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The monster x girl premise in Blob feels more like a gimmick—a poorly employed trope disguising yet another story about an unlikeable-yet-likeable 20-something woman: messy, sad, a bit of a loser, and unable (or unwilling) to navigate adulthood. Despite its whimsical concept (which reminded me of Your Monster, a flawed but quirky film) and praise from Kevin Wilson, the novel isn’t particularly funny or subversive. Instead, it reads like a watered-down entry in the she-is-not-feeling-good-at-all canon.

The protagonist, Vi, is a college dropout in her early twenties, recently dumped by her bland boyfriend, and mired in ennui. She works a front-desk job at a hotel, where she spends most of her days indulging in misanthropic thoughts or feeling indifferent to those around her. One night, she comes across a sentient blob-like creature, later named Bob. As Vi grapples with being overlooked by her family, feeling inferior to her seemingly more successful peers, and drifting through life in a haze of boredom and alienation, she discovers that she can mold Bob into her ideal boyfriend. Unfortunately, the novel never fully commits to the absurdity of this premise. Instead of delivering something fresh or darkly humorous, it presents us with a predictable arc: Vi hits rock bottom, and then—like magic—she learns how to live again.

Vi’s character development feels unearned and insincere. The novel consistently shows her being deeply flawed—selfish, insecure yet oddly superior, and largely indifferent to others� feelings—but undermines this characterization by consistently framing her as a victim of other people’s mistreatment, making her unlikeable behavior or thoughts feel acceptable or justified. I found her not-like-other-straight-girls shtick icky, especially when she is ultimately just as insensitive as her frenemy (and the novel doesn’t really consider the real ramifications of her actions). Her character development feels rushed and unearned, as if the novel had suddenly switched tracks into a more conventional coming-of-age story.

Had the novel leaned further into its absurd elements or embraced a more whimsical tone, it might have felt more entertaining or cohesive (predictable and anodyne in comparison to the work of Ling Ma, Helen Oyeyemi, Sabina Murray, Jean Kyoung Frazier, Kevin Wilson). Instead, it defaults to a familiar narrative: a disaffected young woman finds love and, in turn, becomes a better person. Blob had the potential to be something refreshingly different, but ultimately, it lacks the wit or fevered intensity that could have made it into a more memorable and/or unique read.