Patricia Wants to Cuddle: A Novel
One of the Best Books of 2022
NPR ā¢ Them ā¢ LitHub ā¢ CrimeReads ā¢ Book Riot ā¢ Chicago Review of Books
āA one-of-a-kind queer horror comedy for people who watch The Bachelor and The X-Files back-to-back.ā āKirkus Reviews
On this season of The Catch, contestants must compete for love. And their lives.
When the final four women in competition for an aloof, somewhat sleazy bachelorās heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, they prepare themselves for another week of extreme sleep deprivation, invasive interviews, and, of course, the salacious drama eager viewers nationwide tune in to devour. Each woman came on The Catch for her own reasonsābrand sponsorships, followers, and, yes, even loveāand theyāve all got their eyes steadfastly trained on their respective prizes.
Enter Patricia, a temperamental and woefully misunderstood local living alone in the dark, verdant woods, and desperate for connection. Through twists as unexpected as they are wildly entertaining, the self-absorbed cast and jaded crew each make her acquaintance atop the islandās tallest and most desolate peak, finding themselves at the center of an action-packed thriller that is far from scriptedāand only a few will make the final cut.
A whirlwind romp careening toward a last-girl-standing conclusion, and a scathing indictment of contemporary American media culture, Patricia Wants to Cuddle is also a love story: between star-crossed lesbians who rise above their intolerant town, a deeply ambivalent woman and her budding self-actualization, and a group of misfit islanders forging community against all odds.
NPR ā¢ Them ā¢ LitHub ā¢ CrimeReads ā¢ Book Riot ā¢ Chicago Review of Books
āA one-of-a-kind queer horror comedy for people who watch The Bachelor and The X-Files back-to-back.ā āKirkus Reviews
On this season of The Catch, contestants must compete for love. And their lives.
When the final four women in competition for an aloof, somewhat sleazy bachelorās heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, they prepare themselves for another week of extreme sleep deprivation, invasive interviews, and, of course, the salacious drama eager viewers nationwide tune in to devour. Each woman came on The Catch for her own reasonsābrand sponsorships, followers, and, yes, even loveāand theyāve all got their eyes steadfastly trained on their respective prizes.
Enter Patricia, a temperamental and woefully misunderstood local living alone in the dark, verdant woods, and desperate for connection. Through twists as unexpected as they are wildly entertaining, the self-absorbed cast and jaded crew each make her acquaintance atop the islandās tallest and most desolate peak, finding themselves at the center of an action-packed thriller that is far from scriptedāand only a few will make the final cut.
A whirlwind romp careening toward a last-girl-standing conclusion, and a scathing indictment of contemporary American media culture, Patricia Wants to Cuddle is also a love story: between star-crossed lesbians who rise above their intolerant town, a deeply ambivalent woman and her budding self-actualization, and a group of misfit islanders forging community against all odds.
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Community Reviews
hmmmm... i saw this a lot on BookTok, people saying that it was really good, freaky and left an impression on them. I found it boring and unsatisfying. Once I got 80-ish% through is when the pace quickened and I realized there was not enough time left to give me all the answers I needed. I was right. I feel like the ending was not thought through and was just a quick wrap. Overall, I wouldn't recommend. 2 stars because it was easy reading.
Well that certainly took a turn š¬ This was a really fun read, and if you read a lot of horror it's a great change of pace. I definitely recommend sticking with it if you're not sure early on, I don't think you'll regret it!
A fun, horror-filled, whimsical, wacky adventure filled with interesting, engaging characters and a plot so ridiculous, it's impossible not to charm! Though I do believe some of the character's grisly ends were unprompted or rushed, and I even felt myself hoping for more time with many of the contestants to grow and develop stronger characterizations, the ending was satisfyingly enough and relayed its point/purpose intelligently and in a way most odd (yet fun nonetheless). Not to mention Allen's fantastic writing style--she is definitely a writer to watch! By no means a perfect novel (does one even exist?), but by all means a fun, funny, adrenaline-pumping romp through the woods!
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