"5 stars, I'm not THAT self-deprecating."

"I'm at odds. This book is arguably the most well-known work of modern popular sexology and has changed the field in a lot of ways, not necessarily by introducing anything new, but by explaining key components of the field very clearly to laymen. On one hand, I think the information that Nagoski introduces and explains here is extremely helpful, especially for women of the previous generations who didn't grow up with access to the internet or to the sheer breadth of information available in the 21st century and don't feel comfortable talking about sex. Nagoski's explanations of nonconcordance, meta-emotions, and accelerators/brakes are intriguing notions that are revolutionary compared to previous models (mind you, again, these are not her theories, she merely presents them clearly). On the other hand.....the metaphors....dear god the metaphors. Some of them genuinely worked and shone a light on some nuances of the idea, while others were so cringeworthy that it forced me to look away from the page and chug some coffee.

If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I HATE cutesy. It makes me shudder down to my core. One time a previous boyfriend tried to earnestly call me 'pookie' and I almost faked my own death and moved out of the country. I hate cutesy, I hate baby-talk, I hate twee, and I hate when people can't say 'fuck' and say 'gosh diddly darn' instead (side note: there was also much of this kind of language in the study as well. It was odd that so many of the patients in the case studies spoke like this...Please learn to say 'fuck', it will free you). This book is full of cutesy metaphors and twee sayings. I personally prefer a model that is more serious, detailed, and science-focused. However, I must also acknowledge that the metaphors and the conversational tone was to make the reader more at ease and address the topic, that can be very touchy, a lot easier. I just have to admit that this study had a very specific target audience (women who struggle with sexuality who are maybe a bit older and more ill at ease with sexuality) and I just wasn't quite the right reader. I really did appreciate some parts and learned some new things though!

But, Emily, queen, please never say 'darn skippy' again. I beg."