The synopsis of Cult Classic had all the makings of a really good, juicy story: Lola is engaged, but she isn't quite sure about the relationship. While out with some friends one night, she runs into an ex. And then another one. Over the course of a few days, she runs into an alarming amount of exes that cause her to question what she wants out of a relationship and also why her former boss seems so invested in her progress. Trust me: you'll never guess the reason!

I'll be blunt: I did not get on well with this book. I was very enamored with the synopsis, but the execution was what kind of ruined it for me. The dialogue and humor in this were very...grating, for lack of a better word. All of the characters in this talked like they were from Gilmore Girls. You know what I mean: very dry, sarcastic, try hard-y funny. False disaffected and jaded. It's something that I see in a lot of literary fiction set in New York nowadays, and I gotta say...it makes me not want to step foot in New York ever again lol. Something else that I really hated was the ending. It felt really rushed and a little out of left field.

Cult Classic, while disappointing to me overall, did have some really poignant passages about the main character's views on love and life. Although I wasn't a fan of the book as a whole, I know I'll remember those passages for a long time.

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t in the mindset for this book but I could not for the life of me get through it. I’m sure it has some merits but for me personally, it just wasn’t a book that I enjoyed.

“Romance may be the world’s oldest cult…. So you’d better have a good goddamn reason for saying ‘nah, not enough.’ The love lobby is worse than the gun lobby.”

Thanks to NetGalley and FSG for the ARC.

Witty and biting. I loved getting to know Lola and company.

One night after dinner with her former coworkers newly engaged Lola runs into an ex. And then the next night she runs into a different ex. What begins as an uncomfortable coincide becomes a bit weirder when she learns about a mysterious connection her former coworkers have to her romantic life. As this process of the past returning to the present continues Lola must grapple with her feelings around her engagement and her prior relationships. Is there such a thing as closure? Can we move forward without looking back?

This has all the elements I usually love and yet it wasn’t love for me. I liked it fine, but it wasn’t a page-turner. I kept putting it down and focusing on other things, which I never do when I really love something I’m reading. It was well-written and occasionally funny in a smart/satirical way, but I personally didn’t connect with the characters and felt the main character was a bit annoying at times. Nothing about this was similar to my experience as a millennial since I’ve spent most of my adult life married and maybe that’s where the disconnect is for me.

I do think this will resonate with lots of women. If you loved the tone of the tv series Russian Doll or the book A Touch of Jen then you’ll probably like this! It fits right into that darkly comedic and a little bit bonkers (in a fun way) genre and I could totally see Natasha Lyonne playing Lola.

I worry my response is a “me” problem - I really should have liked this book more. I read it in fits and starts and so the story just didn’t flow for me. The writing was clever and I’m sad I didn’t feel more for this one. I say - give it a shot and read it for yourself.

This was my first Sloane Crosley and I'm excited to dig into her backlist now. This book is strange and dry and funny and I really enjoyed it! Her humor might not be for everyone but it was perfect for me at this moment.

I must admit that I was disappointed by this novel -- I'd so been looking forward to it, and I loved the writer's dry, acerbic tone. I laughed out loud many times during the hundred or so pages I read, but the novel didn't quite kick into gear enough for me to finish.

I was honestly kind of disappointed by this one. I feel like it got hyped up a lot and I just found it boring and okay.

Maybe I'm not smart enough to read this very strange book? Maybe it's just not right for me? I'm not sure but I can not read this one any more.

4.5/5 — This was my first Sloane Crosley book. Somehow I had never heard of her before this point, even though she's a bestselling author & a magazine writer, and now I'm excited that she's on my radar!

Cult Classic follows Lola, who is about to get married although she has her doubts. One night she runs into an ex-boyfriend. The next day she surprisingly sees another one. And then another. Eventually she finds out that there may be a reason for these coincidences and it's bizarre, for both her and the reader. This book is unique, complex, clever and entertaining. The blurb describes it as a “masterfully crafted tale of love, memory, morality, and mind control, as well as a fresh foray into the philosophy of romance," and I couldn't agree more.

Lola's millennial state of mind and interpretation of modern day dating is absolutely hilarious. She may be aloof and a bit detached, but her dry sense of humor had me laughing out loud! The characters were so perfectly human (and flawed). This book focuses on what our relationship history says about us and what it accumulates to over the course of time. The writing is sharp and witty, often a rambling train of thoughts. I found myself fully engaged throughout and thought there were some really thought provoking moments that added depth to the overall story.

I think this would make a great book club book! Read this if you’ve ever accidentally/coincidently run into an ex at random and began to question the world around you.

**Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sloane Crosley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review**

Crosley is primarily known for her work as an essayist, and it shows. Whether her skill as an essayist serves or detracts from this work as a novel is very dependent on the reader. Her voice is singular and acerbic, her wit sharp and unflinching, all qualities that I particularly like in essays. It’s clear that Crosley has a magnificent way of seeing to the heart of people. For instance, she will often present a situation that I’ve always found annoying but never quite knew why (like, let’s say, the pointed way that married couples can sometimes offer advice to single people), and is able to illuminate just what makes them so annoying:

“He liked to talk about his staff’s feelings as if they were data. Or the men I dated as if they were lab rats, the way married people do, as if their life is the control and yours is the experiment. Indulgence disguised as empathy, judgment disguised as friendship.”

In fact, there were several times throughout the book where I thought yes, that’s it! That’s exactly how I feel but just couldn’t articulate. And it’s a wonderful, validating feeling to see your own human experience reflected in fiction. Equally though, because internal monologue and ruminations on the past are the driving force of this novel, the plot is more of an afterthought. Overall, this felt like a series of essays that were connected with the same theme and characters rather than a plot driven novel.

The protagonist Lola is very cool in that New York savvy way, but she also makes mistakes, has insecurities, and is indecisive. Cult Classic is about 30-something Lola who is in a long term relationship with a man (“Boots”) but starting to get cold feet after their recent engagement. Her former boss meanwhile is the head of a cult (which he insists is very much not a cult) of researchers who have created a means to bring people into each other’s lives through the power of suggestion. He intends to use Lola in the initial tests for the device (Tool? Software? It is not described in explicit detail) to create ostensibly serendipitous meetings with all of her exes for a last chance at discussion and closure. So begins Lola’s journey through the streets of New York, haplessly (or fortunately depending on how you look at these encounters) running into her exes. Not every encounter is given the full run down since there are after all around 10 exes to get through, but the ones that she does thoroughly describe include interesting and impressive analysis. It’s this kind of level-headed deconstruction of the exes, Lola, and both of their actions during their time together that clearly reminds the reader of Crosley’s impressive grasp on the human condition, and all of its funny idiosyncrasies. The premise itself is what drew me to this book, but folks looking for a mystery or twisty plot will be disappointed. The plot is a vehicle for interior rumination on heartbreak, mistakes, millennial struggles, what ifs, and ultimately appreciating what you have right in front of you.

The metaphors and similes feel really fresh and often funny:
“I feel like time passed and certain boats came by and I didn’t get on board. Or else I wanted to be on a boat but was pushed overboard and so, sure, that makes me reflect on the seaworthiness of the boat I’m in now and it’s just all very nautical.”

And although the wry, cynical tone can get grating after a while, there are some sweet reprieves like the following:
“For the first time in a long time, I looked at him as you’re supposed to look at someone you adore, like at any minute you will be asked to sketch that person’s face.”

A fellow Goodreads reviewer, Justin Chen, compares it to Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris, “where the fantastical premise (time travel) is not the focus of the story, but simply the 'excuse' to have a diverse range of personas philosophizing and challenging each other's world view.” I completely agree. In that same vein, I was also reminded of “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, without the overly sentimental tone. This is a very real, unapologetic, and non-judgmental depiction of how lousy we can be to each other at times, and how deciding what we really want in life is a painful but worthy process. Folks that are looking for validation of such feelings will enjoy this witty, cynical foray into Lola’s love life. Others that were intrigued by the plot itself may look elsewhere.

CW: brief discussion surrounding character’s abortion, explicit language, brief mentions of sex

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

A classic "it's not you, it's me" situation with this book. In another time I would've eaten this up and absolutely adored it but I think I just wasn't in the headspace for this book to tell me that modern dating sucks. I'm in the throes of modern dating, I don't need a 300 page novel to tell me all of this. Please don't get me wrong, it's good! If you read the synopsis and it grabs you I think you will ultimately like this book, it's not false advertising or anything. It just wasn't for me at this time in my life!

Full disclosure: I didn't make it past 30%. This is so freaking pretentious. I can expand on about how absolutely ridiculous a character like Lola is, but I just don't have any interest in spending another minute with this story. If you are in the mood for a thoroughly cynical, narcissistic, painfully try-hard character who so desperately needs the reader to know she's "witty" and "biting" when she's really just missing the forest for the trees, this is the story for you. However, if you are nauseated by people who think being happy or liking literally anything makes you shallow or boring (think "really? You get excited about Christmas? I mean, if that's your thing I guess), move on to the next book on your to-read list.

**Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC**

I really hate to DNF but I’m at 64% and I can’t make myself commit to this book and care. There’s a lot of smart writing and some very funny observations, and it’s possible I’ll try again later- but I just don’t need a book with this much navel gazing right now. So far we have chatted with exes and gone to a wedding….just….here is my synopsis so far:

“I have ex boyfriends that a cult is making me run into using psychic powers and I’m not sure I want to marry my fiancée what is wrong with me it’s probably society actually and I use big words.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy, but this one was a miss for me. Maybe it picks up later, but if it does I really wish it did so before almost two thirds in.

Genius. So out there and I loved the humor, I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. I think every woman can relate to Lola at some point in their lives!

Some years back, I read a strange little book of essays called I Was Told There’d Be Cake. (Come on, that title is perfect.) Crosley’s writing is witty, unique and with a touch of dry humor. So when I saw Cult Classic in Netgalley, I immediately requested it and hoped it would be approved.
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The premise is interesting - the main character, Lola, is engaged to be married but is a bit reluctant about the whole ordeal. Lola’s friend devises a strategy (some mixture of technological surveillance/AI, mysticism, a spiritual cult - not quite sure what the trick is) so that Lola runs into all of her ex-boyfriends. Each ex reveals a reflection on failure/growth of self and self within the relationship. The narrative is insightful and even relatable. If you’ve ever seen Russian Dolls on Netflix, this is a similar vibe.
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Overall, good read, though I still have a soft spot for her essays!

Lola is 37 years old and feels lackluster about her love life and career. She's engaged to a man she calls Boots and is unsure if she loves him despite him being perfectly pleasant, a catch in the NYC dating pool. She is working in media and questioning the worth of her work. One night, while out with former coworkers, akin to family at this point, she runs into an ex. They grab drinks to catch up, and then she runs into her exes daily one by one. It eventually comes to light that her old boss is spearheading a new business that offers closure to people around their past relationships. Given that Lola is a serial dater, she was their guinea pig.

I loved this book because it was full of Crosley's signature humor and wit. I think I underlined something on every page. Through this story, she closely looks at love, romance, and technology. Her questions about how our past relationships shape us and how we let them go or carry them forward were insightful and something that I think most people can relate to. I also thought the commentary on tech and big data was clever. Lola's former boss has started this cult-like/wellness business that orchestrates people's exes running into them for a large sum of money.

Smart, funny, and thoughtful, this one felt in the same vein as Patricia Lockwood's No One Is Talking About This. Both are classic novels that paint a portrait of modern life and technology.

I have loved everything I've read by Sloan Crossley, so I was so excited to get my hands on this. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. I kept picking it up and would then put it down in favour of another book and had to force myself to go back to it in order to finish it.

For anyone who has ever been in a relationship but could only see it clearly from a distance (isn’t that all of us?), this book will strike a chord. Lola runs into her exes in a stream of ghosts of boyfriends past that allows her to reevaluate the relationships, what went wrong, and what she really wants. Crosley has so many insights into modern dating and human idiosyncrasies that will have you laughing and nodding in unison. Definitely my favorite of hers.

About a third of the way through, this book gets a little gimmicky, and SPOILER ALERT, you discover what the “cult classic” in the title refers to. It was a stretch for me—I much preferred the first third, though the conceit is necessary to allow the plot to unfold, which I get. Crosley partly makes up for it with the way she ties it all together in the end, but it was far-fetched in a book full of such truths about human nature. Still between 4 and 4 1/2 stars for me.

read this if you’ve ever run into an ex and questioned your existence (plus, add a cult!). it was a bit disorienting to find a romantic comedy (in novel form) that I actually enjoyed! but crosley’s setup is so fun - she presents a mystery of sorts in which our recently engaged narrator, Lola, begins running into many of her exes in New York, so much so that it’s clearly not a coincidence (cult!!!). the novel gradually reveals itself to be a dissection of monogamy and the romance industrial complex, but moreso, the ways in which our emotional baggage splices itself into our present whether we like it or not. Lola’s quippy narration makes this hard to put down, and there were two twists by the end that completely took me by surprise. crosley finely balances her idea of the cult of romance as a structure for one’s life with a literal cult to amusing ends. a perfect summer read!