ITALY AND WATER BASED EROTICA

All I wanted to achieve on my trip to Italy was a golden glow with minimal skin damage, to consume an absurd quantity of pasta, pizza, bread and wine, and read as much as I could. Based on these goals alone, the holiday was a total success.

I'd been saving The Pisces by Melissa Broder so it could be my poolside read. The title kind of put me off as I've only met one pisces that I've liked, however I did like the astrological reference. The pull of the ocean is palpable and present throughout. I also don't usually enjoy fantasy themes, but Broder writes in a way that is so hysterical, tender and witty that I almost believed the merman sex was real. Yes that's right I said merman sex. I couldn't quite believe it either, and some of the other erotic scenes were so viciously honest they brought colour to my cheeks and made me scoff out loud at times. It was funny and also tense watching Jake and friends have the same, sometimes more dramatic reaction as certain scenes were read aloud by the pool.

'I was no longer lonely but I was.'

This opening line HIT ME. How often I have felt lonely despite having everyone around me. Yes. Thank you.

Broder creates several different women, all of whom have issues with relationships that are so hilarious and in parts, scarily relatable. Doesn't everyone know of someone who thinks they're allergic to everything or someone who clings to a partner that is obviously inherently wrong for them? The Pisces it brutal yet delicate, enlightening but dark, and it serves to highlight how important all relationships, whether they are human, animal or mythological, are for survival. But at its core, this novel makes you question whether you are truly in love if it hasn't tried to kill you.

Now I shall supply gorgeous pictures of my perfect holiday, you're welcome.