Cam Girl

Starred review from November 23, 2015
Raeder (Black Iris) paints a heartbreaking picture of a young woman's struggles with identity in this darkly erotic new adult contemporary. After Vada Bergen and Ellis Carroway are in a near-fatal car accident that takes away Vada's longtime dream of being an artist, she slips into a deep depression. As Vada's financial situation worsens, she takes a job as a "cam girl," performing sexual acts for anonymous clients via webcam. At first, Vada stays emotionally detached. But when a customer digs deeper than the surface, wanting to know Vada as a person rather than a body, she panics. Who is this mysterious client, and should Vada simply walk away from her or pursue their connection? Raeder's beautifully broken characters are so full of life that they leap off the page and demand that the reader pay attention to them. Readers who have grappled with their sexual identities will particularly be drawn to Vada and her story, but it's a must-read for anyone wanting a sexy deep dive into a tangled psyche and a difficult life.