I snagged this book because it was highly polarized in my BOTM discussion group. Many women were upset with the power dynamic at play, so I wanted to read it for myself.

Spotlight finds Alice, not just in her Shakespearean garb, but transformed. Celine, Sadie's forced chaperone, recognizes neither the play nor the woman wielding words with newfound power. Gone is the awkward teen; a captivating enigma ignites a secret spark in Celine.

Sadie, Alice's antithesis, thrives on self-imposed deadlines, meticulously charting a life Alice embraces serendipity in. As Alice delves into Shakespearean passion, Sadie ticks through achievements, leaving her oddly unfulfilled. Watching Alice shine, a part of her yearns to rewrite her own script, embracing the unexpected like her friend.

Sarah Blakley-Cartwright's novel is a captivating journey through the realms of love, loss, and self-discovery. From the first page to the last, readers are immersed in a world where emotions run deep and choices carry profound consequences. One of the most striking aspects of the novel is its richly detailed setting. Blakley-Cartwright's vivid descriptions breathe life into the landscapes and cityscapes that serve as the backdrop for the characters' journeys. Whether it's the bustling streets of a vibrant metropolis or the tranquil beauty of a secluded countryside, each setting is rendered with exquisite detail, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the world of the story.

I think this book started good, but it lost its way a little bit. The characters were all intriguing, but I feel like they failed to progress as people. The plot also somewhat diminished, which never really bothers me because I'm a big lover of the "no plot just vibes" style of book. That being said, it was also kind of missing the vibe.

I’m torn on this book. On one hand I liked the writing, and individually I found each of the main characters interesting. But at times I found Celine’s story to be cliche, and I despised the relationship between Celine and her daughter’s best friend, especially the scene in the elevator which came across as predatory to me. While there wasn’t any character development with Celine’s character, I didn’t have a problem with that. And I did enjoy how the book ended.

I was so excited for this book, I thought it would for sure be a five star as it promised forbidden age gap sapphic romance but after 100 pages, there is still nothing going on. The writing is dense and I don't like any of the characters and I'm giving up.

So I really liked the writing in the book. Loved the connections and perspectives between the characters and loved that last chapter. Not something I totally related to in some ways.

I thought it was just fine. None of the characters felt particularly real or consequential to me, and towards the end of the book I found myself skimming chapters. I’m sure there’s an audience for this but that audience is not me.

I honestly don't know what to think of ALICE SADIE CELINE! I was excited because it's gotten a lot of good hype on bookstagram, but I wasn't as taken with it as I expected I would be. The plot promises a saucy and taboo affair between a 20-something woman (Alice) and Celine, who is her best friend Sadie's mom. Celine is only 44, so it's not like it's a humongous age gap, but it's still pretty juicy and even though this book is extremely character-driven with not a lot of fast-moving plot, the reader is still dying to see what will happen when Sadie finds out.

The book starts out strong, but I think seriously flounders towards the end. I found myself skimming, which I never would have guessed I would do in the first quarter of the novel. I wanted more from the story in general. Perhaps it could have benefitted from being a little longer? I found the unexpected time jump and POV change at the end intriguing for sure, and saved the book for me a bit. It's a quick read, but not the plot-heavy drama you may be looking for given the plot. Because it doesn't really say anything instead, I left feeling a bit disappointed.

“Why did we squabble, pick at, and destroy each other when life was so cruel anyway?”

Alice Sadie Celine is challenging to review, as it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s alluring, yet cold. There is little character growth, and very little plot. Yet, I didn’t hate it? I still felt relatively invested? I wanted to see if these characters would do better. Confusing, as those lacking factors usually are deal-breakers for me.

Plot Thoughts: As I mentioned above, I feel like there wasn’t a lot that actually happened in this novel. We see past, present, and the future; however, we don’t see much other than the characters interacting amongst themselves. The writing was more tell than show, which I struggled with.

Character Thoughts: It was interesting to see characters have such a lack of self-awareness. It was interesting to see how so many years can go by, with such little development. It was interesting to explore nature vs. nurture and personality vs. environmental factors. This also was more tell than show, and I wanted to better understand the characters motives behind their decision making.

At the end of the day, I still wanted MORE from this novel. I wanted something to happen; it just felt a little too stagnant for my liking. It was an interesting exploration of unlikeable characters & their characteristics, but overall that’s not enough for me to rate it higher.

While I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book, I could not get into it. Maybe it was the writing style? Maybe it was how standoffish the characters seemed to be. Codependent? The hyper-fixation, yet juvenile way Sadie looked at sex was off putting

This one was just okay. The story was a little too weird for me. I loved the lesbian and Feminist representation in this but wish they had been portrayed in a better and more realistic light.

Three stars for the lack of character development. They all moved instead of having presence and growth. Four stars for the prose, its introspection and pop culture and sports references, including Raheem Mostert along with capturing the dreamy of Berkeley and Los Angeles that was its own character and kept me interested in the story.

I know that this one has mixed reviews so far, but I enjoyed and recommend this book! The story of a queer mother, her traditional daughter, and her daughter’s best friend, Alice Sadie Celine is a messy, literary, unconventional love triangle, where the lines represent romance, friendship, lust, chosen family, conflict — all the many forms of love.

**SPOILER AHEAD**

And as for that controversial last chapter… I enjoyed the voices we heard and the time jump. I only wish we saw or heard a bit more about Alice and Sadie’s reconciliation, though I understand the choice to skip it.

Published by Simon & Schuster on November 28, 2023

Alice, Sadie, and Celine is a study of the three women who lend their names to the novel’s title. Celine McKeogh is a “decorated feminist” who teaches gender studies at Berkeley. Her daughter Sadie learned to hate Celine during her childhood because so many people hate Celine that hating her made Sadie feel normal. Celine is angry at Sadie because Sadie isn’t angry at men. “Well, you should be,” Celine assures her daughter. Sadie is too busy being angry at her mother to spare any time for men, apart from a recently acquired boyfriend who needs some alterations (“shorten the sincerity and let out the sex appeal”). But Sadie at 23 is still a virgin and uncertain that she can rid herself of that affliction.

Sadie’s best childhood friend was and remains Alice, although a rift has separated them ever since Alice moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Alice is back in San Francisco to act in a community playhouse version of A Winter’s Tale. The venue is unimpressive but Alice notes with pride that the acting company received four stars on Yelp. Perhaps because she made a promise to spend the weekend with her boyfriend or perhaps because she is angry at Alice, Sadie sends Celine in her stead to watch Alice’s performance on opening night.

Celine is unhappy to be drafted into service but Celine is unhappy about everything. Although she has never taken Alice seriously, Celine is overcome by a sudden onrush of lust when she sees Alice playing the role of Hermione in tight jeans. Celine makes a move on Alice, who is too stunned to resist. Soon embraced by lustful desires of her own, Alice begins a clandestine relationship with Celine. Will it be a friendship destroyer when Sadie learns the truth?

Backstories follow, developing the childhoods of Sadie and Alice and the adulthood of Celine. It is easy to understand why Alice and Sadie bonded as kids. Alice had minimal interaction with her own mother and envied Sadie for having a mother who fought with her constantly. Alice grew up in a comfortable home but she “felt the house like a snake feels the fraying skin — shiny scales gone lusterless, old iridescence — that it is past time to molt.”

Sadie envies Alice for knowing “so much about men. You’re a man whisperer.” Sadie is a planner but because life interferes with plans, Sadie “lived a life of fictive imaginings.” In the present, we learn how Sadie’s plan to lose her virginity goes awry, probably because she read her mother’s first book and believes that sex with males is always coercive, notwithstanding her decision to date the least coercive guy imaginable.

Alice is “generous and kind, agreeable, pretty, adored by all.” But does she have any substance? It isn’t surprising that after her lust abates, Celine realizes she has allowed herself to become “madly infatuated with a nobody.”

Celine is the most interesting character. At 44, her academic career is stuck. Her early work has suffered from the plague of widespread acceptance. Ideas that were once radical have become mainstream, robbing her of her relevance. In middle age, Celine cannot even scandalize her own daughter. Celine has responded to her circumstances by developing “a remarkable ability to sniff out happiness and stifle it like a fire extinguisher.” It’s no wonder that she’s widely disliked by all, although she does have a certain charm that shines through her self-centered demeanor.

The novel takes a long jump into the future as it winds up the story, featuring the child of a main character. We learn that the main characters learned some lessons. Good for them. The child, on the other hand, is judgmental and still has much to learn. Maybe the point of jumping ahead (which otherwise baffled me a bit) is to demonstrate that each new generation has a lot to learn before it is qualified to judge members of the previous generation. Or perhaps the point is to show that some adults still need to grow up, regardless of age.

Sara Blakley-Cartwright’s story is amusing because her characters adhere closely to stereotypes. Celine is a caricature of a woman who became an influential feminist in an era where feminist scholarship was trying to establish its relevance in academia and who cannot easily cope with the loss of attention she experienced when gender studies moved beyond her early contribution.

Celine’s relationship with Sadie is anchored in the stereotype of mother-daughter relationships involving mothers who want to be admired more than loved by their daughters and stunted daughters who, fighting to reject maternal advice they may have already internalized, want to be accepted more than guided by their mothers. Alice represents the stereotype of a pretty girl who aspires to be an actress and, having given little thought to her life, is surprised but unprepared when she encounters new ideas and experiences.

I don’t know if the story intends to satirize porn, but sex with a best friend’s MILF, coupled with a lesbian twist, seems to merge multiple Pornhub categories. Perhaps the story is meant to titillate, although (unlike Pornhub) the sex is far from graphic. The plot doesn’t amount to much —a disappointment to readers who can’t live without a thrilling plot — but it is a reliable vehicle to ferry the characters through the novel. Blakley-Cartwright’s observant prose exposes the characters’ foibles and pokes good-natured fun at the social groups they represent. Alice Sadie Celine is an easy book to enjoy.

RECOMMENDED

Lots of hype for book that wasn’t well written. The characters were weak and non memorable. Great premise but didn’t live up to it.

Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright has a compelling premise and I was very intrigued by the relationships depicted in the book's description. However, the friendship never fully sparked on the page and neither did the affair. Without the chemistry and crackling tension between the characters, the book didn't quite live up to its premise (or promise). I am curious to see what the author writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the e-galley.

I enjoyed reading Alice Sadie Celine. I liked the exploration of relationships among the three women, as well as how relationships don't always have firm boundaries. I liked the somewhat cringe moments from the characters.

"Alice Sadie Celine" is an intimate examination of motherhood, friendship, sisterhood and what happens when the line between those begins to blur. This story is so human with smart dialogue and very realistic characters. However, the pacing is a bit awkward at times and the ending is quite jarring in comparison to the rest of the novel.
Overall, a pretty enjoyable read — 3.75/5 from me.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy!

A story about an affair between a girl and her best friend's mom? SIGN ME UP. I love reading about scenarios I would never get myself into. This was more character-driven than plot which I wasn't expecting but still enjoyed. I loved the last chapter; it was the perfect way to close such a messy story.

Thank you to @simonbooks and Sarah Blakley Cartwright for my gifted copy of Alice Sadie Celine!

I knew when I read the first few sentences of this book that I was going to love it. The writing style reminds me of Sally Rooney. It sucks you into the characters because they are complicated and flawed. I’m always a sucker for books with multiple POVs, but I especially loved the contrast of how these characters see the same situation differently. It highlighted the idiosyncrasies of their personalities, and it highlighted the complicated nature of parental love.

When judging a person or really any person, it’s easy to forget that parents are just people. We want them to be perfect, but they are flawed people just trying to survive life as well. The cycle of parenting and how we develop as people in reaction to how we are parented is so obvious in this book.

I did not read the blurb before jumping in, and I’m glad I didn’t because some parts were shocking in the best way. I recommend this book if you are jonesing for a Normal People vibe or if you love complicated people (I do!).

This book was very close to 5 stars for me.

If you like reading about family/friend drama where the distinction between the two blurs, this book may be for you! Alice and Sadie have been best friends since they were young, and both attended UC Berkeley in their hometown. Alice finally left for LA to progress her career as an actor. However, at the ripe age of 25, she returned for a role in a show with a local theater group. Sadie has a conflict and can’t attend Alice’s opening night, and convinces her mother, Celine, a professor of women's and gender studies, to attend in her place. Unknowingly, Sadie has set her mother and her best friend’s affair in motion with this invite. Alice soon moves back to the bay area, without telling her family or Sadie, spending all of her time with Celine. The new lovers’ passion is juxtaposed on the page with Sadie’s attempts to lose her virginity to her boyfriend.
I can understand some may be hesitant about this age-gap romance between a mom and her daughter’s best friend, but I personally found it hard to put down. Both Alice’s self-discovery of another part of her sexuality and Sadie’s struggle with her anxiety about losing her virginity seemed realistic for 25 year olds. Multiple POV provided additional insight into each character, and I enjoyed how pieces of the girls’ childhood and adolescence were interwoven in the current day story. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for a gifted finished copy and NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The book is available everywhere now!