Being upfront, I can’t deny I have mixed feelings about this book. There’s a lingering feeling I have where I really, really wanted to love it [not sure why I feel this way so deeply]…alas, I just didn’t.
The main character, Cherry, at first lured me in – I enjoyed her detailed outfit descriptions, her family commentary & observations, and honesty around her feelings of her body & image. But…there is a lot of repetition here. I understand hammering home certain aspects, especially for us [the readers] to truly assist in building characters as well as storylines, however it felt…tiresome? [harsh, Sammi] at points.
Cherry, for me, was likeable. Worth noting, I definitely don’t need to ‘like’ characters to enjoy a book [cue The Secret History]. She was not quite fully rounded to me, but I had a pretty clear understanding of who she was, her moral compass, her depths. Tom, her ex-husband, felt very lost to me – did I really have a grasp on who is was by the end of the book?? Not really. I actually felt I understood Russ, her college friend, better than Tom. I can be so drawn into a book by characters alone, so for me this was a very noticeable negative. I struggled to deeply connect with any of them.
As someone with deep scars from family alcohol abuse, I expected to potentially have triggering moments when Tom’s father was brought onto the scene [as well as Cherry’s tbh]. However the lack of development here meant I really felt quite a disconnect from feeling ~feelings~ I feared I may [tbh quite glad about this – insert sniggering emoji – I had to stop a book a couple of months ago as the connection was far too strong & I couldn’t handle it…side note, I HATE STOPPING BOOKS!!]
Whilst I didn’t have a major love for this book, I did enjoy aspects of Rainbow’s raw & somewhat colloquial, ‘easy-read’ writing. Definitely a read I could have taken on holiday for a few days & sped through. I certainly don’t need every book to be life-changing – sometimes a quick read is a not only enjoyable, but also a requirement.
Final note: it has to be said…major shout out to the cover. WHAT A STUNNER.
Would love to hear your thoughts on CHERRY BABY below…did you feel connected to Cherry? How did you feel about Tom? Out of 5?
Next up for TDS Book Club: Hunger Stone: Kat Dunn
happy reading,
Very well put! I agree with everything you’ve said, whilst it left me wanting more for some of the characters, it was very easy to read and I really appreciate that in a book. The whole reading experience was fab, the pages, the font and the cover-stunning , very aesthetically pleasing. 🍒
Sometimes an easy read is super welcomed. Glad you enjoyed the whole experience 🙂
Front Cover IS a stunner 🍒
ridiculously good
Admittedly, I haven’t read the book yet. It just came in the mail 🙃 I did, however, download on my Kindle and start Hunger Stone and love it so far. Especially coming off of reading Dracula this summer. I am excited to pick up Cherry Baby one day. I read reviews that said that it’s ’spicy’ , and I haven’t read anything like that before 💃🏻
I have a feeling Hunger Stone could be a more enticing read if you’ve just read Dracula – what perfect timing! Have u read Carmilla before too? Dracula is one of my favourite reads.
I’ve never heard of Carmilla! Should I order it for my “to be read stack”? I love 19th century writing, fashion, everything, really. I was so happy when I was reading and realized Hunger Stone takes place in Victorian England 🤗 Perfect for fall and the storm we are supposed to get this weekend in Southern CA ☔️
You articulated my opinions exactly, my favorite part of the whole book was creating her wardrobe in my head along with Tom’s illustrations! Alas, I call these “fluff” books; they’re fun to read and be entertained by but lack depth or real staying power for me. I love to balance them out with books written before the time of “text message” style writing that lends itself to more depth and dynamic character building. Excited to see what Hungerstone has in store for us, picking it up from the library today!
I really liked Cherry Baby, but I did feel like it was very repetitive. I felt like it could have been quite a bit shorter, and I wouldn’t have missed the extra chapters. I didn’t mind Tom’s lost-ness. It felt very human to me, and I felt like that’s what the book was about: people are people, and imperfect, and marriage is hard and imperfect as well. Sometimes things happen that are no one’s fault and everyone’s fault. I listened to this book on Audible and was blown away again by the reader and how she drew all the characters with… Read more »
I’d give Cherry Baby a solid 3 out of 5. I enjoyed the book overall, but I definitely walked away from it with some mixed feelings. The biggest thing that stuck with me was the way Cherry and her sisters treated their sister who took Ozempic. I loved Cherry’s body positivity and felt like that was such a strong part of the story, but having the family shame their sister for choosing a different path felt really contradictory to me. Cherry fought so hard to be respected for her own body and choices, but that same acceptance didn’t seem to… Read more »