I adored this book. It was funny, witty, nostalgic, and relatable. Jean’s an amazing main character and I love her for how she handles her past, her struggles, and her present. I love her fierce determination and her special connection with Monica Lewinsky. This book is unique and had me laughing and nodding along in agreement.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

I wanted to like this novel. And sometimes I did. There’s some good throwaway humor interspersed with the story of obsession and endless recalibration. But I didn’t enjoy it. It’s too arch, too fond of its rather unappealing central character, and too determined to drag out its tale of attraction between a married man and a foolish girl. The final chapter says it all, and much of what precedes could have been cut radically. Yes, hurrah, there’s a feminist message here about female martyrs but that doesn’t justify the indulgence. Let’s hope Monica doesn’t mind.

A surreal feminist classic in the making. Jean reconciles her past affair with an older professor through prayer and meditation with Saint Monica Lewinsky. Filled with beautiful imagery and prose, Jean's story is bookended by quick retellings of maligned biblical women. Great for fans of multiple storylines, women's stories, religious iconography, and anyone who lived through the scorn for women that was the 1990s and 2000s.

I finished Dear Monica Lewinsky last night and decided to let it sit with me, let myself marinade in it a little before working on this review. I have so many thoughts and even more feelings about this book, which was an experience from beginning to end.

First of all let me just say how wonderfully unique this read was, I honestly never knew what was going to happen next and it really keeps you in the moment with Jean even as she’s remembering, recontextualizing this formative moment in her life twenty years out. Every page reminded me of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Odessa Moshgegh, and I’m so here for the more messy gritty inner lives of women, that specific examination of women’s experience which dares you to look it straight in the snarling eye. I just— I have been reading a very different kind of fiction lately and this was a cold ice bath to my system and I needed it, even if it was hard to see my own reflection at times.

I have no clue- no idea at all what I thought I was in for when I started this book but what I got was so much more than I could have hoped for.

I loved this. It was emotional and honest but also warm and humurous. I understand that objectively the subject matter is serious but not every book about a SERIOUS subject should be Serious. Sometimes you want to read something that engages with the realities of life in a way that is entertaining and engaging. My only issue is that I wanted to know what would happen next. But also always want to know that when I truly enjoy a book!