New Review: 99 Percent Mine

Title: 99 Percent Mine

Author: Sally Thorne

Format: Audible Audiobook

Grade: C+

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It’s a slow burn plot, which normally I enjoy. Thorne writes very snappy dialogue, which is also interesting. All of the elements for a great book were there, but when combined- the end result was just okay.

• I am 100% here for the female gaze, which is the viewpoint of this novel. Yet, the lack of interiority regarding any other characters left me wanting more
• The two female “sidekicks” were never fully developed. They appeared at the end of the book to have their storylines somewhat tidied up, but we didn’t really get any insight into their characterization- which somewhat negated the female gaze mentioned above. Besides the female protagonist, all characters with significant speaking roles are male. If this book were made into a movie, I don’t know if it would actually pass the Bechdel test.
• Since we don’t have insight into Tom’s self-reflection beyond his self-reporting through Darcy as the narrator, the plot climax felt too tidy.
• Is Darcy an unreliable narrator of her own life or situation? What exactly happened with her photography business? Why did her grandmother buy that ticket? What was the extent of the big fight? The loose threads were really frustrating for this reader.
• Darcy clearly discusses Tom’s caramel skin tone. It’s a significant descriptor. Male cartoon on the front is pale, pale, pale. He’s not like any caramel I’ve ever seen. That was an easy thing to do. The only way to have more caramel colored models on the front is to make more books with them on there.

I know that “sophomore slump” can be a thing for authors. And that’s easy to point out from a reviewer’s seat. Sally Thorne is a great author and this book clearly had potential. It was either under-written or over-edited, I’m not sure which.

I will definitely read her next book, but I am not sure if it will be an auto-buy before publication date or if I will wait around for library availability.