This book was not what I expected at all. It was strangely written and hard to relate to. Kind of feel like I missed the point of it unfortunately.

At first I found the story line a little confusing and I didn't see how parts of it were able to fit together. However once I got a bit more background information and about twenty-five percent of the way through the book it really started to come together for me. The book is all about Roxana who is supposed to go to Paris with her best friend for the summer. However because of an error with administration she leans that she will be going to Denmark instead. When her friends seems cold and uncaring about the mix up Roxanne decides that a trip to Denmark is better than what she is currently doing. I found this story a little flat and the characters were hard to relate to. In Denmark Roxana meets a man and she falls in love with him. She moves in with him and things can't be going better until they aren't. That is when Soren's temper starts to show along with his his controlling ways. I liked this book partly because of the obvious fact that I enjoyed the story once I got into it but I think the thing that I liked the most was our main character Roxana. I found her character interesting because of all the terrible things that happened to her and I couldn't believe that she would just go along with things. Strange but because she is so different than what I am used to reading I found her character had a kind of love hate relationship because I loved to yell at her though the whole story. Interesting read but not my favourite.

I didn’t like it.
I found it hard to get into- I kept waiting for it to grab me... and it didn't.

I don't have much experience with this genre, but the synopsis sounded really intriguing. I was most interested in the culture clash of the main character and her love interest, but unfortunately I couldn't really get into it for the most part. I liked the ideas that were explored but found the backstory distracting and quite shallow.

Thanks to NetGalley for the oportunity to review this title.

“Welcome to Denmark”......

Roxana Olsen, American, 18 year old single while female....plans on being a University student in the fall. She just graduated High School.
Summer time plans ahead....off to experience a new country - while just learning that her parents were getting a divorce.

Roxana finds herself in the ‘study-abroad- program’ - a late addition - in Denmark - because of a crazy insane transfer from the ‘Paris’ summer ‘study-abroad-program’ that she was originally registered for - plane ticket bought and all. She was deeply disappointed that her friend didn’t get bumped from the Paris-program, but she did.

From the start of this novel — I had concerns for Roxana’s general state of well being. Her self esteem was on the low end. She was self critical of herself - compared her self worth against her best friend and others.
She thought her breasts were too big. She noticed pimples. She didn’t have a big house- or a closet filled with clothes - or the perfect cozy-giving mom. Her mom took her shopping twice a year at thrift stores......which separated Roxana from other girls into the latest fashions at school.
Kids at school were mean and excluded her. Yet, Roxana wished to be liked and popular with them. You could feel how distraught Roxane was with herself...jealous....and angry.
She didn’t understand why most kids didn’t like her —other than Sylvie
Elmaleh- her one friend - being the sole exception. Kids at school adored Sylvie but ostracized Roxana.
So — everything Roxana did - she seemed to compare herself next to Sylvie. Almost a love/hate relationship with her best friend.

Roxana seemed haunted by her mother’s critical voice inside her too. Roxana never felt ‘good enough’ with her mom or with friends.
She spent effort trying to be a good girl - tried to avoid making her mother mad. Her efforts were focused on trying to be pretty, sexy, lovable, likable, desired, and wanted.
Roxane was a young unhappy girl —desperately wanting to fit in - tried to please others - be noticed - be liked. Although always polite- we could feel her anger, sadness, and judgment against others.

Sooooooo.......
I knew there was a good chance Roxana was going to take her problems with her to Denmark.
“Open Me” is a very fitting title to this debut novel by Lisa Locascio. THIS NOVEL MAKES FOR AN INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS.

Roxana was traveling to a country- alone - that she knew nothing about - who was vulnerable- insecure with herself - and very inexperienced with men, sex, love, and global cultural differences.

At the airport- Roxana is greeted by Soren Holmgaard, her tour guide. Soren is 28 years old - a graduate student in literature, African Studies, working on his thesis. He’s a Palestinian- who is very ‘proud’ of the fact that he doesn’t take assistance from the government.
Within a couple of days - Roxana is living with Soren - having dropped out of the ‘study-abroad- program’ before she even started it. THIS RELATIONSHIP IS CREEPY — but we cannot stop turning the pages to see what the F&$#K is going to happen!!!!
Roxana is not the only character we question...WE WORRY FOR HER....
We question Soren for different reasons. HE IS ONE SCARY guy....lonely - controlling. He found the perfect girl to control and fulfill his fantasies. Roxana is ‘mostly’ a willing partner to ‘please’ this man.
She is also sex starve and sex obsessed. Her marbles about sex and sexually are a little screwy —-in my humble opinion —-but to each their own.....

All this time, Roxana’s parents still think she is in Paris with Sylvie being her roommate.
Through emails - Roxana lies to her parents about her days - her studies in *Paris*.
NOBODY BACK HOME ....knows where Roxana is.
ON THE EDGE FRIGHTENING! A PARENTS NIGHTMARE......( but that’s a different story & discussion for another day)......

Roxana is living off the grid -
Soren has taken Roxana to live in his uncles apt. ( while his uncle is away in Norway)—to NOWHERE-LAND....*JUTLAND*...in a place called FARSO.
She thinks to herself:
“Having sex with someone you had known for two days was rarely the start of a long term relationship”. Ya think??? What was this girl doing???? Would you die if your daughter took off with a strange man in a foreign country she knew 2 days?
I should talk... I took off with a guy from England to India - that I met in Greece - traveled overland with him - after having only known him a couple of weeks - at the same age as Roxana. I was 17.

Soren takes ‘the liberty’ in making Roxana’s choices... [ scary ].....
oh....but - we should feel sorry for him. - ha -
He tells Roxana he had been miserable and sad for a long time. Roxana thinks she is Soren’s antidote to his sadness —HE WANTED HER ...( oh god, we smell trouble)....
Roxana wanted to make Soren happy! Good luck with that....as they say!

This is a very interesting book - I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.....( some readers will). The graphic sex scenes were on the edge —too much for my taste — but gives us a deeper look at just how complex a person can be.....
The sex scenes might be enough for some readers to toss this book out the window —- but—- if one can get pass the sexual descriptive discomfort —( should discomfort arise)— it’s worth reading to the end.
This novel is a self discovery journey- not an easy journey- but it’s Roxana’s story of how she begins to find her own voice - her own sense of self.
Roxana will meet another man named Geden.....ie Zlatan......during this awakening stage of her life while in Farso, too.
During the day she would sneak out to meet Zlaton —-Soren had the only key to their apt. and expected her to stay locked in all day while he was away working on his thesis.
A different type of relationship developed with Roxana & Zlaton.....a little more ‘rounded ‘ with emotions and feelings - She began to understand the ‘wholeness’ of relationships.

DURING.....the Denmark adventures....I learned about some of the foods I hope never to eat: Leverpostej is a pate made of pork and lard. It’s often a spread for sandwich’s on grainy rye bread with slice cucumbers.
None of the traditional Danish food sounds good to me. My daughter has been in Denmark and Norway - ( I haven’t ) - but while reading this book - I called her and asked — “how did you like the food in Denmark?”
“Not much”, she said. She liked the beer though.

I enjoyed this book. It’s creepy - sure! Roxana and Soren were often stoned at night watching Danish TV or having sex. Soren’s moods seemed to me like somebody- perhaps with Bipolar disorder....( but who knows)....He was filled with fury one minute- verbally abusive - sad and pathetic the next minute.

Here are two excerpts ....from the voice of Roxana:
1... “The Summer air carried Jutland to me a hallucination, the bright sun and grassy smell muted, gauzy. One breath, and everything would disappear”.

2... “His way of taking my body fit a fantasy. Mine. Ours. A young, unsure girl led astray by unsavory older man. The fantasy drew us together, made the words he whispered in my ear real, gave his hands an edge as they moved outside and inside my body”.


Thank You Grove Atlantic and Netgalley ...for the many years of I’ve participated in the read/review exchange program.
This is my last “Grove Atlantic” book I have as an ARC. I won’t be requesting more books to read from Netgalley - or any ARC program - or accept books to review any longer. A few more books still to read & review that I committed to - then I’m complete.
I’m retiring from review commitments and required due dates. I need a break.... medical needs.
GROVE ATLANTIC was nice to me from the very start....when I was a ‘green-newbie’ book reviewer ....a somewhat new passionate reader to boot.
A few of you know - I had my ‘first ever’ crush with PUBLISHING COMPANY- GROVE ATLANTIC. Mostly ....I was and am thankful. I’ve loved reading so many of the books they publish.

Time to read the old fashion way - buy my own books or get them from the library. I’d feel to guilty to request to read a free book if I didn’t feel up to writing a review - for medical or whatever reason.

Thank You to Lisa Locascio. I enjoyed your book....BOLD & IMPRESSIONISTIC Congratulations on it being your first! I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

I am shocked, SHOCKED that this is the first review I've done on an erotic fiction book. Anyone who has seen my browser history of smutty fanfiction would be astonished. I love the way erotic fiction and fanfiction can allow women to express their sexuality. This genre may be mocked, but those people (I used to be one of them) don't know what the hell they're talking about and that couldn't be clearer than in Lisa Locasio's Open Me. Let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Roxana Olsen has always dreamed of going to Paris, and after high school graduation finally plans to travel there on a study abroad program--a welcome reprieve from the bruising fallout of her parents' divorce. But a logistical mix-up brings Roxana to Copenhagen instead, where she's picked up at the airport by Soren, a twenty-eight year old guide who is meant to be her steward. Instantly drawn to one another, Roxana and Soren's relationship turns romantic, and when he asks Roxana to accompany him to a small town in the north of Denmark for the rest of the summer, she doesn't hesitate to accept. There, Roxana's world narrows and opens as she experiences fantasy, ritual, and the pleasures of her body, a thrilling realm of erotic and domestic bliss. But as their relationship deepens, Soren's temperament darkens, and Roxana finds herself increasingly drawn to a mysterious local outsider whom she learns is a refugee from the Balkan War.

Roxana Olsen is a complicated character in so many ways. She's just found out her parents are getting divorced, her best friend, Sylvie is kind of terrible, she finds out she is not going to Paris abroad like she thought, she is going to Copenhagen on her own and if that wasn't enough, she lies to her parents and says she is still going to Paris. #itscomplicated

And while her trip to Copenhagen starts off a little rocky, it, unfortunately, gets much worse. Roxana is definitely a naive girl when it comes to relationships. She is more than happy to leave the sad place she's staying in to go off with Soren, her guide from the study abroad program, and she even agrees to live with him in his flat.

I felt like I was watching a horror movie during this section, yelling at her to get back to her room, to get away from the dude she just met that wants her to move in. Even if I hadn't read the synopsis, it was clear this was going to end badly. But that is not to say that anything that Roxana goes through is her fault. It's not! That is all on Soren. He is a controlling, insecure, manipulative asshole. His moods are all over the place and he puts most of his own shit onto Roxana.

He never gives her a key to his flat, so she can never leave. She is, for all intents and purposes, in a prison. And while she eventually finds ways to get out of the apartment (thank god), she still has to deal with the unpredictability of Soren's moods. It is genuinely hard to read some of the stuff Roxana goes through. I would call it emotional and mental abuse. And once she gets out of there, it is a weight off her (and the reader's) shoulders.

And that's how we really get to meet Zlatan. *heart eyes* Roxana first notices Zlatan because she is standing in front of the window of Soren's apartment naked, pressing herself against the cool glass. Zlatan notices her standing there (most people would) and stares at her, making Roxana move away.

But eventually, they do meet in person and with clothes on! One day, Roxana is out walking through town when she is "supposed" to be cooped up in Soren's apartment and she comes across Zlaten in the park. They almost immediately connect. Roxana is obviously looking for any kind of affection after having to deal with Soren. But their relationship doesn't get physical until much later.

At first, Zlatan takes her to an American restaurant for cheeseburgers and talks to her about her life and the situation she has found herself in. He actually tries to get to know her before all the other stuff happens (who would have thought?!). Once Roxana decides she can't survive another day with Soren, Zlaten is there to pick her up and take her to his cabin. He is the ideal guy! He is like a Mr. Darcy who knows how to cook amazing food!

He also tells his life story to Roxana and it is one of the most fascinating parts of the story. He has had a rough life. When Roxana's time is up and she has to return to the US, I was crying. Even though they hadn't known each other long, Roxana had been through such hell that the relief that Zlatan brought felt like it should last forever. Sure, she had to go to college and she was quite a bit younger than him, but it was pure relief after reading the shit storm of Soren.

Now, let's talk about the sex!

Ok, I don't really have much to say about it other than one observation. The amount of description during the sex scenes differs greatly throughout the book. I think this is intentional but I'm not entirely sure. The sex scenes with Soren are graphic. Almost everything is described (positions, movements, etc.). But the sex scenes with Zlatan are much more about what Roxana is feeling. Sure, we get to read about what Zlatan looks like naked but actions during those scenes are barely described. It is more about how Zlatan makes her feel.

Obviously, I don't know the intention of the author, but it felt like because Roxana's relationship with Soren was not much more than sex that the sex needed to be shown with the same amount of detail that emotions are usually given. And because her relationship with Zlatan was about much more than just sex, her emotions are described more than any of the acts during the sex scenes.

And of course, sadly, Roxana eventually must go home to the US. And while I said that I wanted her to stay with Zlatan forever (or maybe I do), the book could not have ended at a better spot than to show Roxana returning to her life with her new experiences and her new perspective. I wonder if her parents will notice a difference in her or if Sylvie will. I'd like to think Roxana will not have any time for college boy bullshit now that she knows what it feels like to be treated properly by a man and what it feels to be treated like shit. I definitely wanted a little more story when I finished Open Me, but the end didn't make me angry. I like a little mystery so I can imagine my own ending for the characters.

This book definitely took me on a journey. I thought I knew the rating I was going to give it when I was halfway through, but that completely changed once I got to the end. I am giving Open Me by Lisa Locasio 4 out of 5 stars. While I would like to punch Soren in the throat, Zlatan and the joy he showed Roxana really made me fall in love with this book.

Open Me comes out August 14, 2018

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*** Thank you, Lisa, for the ARC, I really enjoyed this book and desperate to read upcoming books from you ***

My review is 4.45 stars.

This is debut book for the author. But it didn't feel like, this is the debut book. Full credits to the author for that. I'm not the one who give spoilers so let's talk about the author and her book in a different way. When I started reading this book, it started with the Airport scene. Now, this is the point where Author left an impact on me. Starting book from the scene of Airport, it tells you so much about the character or it may raise so many questions about the character. All these assumptions can be answered when you'll read this book & in my honest opinion, you must read this one.

You'll never feel that you are reading a debut book by a new author. The choice of words, all the phrases were so good & I'll say very bold. I really loved the author's style of writing. The way she described the characters, wow that's amazing. I really felt a connection with all the characters of the story, especially with Rox & Soren, I guess. This book is all about finding or you may say discovering yourself, finding your own voice amongst the people.

The plot of the story so good, the characters of the story are very strong and the story built around the plot is really very, very beautiful. The way author scripted down the whole story; wrote all the scenes, was amazing. The author holds me from the start of the book, until the end and in the between I never feel the let go feeling for a second.

"Totally Mesmerizing".

I really loved the book in every way. While I was reading this book, I went so deep that it took me days to write the perfect review, so that I can do justice, with the book.

I do love to recommend this book to everyone because it's strong, beautiful, mesmerizing & it left me in complete awe. Wow!!!

This is an attempt at delivering an erotic, coming of age novel. I say attempt because it is casually written, without style, and the eroticism is pale and uninspiring. The characters seem wooden and lightly drawn. I wish it had been more compelling or stimulating or even more readable. The title did nothing to encourage the suggested action.

First, this is a not for the faint of heart, NC17 book. With that little bit of warning out of the way, I found this book both exasperating and poetic. Roxana isn't very kind to herself. When she sits down she sees her thighs, doughy, double in size. Every mirror points out the slope of her unflattering chest, and the swell of the stomach that doesn't match the perfect thinness of the girls she wants to be. She's best friends with the epitome of beauty, and is supposed to be going on the trip of a lifetime to Paris once they graduate, but a mix up in scheduling has her removed from the program and being sent to Denmark alone instead. Rather than admit to her parents the mix up, she lies and says she's still going to Paris with Sylvie. From there, the book evolves into a coming of age story filled with sexcapades with the man that was supposed to be her guide in Denmark. This was the exasperating part of the story for me. The relationship, if it can be called that, lasted for the majority of her trip to Denmark, and for me was filled with cringe worthy emotional abuse and isolation for Roxana. The author handled it deftly though, I think the juxtaposition with this and what followed with her time with Zlatan made the latter so much more poetic. The story also touches on xenophobia and made me hate Soren even more. I still found the whole idea of so much older men being with an 18 year old girl exploitative, but given the world we live in, completely believable. I don't think the author romanticized it at all which for me, saved the story and made it worth the read.

When I read the description of this book, I got very excited. I love a good coming of age story, especially if it is set abroad, however, this novel missed the mark for me. Roxanna is 18 years old and travelling abroad for the first time. Her intent was to go to Paris with her best friend, however, due to a mishap, she ends up in Denmark. Roxanna promptly meets a man, then bangs him and naturally does what any idiotic 18 year old would do, and abandons the reason she's in Denmark to follow random older man to his hometown without telling anyone where she is. If I had an 18 year old, she'd be locked in my basement after reading this. Part of my problem with this book was because of the main character's behavior. Roxanna is so painfully immature, and just makes inexplicable decisions throughout the story which frustrated me. Even worse, she doesn't seem to really mature or grow as a character from any of her experiences. The girl that gets on the plane seems no different than the girl who got off (minus the lucky to not be dead in a ditch bit). In this book, the prose was indeed beautiful, but to me it felt like the focus should have been less on prose and more on plot. So much time is spent on descriptions, that the locations that the story takes place in are lost. You never really get a feel for Denmark, partially because Roxanna is so damn passive and spends two thirds of the book diddling herself in someone's apartment. The story would have felt much richer if more time was spent on making Denmark come alive.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy this book. I read the description and thought I would like it. It is far different than any genre I normally read. It started off somewhat good, but I couldn’t get into it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I felt sad for Roxana- she seemed to lost and being with Soren seemed to just confuse her even more. I hated how manipulative he was, and I didn’t understand how Soren wasn’t concerned when she disappeared for a day without telling him where she was going. The romantic scenes were very well written and really drew me in to the story, but the characters overall I found really frustrating.

I'll try and keep this short. I requested this book from NetGalley in an effort to step out of my usual comfort zone of reading. Now that I've finished this I'll be going right back to where I was. This was not poignant, nor was it romantic. Rather I found this to be disturbing and bizarre. I had no love for Roxanna after the first chapter, and the decisions she made often made no sense to me as the reader. She was highly unrelatable as well, with me wondering who on earth does what she spends most of the book doing. The writing's efforts at being raw and real came across as unbelievable and made me cringe. The men in this creeped me out, and once again made me question Roxanna's decision making. If there was a deeper message, it went clean over my head in plot and delivery.

I saw a review that referred to this book as "dreamy" and I think that's an apt description.

Everything about this story--from the unexpected journey Roxana takes, to the unexpected lover she finds, to the lush descriptions of Denmark--feels a bit like a dream. Incidents from her past and present are interwoven together throughout the narrative. Roxana gradually awakens both her sexuality and her understanding of herself, as a separate entity from her parents. We're introduced to two men who slowly transform into different people before the book is over.

In a way it almost feels like Roxana's jet lag at the beginning of the book never leaves her nor the reader.

This dreamy quality is both the book's strength and its weakness. The story doesn't have a whole lot of hard edges or transitions. We just float along with this young woman on a very odd summer adventure. I hesitate to say if the trip even changes Roxana much, other than giving her a newfound understanding of her body and its needs. Even though we spend the entirety of the book inside her head, Roxana doesn't seem to go on much of an emotional journey, (save for learning not to judge the people she meets quite so quickly.)

While the floaty quality of the narrative didn't always wow me, the quality of the writing often did. There are some beautiful descriptions in this book. Although be warned, for a book about a girl traveling to a foreign country, there isn't much description of that country. Instead, you'll find meticulous descriptions of small things she encounters, hidden qualities about the men with whom she interacts.

Overall, it was a enjoyable reading experience, although--much like a dream--I'm not sure how long the story will stay with me.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A poignant, heart wrenching coming of age story like no other. The author finds herself in Denmark on an international trip abroad gone wrong. She soon discovers an older, morose man who allows her to explore her sexuality by night while keeping her locked up during the day. The author explores racism, what it means to belong, friendship and her own sexual awakening in a raw powerful way that will haunt you long after the last page has been turned. Brilliant!!!

There are some sharp flashback images in this novel, reaching back into the protagonist's childhood and illustrating the present. I liked how, in her seeming passivity, she never lost her curiosity and questioning of all around her. At the same time I felt somehow distance from the protagonist, and with one glaring and likely deliberate exception, all the other characters she came in contact with. But was relieved, as in any coming of age story, the protagonist overcame, accepted and moved on to something better. The wordcraft at its best reminded me of Hannah Kent and Gerladine Brooks.