Started well but then didn't really seem to go anywhere enjoyed the read and the journey but didn't do anything for me. I obviously missed something.

While reading it my thoughts kept running away somewhere, I often got distracted which is due to the fact that this book was simply not interesting, nothing really happened. I didn't like Ruth. I don't know, maybe it's just my personal feeling, maybe others will like it more.

I wanted to love this one so much, but it just fell short for me unfortunately. It's not the worst book out there, but it isn't a favourite of mine. The story is intriguing but the way it is written wasn't for me.

Soft Core by Brittany Newell took me on a journey that I wasn’t entirely expecting, but ultimately, I found myself enjoying it more than I initially anticipated. This novel is a slow burner, one that starts off at a steady pace and gradually builds, which was a bit of a shift for me in terms of how I expected the story to unfold. While there were moments where the pace seemed to drag, overall it was worth it.

This is a book that might not immediately grab you but has a quiet, reflective charm that grows on you as the story progresses. It isn’t without its flaws—chiefly the dragging pace at times—but it ultimately delivers a solid, heartfelt experience.

Fast-paced book that had me engaged from page 1. Highly entertaining

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Soft Core by Brittany Newell was not quite the book I thought it would be, a fact not helped by its rather misleading blurb. Soft Core is a beautifully written, character driven piece that is very much vibes over plot. It’s a decent into both San Francisco’s seedier underbelly and a young women’s abject loneliness. Whilst I can appreciate what Newell was doing I’m not sure this one was for me, but that said I’ve not doubt this will be enjoyed by many others.

Soft Core follows Ruthie, or Baby, through her life in San Francisco. She lives with her ex Dino, a larger than life drug dealer who enjoys the freedom of cross dressing at home. For work Ruthie becomes Baby at a local strip club. Following Dino’s disappearance Ruthie tries to fill her time and in doing so embarks on another job at a nearby BDSM club. Through these jobs Ruthie meets a variety of characters who come to shape her life in different ways.

Soft Core is written in beautiful, lyrical prose, at times it’s almost dreamy whilst in others we are subjected to the brutal realities of Ruthie’s hallucinations, and the depths of her loneliness. Ruthie seems to be an unreliable narrator, not helped by the loose way in which past merges with present at times. It was hard to know whether what she was seeing was real or part of her hallucinations and desperate hope for what she wanted. Having finished I’m still left wondering if it was Dino that came back not, I suspect it wasn’t and I’m hoping that’s not a spoiler!

I feel like maybe I missed something with this one, a deeper meaning, beyond the bitter sting of loneliness and isolation, that I didn’t see. It’s the funny type of book that gets under your skin, that you want to finish both for it to be over but to see what might happen next. It wasn’t quite for me and yet I still think it was one I’ll remember.

Ruth is living with her drug dealer ex-boyfriend Dino and dancing at a strip club as Baby Blue. One day Dino disappears without a trace. Ruth is bereft, she didn’t realise quite how intertwined their lives were, how much she had come to rely on him. She sees him everywhere but he never seems to come home.

The synopsis is a touch misleading, she does not go looking for Dino. His vanishing looms large over everything. Ruth starts working at a BDSM dungeon and receives emails from someone named Nobody. She makes friends with Ophelia, a dominatrix from her new job and is slightly unnerved by a new girl at the club, Emeline.

I found this a little slow to start, the first third was… I don’t want to say a slog but it did take me a while to get through. It picks up! And is very compelling. I do wish there had been a little more resolution towards the end though. Some loose ends didn’t feel like they should not have been left loose? But I am nosy. Tell me everything!

I was so excited to get a review copy of this! It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing, wondering what Baby will uncover next. Truly entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the ARC!

4 stars!

I only started this yesterday and I devoured this. 🤌🤌🤌 the writing of various things just....yesss. I loved how people were written. The description of people's bellies, the atmosphere, the details added to bring you into the world of Baby/Ruth

Loved this although I was expecting a more bigger reaction to Dino but I guess this also is a deep look into peoples loneliness and how they deal with it, and how they let people treat them. I loved reading about Ruth and how she was and how she spoke about people. It was fascinating to be in this world and to also witness a character go through so many side quests and motions but also it didn't seem like too much happened, and yet I was locked in.

The ending, just....the whole imagery in my head, and the way it's written, stunning. So happy to have read this and also find the work of Brittany Newell.

Soft Core follows Baby (real name Ruth) who is a dancer at a strip club and lives with her ex-boyfriend Dino. Dino is a cross-dressing drug dealer who disappears so Baby goes into San Francisco’s erotic underground to find him. Baby searches for Dino at the strip club and at a new dominatrix gig. Baby encounters many different clients such as Nobody who has a suicide fetish and Simon who wants Baby to do ‘favours’ for him. Baby starts to find cryptic notes and worries her search for the only many she’s ever loved is attracting the wrong kind of attention.

This novel was just an experience. I had a great time with it and I’m giving it 5 stars. The whole book was a hallucinatory experience and I was never quite sure what was real. It was really well written and I loved how this author wrote about sex. This author wrote about different kinks and she did it very well. I loved following Baby and I really enjoyed the reading experience of this. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested because it’s such a complete experience. This is such a unique story and I loved it. The writing/aimless style of the story reminded me of Melissa Broder’s work. This reminded me of the sad girl literary fiction as Baby is just figuring life out. I had a great time with this and would 100% recommend it. I will definitely be picking up a copy of this book once it releases.