelation. I identified so much with Winnie and I felt the depth of the story the author was trying to portray. Fundamentally, what it can feel like to be a woman in a world ruled by men.
I feel I read this story right at the right time in my life and I'm sure it will not be one I forget.
Beautiful read.
June 21, 2026
This is a grimey, sleazy, dark story about the adult industry that’s fuelled instead by emotion and sapphic desire rather than horny lust. While of course there are plenty of scenes throughout the book, they don’t overpower the literary force of the story as the focus is on the women rather than the industry. And this is something I really enjoyed about the book — Rowbottom focused on the commentary surrounding the industry more than the industry itself. So we got to see perspectives on women, sexism, feminism, misogyny, domestic violence, addictions, empowerment, politics, etc. rather than (just) the sex and drugs.
I think what I liked most, though, is that this is a quasi-coming-of-age literary fiction for Jude’s half, and a mystery for Winnie’s half. Rowbottom switches the vibe of the book smoothly between the two, and it was interesting to see some of the same events from different literary moods.
All that said, though, I did struggle clinging onto the characters, as the writing left me feeling sort of detached. Because of this, it was difficult to merge the intentions that are so clearly present in the text with the characters inside the text.
I think what I liked most, though, is that this is a quasi-coming-of-age literary fiction for Jude’s half, and a mystery for Winnie’s half. Rowbottom switches the vibe of the book smoothly between the two, and it was interesting to see some of the same events from different literary moods.
All that said, though, I did struggle clinging onto the characters, as the writing left me feeling sort of detached. Because of this, it was difficult to merge the intentions that are so clearly present in the text with the characters inside the text.
June 12, 2026
A tale of friendship and love, as well as an unflinching look at the sex industry in the 1980s. The focus of this book is definitely our two main characters’ relationship and how it changes as they become involved in nude modeling and porn. Although, I’m not sure how accurately the book portrays the sex industry of that era.
I really liked the first half of the book, which is told in the past from Jude’s POV. The second half is told in the present from Winnie’s POV and this section just wasn’t as gripping for me personally. The ending does provide closure though and I was satisfied with the conclusion. Overall, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed the friendship at its core.
I really liked the first half of the book, which is told in the past from Jude’s POV. The second half is told in the present from Winnie’s POV and this section just wasn’t as gripping for me personally. The ending does provide closure though and I was satisfied with the conclusion. Overall, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed the friendship at its core.
June 9, 2026
Intriguing premise but it was just too slow.
July 2, 2026
There is a LOT of drugs and sex in this book. About halfway through I was like “why am I reading this?!” But by the time I got to the end, I was happy I stuck it out. Gorgeous writing, despite the sleazy, sleazy undertones throughout the entirety of this novel. The California porno culture in the 80s was captured brilliantly and it felt like I just lived Winnie and Jude’s experiences. Off to take a shower now and scrub the grimy feeling of this book off of me!
June 5, 2026
I was not expecting a book at pornography to be this heavy. This is a deeply feminist novel that explores the exploitation and misogyny of the porn industry. Additionally, it's also an exploration of identity, self worth, and relationships. And how society's views of women shape those things.
This is a beautifully written and thought provoking book that I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautifully written and thought provoking book that I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2026
This was good from the beginning to the end! Nothing felt like fluff or filler, and it all had meaning and worked together.
February 2, 2026
Lovers XXX is a sharp, unsettling, and unexpectedly fast moving book about friendship, capitalism, and the porn industry at a moment of massive cultural shift. Set first in 1980s LA and later in the long shadow of that era, it follows Jude and Winnie, two young women from broken homes whose shared dream of becoming writers leads them instead into stripping and porn. Rowbottom refuses both sentimentality and moral absolutism, her characters are exploited, yes, but also self aware, strategic, contradictory, and painfully human.
The first half explodes with speed and danger, the later retrospective slows the pace but deepens the emotional reckoning, building to a sad, earned ending. This is not erotic fiction but a critique of patriarchy, of choice under capitalism, of how consent can still coexist with harm.
This is dark, gripping, and full of lines that sting long after you close the book.
The first half explodes with speed and danger, the later retrospective slows the pace but deepens the emotional reckoning, building to a sad, earned ending. This is not erotic fiction but a critique of patriarchy, of choice under capitalism, of how consent can still coexist with harm.
This is dark, gripping, and full of lines that sting long after you close the book.
June 7, 2026
This is definitely one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. It is beautifully written while also being brutally explicit about topics that remain controversial and, in many ways, still under-discussed. The novel explores the adult film industry, female friendship, survival, ambition, and the painful process of trying to reinvent your life, and it manages to weave all of these themes together in a deeply compelling way. What affected me most was the relationship between Winnie and Jude. Their friendship says so much not only about womanhood, but about life itself. Watching them begin this journey at such a young age and then eventually find their way back to each other at completely different stages of life felt incredibly emotional. The novel captures how people can leave entire versions of themselves behind in pursuit of survival, success, or reinvention, yet still remain haunted by the people who once knew them best.
I also appreciated how honestly the book portrays betrayal within female friendships. Their relationship is messy, painful, and at times deeply hurtful, but the betrayal never feels one-dimensional. It grows out of survival, comparison, insecurity, and the desperation to succeed in an industry that constantly exploits vulnerability. That complexity is what made the emotional dynamics feel so real and delicate.
Despite dealing with heavy subject matter, the book never felt boring to me. It was consistently thought-provoking and emotionally engaging. I also really enjoyed the author’s other novel, Aesthetica, which similarly explored controversial topics in a sharp and unsettling way. But this book affected me on a much more emotional level. What frustrated me the most, in a good way, was realizing how little the adult film industry seems to have evolved from the 1980s until today. The novel quietly exposes how exploitation simply changes its appearance over time rather than disappearing altogether. There was something genuinely heartbreaking about that realization, and it made the story feel disturbingly relevant.
I also appreciated how honestly the book portrays betrayal within female friendships. Their relationship is messy, painful, and at times deeply hurtful, but the betrayal never feels one-dimensional. It grows out of survival, comparison, insecurity, and the desperation to succeed in an industry that constantly exploits vulnerability. That complexity is what made the emotional dynamics feel so real and delicate.
Despite dealing with heavy subject matter, the book never felt boring to me. It was consistently thought-provoking and emotionally engaging. I also really enjoyed the author’s other novel, Aesthetica, which similarly explored controversial topics in a sharp and unsettling way. But this book affected me on a much more emotional level. What frustrated me the most, in a good way, was realizing how little the adult film industry seems to have evolved from the 1980s until today. The novel quietly exposes how exploitation simply changes its appearance over time rather than disappearing altogether. There was something genuinely heartbreaking about that realization, and it made the story feel disturbingly relevant.
May 30, 2026
Winnie and Jude have been best friends since they met. Both suffering trauma from events of their past, they pledge to look out for each other. When Jude eventually finds Winnie in LA she is working as a dancer in an adult bar. Desperate for money, Jude accepts a job…and soon finds herself taking up the offer to model.
In the 80s this is a pretty standard euphemism for porn work…and before you know it Jude finds herself as part of a close-knit group producing porn. We follow the girls through their experiences, and their self-awareness of their situation serves only to emphasise their vulnerability in this industry. Drugs and abusive situations abound as those involved come to terms with the shifting face of their work.
A standout moment is Winnie’s decision to write about the rape she endured and how those around her failed to protect her. Seen as betraying the group, Winnie’s act has major repercussions. Then Jude appears to go missing.
The book then picks up decades later when Winnie, newly divorced, decides to try and confront her past and find out what happened to Jude once and for all. This timeline felt quite disjointed, but it resolved itself well.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.
In the 80s this is a pretty standard euphemism for porn work…and before you know it Jude finds herself as part of a close-knit group producing porn. We follow the girls through their experiences, and their self-awareness of their situation serves only to emphasise their vulnerability in this industry. Drugs and abusive situations abound as those involved come to terms with the shifting face of their work.
A standout moment is Winnie’s decision to write about the rape she endured and how those around her failed to protect her. Seen as betraying the group, Winnie’s act has major repercussions. Then Jude appears to go missing.
The book then picks up decades later when Winnie, newly divorced, decides to try and confront her past and find out what happened to Jude once and for all. This timeline felt quite disjointed, but it resolved itself well.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.
June 11, 2026
This one definitely snuck up on me. Incredible critique on the exploitation and impact the sex industry can have on young women. While this is not a romance book, there is certainly a great love explored. Rowbottom weaves together such an intricate web of sex, drugs, friendship, loss, & lies. What a pleasant surprise to delve into these complex characters and their world. The first half of the book is pretty intense for both Jude & Winnie, fast-paced and really brings you to the 80s backdrop seamlessly. Their POVs masterfully illustrate the feelings/thoughts/actions both employ to cope with their newfound jobs in the sex industry. In the latter half, Winnie has been out of the industry for decades and for just as long—Jude has been missing. Winnie, determined to write a novel following her article, endlessly searches for Jude. What happens when every lead she follows points to another Jane Doe? And how does this journey force Winnie to confront herself in ways she previously refused to? Lovers XXX is not what you might think; yes, it is gritty & precarious in nature, but it is also so nuanced & implores the reader to investigate how they themselves have coped with identity and/or self worth in a patriarchal society that perpetuates the constant sexualization and exploitation of women.
June 24, 2026
5/5 ⭐️
Loved this tender, intense, heartbreaking, and titillating novel. This is the story of two childhood friend that reconnect as teenagers in LA. They both start stripping and quickly get wrapped up into the porn industry the 1980s. Times were good and times were very very bad.
The first half of the book is their story of navigating this industry and the later half is 30 years later when one of them has disappeared.
It was a beautiful ode to complicated friendship and when opportunity to make money and be in tune with their bodies looked glossy like the pages of Hustler. But ultimately the porn industry is controlled by and made for men and they cannot help but succumb to the pitfalls of that reality.
Gripping, intense, and a lovely ending!
Loved this tender, intense, heartbreaking, and titillating novel. This is the story of two childhood friend that reconnect as teenagers in LA. They both start stripping and quickly get wrapped up into the porn industry the 1980s. Times were good and times were very very bad.
The first half of the book is their story of navigating this industry and the later half is 30 years later when one of them has disappeared.
It was a beautiful ode to complicated friendship and when opportunity to make money and be in tune with their bodies looked glossy like the pages of Hustler. But ultimately the porn industry is controlled by and made for men and they cannot help but succumb to the pitfalls of that reality.
Gripping, intense, and a lovely ending!
June 10, 2026
I found this was okay. It follows the lives of two young women as they get caught up in the porn industry. We see their sufferings, addiction, and ultimately how it ruined peoples lives. Hearing how males ran this world in the 80s, making it so toxic and dangerous made me want to slap them in the face.
I wish there was a little more added to the end about how today it’s changed. How women do choose this as a job and run their own businesses. I can see people having a narrative of sex workers and this just solidifying their negative belief?
Overall the story was interesting, it felt fresh, has great details, and represents a really heavy topic. At the start I found myself zoning out a lot, half way the POV switched and the story picked up. I personally didn’t feel drawn to the main characters. Their stories are emotional and heartbreaking, but i didn’t feel that for them (i was sad but on a very impersonal level).
The audio is amazing and narrated so well, but I struggled with this format. Reading might have been better to keep focus? Thankyou NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC.
I wish there was a little more added to the end about how today it’s changed. How women do choose this as a job and run their own businesses. I can see people having a narrative of sex workers and this just solidifying their negative belief?
Overall the story was interesting, it felt fresh, has great details, and represents a really heavy topic. At the start I found myself zoning out a lot, half way the POV switched and the story picked up. I personally didn’t feel drawn to the main characters. Their stories are emotional and heartbreaking, but i didn’t feel that for them (i was sad but on a very impersonal level).
The audio is amazing and narrated so well, but I struggled with this format. Reading might have been better to keep focus? Thankyou NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC.
June 24, 2026
2.5 stars, all the makings of a great novel: sex, lesbians, drugs, etc
But came off way more juvenile and flat that I wanted. Truly guilty of pandering to the illiterate gen pop, it constantly told us the feelings rather than showing us the yearning, etc.
But came off way more juvenile and flat that I wanted. Truly guilty of pandering to the illiterate gen pop, it constantly told us the feelings rather than showing us the yearning, etc.
February 22, 2026
Incredibly moving, dark, painful and tender. Allie knocks it out of the park with the cinematic, smart story of two women entwined with porn in the 1980s, coming of age and understanding what they really desire. But the book is more than that- it is also a commentary about the commodifications of women’s bodies, their desires and their pain for male pleasure and profit. Someone else commented on here this book needs to be up for the Booker Award and I couldn’t agree more. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this, honored to have been able to read an ARC.
June 28, 2026
I have not seen much about this book, and I genuinely don’t know why because I thought it was fantastic. It’s the perfect summer read, set in 1980s LA with that claustrophobic, hot, sweaty atmosphere.
This is about the adult film industry—but also so much more than that. What I appreciated is that it never felt like the novel was taking a hard stance for or against it. Instead, it discusses the industry very matter-of-factly. I could understand the reasons young women are drawn into it and the ways it eventually harms them. Ultimately, most of that harm isn’t inherent to the work itself but rooted in the men surrounding it. Once again, we circle back to patriarchal control and the ways men exert power over women’s bodies. That underlying imbalance is really the heart of this novel.
At its core, though, this is about two young women trying to escape traumatic homes and build new lives. Their love for one another is obsessive, all-consuming, and center of the book. The first half totally had me, I was convinced this was going to be a five-star read. The second half was not as perfect but still good.
The two-part structure is what held me back a little. When it shifted into more of a mystery and moved into the present day, it lost some of the magic for me. I still appreciated what the second half had to say, and I thought the ending was good, but something about Part II didn’t hit the same…maybe it was a pacing issue, or maybe it just felt like a different novel?? The characters were older, no longer in the industry, and reflecting on that period of their lives rather than living it. I missed the immediacy and anxiety of the first half I think. The first part was so raw unapologetic that the second part was a little underwhelming.
I borrowed this from the library, but def getting a trophy book for my shelves. And the cover is f’n phenomenal!
I actually DNF’d Aesthetica because of its structure and the heavy emphasis on social media. I just couldn’t get through all of the comments and posts, so I switched to the audiobook, which somehow made that aspect even more grating. But I knew I loved the themes and Rowbottom’s voice so I gave this one a shot and I was not wrong. I think Rowbottom’s so smart and accurate at capturing our current culture and translating it written word. I’m officially a fan.
This is about the adult film industry—but also so much more than that. What I appreciated is that it never felt like the novel was taking a hard stance for or against it. Instead, it discusses the industry very matter-of-factly. I could understand the reasons young women are drawn into it and the ways it eventually harms them. Ultimately, most of that harm isn’t inherent to the work itself but rooted in the men surrounding it. Once again, we circle back to patriarchal control and the ways men exert power over women’s bodies. That underlying imbalance is really the heart of this novel.
At its core, though, this is about two young women trying to escape traumatic homes and build new lives. Their love for one another is obsessive, all-consuming, and center of the book. The first half totally had me, I was convinced this was going to be a five-star read. The second half was not as perfect but still good.
The two-part structure is what held me back a little. When it shifted into more of a mystery and moved into the present day, it lost some of the magic for me. I still appreciated what the second half had to say, and I thought the ending was good, but something about Part II didn’t hit the same…maybe it was a pacing issue, or maybe it just felt like a different novel?? The characters were older, no longer in the industry, and reflecting on that period of their lives rather than living it. I missed the immediacy and anxiety of the first half I think. The first part was so raw unapologetic that the second part was a little underwhelming.
I borrowed this from the library, but def getting a trophy book for my shelves. And the cover is f’n phenomenal!
I actually DNF’d Aesthetica because of its structure and the heavy emphasis on social media. I just couldn’t get through all of the comments and posts, so I switched to the audiobook, which somehow made that aspect even more grating. But I knew I loved the themes and Rowbottom’s voice so I gave this one a shot and I was not wrong. I think Rowbottom’s so smart and accurate at capturing our current culture and translating it written word. I’m officially a fan.
June 8, 2026
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audiobook copy!
--
los angeles, 1982. jude and winnie are eighteen and best friends. they start at a strip club together, move into magazine work, then hardcore film. drugs and parties and money that feels like freedom until it doesn't. their friendship ends badly and jude vanishes. thirty years later winnie goes looking for her.
this book is hard to get through in the best way. there's a heaviness that sits on every scene, a knowledge that nothing good is coming, and yet the writing pulls you forward anyway. the characters are too real to abandon.
the central tension is whether any of this can really be called a choice. jude and winnie think they're in control. they're making money, they're calling their own shots, they're doing something that feels transgressive and powerful. but the camera is always held by a man. the money comes from men. the scripts are written by men. the fantasy of liberation exists inside a cage built by the very people they think they're escaping.
what the book seems to be saying is that true empowerment can't happen when the people holding the power are the same ones you're trying to be free from. the men here are monsters. they're just normal guys working in an industry where women's bodies are the product and the women themselves are disposable. and the idea that women can find real freedom inside that arrangement starts to look less like empowerment and more like a story they were sold.
the second half loses some momentum. the mystery of what happened to jude keeps things moving but the shift to winnie's middle aged perspective is quieter, more reflective, and the pacing changes noticeably. the ending lands well enough but feels like it could have used a few more pages to breathe.
this isn't a sexy book. it's a book about an industry that sells sex and the women who get chewed up inside it. the writing is sharp and the characters stay with you. go in knowing what you're getting into.
--
los angeles, 1982. jude and winnie are eighteen and best friends. they start at a strip club together, move into magazine work, then hardcore film. drugs and parties and money that feels like freedom until it doesn't. their friendship ends badly and jude vanishes. thirty years later winnie goes looking for her.
this book is hard to get through in the best way. there's a heaviness that sits on every scene, a knowledge that nothing good is coming, and yet the writing pulls you forward anyway. the characters are too real to abandon.
the central tension is whether any of this can really be called a choice. jude and winnie think they're in control. they're making money, they're calling their own shots, they're doing something that feels transgressive and powerful. but the camera is always held by a man. the money comes from men. the scripts are written by men. the fantasy of liberation exists inside a cage built by the very people they think they're escaping.
what the book seems to be saying is that true empowerment can't happen when the people holding the power are the same ones you're trying to be free from. the men here are monsters. they're just normal guys working in an industry where women's bodies are the product and the women themselves are disposable. and the idea that women can find real freedom inside that arrangement starts to look less like empowerment and more like a story they were sold.
the second half loses some momentum. the mystery of what happened to jude keeps things moving but the shift to winnie's middle aged perspective is quieter, more reflective, and the pacing changes noticeably. the ending lands well enough but feels like it could have used a few more pages to breathe.
this isn't a sexy book. it's a book about an industry that sells sex and the women who get chewed up inside it. the writing is sharp and the characters stay with you. go in knowing what you're getting into.
June 20, 2026
I was SO surprised to love this book as much as I did. The first half is from Jude’s POV during the 80s, and the second half is Winnie’s POV in present day, post-divorce and looking for answers about what happened to Jude. The two halves felt like they were written my completely different people. Jude’s segment is very plot driven, kinda written in a coke/heroin daze, while Winnie’s half is reflective, nostalgic, and brilliantly written. Winnie’s piece was some of the best writing I’ve ever consumed. It’s a true character study with layers and layers of depth.
The book really pins down LA. There’s this part where Winnie meets one of those “forever surfer guys” you see in Malibu. It’s SO accurate that I feel I need to share the passage.
“He must have been in his sixties, though Winnie could tell he was the sort of eternal boy men could stay without punishment. Surfers, skaters, actors, musicians, landscapers, staples of Southern California. Men who lived in vans on PCH, drank beers at dive bars by harbors and shacked up with hot divorcees desperate for a thrill. A certain skill to maintaining such youth, a certain entitled nonchalance, as the surfers Winnie sometimes stopped to watch at First Point married tumult with technique, balancing on the lip of wild white water with lazy-looking stances. Some of them were her age, or older, as this man seemed to be. But from the way they stood, they looked just like boys.”
My one complaint with the book is that it is a bit misandrist. Practically ALL men in this book are described as manipulative, dangerous, unfaithful, opportunist, annoying, volatile, disgusting, rude — not just the bigger characters but even the ones Winnie meets in passing on a hike or a plane. There is just a single man described positively who is barely in the book. I did feel immersed in Winnie’s perspective, someone who has had so many negative experiences with men that she pretty much writes them all off as creeps or creeps-in-wait, but it was a bit heavy handed.
The book really pins down LA. There’s this part where Winnie meets one of those “forever surfer guys” you see in Malibu. It’s SO accurate that I feel I need to share the passage.
“He must have been in his sixties, though Winnie could tell he was the sort of eternal boy men could stay without punishment. Surfers, skaters, actors, musicians, landscapers, staples of Southern California. Men who lived in vans on PCH, drank beers at dive bars by harbors and shacked up with hot divorcees desperate for a thrill. A certain skill to maintaining such youth, a certain entitled nonchalance, as the surfers Winnie sometimes stopped to watch at First Point married tumult with technique, balancing on the lip of wild white water with lazy-looking stances. Some of them were her age, or older, as this man seemed to be. But from the way they stood, they looked just like boys.”
My one complaint with the book is that it is a bit misandrist. Practically ALL men in this book are described as manipulative, dangerous, unfaithful, opportunist, annoying, volatile, disgusting, rude — not just the bigger characters but even the ones Winnie meets in passing on a hike or a plane. There is just a single man described positively who is barely in the book. I did feel immersed in Winnie’s perspective, someone who has had so many negative experiences with men that she pretty much writes them all off as creeps or creeps-in-wait, but it was a bit heavy handed.
June 14, 2026
Going to try to keep this short and to the point, but what a fantastic novel!! Two childhood friends, Jude and Winnie, have dreams to make it big as writers and move to L.A. Both come from traumatic living situations and find themselves in the porn industry. Both girls, turning into women, think they can do enough, show enough, and be free from the male gaze and capitalistic exploitation of their bodies enough to do what *they* want, but that’ll never work in a patriarchal capitalist society. The girls realize this in real time and try to play it to their strengths, only to realize time and time again it’s the men who dictate anything and any “power” they give the girls, it’s an illusion based on male desire. It also focuses on how the industry wants to pit women against one another and giving into that, no matter how slight, gives the man more power over the women.
30 years later and Winnie hasn’t seen or spoken to Jude after a blowup. Winnie is living with men recognizing her from her porn days and suffers with the realization of men will always think they’re entitled to your body, that they’re somehow better than you because they’re the consumers and not the entertainers. Real good shit in this one!! This is a book where you can tell the author DOES HER HOMEWORK!
30 years later and Winnie hasn’t seen or spoken to Jude after a blowup. Winnie is living with men recognizing her from her porn days and suffers with the realization of men will always think they’re entitled to your body, that they’re somehow better than you because they’re the consumers and not the entertainers. Real good shit in this one!! This is a book where you can tell the author DOES HER HOMEWORK!
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