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Tripping Arcadia
From debut author Kit Mayquist, a propulsive and atmospheric modern Gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby . . . and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide.
Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston’s most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept it—no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description.
By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge, Jonathan, the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious. By night, Lena discovers the more sinister side of the family, as she works overtime at their lavish parties, helping to hide their self-destructive tendencies . . . and trying not to fall for Jonathan’s alluring sister, Audrey. But when she stumbles upon the knowledge that the Verdeau patriarch is the one responsible for the ruin of her own family, Lena vows to get revenge—a poison-filled quest that leads her further into this hedonistic world than she ever bargained for, forcing her to decide how much—and who—she's willing to sacrifice for payback.
The perfect next read for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today’s world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth.
Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston’s most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept it—no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description.
By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge, Jonathan, the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious. By night, Lena discovers the more sinister side of the family, as she works overtime at their lavish parties, helping to hide their self-destructive tendencies . . . and trying not to fall for Jonathan’s alluring sister, Audrey. But when she stumbles upon the knowledge that the Verdeau patriarch is the one responsible for the ruin of her own family, Lena vows to get revenge—a poison-filled quest that leads her further into this hedonistic world than she ever bargained for, forcing her to decide how much—and who—she's willing to sacrifice for payback.
The perfect next read for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today’s world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth.
368 pages
First published February 22, 2022
About the author
Kit Mayquist
1 book140 followers A fan of everything spooky and indulgent, Kit Mayquist is a trans male writer who can be found in the historic shadows of Boston, MA, with a sullen Persian cat in his lap and surrounded in antiques. He has a MA degree in History from The University of Iceland, and a BA from Portland State University. TRIPPING ARCADIA (Dutton, 2022) will be his debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews
February 16, 2022
“A trip was a trip, and whatever didn’t kill them made them invincible. They lived in their own heaven, their own arcadia, where nothing, not even death, could touch them. Nothing except for me.”
Lena Gereghty is a medical school dropout. After spending a wonderful time in Italy with her Aunt Clara, she must look for employment to help out with her family’s finances. She is lucky to be hired by the rich and elite Verdeaus family of Boston, as an assistant to the family doctor. However, when she meets her patient, Jonathon, she is unsure what is actually wrong with him. Is Jonathan really sick? Or is he just a drunk? What is in the pills she must make sure he takes every day?
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels and I hoped that this book comparison would hold true. While this is not a retelling of the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald tale, it does contain many similar elements such as lavish over the top parties and a main character who spends the entire time lusting over a crush. The plot unfolds at a very slow place with many repetitive elements. Through party after party, we very slowly learn the reason Lena was hired by the Verdeaus family and what she must do to keep her job.
The plot revolves around poisons, poisonous plants, and poisonous drugs. Lots and lots of poison in this one!
I enjoyed the mystery, but found that it unfolded very slowly and was mostly disappointed in the confusing reveal. The denouement was also very wordy and difficult to follow. It would have been helpful if Mayquist spelled out his intentions more concisely for the reader. The twist was well played, but I ultimately felt like it was a long, strange “trip” to get there.
Overall, I was unfortunately underwhelmed by this debut. I understand what Mayquist sought to accomplish, but I don’t think that it was very successful.
2.5/5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date 2/22/22
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Tripping Arcadia in exchange for an honest review.
Lena Gereghty is a medical school dropout. After spending a wonderful time in Italy with her Aunt Clara, she must look for employment to help out with her family’s finances. She is lucky to be hired by the rich and elite Verdeaus family of Boston, as an assistant to the family doctor. However, when she meets her patient, Jonathon, she is unsure what is actually wrong with him. Is Jonathan really sick? Or is he just a drunk? What is in the pills she must make sure he takes every day?
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels and I hoped that this book comparison would hold true. While this is not a retelling of the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald tale, it does contain many similar elements such as lavish over the top parties and a main character who spends the entire time lusting over a crush. The plot unfolds at a very slow place with many repetitive elements. Through party after party, we very slowly learn the reason Lena was hired by the Verdeaus family and what she must do to keep her job.
The plot revolves around poisons, poisonous plants, and poisonous drugs. Lots and lots of poison in this one!
I enjoyed the mystery, but found that it unfolded very slowly and was mostly disappointed in the confusing reveal. The denouement was also very wordy and difficult to follow. It would have been helpful if Mayquist spelled out his intentions more concisely for the reader. The twist was well played, but I ultimately felt like it was a long, strange “trip” to get there.
Overall, I was unfortunately underwhelmed by this debut. I understand what Mayquist sought to accomplish, but I don’t think that it was very successful.
2.5/5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date 2/22/22
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Tripping Arcadia in exchange for an honest review.
February 23, 2022
iconic. never been done before.
October 17, 2023
Rated 4.5/5 stars
Want to read
January 8, 2021I -- uh -- I don't know how to choose what part of this blurb appeals to me most? Contemporary gothic? Billionaire murder? Gatsby-esque parties? Bi heroine? Implication of a F/F romance???
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 15, 2022DNF 35%
I was there for that premise but not for that execution. I can see what this novel was trying to do (something in the vein of The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo) but it just lacked depth and subtlety. The foreshadowing was cheesy and so were certain descriptions that were meant to add to the 'aesthetic' but made 0 sense the longer I thought about what they were describing. The narrator is not particularly compelling, she's boring and her narration reflects that. What really took me out was her reasoning for going ahead with poising this evil patriarch. Like, she sees their rarefied world and goes to this party which wasn't particularly shocking tbh (not even one orgy? come on!) and jumps to several conclusions that lead her to believe that her father injured himself at one of these parties? I think? It wasn't very clear to me what made her think 'enough is enough'. So they throw wild-ish parties. She assumes that the people who attend them aren't aware of how wild things get but...why? Why does she think so after going to 1 single party?
Anyway, it also seemed weird that she wouldn't have made the connection between her employers and the company/family responsible for her father's misfortune before or that she wouldn't research them before going for her interview. Maybe I would believe in her more if we'd been given more (or any really) scenes developing her relationship with her family (her mother shouts at her once or twice) but so far nada and so I have a hard time buying into her thirst for revenge. The other characters are all extremely one dimensional. The prose is okay-ish but nothing is holding down my interest, not even the prospect of a sapphic romance. The story/setting/characters are all meh.
Maybe one day I will give this another shot and fall in love but for now tis' just too vanilla for me.
I was there for that premise but not for that execution. I can see what this novel was trying to do (something in the vein of The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo) but it just lacked depth and subtlety. The foreshadowing was cheesy and so were certain descriptions that were meant to add to the 'aesthetic' but made 0 sense the longer I thought about what they were describing. The narrator is not particularly compelling, she's boring and her narration reflects that. What really took me out was her reasoning for going ahead with poising this evil patriarch. Like, she sees their rarefied world and goes to this party which wasn't particularly shocking tbh (not even one orgy? come on!) and jumps to several conclusions that lead her to believe that her father injured himself at one of these parties? I think? It wasn't very clear to me what made her think 'enough is enough'. So they throw wild-ish parties. She assumes that the people who attend them aren't aware of how wild things get but...why? Why does she think so after going to 1 single party?
Anyway, it also seemed weird that she wouldn't have made the connection between her employers and the company/family responsible for her father's misfortune before or that she wouldn't research them before going for her interview. Maybe I would believe in her more if we'd been given more (or any really) scenes developing her relationship with her family (her mother shouts at her once or twice) but so far nada and so I have a hard time buying into her thirst for revenge. The other characters are all extremely one dimensional. The prose is okay-ish but nothing is holding down my interest, not even the prospect of a sapphic romance. The story/setting/characters are all meh.
Maybe one day I will give this another shot and fall in love but for now tis' just too vanilla for me.
March 29, 2022
I had such high hopes for this book. Gorgeous cover? Check. Gothic story? Yes, please. A main character with my name? Fate. But, alas, my hopes were dashed quite quickly. And now I have to rant a little about it.
First of all, the language was too regular & sometimes too colloquial for my taste. This might have been a case of mismatched expectations but the promotional quotes on the back kept describing the writing as "compelling", "lyrical", "gripping", "atmospheric", "lush". And that just wasn't the case.
However, my biggest issue throughout was the amount of telling over showing. Often, plot points would just be summarized in a paragraph. Scenes would be described, emotions be spelled out instead of communicated through the characters' actions. This led to an emotional disconnect for me, where I felt kind of meh about the characters and what they went through.
***SPOILERS from here on:***
This is also connected to the fact that I found the main character's motivation not understandable at all. After being hired as a medical assistant and attending one of the Verdeau family's super lavish parties for the first time, she decides to poison the family patriarch, Martin Verdeau. Her main reason is that she saw an old family friend collapsed at the party, with other, richer attendees standing around and laughing at her. The author also links this to class issues, Lena being obviously poorer than the Verdeaus and angry at their ability to get away with anything. However none of this is convincing because we don't get any on-page interactions with the family friend, no backstory of why she's so class conscious and aggravated, or so outraged at a rich people party full of drugs. She interacts with Martin Verdeau maybe twice in the whole book. That's not enough to sell me on the fact that she's ready to poison him after working for him for a month.
And, listen. I love to see class being addressed here. But that, too, was not consistent enough. Lena condemns Jonathan and Martin to the point where she wants to bodily harm them but when it comes to Audrey, who's also rich and privileged and in the family business, it's apparently fine because Lena has a crush on her. It's so fine, in fact, that Lena doesn't even mind when Audrey makes her swallow a poisonous pill against her will. Just hot girl shit, I guess. Despite this, Audrey and Lena have, sadly, zero chemistry.
The inconsistencies continue: There are so many plot holes that at certain points, it's hard to keep track of who does what and why. For example, how does Lena not suspect that Jonathan is being poisoned by his doctor? She is an expert in poisonous plants, has some medical knowledge and has been poisoning people herself at this point. Even after Audrey tells her of her suspicions, and Jonathan seems to feel better after skipping the pills, she, for some unknown reason, refuses to admit this is a possibility. This just seems like the author tried to draw out the plot to maybe increase tension but it's too unrealistic that Lena would react like this.
Moreover, when she and Audrey want to find out if the pills are really poison, they just take them themselves!! WHAT?? I have no knowledge of poisons or chemistry or whatever and even I know that that's just nonsense. You cannot conclude with any certainty which specific poison you've taken from just the symptoms. Why didn't they give these pills to some lab to have them analyzed, you ask? No idea, could not tell you.
There were more inconsistencies but I don't think I need to list them all. In the end, I was so uninterested that I couldn't really bother to untie the confusing knot of who poisoned whom and why. So, sadly a disappointment for me.
First of all, the language was too regular & sometimes too colloquial for my taste. This might have been a case of mismatched expectations but the promotional quotes on the back kept describing the writing as "compelling", "lyrical", "gripping", "atmospheric", "lush". And that just wasn't the case.
However, my biggest issue throughout was the amount of telling over showing. Often, plot points would just be summarized in a paragraph. Scenes would be described, emotions be spelled out instead of communicated through the characters' actions. This led to an emotional disconnect for me, where I felt kind of meh about the characters and what they went through.
***SPOILERS from here on:***
This is also connected to the fact that I found the main character's motivation not understandable at all. After being hired as a medical assistant and attending one of the Verdeau family's super lavish parties for the first time, she decides to poison the family patriarch, Martin Verdeau. Her main reason is that she saw an old family friend collapsed at the party, with other, richer attendees standing around and laughing at her. The author also links this to class issues, Lena being obviously poorer than the Verdeaus and angry at their ability to get away with anything. However none of this is convincing because we don't get any on-page interactions with the family friend, no backstory of why she's so class conscious and aggravated, or so outraged at a rich people party full of drugs. She interacts with Martin Verdeau maybe twice in the whole book. That's not enough to sell me on the fact that she's ready to poison him after working for him for a month.
And, listen. I love to see class being addressed here. But that, too, was not consistent enough. Lena condemns Jonathan and Martin to the point where she wants to bodily harm them but when it comes to Audrey, who's also rich and privileged and in the family business, it's apparently fine because Lena has a crush on her. It's so fine, in fact, that Lena doesn't even mind when Audrey makes her swallow a poisonous pill against her will. Just hot girl shit, I guess. Despite this, Audrey and Lena have, sadly, zero chemistry.
The inconsistencies continue: There are so many plot holes that at certain points, it's hard to keep track of who does what and why. For example, how does Lena not suspect that Jonathan is being poisoned by his doctor? She is an expert in poisonous plants, has some medical knowledge and has been poisoning people herself at this point. Even after Audrey tells her of her suspicions, and Jonathan seems to feel better after skipping the pills, she, for some unknown reason, refuses to admit this is a possibility. This just seems like the author tried to draw out the plot to maybe increase tension but it's too unrealistic that Lena would react like this.
Moreover, when she and Audrey want to find out if the pills are really poison, they just take them themselves!! WHAT?? I have no knowledge of poisons or chemistry or whatever and even I know that that's just nonsense. You cannot conclude with any certainty which specific poison you've taken from just the symptoms. Why didn't they give these pills to some lab to have them analyzed, you ask? No idea, could not tell you.
There were more inconsistencies but I don't think I need to list them all. In the end, I was so uninterested that I couldn't really bother to untie the confusing knot of who poisoned whom and why. So, sadly a disappointment for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2023
Great Gatsby + Mexican Gothic, but make it a fever dream.
4.5 stars, rounded up…more thoughts to come, but my only real complaint is that the reveals at the end were a tad confusing. Definitely had to re read parts, and I’m still not 100% I’ve got it nailed down😂
It was a little predictable, but man…this was a TRIP, AMIRIGHT!?
4.5 stars, rounded up…more thoughts to come, but my only real complaint is that the reveals at the end were a tad confusing. Definitely had to re read parts, and I’m still not 100% I’ve got it nailed down😂
It was a little predictable, but man…this was a TRIP, AMIRIGHT!?
March 6, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up.
first of all, ???????
second of all, dang dude I am so disappointed. the blurb of this book had me so fucking excited that I stopped in the middle of a series to read this book next. the potential this book had omg …. it could’ve been the books of my dreams and I’m extremely sad it didn’t live up to my expectations.
I felt no connection to ANY of the characters (Lena, you’re boring sweetie). the plot was so painfully slow and honestly not plausible (idk why this chick was set on murdering someone after jumping to conclusions after one fucking party). nothing of great importance or interest happened until page 270/351 and even that was still a yawn. and the final reveal was straight up confusing. honestly just a mess of a book, sorry Kit.
first of all, ???????
second of all, dang dude I am so disappointed. the blurb of this book had me so fucking excited that I stopped in the middle of a series to read this book next. the potential this book had omg …. it could’ve been the books of my dreams and I’m extremely sad it didn’t live up to my expectations.
I felt no connection to ANY of the characters (Lena, you’re boring sweetie). the plot was so painfully slow and honestly not plausible (idk why this chick was set on murdering someone after jumping to conclusions after one fucking party). nothing of great importance or interest happened until page 270/351 and even that was still a yawn. and the final reveal was straight up confusing. honestly just a mess of a book, sorry Kit.
March 25, 2022
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Dutton Books) for promotional purposes.
This book had such a great premise. I love gothic novels, however, the execution could have been better.
The book started off strong. As soon as the main character, Lena, started working for the mysterious Verdeau family, I was intrigued and was excited to see where the story would go. The book held steady until the last 1/3. The story seemed to be losing its momentum by that point, like it didn’t quite know where it should go. By the end, I felt let down. I was expecting a big reveal or twist but nothing shocked me or made me have an “aha” moment.
One thing I did like about the book were the supporting characters of the Verdeau siblings, Audrey and Jonathan. They were both fascinating characters with well developed character arcs. Audrey was stuck in the middle trying to balance what she wanted versus what her dad wanted, while Jonathan was such a melancholy and tragic character who was obsessed with death. Their separate relationships with Lena was also interesting to see unfold. They each had such different relationships with Lena. It made for a nice juxtaposition.
The author’s writing style worked with the overall vibe of the book (gothic with a touch of dark academia), although it could be a little wordy at times.
As a whole, the plot itself was on the weak side, but the strong supporting characters helped the story. If you’re into gothic novels or stories about poison (this book is all about poison), then I would still say to give the book a shot! It might work for you.
This book had such a great premise. I love gothic novels, however, the execution could have been better.
The book started off strong. As soon as the main character, Lena, started working for the mysterious Verdeau family, I was intrigued and was excited to see where the story would go. The book held steady until the last 1/3. The story seemed to be losing its momentum by that point, like it didn’t quite know where it should go. By the end, I felt let down. I was expecting a big reveal or twist but nothing shocked me or made me have an “aha” moment.
One thing I did like about the book were the supporting characters of the Verdeau siblings, Audrey and Jonathan. They were both fascinating characters with well developed character arcs. Audrey was stuck in the middle trying to balance what she wanted versus what her dad wanted, while Jonathan was such a melancholy and tragic character who was obsessed with death. Their separate relationships with Lena was also interesting to see unfold. They each had such different relationships with Lena. It made for a nice juxtaposition.
The author’s writing style worked with the overall vibe of the book (gothic with a touch of dark academia), although it could be a little wordy at times.
As a whole, the plot itself was on the weak side, but the strong supporting characters helped the story. If you’re into gothic novels or stories about poison (this book is all about poison), then I would still say to give the book a shot! It might work for you.
August 13, 2024
"Humans are doomed to love terrible things"
Finishing a new favorite on a rainy Sunday morning has to be one of the most wonderful things in the world.
No matter how twisted and poisonous, flawless.
"I’d never thought poisoned men would come back begging for more, but I shouldn’t have been surprised"...
Finishing a new favorite on a rainy Sunday morning has to be one of the most wonderful things in the world.
No matter how twisted and poisonous, flawless.
"I’d never thought poisoned men would come back begging for more, but I shouldn’t have been surprised"...
January 30, 2023
" With each step on the aging carpet, a new and terrible thought blossomed. An idea so cruel that I was helpless to resist it. One that pulled at every bit of rage in my sinews, begging to become real. Poison."
How does this have such a low average rating?! This was só good!! 4.5 stars rounded up: actually more of a 4.75 but allowing myself quarter stars as well as half ones is a slippery slope I won’t be able to come back from.
More thoughts to come.
How does this have such a low average rating?! This was só good!! 4.5 stars rounded up: actually more of a 4.75 but allowing myself quarter stars as well as half ones is a slippery slope I won’t be able to come back from.
More thoughts to come.
March 4, 2022
a sapphic contemporary gothic horror (?) novel that somehow manages to have a hopeful ending? YES. 100% YES!
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Bookstagram | Twitter
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Bookstagram | Twitter
October 25, 2022
Fucking glorious. This book has slithered its vines into my head and completely consumed me. It haunts my soul. This bisexual hedonistic Gothic botanical horror has such exquisite vibes and such a wonderful pitch that I was a little worried it could never live up to what I wanted it to be - and then it did?! Iconic. It reads like a Baz Luhrmann film: somehow hazy and dream-like (or nightmarish), everything in slow-mo or reverse, I close my eyes and I can see scenes play out on my eyeballs so perfectly it has been carved into me. Poisons and sex parties and discussions of classism and murder and bisexuals and a sapphic relationship and a self-destructive man who longs for death ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
This book was painful. It will cut you and carve itself into your soul and it will hurt. I loved every inch of it.
Content warnings: drug use and addiction, alcohol use and addiction, chronic illness, chronic pain, non-consensual drug use including use of date-rape drugs, self harm, violence, blood, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, murder, attempted murder, classism
This book was painful. It will cut you and carve itself into your soul and it will hurt. I loved every inch of it.
Content warnings: drug use and addiction, alcohol use and addiction, chronic illness, chronic pain, non-consensual drug use including use of date-rape drugs, self harm, violence, blood, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, murder, attempted murder, classism
February 27, 2022
A piece of my soul has taken up residence in this book and I'm not sure it'll let go anytime soon.
February 1, 2022
what if we kissed while i was mass poisoning your rich dad and his affluent colleagues at one of his self indulgent and dangerous parties (and we were both girls) 👉👈😳
March 20, 2023
Starting off the first day of Spring with a review for Kit Mayquist’s debut novel Tripping Arcadia! Why? Because the cover is flowery, haunting, and gorgeous (perfect for Spring)!
Tripping Arcadia follows Lena, a medical school dropout who’s been desperate to find work ever since her father lost his job. When she’s offered a position as the assistant to the doctor of the wealthy Verdeau family, it seems almost too good to be true. But Lena discovers more is being asked of her than the job description entailed. The elite Verdeaus have dark secrets, secrets Lena is conflicted about getting tangled up in. (I say “conflicted” because what wouldn’t YOU do for a hefty paycheck?)
Mayquist created a suspenseful modern Gothic thriller with lots of my favorite ingredients for a page turner: decadence, wealth, family secrets, revenge, cover-ups, a queer protagonist, poisonous plants! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Many are comparing the book to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic colliding with Gatsby-esque vibes and I can agree. Definitely check this book out if it sounds up your alley!
Tripping Arcadia follows Lena, a medical school dropout who’s been desperate to find work ever since her father lost his job. When she’s offered a position as the assistant to the doctor of the wealthy Verdeau family, it seems almost too good to be true. But Lena discovers more is being asked of her than the job description entailed. The elite Verdeaus have dark secrets, secrets Lena is conflicted about getting tangled up in. (I say “conflicted” because what wouldn’t YOU do for a hefty paycheck?)
Mayquist created a suspenseful modern Gothic thriller with lots of my favorite ingredients for a page turner: decadence, wealth, family secrets, revenge, cover-ups, a queer protagonist, poisonous plants! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Many are comparing the book to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic colliding with Gatsby-esque vibes and I can agree. Definitely check this book out if it sounds up your alley!
February 24, 2022
Una portada gloriosa y comparaciones con Mexican Gothic y Great Gatsby hicieron que mis expectativas estuvieran muy arriba. Aunque me entretuvo, la verdad es que el ritmo me pareció lento, el misterio algo rebuscado y los personajes no me cayeron bien. En su defensa diré que toda la historia sobre invernaderos, plantas venenosas y drogas misteriosas me mantuvo intrigada. Del mismo modo creo que el tono y ambiente del libro son buenos, sin embargo, ya estoy en un momento de la vida en que unos "pobres niños ricos mira como sufren con tanto dinero" ya no generan tanta empatía en mi. Igual el personaje de Jonathan me acabó gustando porque es el típico chico que se siente un poeta trágico, pero la protagonista, Lena, no fue santo de mi devoción.
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 19, 2022DNF @ pg. 92
I was very excited for this- a queer modern gothic? Yes! Unfortunately I just found it really boring with characters I didn't care about. Based on the direction the plot seemed to be taking I didn't think I cared enough to keep going so I read some reviews with spoilers and that just confirmed my sense of where the book was headed and my decision to DNF. This is like a modern Great Gatsby but with poison. Which wasn't what I was expecting. It may be a hit for others, the execution here isn't working for me.
I was very excited for this- a queer modern gothic? Yes! Unfortunately I just found it really boring with characters I didn't care about. Based on the direction the plot seemed to be taking I didn't think I cared enough to keep going so I read some reviews with spoilers and that just confirmed my sense of where the book was headed and my decision to DNF. This is like a modern Great Gatsby but with poison. Which wasn't what I was expecting. It may be a hit for others, the execution here isn't working for me.
November 5, 2022
This was such a disappointment.
Tripping Arcadia had potential and an intriguing concept, but the writing was pretentious and awkward, often reading like a first draft. The protagonist was a very loosely drawn character with a stilted inner monologue and motivations that made little to no sense. She really hates rich people unless they smile kindly at her while happening to be an attractive young woman she has a crush on. She hates the way an acquaintance was drugged and humiliated at a party, so she decides to take a massive amount of money from a man she apparently hates to poison and humiliate a bunch of people, regardless of their culpability. She's angry that her father's life has been ruined, so she starts daydreaming about literally murdering a man with no evidence that he's done anything wrong.
Everything was taken to inexplicable extremes that strained the imagination, it was tiresomely repetitive, and the ending was a letdown, to say the least.
Trigger/Content Warnings: drugging, vomit, medical content, death, alcohol abuse
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Tripping Arcadia had potential and an intriguing concept, but the writing was pretentious and awkward, often reading like a first draft. The protagonist was a very loosely drawn character with a stilted inner monologue and motivations that made little to no sense. She really hates rich people unless they smile kindly at her while happening to be an attractive young woman she has a crush on. She hates the way an acquaintance was drugged and humiliated at a party, so she decides to take a massive amount of money from a man she apparently hates to poison and humiliate a bunch of people, regardless of their culpability. She's angry that her father's life has been ruined, so she starts daydreaming about literally murdering a man with no evidence that he's done anything wrong.
Everything was taken to inexplicable extremes that strained the imagination, it was tiresomely repetitive, and the ending was a letdown, to say the least.
Trigger/Content Warnings: drugging, vomit, medical content, death, alcohol abuse
You can find me on...
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You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
June 11, 2023
this novel had so much potential. a modern queer gothic, plants and poison, hating the rich... but it ultimately fell apart in its execution. it feels like an unedited draft. it was too long, too much filler, and the big reveal at the end was not shocking nor exciting. lena is a rather typical narrator, there was nothing that made me care about her and she felt haphazardly thrown in.
August 5, 2021
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was first put onto this debut because I read A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson who happens to be this author’s fiancée! Not usually my area (fantasy always) but it sounded amazing and I wanted to read it!
Tripping Arcadia follows Helena (Lena) Gereghty, a med school dropout, who after returning to the US from working abroad with her aunt, a world-renowned medieval botanist, has to get a job to help support her family. Lena miraculously lands a job as a medical assistant to the resident doctor of the infamous Verdeau family, who own a big tech company. Specifically, the doctor in charge of the ailing heir to the empire.
Lena is pulled into the world of the elites, full of debauchery, alcohol, drugs, indulgence, and sin. As she grows closer to both Jonathan and his sister Aubrey, she can’t help but be enamored and disgusted by their ways. And when she discovers the patriarch may be to blame for the ruin of not only their family but her own, Lena vows revenge… and so starts a quest filled with poison, that only draws her further in to their world.
Overall, I really, really liked (nearly loved) this book. It promised “eat the rich” vibes and debauchery in Gothic manor homes and corruption arcs, and it delivered.
I enjoyed our protagonist Lena, and the LGBT representation. Lena, Aubrey, Jonathan, and Lena’s friends all seemed to be LGBT+. I LOVED reading Lena go down the dark side, so to speak, and seeing what happened once she was there.
While Tripping Arcadia isn’t dark academia, it shares a lot of similar themes with what we’ve come to expect from that category. A dark post-academia, if you will. The writing is also opulent and gives depth to the book the way I’ve come to expect of truly good DA’s. So I’d highly recommend this to those that love DA.
Really the only thing that I didn’t love about this book was a sort of odd pacing in the beginning, and a lack of plausibility behind some of the events/turning points. In the beginning, it seems as though the party that starts it all happened quite suddenly, and Lena’s quest for vengeance by way of murder, also very suddenly (like the day afterwards, not even kidding) While I can excuse the party, I would’ve preferred a slow, methodical descent towards “I’m going to poison/kill them” instead of what we were given. It seemed, to me, a snap and not very realistic/thought-out decision.
I think this was the main reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars (I’m a hard sell, I can’t help it) but it was definitely 4+ stars.
The ending did leave me with some unanswered questions. I perhaps need to re-read the last part of the book, because I was reading so quickly (I felt I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough) so I might have missed an explanation that would have answered some of the questions I have. The novel gets far less straightforward towards the end, so perhaps a re-read will clear it up. Just not entirely sure if this is the novel’s fault or my own, but I figured I’d put it in the review with a disclaimer regardless.
Ultimately I enjoyed the ending and thought it was very fitting and tied most things to an enjoyable close. I was left satisfied. Can’t wait for the cover reveal and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy.
I was first put onto this debut because I read A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson who happens to be this author’s fiancée! Not usually my area (fantasy always) but it sounded amazing and I wanted to read it!
Tripping Arcadia follows Helena (Lena) Gereghty, a med school dropout, who after returning to the US from working abroad with her aunt, a world-renowned medieval botanist, has to get a job to help support her family. Lena miraculously lands a job as a medical assistant to the resident doctor of the infamous Verdeau family, who own a big tech company. Specifically, the doctor in charge of the ailing heir to the empire.
Lena is pulled into the world of the elites, full of debauchery, alcohol, drugs, indulgence, and sin. As she grows closer to both Jonathan and his sister Aubrey, she can’t help but be enamored and disgusted by their ways. And when she discovers the patriarch may be to blame for the ruin of not only their family but her own, Lena vows revenge… and so starts a quest filled with poison, that only draws her further in to their world.
Overall, I really, really liked (nearly loved) this book. It promised “eat the rich” vibes and debauchery in Gothic manor homes and corruption arcs, and it delivered.
I enjoyed our protagonist Lena, and the LGBT representation. Lena, Aubrey, Jonathan, and Lena’s friends all seemed to be LGBT+. I LOVED reading Lena go down the dark side, so to speak, and seeing what happened once she was there.
While Tripping Arcadia isn’t dark academia, it shares a lot of similar themes with what we’ve come to expect from that category. A dark post-academia, if you will. The writing is also opulent and gives depth to the book the way I’ve come to expect of truly good DA’s. So I’d highly recommend this to those that love DA.
Really the only thing that I didn’t love about this book was a sort of odd pacing in the beginning, and a lack of plausibility behind some of the events/turning points. In the beginning, it seems as though the party that starts it all happened quite suddenly, and Lena’s quest for vengeance by way of murder, also very suddenly (like the day afterwards, not even kidding) While I can excuse the party, I would’ve preferred a slow, methodical descent towards “I’m going to poison/kill them” instead of what we were given. It seemed, to me, a snap and not very realistic/thought-out decision.
I think this was the main reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars (I’m a hard sell, I can’t help it) but it was definitely 4+ stars.
The ending did leave me with some unanswered questions. I perhaps need to re-read the last part of the book, because I was reading so quickly (I felt I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough) so I might have missed an explanation that would have answered some of the questions I have. The novel gets far less straightforward towards the end, so perhaps a re-read will clear it up. Just not entirely sure if this is the novel’s fault or my own, but I figured I’d put it in the review with a disclaimer regardless.
Ultimately I enjoyed the ending and thought it was very fitting and tied most things to an enjoyable close. I was left satisfied. Can’t wait for the cover reveal and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy.
Read
February 24, 2024Tripping Arcadia was on my most-anticipated list due to its description as Mexican Gothic meets The Great Gatsby (and the cover is stunning!). However, I was utterly underwhelmed.
I got strong Gatsby vibes, but Mexican Gothic was a big stretch. To be perfectly honest, I am still unclear as to how Tripping Arcadia can be considered "Gothic."
Perhaps it was the narrative choice of the narrator telling us the story from the present day, looking back on this time with the Verdeaus, but there was none of the atmosphere that one expects when reading a Gothic novel. I felt no dread at any point in the story. I also felt no connection to any of the characters. I couldn't understand why Lena leaps to the decision of killing Martin Verdeau after one party. Lena's devotion to Jonathan was bewildering, and I'm not a fan of insta-love, so I never really got behind Lena's obsession with Audrey. Again, perhaps it was the narrative choice, but there was a lot of telling and not a lot of emotion, and I just don't think you can call a novel with as little emotional investment as Tripping Arcadia a Gothic novel!
The reveal(s) were also anticlimactic and not fully explained. I was left with more questions than answers by novel's end.
I got strong Gatsby vibes, but Mexican Gothic was a big stretch. To be perfectly honest, I am still unclear as to how Tripping Arcadia can be considered "Gothic."
Perhaps it was the narrative choice of the narrator telling us the story from the present day, looking back on this time with the Verdeaus, but there was none of the atmosphere that one expects when reading a Gothic novel. I felt no dread at any point in the story. I also felt no connection to any of the characters. I couldn't understand why Lena leaps to the decision of killing Martin Verdeau after one party. Lena's devotion to Jonathan was bewildering, and I'm not a fan of insta-love, so I never really got behind Lena's obsession with Audrey. Again, perhaps it was the narrative choice, but there was a lot of telling and not a lot of emotion, and I just don't think you can call a novel with as little emotional investment as Tripping Arcadia a Gothic novel!
The reveal(s) were also anticlimactic and not fully explained. I was left with more questions than answers by novel's end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2022
I tried, I really did. The vibes, the blurb, the gothification of my beloved home city...everything about this screamed my name. However, the writing style was UTTERLY impossible for me to get through. Certain phrases, even in the first ten pages, felt like fingernails on the chalkboard of my brain. Part of this is the author's liberal use of passive voice, but part of it is just a style that doesn't agree with me: an uncomfortable matrimony of heavily overwritten prose and childish grammar and sentence structure. Phrases like "despite the building's looking like.." and "the butler's eyes looked away" felt poorly written and stilted and tore me out of the otherwise compelling narrative.
I truly can't tell if this would have benefited from several rounds of heavy editing, or if there is something fundamental about the author's style that I just don't understand. In any case, I'm not sure I can bring myself to give this another go.
I truly can't tell if this would have benefited from several rounds of heavy editing, or if there is something fundamental about the author's style that I just don't understand. In any case, I'm not sure I can bring myself to give this another go.
Read
April 25, 2023DNF @ 80%
March 21, 2024
Med school dropout Lena had a dreamy life researching ancient poisons with her historian aunt in Italy, until it was ripped away from her when her parents are thrust into poverty. Desperate for a job, she accepts a strange position as a personal doctor's assistant for a very wealthy family. When she realizes the family may be more danger than expected, Lena's poison knowledge may come in handy... except she's becoming more entranced by the young heirs by the minute.
I was recommended this for my 12 friends, 12 books, 12 months challenge, and you know what? I get why this was recommended to me specifically. On paper, I think this includes a good amount of things that I've liked before. At the beginning of this book, I was sold. Unfortunately, I don't think it really developed from there.
The first section of this, I was pretty invested. I really liked the language/writing style (was it pretentious sometimes? yes) and was intrigued by Lena peeking into the life of the rich family that's seemingly above reckoning. There was a twist somewhere around the 1/3 mark that also surprised me; I didn't expect the book to go into that direction. But from there, I didn't think this developed any - it plateaued. It didn't really go anywhere unexpected, the mystery didn't get deeper, there wasn't as much exploration into the interpersonal relationships, etc. I think calling this "a gothic novel" is correct because it is hard to pin down the genre. It's not quite suspenseful enough to be a mystery/thriller/horror, but it's got enough and bad enough things happen that it's not quite general fiction either. It's very obvious what's happening within the family and it being played as a reveal was really surprising to me. I thought that was basically the synopsis? There were some engaging parts, but I think this could have gone further to fulfill its potential.
Overall, this is clearly a debut: it has good ideas but didn't always execute on them as well as desired. I'd definitely look out from future releases from this author, though.
I was recommended this for my 12 friends, 12 books, 12 months challenge, and you know what? I get why this was recommended to me specifically. On paper, I think this includes a good amount of things that I've liked before. At the beginning of this book, I was sold. Unfortunately, I don't think it really developed from there.
The first section of this, I was pretty invested. I really liked the language/writing style (was it pretentious sometimes? yes) and was intrigued by Lena peeking into the life of the rich family that's seemingly above reckoning. There was a twist somewhere around the 1/3 mark that also surprised me; I didn't expect the book to go into that direction. But from there, I didn't think this developed any - it plateaued. It didn't really go anywhere unexpected, the mystery didn't get deeper, there wasn't as much exploration into the interpersonal relationships, etc. I think calling this "a gothic novel" is correct because it is hard to pin down the genre. It's not quite suspenseful enough to be a mystery/thriller/horror, but it's got enough and bad enough things happen that it's not quite general fiction either. It's very obvious what's happening within the family and it being played as a reveal was really surprising to me. I thought that was basically the synopsis? There were some engaging parts, but I think this could have gone further to fulfill its potential.
Overall, this is clearly a debut: it has good ideas but didn't always execute on them as well as desired. I'd definitely look out from future releases from this author, though.
February 22, 2022
I never knew my passions for medieval history, dark upper-class drama, Homeric references and happy(ish) 🏳️🌈 endings could all be found in one book.
March 1, 2022
Clearly I’m in the minority on this one but I really didn’t enjoy this book. It was confusing and unbelievable at its best and boring at its worst and I’m still not 100% sure why all of it happened to begin with.
Tripping Arcadia follows Lena who is desperate for a job and ends up as a Physicians Assistant for a very rich family who has a sickly son. This rich family loves to throw parties and over indulge in drugs and alcohol and expect Lena to help organize and manage the results of this without letting things get so out of hand that the cops come. At one of these parties she realizes the father of the family is the reason her dad is out of a job and decides (abruptly and with no further research) to poison him. This has a lot of unforeseen consequences and leads her down a dark and twisted path.
I have no idea what point the author was trying to make with any of the characters. They’re all two dimensional and almost caricatures of themselves. The ending is odd and rushed as compared to the rest of the book and leaves you confused. Clearly this was not the book for me.
Tripping Arcadia follows Lena who is desperate for a job and ends up as a Physicians Assistant for a very rich family who has a sickly son. This rich family loves to throw parties and over indulge in drugs and alcohol and expect Lena to help organize and manage the results of this without letting things get so out of hand that the cops come. At one of these parties she realizes the father of the family is the reason her dad is out of a job and decides (abruptly and with no further research) to poison him. This has a lot of unforeseen consequences and leads her down a dark and twisted path.
I have no idea what point the author was trying to make with any of the characters. They’re all two dimensional and almost caricatures of themselves. The ending is odd and rushed as compared to the rest of the book and leaves you confused. Clearly this was not the book for me.
April 21, 2022
Tripping Arcadia promised gothic horror. While it delivered on the gothic, but the only horror was how self-righteous and unjustifiably vindictive the main character turned out to be.
I am all about an unlikeable, morally gray character. I fully support a petty bitch. What I absolutely cannot stand is a character with a flimsy excuse for murder who believes that she has the moral high-ground. This main character uses her loved ones to lift up her lonely soul and quickly abandons them for greener pastures (aka, a hot woman). It was pathetic how desperately she dogged after this family, kowtowing for a crumb of affection. And it was even worse how little I cared.
The novel started off with the vibes of Cruel Intentions, a world in which an impoverish woman returns home from her aunt's poisonous plant villa in Italy to her family's home in Boston. She gets a job as a medical assistant to a rich family and for some reason, has some hair-brained scheme to use her knowledge of poisonous plants to murder the father of this family. Because he's rich? Because he's mean to his kids?
This book does showcase the toxicity of wealth and excess (literally and figuratively). The prose is whimsical, syrupy, and indulgent. The vibe is foggy in a fever dream kind of way. Tender moments are crushed between scenes of violence. The apothecary-like setting amidst the modern gothic manor was *chef's kiss*
But I guess I was hoping for a book that offers commentary on celebrity charisma and the strong emotions they elicit out of complete strangers. What I got instead was a woman who imagines herself a David in a slow struggle against Goliath. I liked the vibes, but I found the execution and character development to be lacking. This is such a shame, because I had anticipated this being a new fave.
I am all about an unlikeable, morally gray character. I fully support a petty bitch. What I absolutely cannot stand is a character with a flimsy excuse for murder who believes that she has the moral high-ground. This main character uses her loved ones to lift up her lonely soul and quickly abandons them for greener pastures (aka, a hot woman). It was pathetic how desperately she dogged after this family, kowtowing for a crumb of affection. And it was even worse how little I cared.
The novel started off with the vibes of Cruel Intentions, a world in which an impoverish woman returns home from her aunt's poisonous plant villa in Italy to her family's home in Boston. She gets a job as a medical assistant to a rich family and for some reason, has some hair-brained scheme to use her knowledge of poisonous plants to murder the father of this family. Because he's rich? Because he's mean to his kids?
This book does showcase the toxicity of wealth and excess (literally and figuratively). The prose is whimsical, syrupy, and indulgent. The vibe is foggy in a fever dream kind of way. Tender moments are crushed between scenes of violence. The apothecary-like setting amidst the modern gothic manor was *chef's kiss*
But I guess I was hoping for a book that offers commentary on celebrity charisma and the strong emotions they elicit out of complete strangers. What I got instead was a woman who imagines herself a David in a slow struggle against Goliath. I liked the vibes, but I found the execution and character development to be lacking. This is such a shame, because I had anticipated this being a new fave.
March 17, 2022
The human body, I believe, if it possesses a soul, can only contain so much anger before it surrenders.
3.5 stars. I'm ending it on a mostly good note, but there were several moments in this book where I just didn't know how to feel about it. I felt like the book itself didn't know what it was about. For the longest time, I was not a fan of Lena. I'm very cool with unlikeable protagonists, but I kept feeling like I was meant to be relating to her, and I just could not. To start from the top, this is about Lena, a med school dropout who finds employment with a rich family as the assistant to the family doctor. She feels an alluring attraction to the daughter, and a slow growing friendship with the son/patient, but there are dark secrets surrounding the elite family and she soon finds herself playing a dangerous role in the name of vengeance.
So like, angry queer girls, revenge, punching up at the rich? I'm ALL ABOUT IT. But the start of the book did very little to convince me of anything. I don't really need a huge reason for a character to want to hit back at the rich, but Lena was so disconnected from her family (her mother and father and brother) that her crusade against Martin seemed sudden and overwrought, especially the extent to which she took it. And trust me, I can't believe that's something that I'M saying. But I just felt like whatever hook there was that was supposed to get us on board with Lena's plans... it just wasn't strong enough. I moved through the book with the sense like... yeah, I know why I should be rooting for Lena (and I'm not saying I wasn't; I was) but the text just didn't go far enough in taking me there, you know? IDK. I was dissatisfied, as I so often am dissatisfied, with most of the class commentary attempted. Lena's mother and father and friends could and should have played a way bigger role imo, especially near the end. That was when we needed some disparate voices, and the lack was sorely felt.
That said, the ending did end up making up for some of my earlier disappointment, and was what made me round up instead of down on this 3.5. The relationship between Jonathon and Lena was beautiful, and I ended up loving them just as much as I loved the romance with Audrey and Lena. Romance isn't really central to the novel, but I did enjoy that it was very deeply interwoven. The novel does live up to the tagline: it has a very gothic, lonely feeling, amidst all the elite partying and debauchery. I'm tempted to make a Gatsby comparison, even as someone who's never read or seen it. The light mystery aspects were good (though it's a stretch to call this a mystery) and even though I found the ending far too rushed to really love it, I did like the elements of it?
Listened to the audiobook as read by Carlotta Brentan, and it was probably what I enjoyed most about the book. Really good performance. Ultimately, I liked this enough and had a good enough time with this author's writing that I'll definitely try him again. This just wasn't all I wanted it to be.
Content warnings: .
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