This book is definitely needed, representation matters - endometriosis doesn't get enough coverage and is so tough to navigate because of that. So I write my thoughts about this book fully respecting and appreciating what this book probably means to a lot of younger women.

Bridget's tone of voice is friendly and light even when discussing heavy topics (I listened to the audiobook version, but it will come across if you read it,too). She has managed to make this book feel like a warm hug for the most part. As someone who's suffered from this illness for half of my life, I still found some facts in there that I had not known before. I'm definitely not the target demographic - I'd say it's perfect for someone who's a young adult. I think the two areas that stood out to me the most were the information she's given around post-op care, and her conversations around sex and pleasure - her perspective refreshing to read. Opening the discussion around trans visibility is great to have, too. There are a couple of things that made me raise my eyebrow (and therefore reflects in the rating) - some red flags that are worth noting:

• Hodge-Podge of unsubstantiated claims and recommendations. When discussing painful urination/UTI's recommending 'using natural products' to help this and lessen symptoms, then no further explanation, no backing from a urologist, gynecologist, dermatologist or endometriosis specialist (or cosmetic chemist for that matter). Natural how? Now, of course, using mild, PH-balanced products is the gold standard recommendation to not upset the vaginal microbiome, but she does not elaborate on this, nor does she explain what she means by 'natural'. In the same book, she recommends taking baths with essential oils directly added to the water. Something that could easily be a strong irritant, especially depending on the type of essential oils used.
• On the same note, she references an outdated study, mentioning again that using 'natural cosmetics' could help prevent endo flares. Once again, no backing, no cosmetic chemist weighing in on this topic or making recommendations, nothing from any researcher to substantiate this.
• The push for social media use felt a little strange. I appreciate how she's given some warnings of what to look out for when consuming content online around endometriosis(mainly around MLM's) , but I don't think it weighs heavy enough. Of course, sharing something like this on socials is up to someone as an individual. For some, it might be healing and helpful. But it's worth noting that the younger generation already faces this huge weight and pressure of needing to share everything to not fall behind their peers. Dealing with an incurable illness is one thing, now add hateful comments,discrimination, an algorithm spitting out misinformation and hate towards you. Community is great, yes, but should we really be encouraging turning everything in our lives into content and longer screen time use, knowing that there's hardly any moderation for most social media platforms these days?

Wasn't sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, Bella Mackie packs a good amount of punchy, dark and witty lines in her books - something that I saw in "How to Kill your Family". On the other hand, the cliches, the plot and the one dimensional characters makes this book feel rushed and like it didn't live up to it's full potential. I liked the story retelling from the three different perspectives, but Olivia, oddly, seems to be the only character that 'comes alive' - all others, including 'The Sleuth' seem very flat and not distinctive enough. There are no likeable characters in this book. I believe this story(in part at least)was meant to be a social commentary, but it is a little too reliant on stereotypes for this to be pulled off. I did notice similarities of this in her previous work. Though, 'The Sleuth' and the commentary on the rise of true crime content and the exploitation and obsessiveness with someone else's tragedies was a nice touch, something I haven't seen before. I really liked the introduction of the 'afterlife'. It adds an edge and dimension to this story, something unexpected and new. There, still, something was lacking - I don't know if it's because you're introduced to this concept and then just left to leave it at that, or the ending, or the lack of reasoning behind it. Ultimately, this book is like a puzzle with missing or mismatching pieces. I think the Bella's writing has something to it and this book is enjoyable to pick up in-between your TBR's as a light read. Format: Audiobook - the narration was superb.

One of my favourite reads this year - A Dowry of Blood hits all the marks for a perfect gothic novel. Rich, sumptous, seductive and dark. One of the most unexpected things was how accurately the author has described the complexity of abuse within relationships, something I truly didn't expect from a fictional piece like this. Don't let the TW scare you - this is a truly cathartic read. I felt like the story was perhaps a little rushed past the middle point, pulling more towards erotica towards the end. This was slightly at odds with the strong worldbuilding that we had all the way up to that point. Maybe this was a cut made during editing at some point or a stylistic choice. I do wonder if an additional chapter or two would have helped bridge that gap a bit more and make it feel more natural. The author does write the more seductive/erotica scenes beautifully, so it still makes for an enjoyable book throughout. Looking forward to picking this book up for a re-read in the future, and reading more of S.T.Gibson's work in the future.