Praise

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of transgender discrimination, emotional abuse, sexual content, and cursing.

“How nice would it be if you could meet up with someone who likes the same twisted shit you do? You wouldn’t have to hide it or be embarrassed by the kinks that get your panties wet.”

When Emerson and his friends come up with the initial idea for the Salacious Players’ Club, they do so due to their own experiences receiving negative reactions after admitting their kink preferences. The quote’s blunt sexual language signals a rebellious tone, highlighting the novel’s challenge to societal stigma around kink. The rhetorical question that opens the quote highlights Emerson and his friends’ need for safe spaces where they can openly express their non-normative sexual desires.

“[Beau] just had a way of making me feel worthless and desperate for any positive attention from him, so much so that I spent more time trying to please him than actually being happy—something that became abundantly clear after we broke up.”

Charlie’s reflection of her former relationship with Beau sets up the question of whether validation from others is empowering or not. Her word choices—“worthless” and “desperate”—show her awareness of how deeply her self-worth has been tied up with external validation. Later, Charlie will go on to question whether her desire for praise from Emerson is similarly unhealthy. However, she will conclude that Emerson makes her feel powerful and confident, while Beau made her feel unworthy. Moreover, she is actively happy with pleasing Emerson, highlighting the reciprocity of their relationship.

“What a ridiculous thing to feel so good about, some stranger’s praise.”

Charlie’s self-criticism reveals her internalized shame for her desire for praise in sexual contexts, especially through the juxtaposition of “ridiculous” with “so good.