I didn’t find that this book had much of a plot but it’s always interesting to have a look inside a dysfunctional family.

I’m surprised that so many people recommended this because it was slow and frustrating for me.

This was a book that I normally would not reach for but I really enjoyed it. The dysfunction and chaotic family was strange. I would recommend it to other readers.

This book's title, description, and cover art all intrigued me and I found the novel itself to be fairly fascinating in the sense that it reminded me a bit of James Joyce's Portrait of an Artist or Ulysses, except not as dense and more modernized. I appreciated Lucia's journey which the author did a great job of her seeming to be a side character on the periphery and then bringing her to the forefront. I felt the story was going to be all about Ray and his art career, when really it was about their marriage and both of their careers and the things that so often fall by the wayside because of traditions and sacrifices in marriage... things like sexuality, creativity, self-love, and even healthy relationships with children and peers. I appreciated that the author also included the ways the lives of their children were affected by their marriage and Lucia not allowing herself to be fully authentic throughout their lives together. So many layers in this book. I am glad I read it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing a free copy in exchange of an honest review!

⭐️⭐️.5/5

An exploration of darkness that’s at times, felt more gratuitous than thoughtful. Clumsy attempts at social commentary are cheapened by characters whose actions never seem to be in sync with their motivations; or maybe it’s just that their motivations are too opaque for the reader to actually be able to identify them. Will update this space with a longer review, but I need to sit on this one for a while.

I did read the whole thing waiting for someone to have any sort of redemption arc but it didn't ever materialize. This book isn't funny, nor does it make you feel better having read it. A tale of woe.

I was pleasantly surprised by this little story. It started off a little slow but I got completely swept up and it became quite the page turner. My only real complaint is that a bit of the dialogue was choppy, but otherwise a very enjoyable story.

Ok first and foremost, I have to admit that it was that utterly GORGEOUS cover that piqued my interest. I didn’t wind up loving this book as much as I’d hoped but I will 100% still be buying the hard copy as that cover is in my top 5 fav covers of all time!!!

Now, that being said, aside from the cover I really didn’t find anything about the book to be exceptional or unique in any way, feels like a book I’ve read 100x before. The writing was decent, & the character work was ok too, but nothing really stood out to me. I thought the pace was a bit slow at parts, but for the most part it kept a steady base and kept me interested enough to stick with it till the end.

I also have never been a fan of the unlikable character trope, I find it hard to want to read about people that I dislike immensely & that was the case here. The Exhibitionist had one of the most obnoxious characters that I have ever read. Sometimes those are fun to read about, other times it brings down the whole vibe, like in this instance.

I didn’t hate it, but I sure as hell didn’t love it either. 3 stars for a lukewarm response! I wanted to love this so much more than I did.

Mixed feelings about this one. Mendelson can write - her sentences are excellent, her characters are strong. They're also mostly generally awful. Living in a house run by a toxic patriarch, the wife and three children are all coming to terms with how to deal. It was excruciating, and the payoff at the end is decent, but it is a real struggle to get there. Realistic, perhaps, but this book has nearly no humor, making it all very sad/depressing/tragic.

I did not like this book.

There is too much of delusions of Grandeur in the whole book - not only from the Father of the artist family, but also from his wife and children - individually.

It's not, that I was outraged about Ray - the artist that "started it all" with a brute force of ego, and easily to hate from the start.

But also his wife, Lucia, that enabled the egoist and always tried to stay in the background and blind support for her husband, which he did not deserve at all.

And so the "right" to be just as "grandiose" as the head of the family, trickled down the bloodline...and left it's signs of utter and "inherited" egoism to the kids.

And then there's secrets...

I am sorry, but I could not warm up to a single character: I hated them all equally.

The writing was ok, but the story and characters did not give me any pleasure, excitement, or at least the entertainment, I was hoping for.

The twists and turns in this book made it impossible to put down. It is extremely well written with interesting characters and a fantastic storyline.

Not a fan of this...found it to be overly descriptive and not enough of a pull to draw you into the premise. Tried for 47 pages and was still completely lost. Sorry, I tried.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson. This story follows the Hanrahan clan, initially focused on the father and celebrated artist, Ray. His family is gathered for the weekend as he plans to present them with his newest artwork. His three children and wife, Lucia while there, also have issues of there own. His wife, Lucia, is also an artist in her own respect, but not to the caliber of her husband. This weekend gathering begins to shed light on issues within the family that have seemingly been lying just below the radar for some time. I did like this book, but didn't love it. The writing was good, but it felt like parts of the story were a little contrived.

I really appreciated Mendelson's writing., her description and character development are noteworthy. I tried really hard to connect with at least one character in this novel but failed to do so. It is a story about family relationships and self identity and how much each one is tied to the other. This novel would be suitable for a study in character development.

I’ve never been a fan of those novels that confine themselves to a narrow time frame - a day, a weekend - and then cram so much into backstory and retrospect. This is one of those, and it’s generally infuriating. Presented as a comic novel, it’s in fact rather depressing, portraying as it does the oppressed and probably damaged wife and children of a ghastly, over the hill artist named Ray. Ray is as horrible as a person can be, and is thus wholly cardboard. Those around him are victims, and almost as one-dimensional as their oppressor. I was grinding my teeth at the relentless awfulness of everything - home, people, dilemmas - and the stuck pace. Mendelson can write like a dream, but this for me was a nightmare.

This was just not a tale that held my attention, I’m afraid; a bit too all-over-the-place with characters that weren’t relatable.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC opportunity.

I found it very difficult to connect with the characters in this book. Even the writing seemed not quite right to me. To be honest I had a very hard time finishing this one.

I realize that this book is set in London and written by a British novelist, but I really cannot review it without recognizing that the tone and writing of this book seem off to me, perhaps due to the famous British sense of humor that so often feels odd to Americans.

I do appreciate the pacing of this book, and how slowly unwraps the layers to the characters. I do wish that I liked even one of those characters though. Jess, and perhaps Lucia, are positioned as sympathetic characters but I personally didn’t really like them much either.

Lucia feels like a complete caricature of a simpering wife and I had no patience for her. I don’t think her affair gave her as much depth as the author wanted it to either.

And Jess’ character fell flat and unloveable to me as well.

I find it hard to read about characters who have made it so far into life and still act so irrationally and stupidly. I might not judge the student Lucia for falling for Ray, but I cannot stand her for her inability to stand up for her children to him as a young wife, or as a mature adult as we see her in the present day of the book. Ray is so one dimensional and altogether their relationship would make more sense if the author had shown any redeeming qualities other than having Lucia mention in passing that he really is great sometimes. The lack of depth to either of their characters is really a let down.

1/5 stars! It hurts my heart when the best thing about a book is its cover. This book overshot its agenda and created something that was unlikeable and difficult to get through.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I encountered technical issues while reading this book on NetGalley, but what I could read was excellent and written with wry humor possessed of a depth of emotion. I shall purchase a copy when it is available. Thanks for the opportunity to read.

I ended up DNF'ing this book around 15% as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it. None of the characters were relatable and they were all self centered in the worst way