Scan barcode
kshertz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Oh wow! This was such a ride. I love a book with unreliable narrators. Both perspectives are not to be trusted! Once the twist happens I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Murder, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
JQS does it again! I was so wildly entertained while reading this. I read most of it in one sitting because I had to know how this would unravel.
You should go into this novel with the understanding that there is probably no one that you will genuinely root for. Each character continues to self-destruct, make questionable decisions, and centers themselves as the main character no matter what. This is a novel full of “women’s wrongs,” and while I typically despise the representation of women lying about sexual violence in order to blackmail men, you come into the understanding that these are inherently selfish, flawed, narcisstic humans. They are *supposed* to be incessantly unlikeable and causing you to audibly gasp and be visibly shaken by their behaviors! They are NOT good people, not in the slightest!
I felt the narration by Jane was so incredibly clever. Regardless of genre, JQS is so goddamn funny. She has me cackling no matter what, whether it’s silly goofy light humor like DAFA, or whether it’s disturbingly dark humor, like The New Girl or this book! Jane made me cringe, giggle, and yell, ‘What are you doing?!’ Overall, Jane was exhausting 😭
The commentary on the publishing industry was spot on, the illustration of women who will do whatever they can for success was quite fun, and the fraught dynamics between all of the women was what kept me deeply invested. Jane, Thalia, and Ani’s connections were each so fascinating, and they weren’t wrong about the obsessive, competitive, and sometimes unhealthy nature of female friendships, especially those who are in the same industry. Society can’t help but pit us against each other, so we’re just at the whims of society’s undertones, aren’t we!? (I don’t believe this- I believe you need to do your own emotional labor to unpack these biases and messaging, but for this book, it almost asks the question: What if we just give in to that competition and that love/hate dynamic!?)
I was not expecting a few of these twists & turns, but I very much enjoyed the ride nevertheless. I had fun with the settings of Oakland (Jane’s home), the flashbacks to Oxford nine years ago, the trip to New York City for the book convention, and the remote cabin in Montauk for the writer’s retreat. Jesse is a master of setting the stage for mess to unravel, and she did not disappoint!
This is a fast-paced, dark thriller about female friendship, what we do in the name of obsession, and having the courage to face the truth of who you really are in a world that continues to place you into stereotypical female character arcs, like the demure & socially awkward friend, the unimpressed rich girl who feels the sexist weight of her parents’ expectations, or the golden girl who wants everything she feels she deserves. I’ll continue to read anything by JQS!!!
cw: toxic relationships & friendships, emotional abuse, gaslighting, murder, death, injuries, cursing, classism, alcohol, mental illness (antisocial personality disorder, social anxiety, sociopathy), ableism, racism, infidelity
JQS does it again! I was so wildly entertained while reading this. I read most of it in one sitting because I had to know how this would unravel.
You should go into this novel with the understanding that there is probably no one that you will genuinely root for. Each character continues to self-destruct, make questionable decisions, and centers themselves as the main character no matter what. This is a novel full of “women’s wrongs,” and while I typically despise the representation of women lying about sexual violence in order to blackmail men, you come into the understanding that these are inherently selfish, flawed, narcisstic humans. They are *supposed* to be incessantly unlikeable and causing you to audibly gasp and be visibly shaken by their behaviors! They are NOT good people, not in the slightest!
I felt the narration by Jane was so incredibly clever. Regardless of genre, JQS is so goddamn funny. She has me cackling no matter what, whether it’s silly goofy light humor like DAFA, or whether it’s disturbingly dark humor, like The New Girl or this book! Jane made me cringe, giggle, and yell, ‘What are you doing?!’ Overall, Jane was exhausting 😭
The commentary on the publishing industry was spot on, the illustration of women who will do whatever they can for success was quite fun, and the fraught dynamics between all of the women was what kept me deeply invested. Jane, Thalia, and Ani’s connections were each so fascinating, and they weren’t wrong about the obsessive, competitive, and sometimes unhealthy nature of female friendships, especially those who are in the same industry. Society can’t help but pit us against each other, so we’re just at the whims of society’s undertones, aren’t we!? (I don’t believe this- I believe you need to do your own emotional labor to unpack these biases and messaging, but for this book, it almost asks the question: What if we just give in to that competition and that love/hate dynamic!?)
I was not expecting a few of these twists & turns, but I very much enjoyed the ride nevertheless. I had fun with the settings of Oakland (Jane’s home), the flashbacks to Oxford nine years ago, the trip to New York City for the book convention, and the remote cabin in Montauk for the writer’s retreat. Jesse is a master of setting the stage for mess to unravel, and she did not disappoint!
This is a fast-paced, dark thriller about female friendship, what we do in the name of obsession, and having the courage to face the truth of who you really are in a world that continues to place you into stereotypical female character arcs, like the demure & socially awkward friend, the unimpressed rich girl who feels the sexist weight of her parents’ expectations, or the golden girl who wants everything she feels she deserves. I’ll continue to read anything by JQS!!!
cw: toxic relationships & friendships, emotional abuse, gaslighting, murder, death, injuries, cursing, classism, alcohol, mental illness (antisocial personality disorder, social anxiety, sociopathy), ableism, racism, infidelity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Violence, Infidelity, and Ableism
uranaishi's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, and Violence
More...