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laurbergo's reviews
51 reviews
Dirty Diana by Shana Feste, Jen Besser
reflective
4.0
A marriage in turmoil, Diana and Oliver struggle to reconcile their love with their lack of passion and intimacy. We watch them unravel through Diana’s POV as their attempts to reconnect constantly fizzle. Bids for connection are made and dramatically fumbled by both parties time and again.
This topic is squarely in my wheelhouse so I expected to like it - but I enjoyed this way more than I assumed I would! It’s incredibly readable, has fun pacing and some surprisingly nuanced explorations of long term relationships and sexuality.
Diana has a secret project she worked on in her 20s - she would interview women about their sex lives and use these tales to paint portraits of them. When her marriage begins fraying at the seams, she starts to collect these stories again. I couldn’t help but think of “Want” which came out recently, the premise was so similar! But the idea for this story was originally explored in a podcast released in 2020, way before “Want” was even announced. I always find those sort of cultural parallels interesting. This concept seems to be bubbling up in the collective psyche right now for some reason.
The fantasy collection worked really well as a vehicle to feed the reader a variety of fun sexual scenarios without relying on our main character going out and having an absurd amount of sex. It added a spiciness to the book, but not at the expense of realism and allowed for reflection on how different individuals engage with their sexuality.
Which is the topic both Diana and Oliver are struggling with - how do *they* conceptualize their own relationship to sex individually and within the confines of their marriage? What role does it play for them and how can they get on the same page without constantly reinforcing anxiety around it?
There’s some real relatability and raw honesty in this book around a topic that most people shy away from - these issues are realistically a struggle in MANY long term relationships.
Definitely recommend if you want something a little spicy with a nice mix of complexity and fun, popcorn drama!
Thank you Random House for the free copy!
This topic is squarely in my wheelhouse so I expected to like it - but I enjoyed this way more than I assumed I would! It’s incredibly readable, has fun pacing and some surprisingly nuanced explorations of long term relationships and sexuality.
Diana has a secret project she worked on in her 20s - she would interview women about their sex lives and use these tales to paint portraits of them. When her marriage begins fraying at the seams, she starts to collect these stories again. I couldn’t help but think of “Want” which came out recently, the premise was so similar! But the idea for this story was originally explored in a podcast released in 2020, way before “Want” was even announced. I always find those sort of cultural parallels interesting. This concept seems to be bubbling up in the collective psyche right now for some reason.
The fantasy collection worked really well as a vehicle to feed the reader a variety of fun sexual scenarios without relying on our main character going out and having an absurd amount of sex. It added a spiciness to the book, but not at the expense of realism and allowed for reflection on how different individuals engage with their sexuality.
Which is the topic both Diana and Oliver are struggling with - how do *they* conceptualize their own relationship to sex individually and within the confines of their marriage? What role does it play for them and how can they get on the same page without constantly reinforcing anxiety around it?
There’s some real relatability and raw honesty in this book around a topic that most people shy away from - these issues are realistically a struggle in MANY long term relationships.
Definitely recommend if you want something a little spicy with a nice mix of complexity and fun, popcorn drama!
Thank you Random House for the free copy!