Lenni Reviews: “Serena’s Plight” by Carol Madison
*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is recommended for 18 .
In this book, we have Serena Loomis, poor and facing high school graduation with little options. An ex-boyfriend comes to her with an offer to not only help him pay for his education, but put some money in her pockets as well: sleep with his classmates for money.
Strap in, folks. This is gonna be long and angry.
Serena as a character is hard for me to identify with. I just can’t get behind the “I NEED to a relationship but I hate myself” attitude. At about 3% into the book, I blatantly ripped off IHE and had a Fuck This Book moment.
Let me explain.
Her ex; Sam, out of nowhere decides to dump her then doesn’t speak to her for years. Suddenly, he asks to drive her home because he needs to talk to her about something. During the ride, he talks all about how he is super smart and has this amazing sports scholarship but she’s poor, stupid, but pretty and good at one thing. Sex.
(I needed sketches for these reactions…)
So, as sex with her was so fucking amazing; she should come with him when he goes to college…
“Wait, he’s not seriously going to…”
And fuck his classmates for money so he can take 20% off the top to help him pay for what the scholarship won’t cover.
(In my shock, I nearly dropped my Kindle)
Instead of cursing him out, as she rightfully should, she asks him what’s so great about her in bed that he thinks she could sell herself and make money…
I don’t have a scanner so you’re gonna just have to deal with the image quality…
He goes into lovely detail how her technique was and such then drops the lovely gem of it was so good because she looked like she was enjoying it.
My exact thought at the time: “If this scene doesn’t end with him getting punched in the face…”
Unfortunately she didn’t beat the tar out of him, she just cries and leaves. Then when she’s going to bed, she starts to think about what he said and how he may have a point.
“Wat…”
And that since she’s an only child of a divorced alcoholic who gets shitty grades; he is absolutely right about how shitty her life would be otherwise, goes to Sam the next day, and proceeds to hammer out the details of how this would work… WHICH HE HAD ALREADY FIGURED OUT EVEN DOWN TO THE CENT.
“Really, dude?”
Then he handpicks the guys, sets up her schedule, and even plans investment options for her so after he graduates, she won’t have to do it anymore.
“Let’s teach women who read this that if they don’t have a marketable skill like Sam’s amazing wrestling and (heaven forbid) enjoy sex, they should be prostitutes so their ex can go to school!”/sarcasm
She listens to his entire plan and actually agrees with it. She packs her shit to follow him… After being told “You’re a fucking loser with no money and no future. The best you can ever hope for is a minimum wage job in this tiny town; eventually ending up like your mother. Since I actually have a future, you should sell your body FOR ME since that’s all you’ve got that’s worth something.”
Bloody fucking hell…
That was 3% in… I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to quit a book that fast. Somehow, I trudged through all 266 pages of this thing through meeting all her clients (who she calls “dates”) and the book became slightly more bearable. I don’t need to hear every time she pees and the sex scenes became repetitive but hey, that’s the nature of what was set up here. I was actually starting to sympathize with Serena, as she genuinely seemed to want to help the guys she was sleeping with. She talks to them, encourages them, and even teaches them on some occasions while learning some things from them as well… Only to hit another line that just made me want to throw right the hell up:
79% in: “but it was a seductive kind of rape instead of a violent one.”
ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
Look, I don’t begrudge any person having those kind of fantasies. Not my cup of tea but as long as you don’t hurt someone, what people do in their smexy times is none of my damn business. BUT THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING FUCKING LINE IN THIS BOOK. Do I even need to explain why this is wrong, dangerous, and twisted? Do you understand why I actually needed to sketch out my reactions so some of the crap in this book?
I concluded this book absolutely speechless at what I had read and the unmitigated GALL to end it on a cliffhanger as if anyone would want to continue this bullshit. Other than the “hooker with a heart of gold” trope being done to death, this book overall was like getting your first “date” over with; you disconnect your brain and hold on until it’s over. The book may be competently written enough to be called a novel but it’s twisted morals left me more disturbed than entertained. 2 out of 5 for the parts that didn’t make me physically ill.
