The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel

by Moe Bonneau

Ours is an age-old tale of two betties, apple-Jacks forever, when suddenly one goes ace gorgeous and then, naturally, massive popular. Said popular betty ditches other unsaid, unpopular betty for superhit cool crowd. Girls don’t speak again for four years, until a chance meeting reunites them . . .

What do you do when Ms. Ancient History comes waltzing back into your life? If you're Lu Butler, dodging sweet but clueless boys while secretly crushing hard on girls, you fall.

Intimate and raw, The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel is a story about sexuality, family, heartbreak, old habits you can’t quite shake, and first love you never see coming. Bursting with undeniable swagger and neo-beat slang, Moe Bonneau's stunning debut novel has a language and rhythm all its own.

Genres: LGBT, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Queer, Fiction, Coming Of Age

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2019

About the author

Monique Bonneau

Reviews

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt because I always want to support books about queer girls, but this was quite possibly my least favorite book of the year? The writing was just... not great. Ugh.

[. (not active on this account stop adding me)]

I can't get past the third chapter. I just can't. The writing is like a pretentious "hip" 60-year-old trying desperately hard to get down with the kids.

"Man-o, that prego pop quiz the betty took is aces!"


I don't care if this book is sapphic, I can't fucking continue.

[Acqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd find a contemporary-adjacent YA that fits in my books that will cause problems on purpose list, but now I have!
The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel is gorgeous and deeply, unapologetically weird, to the point that there are entire sentences of which I don't understand the meaning; it's full of strange choices in wording and imagery that contribute to it becoming a goldmine for cursed™ quotes; and there's a deliberate attention to rhythm in word choice and sentence structure to mimic the pattern of anxiety-fueled obsessive thinking acting on language. It's really good and kind of unreadable, by which I mean perfect in a genre that most of the time doesn't even know how it would look like to take a risk. Weird is a good thing to be!

⇝ so, what is this book
This is technically a story about Lu, who during the last year of high school starts to reconnect with a girl who was once her friend and may now be something different. At the same time, she's dealing with the fact that her grandmother is terminally ill.
This is actually a queer coming-of-age story that feels at the same time surreal, unrealistic and more real than reality, dancing between completely removed and uncomfortably close. It talks about periods, masturbation, sexual desire, drug use, self-harm and the significant repercussions of casual homophobia more unflinchingly than most contemporary YA I've read, but does so in its own way - which is to say, everyone speaks in slang all the time for reasons that aren't given. They're clearly there - I don't think anything in this book can be described as casual - and I do not get them. This choice gives this book a very unique voice, and also got in the way of me feeling actual emotions about what was happening multiple times. Unusual choices were also made when it came to imagery, and I want all of you to witness what is probably the most cursed description of a sex scene I've ever had to read:

She’s anemone and I am clown and I swim gently into her stunning embrace.

This book: metaphors!
Me, a person who has sadly experienced tumblr: I never want to see the world "clown" in anything related to sex ever again

⇝ hypotheses on the slang
A common critique seems to be that no one speaks like this. I think the book is fully aware of that, given that in here everyone speaks like this. I don't think this was a failed attempt at connecting with the youth, given that as far as ESL me understands, this is... not necessarily modern slang? Like, girls are betties and cigarettes are tars and I don't think that's contemporary - the author isn't that old. Was this an unusual attempt to make the story feel timeless by dating it the wrong way?
Or maybe it's a choice based on sound over meaning. Because:

⇝ an interpretation that turned out being canon
I was drawn to this book mainly because the writing has a rhythm I'm familiar with, the one my brain has when it gets stuck on something. It's hard to define anxiety-disorder-sourced obsessive thoughts in terms of sound, but one thing my brain does is to turn certain sentences whose rhythm it finds pleasing in the non-musical version of an earworm. Well, so many sentences here match that rhythm and have repetitive and rhyming patterns, which, again, is a stuck brain hour™ sign. To give you an idea of how... unmistakable it is, this is the quote from the preview that made me decide I had to read this book:

And she’s cracking up and I’m all aglow.
Glow little glowworm, glimmer, glimmer.
I laugh and hum and pick up my marker and draw.
Shine little glowworm, shimmer, shimmer.

Sometimes it's not that blatant, sometimes it's just in the descriptions of a person being everyday, every-guy, average hit hero, or Lu being errands-girl extraordinarie (notice how this time it didn't use "betty"! It's a sound thing), or the beach being clash, rubble-and-trash-strewn excuse of a shore - the oh-so satisfying feeling of these words, they match! It feels almost cozy. And it takes a lot of skill to get there, because while I have this, uh, gift, I can't actually make it happen deliberately to write weird poetry.
Then, as it turns out:

Then I get all slo-mo OCD and spell each word out, fitting spaces and hyphens into random places, feeling the different sizes and rhythms on my tongue. Just me and my obsessive anxiety disorder, having a blast, [...]

&

Phrases loop in my mind, round and round, like a rogue Ferris wheel spun way out of whack. I count and I count. So mop, so OCD. Hello, my name is Lucy Butler and I’m a compulsive letter counter.

As I said: deliberate! This book only causes problems on purpose, as the best ones do.
More seriously: I love weird, clearly, and I love talking about it half joking and half in awe. What I don't love is people calling something bad writing because it doesn't match their experience of how a human mind works.

⇝ an interpretation that didn't, but hear me out
Identity is a complex matter. At the same time, such strong non-binary vibes from Lu.

⇝ but Acqua, the story?
It's mostly about finding courage - to take a chance and tell a girl you like her; to dump your toxic boyfriend and homophobic friends; to be there for the rest of your family when they need you. The F/F romance is sweet and just messy enough, because the characters are dealing with mental illness and casual homophobia, both internalized and not - even though most people in Lu's life don't actually mean to hurt her that way.
It's good and at the same time enhanced and overshadowed by the writing.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

(1.5 stars) Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J.

An ARC of this book was won during a giveaway. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. Not only is the cover art simply gorgeous, the premise was just as eye-catching. I'm always here for LGBTQIA+ representation and will forever advocate the necessity of having more books in this category. 2019 has given us quite a few releases that fit the bill for representation and I'm so stoked to see these releases to continue to grow.

Unfortunately, The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel wasn't my cup of tea and there were many moments where I almost DNF the whole thing. Moe Bonneau has this unique tone to the novel's prose, but for the most part it just didn't connect with me in any way. Which is incredibly disappointing because this had the potential to be EVERYTHING and make it into the top ten of 2019, but it just doesn't.

For starters the slang in this book is overdone and sloppy throughout The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel. I was a mix of not quite understanding what was said (I NEED A GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND THESE PEOPLE) and then felt myself drowning in a hefty dose of secondhand embarrassment. I don't want to know how many times the characters used this specific brand of slang but it was a lot and I couldn't stand it.

If I ever hear the word "WORD" again, it'll be too soon. Or the phrase aces. Or betty/betties. You get the idea. I'm all for slang being used in novels. It's part of being a teen, using specific words. This felt like it was trying very hard to be cool and it showed. Nothing about it felt natural or fun or youthful.

Listen, I hate ragging on author's for the story they set out to tell. Just because The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel wasn't for me, doesn't mean it isn't going to work for you. Simply put? Bonneau's writing wasn't my cup of tea and I only barely made it through the novel. I wanted to like this one but I just didn't and there's no going around that fact. That doesn't mean it won't work for you.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be such a weird thing to say, but sometimes, when a book really gets me in the heart, I feel it all the way to my fingertips. Like a literal sensation in my hands. That happened with this book. The writing style won’t be for everyone, but I loved it. I rarely see young adult novels playing with language this way.

[Jackie Abeel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I’m rating this book a 2 is because it kept me intrigued as to what would happen between Lu and Eve but I could not get past the language in this book. I had no idea what time period this was in or what was going on most of the time but I am happy they ended up together in the end

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay book, ruined by the fact that the story is told in an incomprehensible author-invented slang. I honestly had a difficult time understanding it.

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Little Lambs Eat Ivy
Drinking Buddy: Meh
Testosterone Estrogen Level: Low
Talky Talk: Huh?
Bonus Factor: End of Life
Bromance Status: No

Read the full book report here.

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The story was good (queer girl drama/romance = yaaaass!), but I found the language and slang difficult to follow at times.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

While the book did technically have a plotline - mainly the situation with Lu's grandmother and her relationship with Eve - the abbreviated pacing made it difficult to become emotionally invested in any of the characters or storylines. (For example, the intense crush on teacher storyline, which was somewhat uncomfortable, nevertheless disappears entirely after the first third or so, predicting the emotional staying power of the rest of the work.) However, I wouldn't have necessarily wanted to read any more because the strange slang made the text distracting and at times unbearable. I kept looking for an explanation (was the book was taking place in the 1920s or the future?) but it just seemed to have been a misguided narrative choice. I was glad that everyone used it rather than just Lucy, but the use of such odd language made her narration even harder to connect with.

Overall, this feels like several adult gimmicks stuffed into the skin of a YA work.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy book birthday and huge thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the advance review copy.

Lucy “Lu” Butler and Eve used to be best friends, that is until Eve got super hot and ditched Lu for the “Pretty Pennies” of the school. After a chance encounter in the girls’ bathroom senior year during Eve’s pregnancy scare, the two slowly start to reconnect, and Lu realizes that her feelings for Eve may be more than platonic. In addition to gradation stresses, Lu is facing the potential death of a beloved grandparent and conflicting emotions about Eve.

The most distinctive thing about this book is its language. Lu and her peers have a language all their own that is a cross between 50s, 80s, and modern, teen slang. I absolutely loved it! I had to take a little more time here and there with a few phrases, but overall, it was easy to understand and gave the book a strong perspective and a great point-of-view.

I was a fan of the characters as well. Lu goes through a lot in just a few months, and she grows so much during that time. I loved her and Eve’s budding relationship, and Lu’s BFFs would be great friends to have. I definitely recommend this one if you’re a fan of contemporary YA. No fantasy or sci-fi to be had here, just pretty solid characters, normal teenage drama but with a lot of heart. The pub date is well-timed; this is the perfect summer read.

This one is out today, so be sure to check it out from your local library or pick up a copy from your fav, local bookseller.

[Shreeya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an aneurysm on every single page of this novel yet I somehow learned to enjoy it? Odd book.
(3.5)

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 1 out of 5]

See this review and more on Books and Ladders

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

DNF @ 12%

The writing in this is terrible. I have no idea what is going on because of the language used. How did anyone think this would be okay to publish tbh. The made up slang and the way the characters interact does not make sense at all. Honestly, don't read this.

[KappaBooks]

DNF: page 72

*I received this ARC in a giveaway from a fellow book blogger

Absolutely not. The weird slang was far, far too much. I thought I could manage because it's a small book, but dear god I couldn't. It can't have been a "youth of today" mistake, it just had to be a poorly made creative choice. But it was nonsensical and ruined any chance I had at connecting with the characters.

[Mace Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understandable that people can be really turned off by the excessive amount of slang (to the point where you think to yourself, “surely I’m not the only one having trouble understanding what this word means?”). Once we get past that, at the very core, it is a beautifully written story. Some of the descriptives are devastatingly gorgeous, and so pinpoint accurate that leaves you wanting more

[Grace W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just.... no one talks like that????? I literally couldn’t get over how much LITERALLY NO ONE TALKS LIKE THAT???? I think it was supposed to be unique and new but it read as so “look at how young kids talk” and I can’t

[Karen]

DNF

The writing just wasn't working for me.

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Libby: Save yourself. Don't read this book.

Sooooo much dumb slang.

The general premise of the story isn't bad. But it is probably the most annoying book I've ever listened to. Every other sentence had some unnecessary slang word that the author made up or misuse of a regular word. I never did figure out if a "toaster" was a party or a drug. I don't know what Era this was supposed to be set in, because the use of words like "betties" and "applejacks" leaned towards 60s. But they have smartphones and go to prom.

Read by Brittany Pressley. #booksin22

[Izzy]

❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️

I don't think I can give this an accurate rating because I had such mixed feelings, but I will say that if you can get past the garbled language, some of the writing is quite beautiful, and I liked the romance and Lucy's relationships with her dad and siblings.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former childhood best friends, Lucy and Eve go their separate ways when Eve drifts toward the popular girls. After four years of separation, the two re-connect, at first by accident and then more deliberately.

This short summary does not do this book justice. It's probably one of the most unusual books I've read, written in the first person vernacular of Lucy, with words and phrases I couldn't even find in Urban Dictionary. This teen-speak turned a lot of people off resulting in a bunch of DNF reviews. That's too bad for those readers because sticking with this book is so rewarding. After a while even someone like me who hasn't been a teenager for a long time got the meaning of the words in context. I have no idea if this language is at all real and have little idea of the exact time or place of the story (though it seems that it is set about 4 hours from outer Cape Cod, so either some place in NY state or upper New England).

But really, this book is all about the details of Lucy's inner and outer lives, including her anxiety flare ups, her smart girl/bad girl attitude, her coming out, the push-pull of Eve, her strong friendships, and the utter sadness of her grandmother's slow death.

The writing is unique and also very close in to the narrator in a really good way. At times, it's a bit over-written, at other times poetic. Overall, it passed my number one test--it kept me engaged and invested in Lucy's story.

Highly recommended. Just stick with it.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the slang and rhythm of this book takes a little getting used to and made this 60+ reader feel ever so ancient, once I relaxed and settled into the book, the unique phrasing and world view weren't off-putting at all. In fact, they seemed as much of the protagonist as her personality and wrld view. Without that unique authorial voice, this would be just another LGBTQ YA novel. With it, the story seems somehow fresh and new. No, it isn't easy to fall into this book, but it was worth the effort for me to be patient with it and keep reading. The plot centers around Lu Butler and her crush on Eve Brooks. Once the two girls were friends, but not anymore. In fact, they haven't spoken for years. A chance encounter in the school restroom where both of them are dealing with embarrassing issues leads to a reconnection, and Lu starts hoping for more. But can Eve free herself from her crowd of Pretty Pennies and her boyfriend Nate Gray? Is theirs a love connection worth taking a risk for while? While Eve tries to sort out her feelings and keep herself grounded, she's also dealing with the impending loss of her beloved grandmother. I loved the chapter titles too.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, REALLY wish this book wasn’t written the way it is. I truly don’t understand how any editor sat down, read this and said “yes, this makes complete sense.” It’s just written SO poorly, and if I didn’t have a soft spot for sapphic romances this would be 1 star.

The plot is fine! The characters are also actually very lovable and if the language was written like a NORMAL book, then I really think this would have potential to be a popular YA romance. At first I thought maybe it was regional language? Like, they’re speaking this way because they’re in the UK, right? They kept saying “mum” “I’m hacked” for whatever reason they call everyone “jacks” (which is literally not explained at all). And then they start mentioning America, and at the end the two girls spend a few days in Cape Cod. WHERE in the USA does ANYONE speak like this. Someone PLEASE let me know.

Overall, I wish this was better.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this was a book. I came into this book super ready the cover was gorgeous and I always love diversity in YA, however after reading this I think I truly understand the statement that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. The writing style attempted to be quirky but instead became awkward disconnected and hard to understand. The main character has seemingly over 10 exchangeable words for the word girl and I felt I was reading an alien attempting to portraying teen culture. The story was also very lacking in chacther depth and action. Lu the main chacther mentions so many cool possible plot lines then immediately drops them in favor for her pinning after the most current love intrest, WHICH THERE ARE MANY, so much so that none of them get really developed. Overall this book had so much potential and yet just couldn't make it.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually really liked the characters and story, but the slang is so bizarre and CONSTANT. I felt like I was having a stroke. It's also not just weird slang that is specific to one character or one friend group. Every character uses it. I was talking about it to my friends and one said "it sounds like Jack Kerouac decided to write a YA Romance novel." It really didn't suit the story or the genre.

[Leilani Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest issue with this book is all the slang used. It's in every sentence, but maybe a dozen. And it's not like today's slang, it is a mixture of old, current and unheard of. I got confused several times about what was meant and it really just ruined the book for me. I liked the story for the most part, but all the good points were just overwhelmed by excessive use of slang.

[Randi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this is just...incomprehensible? I could not follow what was even being said. It's not even quirky or charming, it's just confusing and off-putting. I think the story itself was fine, but the writing was so painful to try to push through that I couldn't focus on anything else.

[Jennifer Meister · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to agree with the other reviewers; the writing is horrible. The made up slang is off-putting. At first, I thought maybe the book had been translated from a different language. Girls are betties, boys are shavers, cars are whips, etc. Jacks...heart jacks, Apple Jacks, wtf? Skip it.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible didn’t like the characters at all and the lingo and language was really hard to understand. If this wasn’t for a readathon i would have DNF it.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think a lot of people are missing the point. Don't let the reviews about the language and writing scare you.

It's not intended to be like an old person trying to talk to kids and to be honest, I think that would read pretty clearly to most peopl, but what do I know. Nobody in real life talks like that and that is quite LITERALLY the point. It's a slang that the author invented. If you don't like it, that's fine, I don't think everyone will, but you can't make the claim that it makes the book bad, because that's just not true.

To be honest, the slang pairs very well with the writing style, which I really liked as the rhythm of it really captured an anxious, manic, (and OCD?) individual.

The characters are very fleshed out and realistic. There are a few plot points that just get abandoned at the drop of a hat, but it's not too bad.

The one major gripe I have with the book is the fact that it undoubtedly should come with a TRIGGER WARNING.

I think it's very unfair for readers to go into what they think is a fun, little sapphic romance and end up getting slapped in the face with drug use, self harm, eating disorders, and a variety of other really serious topics.

Obviously, it's good that these things are being explored in popular media, but these things absolutely need a trigger warning slapped on so that people know what they're getting into, especially in order to protect the very people these issues affect.

I can assure you that as someone who is trying to recover from self harm and disordered eating, it was extremely disarming to suddenly read passages of Lucy cutting herself or descriptions of Eve not eating with no warning whatsoever.

Also, there was too much sex. I'm all for sex being discussed in books, especially in educational ways when its targeted to a demographic that knows so little about realistic sex.

But the sex topics in this book were pretty much just porn, which is fine in theory, but many people who read YA are in their early twenties and I think I can speak for most twenty somethings when I say it's weird and uncomfortable to read about 17-18 year olds fingering each other. I don't know though, that could just be my personal opinion.

Overall, really great read, really unique, and easy to devour in three hours or less, though it's definitely not for everyone.

[Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lu and Eve’s relationship is the best part about this book: they have excellent chemistry and make a very sweet couple.

That said, understanding this book was near impossible. Every other sentence included slang that was so obscure, it must have been from a specific area or been made up by the author. Phones were “speaks,” parties were “toasters,” and cars were “bangers.” It’s possible that these are phrases used by some group, but I am fully unaware of them.

I am always excited about reading sapphic stories, but this one did not deliver. The characters tended to be one dimensional or unreliable. The author does appear to have an impressive understanding of internalized homophobia (and regular homophobia) but unfortunately this positive aspect was overwhelmed by disorganized storytelling. I was disappointed with this book and hope that the next one I read will be more enjoyable.