Hard pass. While I can appreciate the skill in Kate Elizabeth Russell’s writing and the undeniably heavy subject matter she tackles, the core premise left me frustrated and exhausted. The “Lolita” excuse, the glamorization of a power imbalance between underage girls and their adult mentors… it’s overdone, tired, and frankly infuriating.

Yes, the story’s fine. Yes, the writing is compelling. But why does Vanessa have to be underage? Why must we repeatedly revisit this trope under the guise of exploring trauma when it often feels like a thinly veiled excuse for voyeuristic discomfort? By making Vanessa college-aged, the narrative could retain its examination of manipulation, consent, and power without leaning into the fetishization of underage girls being preyed upon by authority figures.

The pretense of romantic mentorship cloaked in predatory behavior is neither new nor profound… it’s exhausting. There’s a fine line between critiquing abuse and inadvertently perpetuating it, and for me, My Dark Vanessa doesn’t navigate that space as deftly as it could.

If you’re drawn to the psychological layers of toxic relationships, maybe this is worth a read. But for me? Enough with the same old narrative. It’s time we demand more nuanced stories that don’t center on glorifying sexual predators as twisted idealists.