This was a Scribd find, recommended as ‘lesbian fiction for you’ and I was lured in by the idea of an ominous swarm of cicadas, which only hatch every 17 years, descending on a small town. Jessica, a queer ex-police officer (yes there is indeed some copaganda here), struggling to deal with the loss of her entire family to a car accident two years ago. Had the focus been more on the cicadas and Jessica’s grieving process, I’d have been all in. However, too much of the (very short) book is dedicated to a very toxic relationship between Jessica and her dead sister’s straight best friend. Lord. I simultaneously felt bad for and resented Jessica. Natasha is so obviously dragging her along like a fish on a hook, using the town’s (likely) only lesbian to make her on-again-off-again boyfriend jealous. But Jessica doesn’t do anything to make the reader sympathise with her either. She gives off ‘not like other girls’ vibes, constantly commenting on and criticising Natasha’s dress choices, behaviour, decisions.

It was good enough and short enough for me to finish it, but honestly forgettable and too toxic to be wholly enjoyable.