When I see the same new book being mentioned a few times in my Facebook news feed, I always check it out. That’s how I happened upon Sex and the Social Network by Victoria Lexington. I saw a review that said something along the lines of “Fifty Shades of Grey meets Facebook” and figured it was worth checking out.
I read about 50-60 books a year–a mixture of everything from romance to Young Adult to classics. I went into this one without any pre-conceived notions except that there would be…well….sex and social networks. My copy came from Amazon on Saturday and I was done by Sunday afternoon. I was definitely motivated by the storyline! (By the way…you don’t even have to wait for your copy to be delivered. Get it on Kindle–and it happens to be FREE from now through Monday!)
What’s It All About?
The plot itself is actually four different stories. The main character, Liz, ties all of the women together in different ways. Each woman feels like she is missing something from her life. I definitely felt myself identifying with some of the things that the women were thinking and saying. Married 15 years to my high school sweetheart with a “normal” life in the suburbs, it can be easy to wonder if the grass is greener on the other side. The temptation presented in the book (ex-boyfriends you find on Facebook, people you meet at work conferences, etc) exists for most of us in some form.
Interview with Victoria
I reached out to Victoria Lexington with a few questions about the book and was lucky enough to hear back from her. Here’s what she had to say:
Me: Do you think a lot of real women are actually having affairs like the ones in the book, or do you think a lot of us are just wishing that we were?
Victoria: I think a lot of women are having affairs. Maybe not to the extent that the women in SATSN are, but for some they are having ’emotional affairs’. Texting and chatting with guys on Facebook in ways that their husbands wouldn’t like.
I think cheating is very prevalent. Women become vulnerable when they are lonely or feel unappreciated. Then someone, say an ex, suddenly starts being very complimentary or flirty on FB it is easy to get sucked into flirting and then often times more…
Me: It seems that erotica is starting to go more mainstream with suburban moms and it is more acceptable to discuss reading books like yours. Why do you think that is?
Victoria: I agree that it has become more mainstream for women to read books like mine. I think Fifty Shades of Grey opened that door for us and I am grateful for that. Beforehand, watching porn or reading mommy porn was not really discussed openly, but now it’s very common.
I also think that women are less visual. Watching porn probably isn’t at exciting for women as it is for men. I think that is why reading it is very erotic for women. We like to use our imaginations for how sex should play out.
Me: What role do you think social networking plays in our relationships now? Is it for better or for worse?
Victoria: I think social networking can play a great role in relationships. I reconnected with friends on Facebook that I hadn’t seen in years. However…I also think it can be very dangerous. It is an easy way for people to put out feelers without really putting themselves on the line.
For example, you can find an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend and start flirting on FB. If the person doesn’t respond well, then you haven’t really lost anything. You don’t have the same level of vulnerability as you might if you tried to reconnect on the phone or in person.
It is easier to chat on Facebook and be sexy, kinky, funny than it is sometimes in person. I think Facebook and texting can open up some “explosive” situations. ; )
My Review
As for the steaminess of the book, it is definitely there! Although it doesn’t focus on the BDSM world of books like Fifty Shades or the dominance of the Crossfire Novels, sex does show up in Facebook conversations, text messages, and a number of scenes across the 4 different stories. In fact, I think that the sex scenes are actually pretty realistic (especially when it comes to what the women enjoy!). Most of them felt like stories that my girlfriends could (or have) shared with me.
Then there is the adultery. If you were not a fan of S.C. Stephens’ Thoughtless because of the cheating, you will definitely not appreciate this book. I’m not sure why the cheating doesn’t really bother me. It didn’t bother me in Thoughtless either. I guess because I figure that people make mistakes? That monogamy is actually a lot of work? It’s a work of fiction? I don’t know.
Is it all sex? No. In fact, there are some very serious issues dealt with the further that you get into the stories of the women. Some of it is present day and some of it is done in flashback. Each woman has to struggle with her choices for various reasons, including her husband, her kids, and even her own childhood. For some it is a moral issue. For others it is the practicality of what comes next.
What I liked most about the book was that there wasn’t any judgment and there wasn’t any “moral takeaway” that we should either all have affairs or no one should. Each woman’s situation was different and each had different consequences. That’s exactly how it is in real life.
I will definitely be looking out for future books from Victoria Lexington. I’m not sure if there could be a sequel to this book because it did feel like it could stand alone (unlike some books that leave you hanging at the end). That said, I would like to know what happens further with some of the characters. I feel like I am now a part of their world!
Looking for ways to reach out to Victoria Lexington? Check these out:
https://www.facebook.com/sexandthesocialnetwork
https://twitter.com/viclexauthor
http://threerockspublishing.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/vickylexington/
My book is due to arrive today from Amazon, and I can’t wait to read it! I wish I was a Kindle reader (to get it faster and cheaper), but I prefer an actual book. You know what I’ll be reading tonight!