Thank you @macmillanaudio and @netgalley from a alc. All opinions are honest and my own.

Baby is a 27-year-old stripper who lives with her boyfriend Dino, a ketamine dealer, who goes missing. I suppose she tries to find Dino (that’s in the synopsis), but she more deals with his disappearance and stumbles/glides through her days trying to find the right feeling. Her path takes her to the club, a BSDM den, the homes of a regular, an ex (?) client, and through email correspondence with Nobody.

You know how the kids say, “It’s a vibe” ? This book — it’s a vibe. I was completely engaged and listened to the last chapter twice. The audio was great — absolutely well done and I loved Lakin’s voices for the characters — fitting and not overdone. If you like books that are odd, this one is for you. (Looking at @elizabookworm and @la

PS: Despite the name, there is nothing graphic about this book, imo

This book felt so me-coded; I didn’t want it to end. The author did an exceptional job capturing the bittersweet, raw, and gritty essence of working in clubs while navigating the complex emotions of being young and sad. The writing painted such vivid imagery that I could practically feel the atmosphere—the sultry, low-lit venues, the air heavy with musky perfumes, and the quiet ache of loneliness mingled with fleeting moments of connection.

This isn’t a story for everyone; it will resonate deeply with a specific audience—those who have lived through that Lana Del Rey-esque era of their 20s, where glamour and melancholy intertwine. It’s for the dreamers who’ve danced under neon lights while quietly nursing their heartbreaks. Some readers may find it inaccessible or even indulgent, but for others, it will hit like a freight train.

The audiobook added another layer to the experience, making it feel almost cinematic. It transported me right into that world, where every scene was steeped in a hazy, intoxicating nostalgia. This book is a love letter to that fleeting stage of life—a mix of beauty, pain, and longing that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

A raw, moving story of loneliness and identity, following a young woman’s messy exploration of sex work and her own relationships with others.

Ruth is a classic lost soul with a troubled past, a dead father and a severely depressed mother. She dates a drug dealer and works in different forms of sex work (sugaring, stripping, professional domination), but struggles to find direction. All the same, she’s entirely charming and I found myself rooting for her at every step.

Ruth is very different from me, with very different experiences. I read, in part, to understand more of the world and become more empathetic - that, and for enjoyment. Soft Core delivered on both fronts. When I finished, I longed for more. 5/5.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Christine Larkin. She has a very calm, almost melancholic voice that perfectly matched the vibe of the story. It felt like the character was recounting her life aloud to me and I absolutely lost myself in this intimate, moving read. I highly recommend this format for this particular story.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the most bizarre book I've read in a while. I'm still unsure what exactly happened. We got to see inside a spiral as it was happening to someone. I was left unsure what was real and what was fantasy, or perhaps substance induced. It was interesting...

ARC for review. To be published February 4, 2025. im on a stripper kick i guess with anora and now this. we follow baby a stripper in san fran and it was just such a hilarious and wild ride. the narrator was soooo good i really enjoyed the audiobook and would recommend picking it up on its release! just a fun ex[ploration of being human and what it all means. very fun very kinky!

This is definitely not the story I expected given the title. It's a story of grief, longing, and desperation of a young woman in San Francisco who becomes a stripper and ultimately starts to lose her grip on reality on her quest to find her missing boyfriend. The narrator makes you feel like you're on her journey with Baby yet watching as an outsider. I listened to this audiobook and the narration was spot on. Would highly recommend.

It was a very different style than I usually read. This novel is almost like a memoir, in that it follows a young woman's self account of her life in San Francisco as a stripper and then dominatrix. I foind it interesting, and so humane, how she talks of the people (mainly men) just seeking human touch. Acceptance. Understanding. Connection. So many lonely people and some people try to fill that void at these clubs.

I listened to the audiobook and it is read in a very melancholic tone. It fit the story and theme.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.