The Dicktionary Club by Sophie Gravia

I went into Dickionary expecting something sharp and funny about modern dating, but what I actually got was a book full of irritating characters and language that quickly wore me down. The premise — three women creating a site to catalogue terrible men — sounded promising enough, and I thought it might be a clever satire of dating culture. Instead, it felt messy and shallow, with very little payoff. 

The biggest problem for me was the characters. Ella dominates the story to the point where Katy and Zola barely feel like real people. They drift in and out of the narrative with half-finished storylines, and I never felt invested in any of them. Rather than being funny or relatable, they came across as self-absorbed and often unpleasant. I kept waiting for some real growth or insight, but the book just circles the same petty problems again and again.

I also really disliked the language. The humour relies heavily on crude jokes and exaggerated slang that felt forced rather than natural. Instead of being witty or observational, most of the dialogue sounded like people trying too hard to be edgy. After a while it became exhausting to read, and I found myself skimming entire sections because the tone grated on me.

What frustrated me most was how little actually happens. The idea of the Dickionary itself is introduced as the central hook, but it barely features for most of the book, which instead focuses on work drama and repetitive dating stories. By the time the concept finally comes into play, it feels rushed and pointless.

Overall, Dickionary had potential, but the weak characters and irritating language made it a chore to finish. I didn’t find it funny or insightful, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really enjoy this kind of brash, slang-heavy humour.

Rating: 3/10 sink

I went into Dickionary expecting something sharp and funny about modern dating, but what I actually got was a book full of irritating characters and language that quickly wore me down. The premise — three women creating a site to catalogue terrible men — sounded promising enough, and I thought it might be a clever satire of dating culture. Instead, it felt messy and shallow, with very little payoff. 

The biggest problem for me was the characters. Ella dominates the story to the point where Katy and Zola barely feel like real people. They drift in and out of the narrative with half-finished storylines, and I never felt invested in any of them. Rather than being funny or relatable, they came across as self-absorbed and often unpleasant. I kept waiting for some real growth or insight, but the book just circles the same petty problems again and again.

I also really disliked the language. The humour relies heavily on crude jokes and exaggerated slang that felt forced rather than natural. Instead of being witty or observational, most of the dialogue sounded like people trying too hard to be edgy. After a while it became exhausting to read, and I found myself skimming entire sections because the tone grated on me.

What frustrated me most was how little actually happens. The idea of the Dickionary itself is introduced as the central hook, but it barely features for most of the book, which instead focuses on work drama and repetitive dating stories. By the time the concept finally comes into play, it feels rushed and pointless.

Overall, Dickionary had potential, but the weak characters and irritating language made it a chore to finish. I didn’t find it funny or insightful, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really enjoy this kind of brash, slang-heavy humour.

Rating: 3/10 sink