Thank you to Harper Perennial for the free copy of "Mess".
WELP. This book was aptly named because it was, in fact, a mess!!
"Mess" is about Jane; a pessimist who, after working for the film industry in L.A., became an organizer for homes. Disillusioned by all the flash of L.A., not having a lot of friends (gee, I wonder why), and her "terrible" relationship (we'll get to that), she is...I dunno, just a terrible human being. She vows to be not as rigid and Type A, but doesn't really change and boom the book is over.
ANYWAY, this book is obviously written by a man who doesn't like women very much. The way he talks about them in this novel is disgusting, making them all 1-dimensional charactertures of what women actually are (INCLUDING a 16-year-old...she's not spared from the vile, stupid things Chessler writes about women!!) Here's a few quotes from the book:
1. "Kim scowled, defying all the neurotoxins that had been injected into her forehead." (This is about an actress in Hollywood who obviously hates emotion since she got botox!)
2. "...(the perfume) was still sweet and floral - gardenia maybe? - but there was also a spic note, with hints of cinnamon. Perhaps this was Kelsey's fall scent, procured at Basic Bitch Central, where the pumpkin spice lattes flowed like wine". (Yes! Because all women are basic bitches, and we only drink two things - PSLs and wine).
3. "A neon sign spelling out her name, the letters hot pink and glowing, hung on the wall behind the four-poster bed, which was laden with an assortment of carefully arranged frilly pillows. Basic Bitch Central run through a luxe filter". (This is about a 16-year-old influencer, btw...a minor).
So yeah. Chessler obviously has no creativity because every woman in this book is vapid and dumb, because they work in Hollywood. And of course Jane is MUCH different - even though she steals things from every home she organizes and uses said stolen goods. Her relationship with her boyfriend is terrible as well - her boyfriend is sweet, and fun, and hasn't changed since the moment they started dating. But of course, the fact that he plays video games is TERRIBLE and he is CHILDISH and doesn't add ANYTHING to the relationship. Even though Jane describes him as sweet, and supportive, and funny, and nurturing, and kind.
Even if the characters were written with more depth than a shallow puddle, the writing is also just...terrible. It reminded me of a child writing fan fiction.
Women written by men is a trope that we GOTTA stop - here's just a PSA: we are not one dimensional. Just because we like makeup or have a small dog or like clothes does not make us vapid and dumb. Just because we enjoy academia and history and art, does not make us "stick up the ass" types and rude. This book is an absolutely avoid (TM), and I truly don't even know it got published.