A love story for greedy girls.
First and foremost, nope, that subtitle got me all wrong. It's a story for greedy girls, about greedy girls and it has nothing to do with love.
Insatiable follows Violet, an unhappy millennial that spends her life buying clothes she can't afford, complaining about how her job doesn't pay her as she deserves - given the fact that she basically never actually works, I think they're overpaying her - and daydreaming about fancy candles like somehow they could fill the love-shaped hole she has inside of her.
She is, as you could tell, a mess. I would love to say how relatable this book is, mainly because it's about a millennial struggling with her life - and I am, in fact, a millennial struggling with my life - but it was actually so frustrating that at the end of it I was glad it was over.
Violet, who is a girl with big dreams (fancy candles, remember?) is ecstatic the moment she meets Lottie, who not only is beautiful and judging by the fact that they meet at a gallery exhibition, culturally gifted, but emanates that rich girl energy that Violet instantly recognizes and follows in the hope that she will eventually share the formula of success (and buy those bloody candles)
When Lottie and her husband, Simon, lure her into their lives with a job proposition with better money and benefits (the joke is not lost on me), she instantly bites in and gets involved in a threesome, an affair and multiple dinner parties that end up being code for orgies.
Now, I'm not scared of sexy books. On the contrary, I hunt steamy books like it's my only goal in life (not quite, but you get my point) so I wasn't against those fun parties at all! I would say though, it's not sexy nor steamy, it's straight-up pornographic literature with details so if you're here for the steam, prepare for a whole bonfire, that's what I'm saying.
I have to say, those juicy bits are the most exciting parts of the whole book because the plot is barely there, the characters are unlikable and unrelatable and Violet is a pain in the ass (no pun intended)
Lottie and Simon's manipulative behaviour is so clear to everyone except for Violet, who still thinks they will give her a non-existent job and an exciting life in villas around Europe, fancy dresses and a fun time in their bed.
Her need to have more is blinding: she keeps thinking it's all about love and sex when actually, the couple is only using her as a momentary band-aid so that they don't have to deal with their own private pain. But Violet is so desperate, so lonely that she clings to anything that shows her a bit of affection, even if it means being mistreated and disrespected.
Overall, it was very deprecating towards a woman who clearly has her own issues to face and work on but the sex, oh, the sex was fun.
Final thoughts: I guess she won't buy those bloody candles after all...
3/5 ⭐
INSATIABLE
Stuck in a dead-end job, broken-hearted broke and estranged from her best friend; Violet's life is nothing like she thought it would be. She wants more - better friends, better sex, a better job - and she wants it now.
So, when Lottie - who looks like the woman Violet wants to be when she grows up - offers Violet the chance to join her exciting start-up, she bites. Only it soon becomes clear that Lottie and her husband Simon are not only inviting Violet into their company, they are also inviting her into their lives.
Seduced by their townhouse, their expensive candles and their Friday-night sex parties, Violet cannot tear herself away from Lottie, Simon or their friends. But is this really the more Violet yearns for? Will it grant her the satisfaction she is so desperately seeking?