That’s What She Said
“Forget Atlantis, my vagina was more like the TARDIS.”
Title: That’s What She Said
Author: Eleanor Pilcher
Published: May 2025
Eleanor Pilcher is electric in her witty, funny, and heartfelt women’s fiction debut, following polar opposite best friends Beth and Serena. When demisexual Beth decides she’s done with being a virgin and enlists Serena’s help, her new personal journey just might be the thing to end their friendship for good.
Serena and Beth are best friends who couldn’t be more different — Beth is an avowed demisexual, who lacks confidence in her career and in her chances at a happy relationship due to her sexual orientation. Serena is a free spirit who oozes with confidence, both in her job and her sexual proclivities. And yet, since the moment they met, they knew they were platonic soulmates.
So, when Beth decides that she officially wants to take charge of her sex life and explore the things that scare her the most, Serena is more than happy to help. Speed-dating, sex therapy, tantra, a perplexed but ultimately very nice escort — it’s all on Beth’s Sexual Odyssey List.
But when Beth’s crush from her old job comes back and Serena’s favourite friend-with-benefits pushes for more than just sex, it throws their whole world into a tailspin. And suddenly, this sexual odyssey is more than a fun gag. It’ll set them down a course that’ll make them so much closer — or end their friendship for good.
Discussion Questions
Eleanor Pilcher’s writing has been praised for feeling sharp witty and authentically British. Did you enjoy her voice and tone?
The story is told through alternating perspectives. Did this dual narrative work for you? How did it shape your understanding of each character’s choices?
The novel uses humour to explore themes like sexuality identity and intimacy. Did the humour land for you? Were there moments that made you laugh or cringe?
How well do you think the novel handled Beth’s demisexuality? Did it feel like authentic representation or did it lean too heavily into explanation at times?
Beth and Serena are wildly different sexually, emotionally, and professionally. What keeps friendships like this going and what eventually causes them to fracture?
Did you love or loathe Serena? Or both? Consider her fear of intimacy and the way she uses her sexuality, humour and control to mask her vulnerability.
How did the novel explore the idea of personal boundaries especially in female friendships? Were there moments when those boundaries felt empowering or suffocating?
Beth’s sexual journey sets the plot in motion but it also cracks open her friendship with Serena. Do you think this fallout was inevitable or could their bond have survived if things had played out differently?
Beth’s therapist says it’s not about sex it’s about vulnerability. Do you agree that emotional intimacy is often more terrifying than physical intimacy?
Whose journey resonated more with you Beth’s gentle self-discovery or Serena’s emotional reckoning? Were there moments where you saw yourself in either of them?
