Review by Booklist Review
Engrossing and electric, Saintclare's debut finds firm footing as a coming-of-age novel while also providing a nuanced look at sex work. Agnes, 21, lives in an outer suburb of London, where she works cleaning houses with her devout, strict, Caribbean mother, Constance. On a job, Agnes meets the beautiful and chic Emily, who works in "sugaring," in which older men pay for a semblance of a relationship. Emily recruits Agnes and she quickly falls into the work, which seems almost elegant at first. When Agnes lies to cover her new job and is caught, Constance kicks her out. She moves in with Emily and her roommates, all fellow sugar babies and models. These women all come from money though, and sugaring is just a detour; for Agnes, there is no fallback. And as the work becomes more alcohol- and drug-fueled and the sex edgier, Agnes must confront her situation and determine what she really wants. Saintclare's complex portrait of a young woman and of sex work in general (never gratuitous) makes for compelling reading.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Saintclare debuts with a provocative tale of a 21-year-old cleaner drawn into sex work. Agnes, who is Black, cleans for a rich white woman named Camila and lives in a deteriorating suburb outside of London with her Pentecostal Christian mother, Constance. While on the job, Agnes rummages through Camila's adult daughter Emily's childhood room and steals a sky-blue suspender belt, before encountering the blonde and alluring Emily in the house. Emily sees potential in Agnes and offers to show her the ropes of high-paid "sugaring," in which a client pays for a steady relationship. After Agnes shares a night out with a client named Matthew, Constance catches her in a lie about babysitting for a cousin and kicks her out of the house. Agnes moves in with Emily and three models in their flat in South Kensington, where she transforms herself with lip injections, a new hairstyle, and borrowed clothes. Though she enjoys the work's perks--Matthew buys her an expensive bag and pays her handsomely in exchange for sex twice a month--the other end of the bargain begins to weigh on her. Things come to a head after Agnes travels to Miami with another client and is pushed into a compromising situation by his jealous wife. Saintclare is best when portraying sex work's mental toll on Agnes as she struggles to keep herself from having feelings for her clients and starts remembering Constance's "God is watching you" refrain. This powerful story makes Saintclare one to watch. Agent: Hattie Grunewald, Blair Partnership. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
British author Saintclare's addictive debut novel follows Agnes, a 21-year-old mixed-race woman who moves from housecleaning to sex work. Working alongside her deeply religious, Caribbean-born mother, Constance, Agnes polishes the homes of wealthy suburbanites during the week and spends her weekends at dive bars, obsessing over men who show little interest. When she meets Emily, the daughter of one of her clients, she's introduced to an entirely different way of living. Emily dresses Agnes in designer clothes, paints her lips a femme-fatale red, and whisks her away to the London flat she shares with a group of hedonistic models. Emily undertakes the project of imparting all she's learned about "sugaring" to Agnes, so she can transform herself into a sugar baby and support herself without relying on Constance. Agnes accompanies Emily and her friends on their dates, where rich, older (often married) men pay them to go to lunch, drink champagne in clubs, and engage in various types of sex work. Agnes soon learns how to identify suitable prospective clients (shoes, watch, jacket) and starts to build up her own roster--and a collection of designer handbags. But the drinking, drugs, and sex work begin to spiral out of control when Agnes struggles to separate her emotions from each transaction. The night she meets Russian billionaire Sergei, she's confronted with a new dynamic entirely--she's asked to engage in sex with both Sergei and his wife. She's flown to Miami and attends a drug-fueled party, making the power imbalance--and danger--of her situation starkly clear. This is a propulsive read that tackles myriad attitudes toward sex work, from condemnation to celebration, through a distinctly feminist lens. Accompanying the partying with perceptive social commentary, Saintclare refuses to romanticize the gritty details of sugaring--inviting the reader into a whirlwind of champagne, sex, and money that is at times claustrophobic, scary, and toxic. Saintclare modernizes outdated sex-work narratives, honoring the bonds formed between women instead. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
