BOOK REVIEW: Good Vibrations by Ayn Carrillo

Ayn Carrillo's Good Vibrations has been on my shelf for a little while, but I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. First there's the title. Then the subtitle - "One good girl's hilarious exploration of all things bad..." Funnily enough, I spotted the US version which is titled Pornology and has a much more sophisticated cover (see it over the cut). The US is often accused of dumbing down (the title of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone being changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone springs immediately to mind), but they're certainly winning in the chick lit cover wars!

Anyway, back to Good Vibrations. When Carrillo's boyfriend accused her of being "pornophobic" she made a list - she really loves making lists - a "Porn to do list" in fact. On the list were items like "meet a porn star", "visit a strip club", "test vibrators", "check out a brothel" and more. Here's a tip: if the previous sentence offended you, you're not going to enjoy this book.

I'm not easily offended and I enjoyed this book. Carrillo has a chatty and easy writing style, in particular she's good at writing about pretty full-on stuff in a lighthearted and informative way. Having said that, even though I'm no prude and am pretty open-minded about most things, there was one bit of the book that quite literally turned my stomach. Chapter 8. Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

As is often the case with memoir, I didn't believe bits of the book, usually bits that were meant to be funny. There's also a relationship with a man Carrillo met in a sex shop running through the book and that didn't ring true either (although, judging by the acknowledgments, the man exists, at least!). Mostly Good Vibrations is an entertaining and informative addition to the sex memoirs that have flooded the market lately. (Ew. Now I've reminded myself of Chapter 8.)

Rating: 3/5

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