I absolutely loved Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. It’s bold, uncomfortable in places, and completely gripping from start to finish. What really stood out to me was how sharp and self-aware it felt. The story digs into ambition, authorship, and the messy line between inspiration and exploitation and it doesn’t shy away from making the reader sit with that discomfort. The characters are flawed in a very human way, which made everything feel more real and a little bit unsettling.It’s darkly funny at times, but there’s also an underlying tension running through the whole book that kept me hooked. I found myself constantly questioning motives and wondering how far things would go. Clever, provocative, and thought-provoking, this really stayed with me after I finished it.Definitely a five-star read for me.

Fruit Fly is one of those books that really stays with you after you finish it. It’s a dark and uncomfortable read at times, but also incredibly sharp and well written. Beneath everything, it explores loneliness, addiction, queerness and the publishing industry’s obsession with traumatic stories in a way that feels very current and thought-provoking.What I found most interesting was the relationship between Mallory and Leo. I actually liked both of them, even though they frustrated me at times. They are both deeply flawed characters, constantly making questionable decisions, but that is also what makes them feel believable. In many ways they are completely different people, yet also surprisingly similar in how damaged, lonely and desperate they both are — both wanting validation, connection and escape in different ways. That contrast is part of what makes their relationship so compelling and uncomfortable at the same time.The writing itself is excellent — witty, fast-paced and emotionally raw. Josh Silver balances heavy themes with dark humour really well, which stops the novel from ever feeling overly heavy despite the difficult subject matter.I also liked that the book doesn’t try to neatly resolve everything. It leaves some ambiguity and discomfort behind, but I think that suits the story and characters. They are messy people making messy decisions, and the ending reflects that honestly.It definitely isn’t a light or easy read, and there are some quite difficult themes throughout, but I found it original, compelling and very hard to put down. One of the more memorable books I’ve read recently.

I absolutely adored reading this book. Mallory is a writer. 10 years ago, she had a hit. She has the writing talent, clearly, but she’s missing the key to her next book: a story. Leo is in trouble. He is young, vulnerable, and gay. All things Mallory believes will be the key to her next bestseller. This is an exceptionally crafted tale about exploitation of almost every variety. Both characters were fantastically written, and I loved that the dual narrative allowed full insight into their, often incredibly frustrating and perplexing, minds and behaviours. This was sold to me as ‘Yellowface’ meets ‘Trainspotting’, and if you loved either of these books you will love this. But it is also so much more, and feels entirely fresh and invigorating.

It’s not often that a book can render me speechless. This is exactly what ‘Fruit Fly’ has done to me. Rendered me speechless in the best possible way. Almost to the point that I’m not sure I will be able to compose a review that’s enough to explain how much I loved this book. Go Gay. Go Hard. Go Sad is the tagline for ‘Fruit Fly’ and it gives us all of that and then some. I’m currently sat experiencing the biggest emotional whiplash of my life and trying to gather my thoughts. I’m also trying to write this in a way that doesn’t give anything away, because quite frankly, this book is an EXPERIENCE that demands to be felt authentically. ‘Fruit Fly’ had me laughing, it had me crying, it had me feeling a rage that was burning hot – and considering the heatwave that we’re currently having, it wasn’t very comfortable. This book is easily the book of the year. It’s brilliant, it’s raw, it’s devastating, but most of all, it’s real and authentic. ‘Fruit Fly’ is brilliant and if you haven’t read it I would highly recommend it. Please make sure to check out the trigger warnings before beginning this though. It’s out now! Buy it, read it and thank me later!