Soft Core started off really well and had me intrigued quickly. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way.
I found it very repetitive and not anywhere near as interesting or spicy as the premise hinted at.

I really wanted to like it, but I found myself bored through most of the novel.

Onto a positive, I liked Baby. She was loyal and resilient. I didn't really like any of the other characters, though.

Soft Core had a lot of promise, but for me, it was only halfway there.

2.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Brittany Newell for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LitHub included this book in their list of novels to read if you loved Anora (https://lithub.com/what-to-read-next-based-on-your-favorite-film-of-the-year-redux/ where it shares space with Margo's Got Money Troubles, which I loved!). As someone who had so much fun watching Anora, I decided to check it out. The book is an honest portrayal of a woman (Ruth/Baby) who works at a strip club as a dancer, and in the wake of her ex-boyfriend's (Dino) disappearance, she goes on a search for him - along the way, she also becomes a dominatrix. The book does a great job of describing the dynamics between the girls working at the club and the dungeon - how they talk to each other and about each other - and there’s a tenderness to it that I really liked. There’s an authenticity to these descriptions (especially important considering the author herself works as a dominatrix!). They discuss their favorite perfumes and the reasons behind their choices, men's kinks are listed like a grocery list, and clients at the dungeon are described in vivid detail - not only authentically, but also with humor, tenderness, and humanity.

The book also spends a lot of time with the central character, Ruth, who is reckoning with longing, loneliness, and familial trauma. While she makes friends (particularly Mazzy and Ophelia) and seems to be surrounded by people who care about her, she often feels unworthy of their affection and indulges in self-destructive behavior and unravels. The author also talks very realistically about the pitfalls of the job, and how, while violence itself may not be constant, its potential always surrounds her.

The book’s most tender moments come in Ruth’s musings about Dino - her nervousness after not having seen him for a while because she had become so habituated to his presence, how Dino made sure she was always well-fed and now that he's gone, food no longer holds the same appeal to her, how, when she inhabits his bed, she tries to minimize her movements to preserve his scent on the sheets because she misses him so much.

I think the book also does a great job of depicting love in the form of small moments: like eating M&Ms in bed together and giving your partner their favorite colors, or Ruth's attraction to Dino's little belly fat that she found tender and soft, or their grocery hauls. This is not a book that ties things up neatly in the end - so if you want a book that provides clear answers, this may not be for you. But if you're here for the vibes, I'm sure you'll have fun!

As far as comparisons with Anora go, I can see some similarities between her and Baby, particularly in how both women assert agency over their bodies. Though they project a facade of happiness, both women are cloaked in aching loneliness, forced to bend to circumstances in lives that seem crafted to bring about their undoing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author (Brittany Newell), and the publisher (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

I loved this book. Listening to the main character spiral into the depths of her depression and longing was refreshingly well done. It was hard to put down.

I was super excited for this book. Unfortunately the characters felt two dimensional and the plot felt like there was no destination.

I enjoy reading books about people with different life circumstances, and this book was no different. I liked seeing what life is like for this particular sex worker. However, I was a bit frustrated with the whole missing boyfriend storyline. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace, because this is usually right up my alley. Not sure it will find its intended audience though...the cover looks more erotic, while the book is actually more literary than expected.

Wow, something about this book scratched an itch for me. I adored every second of Baby/Ruthie’s inner monologue and memory flashbacks.

Ruthie’s life is a bit of a mess aside from her engrossing love for her ex-boyfriend who randomly goes missing. She’s not sure who she is or what she wants aside from love and purpose, and losing the one person who’s been there for her in her later years of life causes her to spiral. As she’s trying to adjust, she meets a newbie stripper nobody likes, becomes a dominatrix, and goes a little crazy trying to find life’s meaning. Is life worth living without being loved? At what point does companionship truly make you feel less alone?

From the fun and bubbly descriptions of the strippers at the strip club she dances at, to reminiscing the bleak and dark days of her childhood with her mom, the narration had me entranced. Ruthie is such a complex and authentic character, and you can’t help but root for her to make it in the end.

This book is gritty, introspective, and just a good time. I loved it, and look forward to picking up a physical copy.

Ruth (Baby) is a stripper living with her drug dealer ex, Dino, in San Francisco. After Dino disappears, Ruth finds herself in a tailspin and attempts to figure out her life while searching the city for Dino. She meets a number of interesting folks along the way that leave a lasting impact on her. I highly recommend this one for fans of compelling, unreliable narrators and books that are left open to interpretation. Softcore is a bold, surreal story that tackles identity, the depths of loneliness, and the need for human connection in a whole new light.

I loved reading this. To enjoy it, I think you need to view it as a slice-of-life novel about a sex worker, instead of a thriller like I had expected it would be based on the description. As a lover of fragrance, I especially appreciated Newell's luscious descriptions of the perfume Soft Core, as well as the scents of every room and person the protagonist encounters.

gorgeous, moving, fast-paced, thought-provoking, deep yet deliciously readable. A real litfic dream.

Our protagonist, Ruth, or also known as Baby is living with her ex-boyfriend Dino all while figuring out life working as a sex worker. When her ex-Dino disappears, nothing makes sense, and Ruth goes from stripping to working in a BDM dungeon. I loved the messiness of this story and all the fascinating people that surround Baby on her journey! I would recommend this book 100% because it beat my expectations and along the journey you will find yourself in some version of Ruth/Baby

Ruth—aka Baby Blue—drifts through San Francisco’s underbelly, stripping for crypto bros, working odd gigs at a BDSM dungeon, and spiraling after her ex vanishes. Her search is a hazy fever dream of late-night dives, strange encounters, and existential crises; it’s messy, darkly funny, and tender.

Newell’s writing is sharp, surreal, and wildly entertaining. If you love stories about women's rights and maybeee women's wrongs, Soft Core delivers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!

I love that this book is written by a professional dominatrix and reads kind of like a memoir. Ruth, aka Baby, is a stripper who has lost someone she loves dearly and finds herself searching for him while dealing with interesting characters at the strip club and BDSM dungeon she works at. All characters are unhinged which I enjoyed (who doesn’t love a little crazy), and Baby herself is questionable as you never really know if what she is seeing and hearing is real or not (her ex is everywhere apparently). I’m here for the female empowerment and women + men embracing their sexuality.

thank you to netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC! ✨

From beginning to end I was 10000% locked in. This book is a solid treat for EVERYBODY. Grab your popcorn, a blanket, and something to drink then get comfortable because eyou're not gonna want to move.

In Soft Core, we are introduced to Ruth, who lives in a crumbling Victorian with her ex-boyfriend, Dino, in San Francisco. Ruth has recently begun working as a dancer at a strip club, where she calls herself Baby Blue and spend her nights seducing patrons from all walks of life. But then Dino, who Ruth is still very much emotionally attached to, disappears, leaving Ruth feeling adrift. She finds her way into San Francisco’s seedy sadomasochistic underbelly, reflecting on her life and forging some surprising relationships along the way.

The description of Soft Core makes it sound like Ruth is on an epic quest to find Dino, but that’s not really the case. Instead the novel, much like Ruth herself, is a bit aimless. It reads like a series of scenes rather than a book with a firm beginning, middle, and end. We are simply in Ruth’s head for this phase of her life, experiencing what she experiences; that’s the whole book. And I’m not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing. This is a deeply felt character study, incredibly intimate in its telling, that is both insightful and subversive. Brittany Newell is a phenomenal writer and a daring one, walking just the right side of a line between edgy and sensationalistic. Soft Core offers an unflinching look at the adult entertainment industry, with a seductive, fever-dream-like feeling to the prose. It really embraces its seedier qualities, while also offering a sensitive and complex portrayal of a sex worker. I was captivated by it all the way through, although I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the ending.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the complimentary reading opportunity.

The prose absolutely crackles in this one--it's casually, flippantly pyrotechnic. I both enjoyed and admired this book quite a bit. I'm not sure that it totally follows through on all the pieces tosses up in the air, but I'm personally more interested in a book that confidently expresses a mood than one that perfectly sticks all of its landings, plot-wise. I loved spending time in this world.

3.5 ⭐️. what an insightful exploration into the world of smex work. ruthie/ baby/ miss sunday was such a complex, complicated character that I couldn't help but root for.

ty to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five enthusiastic stars! This book was the wildest, most fun, most interesting ride! I had a blast reading this but was also genuinely impressed by the quality of the writing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and couldn’t put it down. I found myself distressed when it was over because I just wanted to learn more about this motley crew of characters.

For anyone who loves a quirky literary fiction novel with strong found family vibes, this is for you.

Soft Core was one of those books where I really got sucked into the main character’s life and felt like I knew them. Newell has a great way of writing her characters in such a lovely way where I didn’t just want to know about this lives because it was interesting, but because I genuinely cared. I loved the confusing turns the story took at the end of the book as well and think that added to my rating for it. Thank you to the publisher for the arc copy.

Nop. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone with this book but I clearly made the wrong choice. This book wasn't for me at all.

The writing style was weird, the plot completely off and I just did not care for it.

I strongly disliked the characters.

I have absolutely nothing good to say about it.

Sorry.