Saintclare takes us into the world of sugar babies and I was fascinated. an interesting albeit straightforward story, could make a great A24 film

I have quite conflicting emotions about this book. The first half had me thoroughly engaged, but the latter portion felt convoluted and hard to navigate.

While I believe the author possesses a distinct voice that deserves recognition, regrettably, it didn't resonate with me.

Nonetheless, I hope this book connects with its intended audience. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read it!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this super interesting book when i was on vacation. I enjoyed the realistic characters and always appreciate when modern day feels relatable. I was sucked in from the first few chapters, and am excited for more books by this author.
Thanks!

This book was really great. Loved the characters and the main character's development throughout the story. Couple of things about her "life before" I'll call it that bothered me and took away from what I found more exciting.

I really enjoyed this debut! It moved along really fast and was well written with likable characters. It follows Agnes, a 21 year old who is working as a house cleaner looking for something more and ends up being invited into the world of high end escorts or more so - sugar babies - by a girl she meets named Emily. We follow her into the world and her quest for self-discovery along the way. 4 Stars!

Judging a book by its cover wins again!

‘Sugar, Baby’ is Celine Saintclare’s debut novel. We follow Agnes, a mixed-race 21-year-old, as she works as a house cleaner with her mom. Her friends and sister seem to have a direction of where their life is going while she feels stuck. But everything changes when she meets Emily, a model working in London who is the daughter of her client. She convinces Agnes to take her under her wing and introduces her to a new life of being a sugar baby.

If you’re looking for a story that takes you on the journey of being a sugar baby and all the ups and downs of the lifestyle, then this is a great pick-up for you.

The plot itself is well-paced as we see Agnes leave her home with her religiously oppressive mom and join Emily's friend group of models who work together as sugar babies. The girls teach Agnes all the rules and strategies to how they get designer bags, luxury trips, fancy diners, and monthly stipends.

I would consider this a drama but also a coming-of-age story as we see Agnes find her way and decide what kind of life she wants. She struggles with her decision leaving home and fracturing her family unit while also discovering how to get the life and freedom she craves. It touches but doesn’t dive deep into male/women power dynamics, feminity, religious trauma, friendships, beauty standards, and race.

The plot is mainly about sex work while also navigating the emotional aspects around it. I’m glad it didn’t fall reductive to simplistic stereotypes. It was entertaining while also giving you something to think about.

It is clear Celine has a voice with interesting criticism so I look forward to her future books.

Thank you for the e-arc!

Not my favorite but excited to see more from this author in the future.
I went into this hoping for it to be similar to the writing style of Luster, and didn't find it to be, so that's on me. I did like the drama and the glamour but I found the "lesson" a little heavy handed and a little judgmental lol. I think this would have been amazing if it leaned more toward satire or allowed the main character to completely derail, but it was an interesting time none the less.

I have incredibly mixed feelings about this. I was really hooked, for nearly the entire first half of the book, and then the back half felt messy and difficult to sort through.
I really hope this finds its readers, as I think the author has a unique voice, but unfortunately I don’t think it was for me.
Thank you very much to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity!

Agnes is a 21 yr old mixed black woman residing in London. She is bored with her life and her devout strict religious mother. She befriends Emily and is immediately swept into the lifestyle of sugar babies. She soon finds out this lifestyle isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The story is quite interesting it’s a modern day look at sex workers. I enjoyed the relationships between the women and how they all supported each other. However, it fell flat for me with the development of the main character as well as the supporting ones.

Sugar, Baby is a bold, provocative debut that takes readers into the world of high-paid sex work, as seen through the eyes of a 21-year-old mixed race woman on a journey of self-discovery.

Agnes is working as a cleaner when she meets Emily, the daughter of the client whose home she is cleaning. Emily is a model who supplements her income by working as a "sugar baby," a young woman who dates rich older men for money. When Agnes and her religious mother have a showdown that results in Agnes being kicked out, she moves in with Emily and her model/sugar baby friends in London. Emily encourages Agnes to give sugar babying a try, and at first, the lifestyle is everything Agnes could have dreamed of: expensive presents, fancy dinners, lavish vacations. But Agnes isn't a model, and she doesn't have a safety net -- and when her life as a sugar baby begins to implode, she is forced to ask herself if she's any happier or more satisfied than she was before she started.

Sugar, Baby is at its best when it's a fun, scandalous, sexy exploration of high-paid sex work, but is less successful in terms of social commentary and its deeper themes. I was expecting a thought-provoking exploration of race, class, culture, religion, and female empowerment (and the intersections of those topics) -- but most of those themes are only touched on superficially in the text. It almost felt like Celine Saintclare wasn't sure what kind of novel she wanted to write: a salacious new adult novel, or a work of literary criticism about modern society.

I found it difficult to get a grasp on Agnes as a character, even though the book is narrated in first-person. Agnes is darkly funny and witty, with a tender vulnerability at her core, but Saintclare seems to keep her at arm's length. There were some inconsistencies in her characterization, some decisions she made that were contradictory to what she seemed to want out of her life. I liked how boldly unapologetic she was, but at the same time, it didn't seem like she really learned or grew from her time as a sugar baby: Her trysts were just experiences she had, which she seemed mostly unaffected by -- and I think that goes back to how Sugar, Baby is a book with a bit of an identity crisis.

This does feel a lot like a debut -- the plot device that makes Agnes start sugar babying is almost immediately discarded, and the final third of the novel meanders quite a bit -- but I am eager to see where Celine Saintclare's career takes her. Her writing is vivid and compelling and wildly entertaining, and it's clear she has intriguing things to say about relevant societal issues. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

I found this book to be very sad.
Agnes is in a dead end life so she embarks on the life of a paid escort which leads to even more issues.
Agnes is her own worst enemy because she has no self respect and tries to find it in the life she is leading.
The end does hold some hope but I have my doubts.

This was a unique and original story that sucked me in from the first page. 5 stars! Highly recommend to anyone looking for an all consuming book.

Religious young woman is sick of being under her strict mother's thumb after learning about sugar babies. She befriends her employer's daughter and learns how to become paid to date rich old men. It's fun to be pretty and get money. Oh and maybe she's good at photography?! Idk that's it, that's the book.

I was entertained, but I felt it lacked some oomph..there's a bunch of sex scenes that were fine and there's a hint of sexual trauma backstory, but everything just ends before it could get interesting.

Thanks for the ARC, unfortunately this is just not for me. I understand there is audience for everything, but I am not the one for this.

SUGAR, BABY is an interesting book. It's sexy, somewhat fun, and quite entertaining for a book about sugar babies. I think at times it wants to be something deeper, but that is where the book falters. Agnes is a Black Londoner, the daughter of a religiously devout immigrant single-mom, and making ends meet after college as a cleaner. At one of her jobs, she meets Emily who introduces her to the world of being a sugar baby which turns Agnes' life upside down.

The story is a fascinating look at modern sex work, but I think the lack of strong characterization is where it falters. We never quite understand what drives Agnes (is it purely money? Or the satisfaction? Or is this merely coming of age?), but the world she is drawn into is both dark and entertaining. I wish it had a little more to say about race, and classism, and sex work without the overt religious themes, but I think this is a very strong debut.

Character development was highly effective in this story of a young woman trying to find the way for herself. The contrast of home life vs. life in the flat with friends makes this even more readable. Ultimately, the characters kept me returning to the story to finish it quickly.

for some reason this one didn't really do it for me :-/ I started out really hooked - loved the voice, the setting, the build up. I didn't care for Agnes, and not in a fun unlikeable narrator kind of way unfortunately. I kept expecting a bigger character arc and it just never really went where I wanted it to go. there is still a lot I can appreciate, but it just wasn't for me I guess!

thanks netgalley for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Celine Saintclare's "Sugar, Baby" is an audacious and thought-provoking debut novel that delves into the world of high-paid sex work through the lens of a young mixed-race woman's journey of self-discovery. This novel, reminiscent of the bold storytelling found in "Luster" and "Queenie," explores themes of race, class, and the pursuit of fulfillment in an age dominated by the internet and materialism.

The protagonist, Agnes, is a compelling and complex character whose life is steeped in mundanity until she meets Emily, a sugar baby who introduces her to a world of luxury, glamour, and the precarious nature of relationships based on financial transactions. Saintclare portrays Agnes' transformation and descent into this lifestyle with a raw and unflinching honesty that captures the allure and the inherent dangers of this world.

One of the novel's greatest strengths is its nuanced exploration of the intersectionality of race, beauty, and class. Agnes' experiences as a mixed-race woman navigating the sugar baby lifestyle add layers of complexity to the narrative, offering sharp commentary on how societal perceptions of race and beauty shape individual experiences. The contrast between Agnes' background and that of the other sugar babies, who come from wealth and possess safety nets she lacks, is particularly poignant, highlighting the disparities in their experiences and choices.

However, the novel's unflinching portrayal of its subject matter might not resonate with all readers. The depiction of the relationships and the challenges Agnes faces can be unsettling, and the narrative's rawness and intensity require a level of engagement that may be demanding for some.

"Sugar, Baby" is an electric and original novel that does not shy away from challenging its readers. Saintclare's debut is a spellbinding exploration of a young woman's search for fulfillment in a world that often values surface over substance. The novel's compelling narrative and incisive social commentary make it a standout work, offering a fresh and critical perspective on contemporary issues. It is a must-read for those who appreciate novels that combine gripping storytelling with deep, thought-provoking themes.

Agnes doesn't have much going for her. She's living at home, scraping to make ends meet and has just been pathetically 'dumped' by her situationship. Her only friend has just gone on a months-long island getaway. Then, she meets Emily, who lives a seemingly perfect life funded by high-class benefactors, and is more than willing to take Agnes under her wing and show her the ropes. It seems perfect – Agnes gains a coven of female friendship and moves out of her home, earning thousands of dollars in the form of gifts and expensive vacations. But this life might not be as perfect for her as it seems.

Best part: How this modernizes sex work, focusing on the relationships between the women and how they support each other.
Worst part: The inconsistency of Agnes' character.

Like being dropped into the chorus of a Lana Del Rey song. This is a fast-paced drama with lots of fun characters, but the only one that isn't fun is the main character – Agnes. She grows increasingly unlikeable throughout the novel as she's a terrible friend to all of the people in her life, old and new, and never really takes agency for her actions. I never felt like I really understood her or what would actually make her happy. For people looking for something deeper out of this book – commentary on sex work or race, this doesn't really go there at all and I wouldn't recommend it for that. But for me that was fine, because it was fun! I wanted to keep reading the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Celine Saintclare, and Bloomsbury USA for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a fascinating read. I don't know much about the world of sugaring relationships, so I can't speak to whether or not this is an accurate portrayal of certain things, but I enjoyed learning a bit more about how this world can work. Agnes is a complicated character, yet one that I still enjoyed reading about as the reader. There were times I wanted to boost her up and times I just wanted to give her a hug and advice. Seeing how everyone was a flawed and complicated character helped to paint the picture for how she makes her choices and moves about her world. I enjoyed Saintclare's writing, as it was magnetic and painted very vivid pictures. This was not always an easy read, but it was a mostly fun one that still had a lot of heart and reflection within.