Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. My first ever, actually! And a great first one at that.
I was immediately invested in this novel within the first ten pages. One of my favorite parts of this book is how the author deals with topics such as queerness in different contexts, race, gender, interpersonal issues, and overall the reality of dealing with owning who you are and going after what you want in a world inherently designed to see you fail. It is rare to find a book that addresses these issues in a way that feels relatable and makes me want to keep reading this book. And the answers aren't always easy, and the choices aren't always what I would want - but they are probably what the choices I would make if I were in Lily's shoes. I loved that Lily had a girlfriend and that the book didn't center around her romantic life, and also that the book had queer characters in a way that didn't scream "THIS IS A QUEER BOOK FOR HETEROS!" They were queer and as a reader, I didn't feel queer-baited. That in and of itself was a huge appeal for me. Even the not wholly centering of Lily's romantic relationship allowed space in the plot for other parts of her character and life to comet through, and I loved it.

I read this book in two days, mostly because I had other things I had to do and so unfortunately couldn't read this book in one sitting. I wanted to. I definitely give this a 4 stars and recommend this book.

Earlier this year I read Under the influence [ my review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767185012">here</a> and this book feels like a spiritual sibling in so many ways. Though I did find myself enjoying this one a little more, as there didn't seem to be the same constant dismissal of red flags...

Here we are following Lily as a chance encounter with Billie Aston brings the two women into a pseudo mentor/mentee relationship. Lily is working at a magazine and struggles with a series of microagressions and not feeling like her contributions are respected as much s they should be and Billie offers often questionable advice.

I appreciated the way that their relationship played out and how while it always felt distant Lily was still pulled back into it.

The book itself takes on an almost meta commentary about itself almost from the beginning that is certainly struck home in the final pages.

It's a book I can see benefiting from rereads and Vanessa Lawrence is a person I would like to read from again. Particularly in a book that really dug into some of the topics that felt more like a mention in passing.

I did not finish this book. I got about 1/3 in and gave up. The writing was not engaging and the entire thing felt shallow and 2 dimensional. The first few chapters failed to capture my attention or tell me anything about the character.

I really liked the premise of the novel. Lilly was a good protagonist and her relationship with B was intriguing.

I wish the novel had pushed things a bit further with the relationships and conflicts. New York City is very much a character in this novel but it feels like it overshadows the plot at times.

Still, it was a good story with a likable protagonist and a satisfying conclusion.

Set in the New York magazine scene, our main character Lily, crosses paths with Billie, an older high-powered business mogul. With Lily feeling stuck in her personal and work life, Billie reaches out to mentor Lily. This follows the story of Billie and Lily’s relationship which may develop in to toxicity.

This book starts with such promise! In the end, it really didn't click with me. I felt like the story was very repetitive. It goes; Lily texts Billie after a situation at work and then Billie texts back with some
tough love that Lily doesn't agree with. I think that if we had more in-person moments between the two it would've broken up the monotony of just the texts. I felt that the relationships in this book weren't very compelling to me. I did find Billie as a character the most interesting. If we had dual POVs with Billie and Lily it would've been SO GOOD. I wanted to see more of Billie’s thoughts and to fully flesh her out more. I really wanted to love this book but it didn't work for me. If you like books like Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney you may vibe with this.

"Ellipses" will appeal to readers who are really into the magazine, fashion and publishing industries. So much of the text describes in detail the inner workings of the New York scene. I found those parts a bit heavy and boring. What I enjoyed most was experiencing the relationship between Lily and her two very different love interests.

The ending left me a bit cold, because Lily's self-discovery/empowerment did not resonate with me. I found it immature, whereas the reality of women working together, especially queer women with such an age differential, is much more nuanced and complicated.

3/5 stars

Write what you know, they say. Well, Vanessa Lawrence had certainly done that. She may have just done that, though, in a way that leads the reader to primarily wonder how much of the novel is autobiographical.
Well, you decide. From what can be readily found online, Like her protagonist, L, Vanessa is an Asian-American native New Yorker with liberal arts education and years and years of experience writing for women magazines covering fashion, beauty, etc. I mean, when you slice that close to the skin, why not just write a memoir? Those are all the rage these days.
But then so are these “serious” women fiction novels that tackle (or attempt to) all the serious modern topics: race, sexuality, fairness, career choices, love choices, etc.
[So the author here chose to go with the fictional direction, resulting in the fashion writer writing about a fashion writer, who (wouldn’t you know it!) writes a novel about a fashion writer.
META? You bet. In its own way.
But here’s the thing: Lawrence can actually write. In fact, she can write so engagingly that she’ll almost make you forget about the shortcomings of the story she is writing. ALMOST.
But then when you step away for a moment, you realize that what you’re reading is a story about someone who has actively chosen to pursue a very superficial and vapid career (and to an extent lifestyle) desperately struggling to justify her choices (mostly to herself) while striving for some imaginary/projected profundity. In other words, it’s kind of a joke. L is kind of a joke.
She thinks herself superior to all the social media celebs and NYC pretty darlings she has to cover when in fact they all worship at the same superficial altar, and she merely has less money/popularity.
Tragically, L isn’t even as clever as she thinks. She spends nearly the entirety of the novel obsessed with a beauty mogul named B who basically gives her canned career advice via text. The rest of the time, L obsesses over herself, navel-gazing exhaustively into her life choices, and meditating (also exhaustively) on the significance of her race/gender/sexuality as it informs those choices.
In other words, L wallows. L is a wallower. Not the most dynamic or engaging characteristic in a protagonist.
But yeah, you can easily see how this book sold. It has all the right buzzwords. It’s practically tailor-made for the modern generation. At least with Lawrence, she did use what she knows. But anyone else could just Google “what sells a novel these days” and come up with the same list used in this book.
And that’s all fine. Sure, let’s discuss heavy topics. But can we wrap it in a stronger novel, something more than a walking talking cliché that seems straight out of those movies and TV shows L mocks in the book? Can we lower the estrogen levels so that it remains literature without veering into women’s fiction or, worse yet, chicklit? Can we level things out without the laughably hyperbolic declarative nonsense of the opening scene? Can we actually make the characters diverse and original without making them seem like cardboard cutouts someone decorated as diverse and original? Because buzzwords can only take a novel so far, it seems.
Anyway, it’s readable. It’s all very readable. So much so it makes you wonder what it would have been like if the quality of plotting matched the quality of writing. And wondering you’ll remain … Thanks Netgalley.

This book is a good first novel, but I expected more. First of all, the relationship between Lily and Billie is not as toxic as it was promised to me. It’s a sort of Devil’s Wears Prada, but in a blande version. It’s a pity because the premesis were really good.
The writing is okay, but the first chapter are too much descriptive, then the writing improves, becoming more captivating.
The relationship between Lily and Alison is the thing that I appreciated the most, I really love both of them, but my favorite character is Billie, because it’s the best written character.
So this book is interesting and I’ll read other books form this author for sure.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THR ARC

A novel on toxic mentorship and fame in the star studded streets of New York City. A tempting premise that left a lot to be desired, as the story only skimmed the surface of toxic codependent business relations and the competitive industry of journalism and digital media.

Lily, an up and coming young woman stuck in the magazine industry, meets Billie, a cosmetic mogul who offers her a chance to dream bigger and shoot for the stars. Their relationship isn’t as toxic as advertised, and most of their interactions take place over texts. If the stakes were raised, and Lily’s career was under threat, the narrative would have captured my attention more. If I was a fan of the glitzy glam of the New York celebrity scene, I may have enjoyed this book more.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC.

There was much I appreciated about this novel, largely the nostalgia and horror it evoked of working at a print fashion magazine at a very specific time (though I now realize I didn't have enough time markers to establish what that time was). The narrative at times seemed to underline its points more than I needed as a reader, and the perspective sometimes grew more distant (Lily and Allison were often referred to "the women" in narrative in a way that threw me). But it was a fast and enjoyable read overall, and it was great to see this setting from a non-white, queer perspective rather than most of the fashion magazine narratives that have existed until now.

The opening chapters and descriptive writing, including wardrobe details were very compelling to me. The story is set up as a high stakes push and pull between Lily, a journalist, and Billie, a famous and glamorous beauty executive.

However, the overall narrative loses its tension as it goes on and I never felt like I really knew Lily and was not invested in her career trajectory/personal life. Billie gets the strongest characterization and she seems to have such a powerful hold on Lily via the occasional text messages of "take it or leave it" advice. The ending didn't seem true to either of the main characters.

I would certainly read more by the author but Ellipses left me feeling a bit underwhelmed after the strong opening.

Thank you very much to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

"Ellipses" by Vanessa Lawrence is a sharp and witty debut novel set in the glamorous world of New York City media. This novel offers a compelling exploration of the complexities of modern relationships, career ambition, and identity in the digital age.

The story centers around Lily, a magazine writer, who interviews influencers, actresses, and fashion designers for her publication. Despite her professional success, she grapples with workplace microaggressions, a stagnating career, and her relationship with her girlfriend, Alison. As she faces the threat of her traditional print journalism career being overshadowed by the rise of social media, Lily is in search of a breakthrough.

Enter Billie, a cosmetics mogul and a successful businesswoman who offers Lily a ride home from a gala. This chance encounter opens the door to what appears to be a mentorship opportunity. Billie, an influential figure in both the business world and the LGBTQ+ community, could provide Lily with the guidance and inspiration she needs to revitalize her career.

The novel delves into their evolving relationship, which primarily unfolds through text messages and digital communication. Lily becomes increasingly dependent on her exchanges with Billie, always waiting for Billie's responses, represented by those three gray dots—the ellipses of the book's title. This digital connection brings both empowerment and complications to Lily's life as she grapples with the balance between her individual identity and her mentor's strong influence.

"Ellipses" delves into the challenges of maintaining a sense of self in a digital age defined by aspiration and half-lived online personas. It portrays the vulnerability and resilience of its characters as they navigate questions of identity, career ambition, and relationships. Vanessa Lawrence's storytelling is sharp and contemporary, offering a thought-provoking look at the ways in which digital interactions shape our lives.

Readers interested in character-driven narratives, identity exploration, and the impact of digital communication on modern relationships will find "Ellipses" to be a compelling and relevant read.

1.5 stars rounded up.

You’re supposed to start with the positives, so: it was a quick read, the second half gets a bit better, Lily gets somewhat more interesting as a character, and there were a few lines that made me laugh.

The negatives: a lot of things!

First of all, the book seems to be marketed as literary fiction, but it read to me more like women’s fiction. It’s also advertised as being about a “toxic relationship,” but the relationship didn’t feel nearly toxic or intense enough to be compelling. They just text occasionally about work stuff. Sure, Billie makes some garden-variety asshole comments sometimes, but Lily could’ve just…stopped texting her?

The climax didn’t make sense to me at all. We’re meant to find Lily’s behavior empowering, I guess, but I found it wildly overkill. I enjoy reading about characters making bad choices, but I didn't enjoy this bad choice, because the book seems to think it was a good choice.

I couldn’t get absorbed in the plot because I was constantly distracted by how clunky the prose was:

-“Never before had Lily been so excited to dress for an evening out. This was the night that would mark Lily’s future days as indelibly After.”
-A character’s eyes are described as “dark, molten orbs that were at once penetrating and opaque.”
-Something is described as “the size of a domestic pet.” (Aren’t all pets domestic? And are we talking a gerbil or a Great Dane?)
-“The woman was a one-person iceberg.” (Are icebergs normally composed of multiple people?)

Texting is a major part of the book, but the text conversations feel false (everyone uses periods all the time!) and aren’t very interesting. They’re not snappy or funny. There are a lot of texts that are just the main character replying, “Yeah.”

The book also does this weird thing where it over-explains widely known parts of contemporary American culture as though the reader has never heard of them:

-“Behavior that was de rigueur for men was deemed overly aggressive from women, who were supposed to be friendly and nurturing.” (Reading this book is like talking to someone who just discovered sexism yesterday and is now so excited to tell everyone that sexism exists.)
-“It was against text etiquette to probe Billie further when the burden of response lay in her hands.”

The main character is a 30-something queer woman who works as a magazine writer in contemporary Manhattan. So it’s jarring that the book acts like the reader has never heard of double-texting or sexist double standards. Even though the main character and the author are millennials, it doesn’t feel like the book was written for a millennial audience. I could imagine the book being a better fit for a boomer women’s book club.

Overall, this book really didn’t work for me. My feeling at the end of the book was “So what? Why should I care about all the stuff that happened in this book?” This was especially disappointing since I have the exact demographics of the main character, and I don't often see fictional characters with that precise combination of identities.

If you want litfic about a young queer woman being obsessed with an older woman, try The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer, Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, The IHOP Papers, Pizza Girl, or We Do What We Do in the Dark; or Big Swiss for an older woman obsessed with a younger (but more professionally accomplished) woman. If you're interested in the phone-obsession aspect, try Green Dot (where the main character is a queer woman obsessed with a straight man).

I enjoyed this, but have mixed feelings about it. Lily wasn't overly likable to me (not that that's really important) so I had a little trouble identifying with her issues and pain. I enjoyed the depiction of her relationship with Alison -- that felt real and realistic. The relationship with B felt a lot less one-sided than the Lily felt it was, but was nonetheless interesting and intrinsic to the story.

Overall I felt this was a pretty good offering, and I'd absolutely read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.

Great cover work. The story didn't flow well for me to fall in love with it. I didn't become invested in the characters. Perhaps at another point I will revisit. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars.

I think this novel had a promising plot that could've benefitted from an editor reworking the overall flow of the storyline. Lily is a confusing character and her motives aren't as clearly defined as B's were and that's where I struggled. Along with her relationship with Alison, I just couldn't grasp what the point was of Lily as an character. Why should the reader be invested in her workplace issues? Why should the reader be invested in the inner workings of Lily's poor decision making skills?