2.5 ⭐️ - ARC read !!

I think the steam of consciousness messy girl genre is great fun… if you can gel with the voice of the character. Sadly this time I didn’t. Unsure if it was because she was so completely different to me, or if it was something about the writing style that felt disjointed.

I think the ending was meant to feel empowered, but to me it felt quite disconnected and a bit sad? The book was very short so maybe I just didn’t spend long enough with the characters to get to grips with them.

Fascinated by Cam. Would have loved to unpack more from his pov.

Huge thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC of Lover Girl!

I’m a huge fan of loser girl literature but i think this one fell flat in some areas. I enjoyed having the tidbits from the other perspectives but i felt the plot didn’t interest me enough to counteract the awful main character. Just not my cup of tea.

An at this moment peek into a broke wouldbe writers life and the not always right decisions to protect her heart. What starts as an adventure looking after, a casual flings, house in the Hamptons, soon turns dark and emotionally turbulent. It's a look into relationships today when you're wealthy and privileged and how it can be when restraint is avoidable.

The main character in Lover Girl was an insufferable brat, mean to everyone and everything. Her entire relationship was an unhealthy burden, and I found so many inconsistencies throughout the novel that it was difficult to finish. She was flat and one-dimensional.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

At times I enjoyed reading this but I found that I just couldn't connect with it. I found myself questioning if it was amazing or a complete dud.

The main character is not likeable. I'm not sure if she was written to be this way or if certain details about her life were left out. Her life is a mess and I have no sympathy for her. She was a pick me girl who thought she was above everyone else free loading off Lucas's (also awful) genorosity.

I think this has a lot of potential to be great if it were a bit more polished. Maybe provide more detail and character building so we can get a sense of who these characters really are.

A similarish setup to Emma Cline’s The Guest with the chattily cynical inner monologue of Marlowe Granados’ Happy Hour. I was interested but not totally persuaded—it almost felt like a literary fiction b-roll of a reality TV show where people just hang out in a house, but the boys are difficult tot tell apart. I think the banality might be part of the point and it was a quick read, but I did feel like it was a bit thin.

Thank you, NetGalley, and especially the author, Nicole Sellew, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read your work in exchange for an honest review !

Basically, it’s about this girl who started living in a house with a guy she knew from high school, whom she met again right after college and well, ended up sleeping with. They had a lot of tension, but never really made it a big deal considering the guy was out of town and was simply being an arsehole by sleeping around— specifically not with her. Another evening of being left alone at the house, she came home from a drunken state. It was only this time that it was someone else who showed up, someone she used to have feelings for. Things started to get messier, and they found themselves tangled up in each other, but that, unfortunately, turned out to be confusing too. He kept doing the whole push-and-pull thing, which really frustrated the main character. However, what really got me was how she always had these thoughts, that guys don’t really want her for who she is, only for her body. All they do is get with her without making the effort to truly see right through her, which was heartbreaking to read. In fact, there were more than a few things I found relatable that made me feel closer to them.

The writing was easy to follow and surprisingly fast-paced, even though it dragged a bit toward the end. BUT !! the ending made up for it because that’s when she finally got her freedom that she never knew she needed. And although It might be a little weird for others, personally, I liked it more than I expected it to be. With that, I’ll be more than happy to give it 3.5/5 stars !!

this was a really quick easy read. I enjoyed it and it didnt take long for me to get into the story. I wish there was a little more depth or conflict but overall really enjoyed!

Depressing as hell, but also too interesting to put down. Fleabag meets Catcher in the Rye with a perversely sexy nihilism.

This book simply was not for me, and that is okay. There will be a person who will adore it!

My personal issues; While I really tried to like the unreliable narrator, Lover Girl, I was not her biggest fan. Some of her one liners were absolutely spot on but the chapters and takes on sex and intimacy felt repetitive. Similarly, the messy girl aspect of it all just felt flat and expected rather than elaborated upon throughout, which really was a turnoff for me.

Again, this will be for someone out there, but it was not for me. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book though!

A picaresque debut of forbidden desire, in which a young woman escapes NYC to work on her novel in the Hamptons, falling into a downward spiral of lovers and other destructive behaviors. In the closing days of summer, ‘lover girl’ arrives at the sprawling, neglected home of her wealthy friend, Lucas. What to him is an empty house is to her an act of generosity that comes with blurry expectations. The arrival of an ex-boyfriend, Cameron, makes things even more complicated. How can she give both men the things they assume they can take from her? What she calls ‘love’ will take her to the bedrooms of New York City, the decadent parties of upper-class America, and, eventually, to Paris. Lover Girl is a lesson in the schooled indifference and the complicated dynamics of the super-privileged and the meaning of real love as a twenty-first century girl.

I struggled a bit to read this book. I couldn't connect to the main character, and everything just felt so messy. The story just felt a bit incomplete.

Thanks for the opportunity to read it though!

I went into Lover Girl with curiosity, but unfortunately, it didn’t land for me. The point of view felt disjointed and hard to connect with, and I struggled with the choice to leave the main character unnamed—referred to only as “Lover Girl.” While I can appreciate the artistic intent, this narrative choice made it difficult for me to engage or relate to the story on a deeper level.

I’m not entirely sure who the target audience is, but I couldn’t find a way in. Had this been framed as satire, I might have been more receptive to its tone and direction. That said, I absolutely applaud anyone who found joy or resonance in it. There’s clearly an audience for this kind of storytelling—it just wasn’t me.

Thank you NetGalley & CLASH Books for the ARC!

Lover Girl by Nicole Sellew is a bold, introspective debut that reads more like literary fiction than traditional romance—despite its title and themes. I went into this expecting something romantic or redemptive, but the story focused more on the narrator’s internal spirals than any tangible emotional arc.

The writing felt inconsistent at times. For instance, the narrator claimed to be incredibly drunk after drinking “almost every liquor,” only to say shortly after that she only had two glasses and wasn’t drunk at all. These contradictions made it difficult to stay immersed.

I also struggled with the main character’s voice. I wasn’t quite sure how the author wanted us to perceive her—at best, she read as lost and self-loathing; at worst, she came across as judgmental, projecting her insecurities onto others without much reflection or growth. Her “pick me girl” energy was loud, but never really examined in a meaningful way. Most of her observations felt like surface-level digs masked as insight, and while I could see the attempt at edgy or sarcastic humor, the tone often left me confused rather than charmed or entertained.

That said, there’s something raw and unfiltered here that could resonate with readers who enjoy character-driven stories centered around messy, flawed women. But if you’re looking for romance or transformation, this might not be the book for you.

Lover Girl genuinely surprised me. But in such a good way. This story has a quiet intensity that builds beautifully, layered with emotional angst and strikingly real characters. It reminded me of the writing style of Coco Mellors. Rich, thoughtful, and emotionally immersive.

The characters bring depth and soul to the pages, and the storyline held me tightly throughout. There’s something beautifully raw about the way the narrative unfolds, pulling at your heart in a subtle, insistent way.

A wonderfully written debut that explores love, identity, and emotional vulnerability with care and power. Absolutely recommend.

POV: a girl after college navigating through life, relationships and expectations put there by the world and others.
I went into this book with no expectations and boy, did i like this book.
It reminded me a bit sally rooneys / the bell jar. It made me sad and angry and it kind of sums up what beeing a girls means.
4 star read for me

The story itself and the characters were going nowhere except each others houses and parties. For literal fiction, I don’t understand where the premise was going. The plot never thickened. A lot of “are you hungry?

This book did not give the excitement I was looking for it kind of fell flat for me I couldn’t get into it thank you for this read

There’s something uniquely manic yet cozy about the narrative. It swings between emotional lows and moments of sharp clarity. The writing is full of striking one-liners that are sad, hilarious, and disarmingly insightful all at once. Even in the darkest parts of the spiral, there’s humor, heart, and an aching kind of beauty.

Lover Girl doesn’t offer a neat story arc or romantic resolution—it offers feeling. Maybe you’ll see your younger self in these pages, especially if you’ve ever been lost in your twenties, unsure of who you are or what comes next. And if you dismiss it as just a "silly girl with silly problems," then chances are, you lived a very different kind of life.

One note: this definitely isn’t a romance. It belongs in the realm of literary fiction, where flawed, messy characters are allowed to exist without tidy endings. And that's exactly what makes it feel so real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I don't read many books where I don't like the main character, so this was a nice change for me. I felt sorry for her at times because she was a mess, but she could easily fix herself. The first step would be to actually work on writing a book instead of going along with whatever men want her to do.

I think a lot of people will see themselves in her, and that might be uncomfortable. It's definitely one of the most memorable books I have ever read.