Tuesday 16 June 2020

Book ~ "All I Ask" (2020) Eva Crocker

From Goodreads ~ A little before seven in the morning, Stacey wakes to the police pounding on her door. They search her home and seize her computer and her phone, telling her they’re looking for “illegal digital material.” Left to unravel what’s happened, Stacey must find a way to take back the privacy and freedom she feels she has lost. 

Luckily, she has her friends. Smart and tough and almost terrifyingly open, Stacey and her circle are uncommonly free of biases and boundaries, but this incident reveals how they are still susceptible to society’s traps. Navigating her way through friendship, love and sex, Stacey strives to restore her self-confidence and to actualize the most authentic way to live her life - one that acknowledges both her power and her vulnerability, her joy and her fear. 

Stacey is a 26-year-old aspiring actress living in St. John's, NF.  She works for a theatre in the box office and as a bartender, and picks up odd jobs doing voiceover work.  Her best friend is Viv and for  a few years she shared an apartment with Viv and Mike, Viv's boyfriend.  When Viv and Mike want to get their own place, Stacey shares an apartment with Holly, who she had recently met.

Early one morning the police come pounding on Stacey and Holly's door looking for illegal digital material.  Stacey is home alone and has to deal with it.  They confiscate all of Stacey's and Holly's electronic devices.  Not only has Stacey lost her phone and laptop so she can't communicate with anyone, she feels violated and paranoid that the police are now watching her.

I like reading books that are written by Canadian authors and set in Canada.  The story started off interesting with the police showing up at Stacey's door and I was wondering what they would find and why.  But then it became a hot mess, focusing more on Stacey's budding relationship with Kris.  The illegal digital material case took a backseat and fell flat, which was disappointing. 

Perhaps I'm not the target demographic since I'm not in my twenties, trying to advance my career or gay/bisexual (Stacey has an issue with both terms).  It is written in first person perspective in Stacey's voice.  The story jumped around in time, back and forth, with no warning providing background about Stacey.

I didn't find the characters likable.  They are supposed to be in their mid-twenties but they acted younger and less mature.  When I started reading, I assumed they were around 20 so was surprised when I came across their age.

For some reason, Stacey has a couple of cats ... why when she can barely afford to feed herself?  The only time she seems concerned about them is when the police are there ... she keeps asking them to close the door so the cats don't get out.  Otherwise, it doesn't seem like she feeds them, takes care of them or is around them much.  And why are their names Snot and Courtney?!

Then the story ends abruptly.  Huh?

As a head's up, there is swearing and explicit adult activity.

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