This book really surprised me and I couldn't put it down. I don't really know what to compare it to and I think that's a good thing. I gobbled this one up.

Delightfully strange. The pace is a little slow though, it may be hard to stay engaged for some readers. Felix needs a new owner to be honest.

OPEN WIDE is visceral, weird, surreal, and I have no idea what to make of it. Olive is a radio host who has an obsession with secretly recording people’s voices without their knowledge. Theo is a surgeon who has an obsession with secretly collecting people’s discarded trash without their knowledge. Of course they’ll fall madly and irrevocably in love! And who doesn’t love a good weird-for-weird romance?!

There are themes of privacy, intrusion, and control. This is a book about a manipulator who probably doesn’t know she is one, who has trauma surrounding her (seemingly more manipulative) mother that Olive can’t quite place. Without spoiling too much, Olive does something surreal with Theo without his knowledge or consent, under the guise of “love.” As she does it more and more often, she becomes certain that her mother also did this surreal action to her when she was young. With all of this in mind, and with the emphasis on eroticism throughout, I thought that OPEN WIDE was an extended metaphor for sexual violence and how it can be perpetrated, and I found it to be a uniquely disturbing portrayal.

...But then the final chapter happened, and I have no idea what to think, bahahah.

This will be one of those books that’ll stick with me for a while, and I adore that! The plot and characterization were both a little shaky at times, and the surreal events that occurred were, well, surreal, leaving more questions than answers. I would have loved to see Olive’s role as an unreliable narrator explored more explicitly (what if the objective “truth” of the story was revealed when the form changes to the transcription of a recording? How much does Theo know? How much is a lie? (view spoiler) Was it all a dream even though nothing in the story alludes to that and I’m just grasping at straws?) but that’s just a nitpick of mine.

I don’t often enjoy weird girl fiction (after having a bad experience with my first foray into the subgenre, more on that later), but something about the way Theo perfectly matched Olive’s freak is what made this work for me lol. It was also short enough that I ate it up in one sitting.

And bonus points for a gorgeous cover that makes diegetic sense and isn’t just for aesthetics!

olive is now one of my favorite women on the verge! she should definitely be institutionalized somewhere but until then I love her :)

If you are looking for a disturbing story about a weird girl, this is the perfect book for you. This is a really addictive book and will keep you glued to the pages to the very end. The most perfect weird girl book.

Weird, dark, and wildly original, Open Wide is a razor-sharp dive into obsession, intimacy, and the terrifying lengths we go to for connection. Olive is a haunting, unforgettable narrator—awkward, yearning, and disturbingly relatable—as her relationship with Theo unravels into something surreal and sinister.

Equal parts dark comedy, body horror, and emotional gut punch, this novel is not for the faint of heart—but it’s brilliant in its boldness. A twisted love story that lingers long after the last page.

The idea of ​​the book was interesting and the narrator's voice was convincing, but it was a rollercoaster of coincidences with no substance whatsoever. Sad, I was really invested in this book.

a socially awkward radio host, becomes increasingly obsessed with her boyfriend, Theo, hoping to forge a deep connection. As she secretly records their conversations to better understand relationships, her fixation grows, leading her to a terrifying solution to keep him close. A darkly comedic and unsettling exploration of love, obsession, and boundaries.

unsettling, disturbing, well-written, extremely codependent, and very interesting. soon to be a classic, i think. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

OPEN WIDE by Jessica Gross is an intriguing "weird girl" book with a flair of mystery. While I enjoyed it, I do feel like it could have been more developed. Olive and her mother's relationship could have been more explored, and had loose ends left by the end of the book. Neither the mother nor the love interest Theo felt like round characters. I had little interest in Theo because he felt so flat. In addition, I would have liked to learn more about this ability to literally (and metaphorically) climb into each other. Olive, however, was intriguing and I definitely got the sense she was the obsessive type from the beginning though she didn't seem to realize it herself which was neat. The ending was completely predictable. Overall, it kept my attention and I wanted to see what was going to happen even when I already knew. Thanks for letting me read!

4.5 stars.

Olive is in her early 30s and has struggled with establishing romantic relationships. Growing up, she struggled with enmeshment with her mother following her parent’s divorce. She is a successful radio interviewer; she holds audience with writers who are between projects. She has always been fascinated with recording conversations and the ambient sounds in her daily life and does it constantly, compulsively.

Then she meets Theo. A 35-year old surgeon with whom she is obsessed, instantly. He seems to feel similarly.

This book grappled with relational themes like boundaries, consent, transparency, jealousy, and longing. I liked that exploration of things that can feel so messy became, well, tangible.

I remember my first love and what it was to feel like you could never get close enough. I think that it’s such a human experience. This story asked, how far would you go to stay close? To keep the outside world at bay and live inside of your love? And what would you be willing to sacrifice?

What a ride. The last few pages brought me to tears. I was not expecting to be so surprised or so deeply affected. I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to reading more by Jessica Gross.

*Thank you to Abrams Books & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.*

A very interesting POV of a woman with some strange and surreal obsessions. The story got a little repetitive in the end, but still really enjoyed it overall!

I like obsession books and this one was a different take on it, symbolic and interesting and sometimes weird, wanted to look away but also felt compelled to keep reading , it did feel a bit unfinished with one storyline, well written and have to be in the mood for this kind of thing read for me, made me think for sure and i like to be challenged in that way

3.75 Stars

This book was interesting to say the least. This was my first time reading an obsession book and I was truly captivated and disgusted the entire book. I love an insane woman going after what she wants in novels, but I couldn’t get over her hypocritical choices and explanations that she used to justify her climbing while loathing her mother’s climb. Because if this, I felt like I didn’t get the resolution I wanted between Olive and her mother. They never had the confrontation I was hoping they would and we never really got a clear confirmation about whether her mother climbed or not, but maybe that was the point.

Despite this the book was definitely a wild ride and it sure makes you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a strange but delightful book! I loved Olive’s narration, and empathized with her struggles. I loved the way “closeness” was explored through different ideas and metaphors, both literal and figuratively. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get a resolution with the situation with Olive’s mom, but that’s ok. Would definitely recommend this book to those craving a bingeable, quirky, “weird girl” book.
My thanks to the author and publisher for the eARC!

I'm not sure that I'm weird enough to understand what just happened in this book that has to renew the #wtfthatending hashtag. Is this about obsession? Abuse and trauma? Escapism? Pasta? Zippers? All of the above and then some?

Olive is obsessed, as she says, with Theo. Theo is... heck, you know what the blurb says. This book is weird. Olive is the epitome of a "weird girl." Theo is weird. Poor, sweet, innocent Felix likes yellow slime, among other disturbing things (for which the blame lies with Olive), so maybe he's weird, too.

Parts of this story are endearing, others disturbing. Still, I couldn't look away and had to keep aggressively tapping the side of my iPad's screen for the next page. I finished reading hours before bed last night and I'm still not sure what it is I just read or how I feel about it. Should one include a trigger warning for the dog? I don't even know.

WHAT? HOW? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHAT? WHY? UGHHHHHH.

Surely we can at least all agree the torso is better than the ear, right? RIGHT?!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Abrams Books for this memorable, funky, original e-ARC.

Open Wide is easily one of the most unique books I’ve read lately. Jessica Gross takes the “obsessive girl” trope — which is definitely having a moment — and puts a fresh, compelling spin on it. The story feels intimate, intense, and unlike anything else out there.

Gross’s writing is absolutely captivating. There’s something hypnotic about her style that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. That said, you definitely need a strong stomach for some of the imagery and themes — it’s visceral, raw, and not for the faint of heart.

I was nauseated, I was unable to put it down, I was unnerved, the perfect insane girl book.

Jessica Gross has taken the obsessive girl sub-genre and completely turned it on its axis. She’s managed to capture a woman’s romantic obsession to the point where you as the reader can feel the all consuming power of it. This is such a unique book that my words won’t be able to do it justice.

I’m obsessed just like the main character, I’m sat for another reading, I’m adding her debut novel Hysteria to my Barnes and Nobel cart.

This book is truly bizarre, kooky, disgusting, unsettling, and deeply addictive. It is one of those novels where you don’t know why you like it, but you can’t stop reading it. Our protagonist, Olive is deranged, obsessive, needy, and brutally human to a fault. Olive falls madly in love with Theo, a surgeon she meets while volunteering at a food bank. Olive comes across as a teenage schoolgirl than a 33 year old woman. Around the halfway mark, this book really enters into bat-shit crazy territory. I must admit, the plot twist threw me for a loop, but I couldn’t stop reading this creepy little book. I think the author’s writing style is what made this story really captivate me. Her prose was so electric and felt so achingly surreal. You really have to suspend your disbelief because the twist is so insane and cringe worthy. I thought the ending perfectly summed up what the author intended to get across. The main theme centered around obsession. I was truly engrossed into Olive and Theo’s unconventional love story. This book won’t be for everyone but boy, it was made for my quirky little heart. Definitely a weird girl lit fic to the T.

This was a DNF for me. I got about half way through and was very confused on what was happening and felt like I had to read several paragraphs again to full grasp what was going on. I was excited to read this book because the description sounded like a fun thriller..but it is definitely the opposite. Maybe it’s just a theme that’s my favorite to read? I’m not sure..I truly thought it was going to be like obsessed girlfriend takes things too far (kidnapping, murder, etc) but I was not expecting her to like swim around in his organs and zip him up like it was nothing. The chapters dragged on which lost my interest as well. It just wasn’t for me.