‘Waif’: I fully support women’s rights AND women’s wrongs.

The world of men required certain sacrifices of me and I had simply tired of making them. It was high time for men to sacrifice for me.

You know that meme that’s like, “I support women’s rights, but more importantly, I support women’s wrongs”? That’s what comes to mind when I think of this novella.

I had read a little of Samantha Kolesnik’s writing before, but this was my first foray into her novellas, and I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from the storyline. What I got was not what I anticipated, because frankly, it was a much wilder ride than I thought it would be (and I mean this as a massive compliment!) and I never knew what was coming next. Angie is a delightfully vindictive, flawed protagonist who has simply had enough and is content to sit by and watch her little corner of the world burn for a bit, and I loved it.

The writing in this novella was beautiful and thickly feminist, frequently commenting on the way women are so often used and discarded in romantic relationships and offering up a sweet piece of vengeance pie for everyone who’s ever been treated like shit by someone who ultimately needs you more than you need them. I recommend this story wholeheartedly and can’t wait to read more from this author.

WARNINGS:

body horror, medical trauma, medical disfigurement, violence, murder, homophobia, domestic abuse, sexual assault, parent loss, internalized victim-shaming, internalized bi-erasure, misogyny, body-shaming, mention of necrophilia

Angie is queer, multiple queer side characters

— destiny ♥

twitter | booktok | bookstagram | goodreads