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Good Girl
Secretary meets Fleabag in Anna Fitzpatrick's hot and hilarious comic-erotic debut.
Lucy tries so hard to be good. She was always a good student, tries to be a good friend, a good citizen, a good feminist, and now she wants a lover who will give her a good beating, preferably after tying her up.
Lucy tries so hard to be good. She was always a good student, tries to be a good friend, a good citizen, a good feminist, and now she wants a lover who will give her a good beating, preferably after tying her up.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2023
313 people are currently reading
6312 people want to read
About the author
Anna Fitzpatrick
1 book15 followersAnna Fitzpatrick is a Toronto-based writer. She is the author of the novel Good Girl and the children’s novel Margot and the Moon Landing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
July 3, 2022
TL;DR: Fitzpatrick set herself multiple targets and hit precisely none of them.
I had high hopes for this but based purely on the fact it was from the same publishers that put out Happy Hour which was one of the best books I read in 2021. Suffice to say, this didn't hold a candle to Granados' writing.
While there were multiple storylines/themes that seemed promising at the start, none of them actually led anywhere. For instance, Lucy's kinks felt as if they would form a larger part of the novel than they did and I was looking to some interesting discourse on feminism and sexual submission. Instead all I got was some mediocre sex scenes and no resolution about the place of feminism in the bedroom. Fitzpatrick was eager to pick up all these different threads of the story but then didn't dedicate enough time to any of them and just let them drop. It was choc full of loose ends and, had I been even a little invested in any of the storylines, it would have been frustrating. As it was, I was just happy the book had ended.
The writing itself also felt like it was striving for relevancy and then failing miserably. I don't know if you've ever had a Glaceau vitamin water but each flavour has a little 'blurb' written on the side of the bottle which are meant to apply to various parts of everyday life. Fitzpatrick's prose was very similar to this brand of hopelessly relevant marketing, that is to say, wooden and clearly trying too hard. Things happened so fast and yet it seemed like nothing at all happened and about a third of the way through the novel I was just reading for the sake of getting it over with.
All of the characters felt incredibly shallow. Lucy was a paperthin character and any potential she had to grow into someone interesting was lost. Where was her relationship with her mother? That felt like it was constantly being alluded to but never actually went anywhere. Nora also grated on me because there was no area in which she felt real. Her dialogue was stilted and, similar to everything else in the novel, very forced. I was unable to care about any of the characters enough to form a real opinion on them because they all bored me but not enough to get really worked up about it.
I had high hopes for this but based purely on the fact it was from the same publishers that put out Happy Hour which was one of the best books I read in 2021. Suffice to say, this didn't hold a candle to Granados' writing.
While there were multiple storylines/themes that seemed promising at the start, none of them actually led anywhere. For instance, Lucy's kinks felt as if they would form a larger part of the novel than they did and I was looking to some interesting discourse on feminism and sexual submission. Instead all I got was some mediocre sex scenes and no resolution about the place of feminism in the bedroom. Fitzpatrick was eager to pick up all these different threads of the story but then didn't dedicate enough time to any of them and just let them drop. It was choc full of loose ends and, had I been even a little invested in any of the storylines, it would have been frustrating. As it was, I was just happy the book had ended.
The writing itself also felt like it was striving for relevancy and then failing miserably. I don't know if you've ever had a Glaceau vitamin water but each flavour has a little 'blurb' written on the side of the bottle which are meant to apply to various parts of everyday life. Fitzpatrick's prose was very similar to this brand of hopelessly relevant marketing, that is to say, wooden and clearly trying too hard. Things happened so fast and yet it seemed like nothing at all happened and about a third of the way through the novel I was just reading for the sake of getting it over with.
All of the characters felt incredibly shallow. Lucy was a paperthin character and any potential she had to grow into someone interesting was lost. Where was her relationship with her mother? That felt like it was constantly being alluded to but never actually went anywhere. Nora also grated on me because there was no area in which she felt real. Her dialogue was stilted and, similar to everything else in the novel, very forced. I was unable to care about any of the characters enough to form a real opinion on them because they all bored me but not enough to get really worked up about it.
February 26, 2023
the “no plot just vibes” win again
September 2, 2022
lmao at this book getting so many gaitskill comparisons when the main character spends the whole book hating gaitskill
May 23, 2025
written for hannah horvath apologists
April 18, 2022
don’t ask me what this book is about, just know i love it & think you should read it asap
January 12, 2023
This was hard to read. The writing wasn't great, there wasn't much of a plot and the characters felt hollow. I skimmed the last half of it. I don't think I'd recommend this novel.
March 1, 2022
I’ve been a fan of Anna Fitzpatrick’s writing since I was a teenager reading her work on Rookie, so I was thrilled when I found out that her debut novel was next in Flying Books’ lineup.
Good Girl did not disappoint. Fitzpatrick’s writing was fresh and witty and relatable. I saw parts of myself and of my friends in Lucy (and in her best friend, Sasha). The characters felt so lived in and familiar and it was easy to feel a bond through Lucy's experiences. There were times when I felt frustrated with her decisions, when I wished I could tell her what was right for her. But she eventually finds her footing on her own, on her own terms. Very excited for more people to read this one!
Good Girl did not disappoint. Fitzpatrick’s writing was fresh and witty and relatable. I saw parts of myself and of my friends in Lucy (and in her best friend, Sasha). The characters felt so lived in and familiar and it was easy to feel a bond through Lucy's experiences. There were times when I felt frustrated with her decisions, when I wished I could tell her what was right for her. But she eventually finds her footing on her own, on her own terms. Very excited for more people to read this one!
December 1, 2022
Not entirely sure why I didn’t enjoy this book the second time I read it, but I really disliked it. I don’t remember Lucy being super annoying or selfish. She’s a terrible friend and partner. I don’t know if it was intentional but Lucy’s views on feminism just didn’t make sense. She was very shallow and selfish. Also, I feel like this book is two separate stories. One about Lucy vaguely exploring BDSM and the other randomly going to LA to chase a store she doesn’t even write. I’m so sorry but this book wasn’t as great as I remember it
December 16, 2023
“I sometimes worry that I wouldn’t be such a feminist if I had bigger tits.”
— Fleabag
“It’d be way easier to be a better feminist if my boobs weren’t so tiny.”
— Anna Fitzpatrick’s Lucy…
Any further comparison, like the blurb will have you believe, is unwarranted. The former gives us depth and meaningful character arcs, the latter just… cringe.
Listen, I am not one to kink shame, but the writing’s embarrassingly bad, so no praise from me.
— Fleabag
“It’d be way easier to be a better feminist if my boobs weren’t so tiny.”
— Anna Fitzpatrick’s Lucy…
Any further comparison, like the blurb will have you believe, is unwarranted. The former gives us depth and meaningful character arcs, the latter just… cringe.
Listen, I am not one to kink shame, but the writing’s embarrassingly bad, so no praise from me.
August 21, 2022
honestly not what I was expecting at all but I really loved this. I bought this on the premise that I saw it all saran wrapped on the shelves while working and read the back and thought “OU this is gonna be fun and spicy” so I bought it. But it was just way more than that. It’s kind of hard to even explain it all because things just kept happening and I didn’t expect or see what would come next but overall, the conversations around kink, relationships, friendships, identity and self worth, the scum of some men on this earth and feminism as a whole was just really so interesting and funny and sad and relatable and I think this is somehow a new favourite and it makes me even happier that I found it on a whim without no prior knowledge at all
July 17, 2022
I have never been cool enough to be the kind of person who buys books based solely off who published them, but when it comes to Flying Books, I will now officially be autobuying EVERY BOOK they choose to grace the world with. First Happy Hour and now this - when I saw the instantly-recognizable cover I had a feeling it would be excellent, but WOW was I so unprepared for just how excellent.
First off - do I read books about bdsm on a regular basis? Absolutely not hahah, but while this is obviously a major factor in Lucy’s story here, it grants such a surprising, incredibly vulnerable and just plain human angle into something I’m sure we all have preconceived notions about, while also managing to feel so beside the point. No, the heart of this book belongs to a twenty-something woman stumbling through the anxieties and stress and shame and confusion of this chaotic mess of a life, in the most honest, sincere, and absolutely wrenchingly endearing way possible. I always want my books to be filled with all the heart and all the humour and this is that and so much more.
But truly, how do I properly express how much I loved this?? The characters! Lucy, and Nora, and Sasha, and yes even little Nigel - I am in love! The bookstore scenes! The anxiety!! I too have sky high anxiety and also work in a bookstore so naturally I ate this up with a spoon!! This whole gloriously unexpected, hilarious and heartfelt gem of a book!! Think Emily Austin vibes + yes, a healthy dose of startling sex scenes that will certainly reel you in, but won’t be the reason you stay - no, that honour is all Lucy’s. This is one of those special books that goes straight to your heart, meeting you right where you’re at. Read it!!
First off - do I read books about bdsm on a regular basis? Absolutely not hahah, but while this is obviously a major factor in Lucy’s story here, it grants such a surprising, incredibly vulnerable and just plain human angle into something I’m sure we all have preconceived notions about, while also managing to feel so beside the point. No, the heart of this book belongs to a twenty-something woman stumbling through the anxieties and stress and shame and confusion of this chaotic mess of a life, in the most honest, sincere, and absolutely wrenchingly endearing way possible. I always want my books to be filled with all the heart and all the humour and this is that and so much more.
But truly, how do I properly express how much I loved this?? The characters! Lucy, and Nora, and Sasha, and yes even little Nigel - I am in love! The bookstore scenes! The anxiety!! I too have sky high anxiety and also work in a bookstore so naturally I ate this up with a spoon!! This whole gloriously unexpected, hilarious and heartfelt gem of a book!! Think Emily Austin vibes + yes, a healthy dose of startling sex scenes that will certainly reel you in, but won’t be the reason you stay - no, that honour is all Lucy’s. This is one of those special books that goes straight to your heart, meeting you right where you’re at. Read it!!
April 6, 2023
no plot just vibes
July 7, 2022
I think this is a very good book :)
March 1, 2023
full review to come but can i just say how proud i was of lucy at the end for realizing that sexual desires and roles =/= real life
July 14, 2022
this book had a strong opening and premise and i was REALLY excited to read it, but i found the dialogue to be too artificial. there is a character who throws the words “honey” and “hon” into almost every sentence. real people don’t talk that way, so i found myself cringing constantly.
April 24, 2023
The review that says “no plot lines just vibes” sums up this book almost perfectly. Though, I’m going to slightly modify it to “no plot lines just terrible vibes.”
Do not read unless you want to be annoyed (and not in the good, “omg I hate this book” way).
Do not read unless you want to be annoyed (and not in the good, “omg I hate this book” way).
August 2, 2022
you know what. i adored this. i also love when books are set in toronto because yes you TELL that man to take the streetcar to bloor street, lucy, because i ALSO have taken a streetcar to bloor street, and i am so excited to read about an experience i myself have experienced! this book also really did remind me of fleabag, which is great because so many things are usually marketed as fleabag-esque when they really aren’t. so kudos!
i also just feel so hot and smart reading flying book books because 1. love supporting toronto based companies and 2. the covers are just so gorgeous!
i also just feel so hot and smart reading flying book books because 1. love supporting toronto based companies and 2. the covers are just so gorgeous!
February 13, 2023
Boring w nothing particularly insightful to say— if you’ve read one mediocre book about a woman spiraling over her kinky sex not being feminist, you’ve read them all! (Acts of Service I am looking at YOU)
August 15, 2023
Maybe not the most jaw dropping, rich plot, but I’ve never related so much to a character. Author does a great job exploring the line between sexual liberation/feminism and downright abuse; between consent and assault; between kinks and self-punishment/perversion. Loved everything about it
June 22, 2022
i fucking loved this
September 4, 2022
I feel like there is a world where Lucy reads this book and questions why she enjoys seeing her life and feelings and messy contradictions mirrored back at her so much…is she just a raging narcissist? Am I? Oh well, I devoured this. I loved all of the characters, love Fitzpatrick’s voice, love the exploration of tough questions about being a young woman without needing to find resolution. And obviously, loved the sex scenes.
August 5, 2022
This did actually give off Fleabag vibes
February 20, 2023
What an odd little book.
April 10, 2023
Reaaally captured all of my confusing feelings about womanhood, the male gaze, and feminism, and ESPECIALLY journalism!!
March 2, 2024
Update 09/12/2022
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at An Ode to Fiction.| Subscribe to my Booktube channel
Official Release Date : May 17th 2022 (Canada) & 2023 (US)
Buy the book :
Amazon CA|Chapters Indigo|Flying Books
2.5/5 ⭐️
Good Girl is the erotic and comedic version of a sad girl book that should be added to everyones TBRs.
Before I came to Canada I made a list of Toronto’s independent bookstores to check out, one of those is Flying Books. Personally, I haven’t gotten the chance to visit the bookstore since I landed in January this year. But I’ve been eyeing their published books, starting out with Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados which I read back in July and now Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick. What made me pick up the books are the simple and aesthetically pleasing covers. Seeing it on display at the bookstore is much more satisfying too because it does look better in real life than from a picture. Anyway, I will get on with the review.
Good Girl is Anna Fitzpatrick’s debut full length novel that follows Lucy, a biracial twenty five year old aspiring writer and full time bookseller, who lives in Toronto. Lucy is traversing through adulthood doing the usual balancing act of most young twenty-something aspiring writers in the big city—maintaining a stable but low paying job, trying to write the next big novel, a social life and dating a plethora of humans hoping to find someone compatible. For Lucy, a ball of anxiety and uncertainty, life is challenging. She seeks refuge by finding a partner that knows her kinks and addiction for release. There is no ambition or drive within Lucy unless someone calls the shots for her as she is bound to commands and restrictions.
The story follows a certain period of Lucy’s life as she finds someone to appease her hunger and that also understands her kinks. When that relationship fizzled Lucy was left pondering on what to do with her life. The career Lucy left idle for years is restarted after she found an old collection of teen magazines from the 1970s. This magazine became a topic of interest for Lucy as she began her research in learning about the roles taken on by women in a mostly male dominated industry. Her research has lead Lucy to grapple with her own idea of feminism and being a woman in a progressive modern society of the 21st century, all the while trying to make sense of her fetish and kinky habits of finding control by being a submissive in a BDSM relationship also the correlation between consent and empowerment. Essentially, Lucy is trying to figure out what she is going to do.
The book is marketed as ‘Secretary meets Fleabag’, I have not watched both forms of media in my lifetime, so I can’t really confirm if Good Girl meets the expectations of these two films. Though I would imagine Fleabag to be something close to Good Girl knowing certain things about it from friends and screenshots of the series.
Fitzpatrick’s writing is hilarious for its comedic timing, erotic, and sometimes dark in conveying the thoughts of the main protagonist, Lucy. Reading through Lucy’s constant shaming and critique towards herself enveloped in insecurity is a constant battle for her everyday. The self deprecation leads Lucy to spiral deep within herself to the point that she lashes out to the people she loves.
Feminism and sexual desires go hand in hand in every discussion as Lucy tries to grasp the ideal power dynamics she fantasizes and the reality of living in her fantasy but not finding the fulfilment she expects to get. Fitzpatrick plays with the idea of being “good” through Lucy’s desire to please other people as she jumps through hoops to satisfy the people that she deems admirable. Seeing the connection between Lucys need to please, the submissive role she embraced, the pressure to fit into this ideal role of a “good feminist”, and the her sexual desires conflict with each other is quite entertaining as a reader.
The concept of consent, at the start of the story, for Lucy bores her as she sees it as a chore that stands between her pleasure and satisfaction. One incident in particular comes to mind when Lucy entangles herself with a former colleague. As Lucy forms a situationship with this man the concept of consent resurfaces over and over as a question that she will repeatedly brush off to “please”, “not ruin the mood”, “avoid conflict”, etc; basically succumbing to pressure of expectations she develops herself. This situationship pushes Lucy to compare previous situationship with the present and sees the merit on why communication is important in any relationship.
Lucy has a warped idea of relationship using her knowledge of sex and her desires in how she interacts with men. She champions womens rights, knows relationship red flags, and understands that women face a lot of hardships from the opposite sex and society—but all of this is in theory. Her actions contradict the beliefs and morals Lucy has learned throughout her life.
Fitzpatrick writes the story in a non linear way as it goes back and forth from present to past of Lucy’s life. Readers will see glimpses of defining moments in Lucy’s past that steered her to become the person she is in the present. By the end of the story readers will see these two views (past and present) overlap each other as Lucy grows to learn from her experiences as she reflects and finally faces reality with conviction.
Lucy isn’t a likable character as she is a character full of flaws, displaying selfish and flaky tendencies putting her needs of satisfaction before everything else. There are many incidents that can be an example but I will not elaborate to avoid spoilers. All I can say is that Lucy will make a lot of questionable decisions throughout the book but Fitzpatrick writes these scenarios to be entertaining with tones of light hearted erotic dark comedy. In a way it is interesting to see anxiety to be depicted in a fresh and less depressing manner. Some scenarios are more ridiculous, shameful, and embarrassing than the next.
Final thoughts, Good Girl is a luscious, comedic, and sensual debut book that exceeded my expectations in weaving themes of feminism, womanhood, and relationships that playfully depicts the many anxieties of being a twenty something year old trying to understand how to be a functioning adult. A close to real life story that points out the pressures of performing and maintaining an image. Good Girl is a layered contemporary fiction that provokes readers to analyze the characters and relationship dynamics from a women centered perspective, offering views from women of various generations and backgrounds. Readers will be amused by Fitzpatricks wit and ability to write chaotic women that shows growth and development through learning about relationships and the dynamics that come with it. Did I mention the sex scenes in this book is some of the best I’ve read in a long while?
I highly recommend for readers that are in their twenties that love stories that observe human behavior and dissect the mental gymnastics in relationships. Even though I never watched Fleabag, I feel like readers that have watched that show will enjoy reading this book.
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at An Ode to Fiction.| Subscribe to my Booktube channel
Official Release Date : May 17th 2022 (Canada) & 2023 (US)
Buy the book :
Amazon CA|Chapters Indigo|Flying Books
2.5/5 ⭐️
“Oh, honey. So you’re a pervert. Big deal. All the best people are.”
Good Girl is the erotic and comedic version of a sad girl book that should be added to everyones TBRs.
Before I came to Canada I made a list of Toronto’s independent bookstores to check out, one of those is Flying Books. Personally, I haven’t gotten the chance to visit the bookstore since I landed in January this year. But I’ve been eyeing their published books, starting out with Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados which I read back in July and now Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick. What made me pick up the books are the simple and aesthetically pleasing covers. Seeing it on display at the bookstore is much more satisfying too because it does look better in real life than from a picture. Anyway, I will get on with the review.
Good Girl is Anna Fitzpatrick’s debut full length novel that follows Lucy, a biracial twenty five year old aspiring writer and full time bookseller, who lives in Toronto. Lucy is traversing through adulthood doing the usual balancing act of most young twenty-something aspiring writers in the big city—maintaining a stable but low paying job, trying to write the next big novel, a social life and dating a plethora of humans hoping to find someone compatible. For Lucy, a ball of anxiety and uncertainty, life is challenging. She seeks refuge by finding a partner that knows her kinks and addiction for release. There is no ambition or drive within Lucy unless someone calls the shots for her as she is bound to commands and restrictions.
The story follows a certain period of Lucy’s life as she finds someone to appease her hunger and that also understands her kinks. When that relationship fizzled Lucy was left pondering on what to do with her life. The career Lucy left idle for years is restarted after she found an old collection of teen magazines from the 1970s. This magazine became a topic of interest for Lucy as she began her research in learning about the roles taken on by women in a mostly male dominated industry. Her research has lead Lucy to grapple with her own idea of feminism and being a woman in a progressive modern society of the 21st century, all the while trying to make sense of her fetish and kinky habits of finding control by being a submissive in a BDSM relationship also the correlation between consent and empowerment. Essentially, Lucy is trying to figure out what she is going to do.
Sometimes being an adult feels like spinning plates, where you have to keep everything going at once to ensure that you are both keeping yourself alive and keeping a balanced life—to eat, to sleep, to work, to learn, to fuck—and then, while you’re working on all that, you also have to figure out how to be a good person.
The book is marketed as ‘Secretary meets Fleabag’, I have not watched both forms of media in my lifetime, so I can’t really confirm if Good Girl meets the expectations of these two films. Though I would imagine Fleabag to be something close to Good Girl knowing certain things about it from friends and screenshots of the series.
Fitzpatrick’s writing is hilarious for its comedic timing, erotic, and sometimes dark in conveying the thoughts of the main protagonist, Lucy. Reading through Lucy’s constant shaming and critique towards herself enveloped in insecurity is a constant battle for her everyday. The self deprecation leads Lucy to spiral deep within herself to the point that she lashes out to the people she loves.
Feminism and sexual desires go hand in hand in every discussion as Lucy tries to grasp the ideal power dynamics she fantasizes and the reality of living in her fantasy but not finding the fulfilment she expects to get. Fitzpatrick plays with the idea of being “good” through Lucy’s desire to please other people as she jumps through hoops to satisfy the people that she deems admirable. Seeing the connection between Lucys need to please, the submissive role she embraced, the pressure to fit into this ideal role of a “good feminist”, and the her sexual desires conflict with each other is quite entertaining as a reader.
My brain is like the attic in a horror movie, and I have no choice but to explore it. Will anybody be surprised when they find my corpse?
The concept of consent, at the start of the story, for Lucy bores her as she sees it as a chore that stands between her pleasure and satisfaction. One incident in particular comes to mind when Lucy entangles herself with a former colleague. As Lucy forms a situationship with this man the concept of consent resurfaces over and over as a question that she will repeatedly brush off to “please”, “not ruin the mood”, “avoid conflict”, etc; basically succumbing to pressure of expectations she develops herself. This situationship pushes Lucy to compare previous situationship with the present and sees the merit on why communication is important in any relationship.
Lucy has a warped idea of relationship using her knowledge of sex and her desires in how she interacts with men. She champions womens rights, knows relationship red flags, and understands that women face a lot of hardships from the opposite sex and society—but all of this is in theory. Her actions contradict the beliefs and morals Lucy has learned throughout her life.
All I need is for someone to tell me what to do. Tell me what to do, and I will be okay.
Fitzpatrick writes the story in a non linear way as it goes back and forth from present to past of Lucy’s life. Readers will see glimpses of defining moments in Lucy’s past that steered her to become the person she is in the present. By the end of the story readers will see these two views (past and present) overlap each other as Lucy grows to learn from her experiences as she reflects and finally faces reality with conviction.
Lucy isn’t a likable character as she is a character full of flaws, displaying selfish and flaky tendencies putting her needs of satisfaction before everything else. There are many incidents that can be an example but I will not elaborate to avoid spoilers. All I can say is that Lucy will make a lot of questionable decisions throughout the book but Fitzpatrick writes these scenarios to be entertaining with tones of light hearted erotic dark comedy. In a way it is interesting to see anxiety to be depicted in a fresh and less depressing manner. Some scenarios are more ridiculous, shameful, and embarrassing than the next.
“You’re still a good girl.”
Final thoughts, Good Girl is a luscious, comedic, and sensual debut book that exceeded my expectations in weaving themes of feminism, womanhood, and relationships that playfully depicts the many anxieties of being a twenty something year old trying to understand how to be a functioning adult. A close to real life story that points out the pressures of performing and maintaining an image. Good Girl is a layered contemporary fiction that provokes readers to analyze the characters and relationship dynamics from a women centered perspective, offering views from women of various generations and backgrounds. Readers will be amused by Fitzpatricks wit and ability to write chaotic women that shows growth and development through learning about relationships and the dynamics that come with it. Did I mention the sex scenes in this book is some of the best I’ve read in a long while?
I highly recommend for readers that are in their twenties that love stories that observe human behavior and dissect the mental gymnastics in relationships. Even though I never watched Fleabag, I feel like readers that have watched that show will enjoy reading this book.
October 6, 2024
“Sometimes being an adult feels like spinning plates where you have to keep everything going at once to ensure that you are both keeping yourself alive and keeping a balanced life”
Anna Fitzpatrick made me laugh more times than I could count in this novel. Providing a raw depiction of what it means to be 25 and struggling with the fear of doing life “right”. Fitzpatrick encapsulated the feeling of being “too much” that often myself and other women feel when attempting to get out of our heads and enjoy our niches while also fighting an underlying fear of rejection for these parts of ourselves we attempt to explore in our mid 20’s.
Anna Fitzpatrick made me laugh more times than I could count in this novel. Providing a raw depiction of what it means to be 25 and struggling with the fear of doing life “right”. Fitzpatrick encapsulated the feeling of being “too much” that often myself and other women feel when attempting to get out of our heads and enjoy our niches while also fighting an underlying fear of rejection for these parts of ourselves we attempt to explore in our mid 20’s.
February 15, 2024
Article & Interview w Anna Fitzpatrick.
Review:
Besides being relatable, I appreciated Anna Fitzpatrick’s meditations on feminism and being a good feminist. While I have found that most feminist authors try offering a definitive message or conclusion about what the Feminist Thing to Do or Think is, I think Fitzpatrick poses questions instead of giving answers. The protagonist Lucy finds herself in many situations where her actions, opinions, or intuitions contradict the Feminist Doctrine she feels she must follow. I don’t think these questions were posed simply because Fitzpatrick does not ‘know’ the answers, but because the conundrums exhibited in this novel show the complexity of feminism and its undetermined parts. I think feminism is treated as an ideology with rules to follow when you write or talk about feminism—you can be innovative and creative as long as the final product follows the rules. Fitzpatrick’s novel neither follows nor necessarily defies the rules, but questions them and toys with the contradictions and conundrums that interrupt the linearity or fixedness of this doctrine. This is most interestingly shown through Lucy’s writing project about the so-called feminist Smash magazine, and contemplating the sincerity of the sexual liberation era’s ‘support’ of women.
I agree with other less generous reviews about the writing being a bit rough. The dialogues, often humorous, read like a TV script with borderline-cheesy jokes that riskily land. Still, I did find Fitzpatrick’s humour funny, clever l, and satirical often enough, though the script-like dialogues did bother me.
In disagreement with those harsher reviews, I don’t think that the characters in this novel were vapid, especially the protagonist Lucy. Maybe it is because I resonate with her (which would allow me to imagine where her good and bad habits come from (i.e. her depth) even if the writer did not write those layers in), but I thought Lucy was shown to be quite multi-faceted through her relationships, both human and otherwise. I found her relationship with writing uniquely realistic, the way both her values and interests manifested in and changed with her projects. I also found her relationship with the media that influenced her—most notably, Secretary—interestingly depicted, the way she would consistently go back to these pieces of media for comfort, and how there would always be more for her to learn from them. Besides that, her relationships with different people were distinct and showed different sides of her, which to me added to her multi-factedness. With Lucy’s best friend Sasha, Fitzpatrick acknowledges the complexity of (female) friendships by avoiding depicting one of them (usually the protagonist) as The Bad Friend whose turning point comes when she ‘finally apologises’. Rather, she points to the mutuality of the more poisonous parts to friendships, and towards the fact that sometimes, we really don’t mean the things we regret saying!
The exploration of BDSM was especially unique and stood out the most to me. Though Lucy does in many ways degrade herself, Fitzpatrick avoids redundant portrayals of women who are into BDSM as especially damaged or underdeveloped or a victim to their own perversions. Lucy knows that she is responsible for the sexual relationships she gets into, and she actually learns from each of them. I respect Fitzpatrick for trying to explore the line between in-the-bedroom and in-real-life that can sometimes complicate these kinds of dynamics, and for giving her protagonist responsibility for keeping this line in check for herself while not absolving all responsibility of the other party. I believe that this could be reassuring to others who relate to this part of Lucy’s character because there are not many like her portrayed in media.
For these reasons and more, I really loved my experience reading this book and I believe I will keep it in my head & heart.
I let out a long sigh and start helping Nora unbox books. "So maybe you’re right. Maybe all I want is for somebody to tell me when I’m good and help me when I’m bad, and maybe it isn’t even about sex because maybe I’ve wanted this ever since I saw Secretary, or maybe since I was a secretly horny four-year-old and watched Beauty and the Beast and the Beast told Belle she could go anywhere she wanted in the palace except for the west wing or wherever the rose is, and maybe I watched that movie four hundred times and thought, ‘I want to someone to give me a palace and then forbid me to go into half of it, and maybe that’s messed up, and maybe I’m messed up, but now that I’ve acknowledged it, it's all good, right?"
"Oh, honey. So you’re a pervert. Big deal. All the best people are.”
Review:
Besides being relatable, I appreciated Anna Fitzpatrick’s meditations on feminism and being a good feminist. While I have found that most feminist authors try offering a definitive message or conclusion about what the Feminist Thing to Do or Think is, I think Fitzpatrick poses questions instead of giving answers. The protagonist Lucy finds herself in many situations where her actions, opinions, or intuitions contradict the Feminist Doctrine she feels she must follow. I don’t think these questions were posed simply because Fitzpatrick does not ‘know’ the answers, but because the conundrums exhibited in this novel show the complexity of feminism and its undetermined parts. I think feminism is treated as an ideology with rules to follow when you write or talk about feminism—you can be innovative and creative as long as the final product follows the rules. Fitzpatrick’s novel neither follows nor necessarily defies the rules, but questions them and toys with the contradictions and conundrums that interrupt the linearity or fixedness of this doctrine. This is most interestingly shown through Lucy’s writing project about the so-called feminist Smash magazine, and contemplating the sincerity of the sexual liberation era’s ‘support’ of women.
I agree with other less generous reviews about the writing being a bit rough. The dialogues, often humorous, read like a TV script with borderline-cheesy jokes that riskily land. Still, I did find Fitzpatrick’s humour funny, clever l, and satirical often enough, though the script-like dialogues did bother me.
In disagreement with those harsher reviews, I don’t think that the characters in this novel were vapid, especially the protagonist Lucy. Maybe it is because I resonate with her (which would allow me to imagine where her good and bad habits come from (i.e. her depth) even if the writer did not write those layers in), but I thought Lucy was shown to be quite multi-faceted through her relationships, both human and otherwise. I found her relationship with writing uniquely realistic, the way both her values and interests manifested in and changed with her projects. I also found her relationship with the media that influenced her—most notably, Secretary—interestingly depicted, the way she would consistently go back to these pieces of media for comfort, and how there would always be more for her to learn from them. Besides that, her relationships with different people were distinct and showed different sides of her, which to me added to her multi-factedness. With Lucy’s best friend Sasha, Fitzpatrick acknowledges the complexity of (female) friendships by avoiding depicting one of them (usually the protagonist) as The Bad Friend whose turning point comes when she ‘finally apologises’. Rather, she points to the mutuality of the more poisonous parts to friendships, and towards the fact that sometimes, we really don’t mean the things we regret saying!
The exploration of BDSM was especially unique and stood out the most to me. Though Lucy does in many ways degrade herself, Fitzpatrick avoids redundant portrayals of women who are into BDSM as especially damaged or underdeveloped or a victim to their own perversions. Lucy knows that she is responsible for the sexual relationships she gets into, and she actually learns from each of them. I respect Fitzpatrick for trying to explore the line between in-the-bedroom and in-real-life that can sometimes complicate these kinds of dynamics, and for giving her protagonist responsibility for keeping this line in check for herself while not absolving all responsibility of the other party. I believe that this could be reassuring to others who relate to this part of Lucy’s character because there are not many like her portrayed in media.
For these reasons and more, I really loved my experience reading this book and I believe I will keep it in my head & heart.
I let out a long sigh and start helping Nora unbox books. "So maybe you’re right. Maybe all I want is for somebody to tell me when I’m good and help me when I’m bad, and maybe it isn’t even about sex because maybe I’ve wanted this ever since I saw Secretary, or maybe since I was a secretly horny four-year-old and watched Beauty and the Beast and the Beast told Belle she could go anywhere she wanted in the palace except for the west wing or wherever the rose is, and maybe I watched that movie four hundred times and thought, ‘I want to someone to give me a palace and then forbid me to go into half of it, and maybe that’s messed up, and maybe I’m messed up, but now that I’ve acknowledged it, it's all good, right?"
"Oh, honey. So you’re a pervert. Big deal. All the best people are.”
July 24, 2024
no plot just vibes. painfully specific. loved it. new fave.
October 7, 2023
brief break from oppie for this insane horny smart sweet wee novel
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February 1, 2025loved this as a fellow lover of secretary
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