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namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Claire is an actor looking for an acting job while simultaneously working for a law firm trying to entrap married men cheating on their wives. Everything was going good till one of her client gets killed.The cops seek Claire’s help to get a confession from the husband but Claire is not convinced of his guilt and finds herself falling for the enigmatic Professor.
Believe Me by J.P. Delaney is true to its name as it is very difficult to trust any character in this book. The story is filled with twists and turns with lots of lies and deception . A psychological mind game the book is half written in an interview type of way . Though the ending was a little disappointing and too unbelievable I still enjoyed reading this book especially for the different writing style .
I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Believe Me by J.P. Delaney is true to its name as it is very difficult to trust any character in this book. The story is filled with twists and turns with lots of lies and deception . A psychological mind game the book is half written in an interview type of way . Though the ending was a little disappointing and too unbelievable I still enjoyed reading this book especially for the different writing style .
I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
A dark and twisted thriller that lured me into the story and captured my thoughts until the very last page! There is no one in the psychological thriller genre who can write such captivating, loathsome, alluring characters as well as J. P. Delaney. Earlier this year I was enthralled by his last book, The Girl Before. This one is somehow even better. I could not separate myself from this book. Everything about it was so carefully crafted, from the story to the characters to the writing techniques.
And what to say about those twists!?! I read this with a group of my traveling sisters and because we were always at very slightly different points in the book, our opinions and theories kept misaligning in a good way. That is how often Delaney has you rethinking everything in this book! Nearly every chapter led me in a different direction.
About the Book
Claire Wright is an actress who was blacklisted in the UK, and takes up coursework in New York City for a fresh start. Despite incredible talent, without a green card Claire isn’t much better off in the U.S. Struggling to live her dream, Claire finds some unconventional work ensnaring cheating husbands for a divorce firm. Sure, it doesn’t make Claire feel great, but it is work that uses her beauty and skills and intelligence, and allows her to continue her studies.
Claire always follows the rules...
Always appear available. Don’t approach them first. Always let them be the one to proposition you. Don’t actually sleep with them. Get the evidence, return it to the wife, and don’t speak of it to others. Claire has never struggled to seduce men. She finds this is a job she was made for.
Until one entrapment doesn’t go as planned and the game changes…
Claire finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. The first mark who doesn’t go for Claire’s charms ends up with a dead wife by morning. The police want Claire’s help to capture a dangerous killer. Claire goes undercover, but finds herself confused as she gets to know him. At what point does the mask we put on become who we really are?
Reflection
In college I was a double major in literature and psychology. Though in my doctoral degree I chose to pursue psychology, literature has a very special place in my heart. I took a French Literature course where we read Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal in the original French. This book is heavily crafted around Baudelaire and so I was immediately drawn in.
One thing I always remember about studying Baudelaire was his passion for contrast. Highlighting the incredible beauty of the grotesque and challenging our sense of propriety. Baudelaire pushed boundaries beyond many poets and writers of his day. His poems tend to leave me breathless. They leave me mesmerized but disgusted. The beauty of his words and verse contrasted with the dark imagery are really something to behold.
“Never fall for anyone who prefers to speak someone else’s words.”
I think some readers will find themselves hating his poetry that appears in this book, and that is a completely valid reaction. But I always think of Baudelaire as testing people. Showing people that they can actually be attracted to things that horrify them. Delaney showcases this power in his book, both through Baudelaire’s life and poetry, and through the story of the novel itself. I don’t want to spoil anything about the plot, but I will say that the characters of Claire and Patrick are so perfectly crafted to mirror the feelings that Baudelaire’s evokes in readers. I am absolutely captivated by this story.
I found it interesting that Delaney actually did the translations for this book himself. They are incredibly good translations! Translations of Baudelaire’s work tend to bring some controversy, because it is incredibly difficult to capture the meaning, beauty, and horror of Baudelaire’s poems in a translation. I am in awe of Delaney for the skill it took to craft such great translations. The inspiration for this book is the work of Baudelaire, and to capture that essence of his writing for an audience that has less knowledge of him is incredible.
“Sometimes, when you wear a mask too long, you find it sticks to the skin.”
Onto some other reflections on this book. This book really plays with the line between reality and fiction. Claire is an actress and early in her career she learned the difference between pretending and acting. To act, she learns, you have to feel what the character is feeling. You have to let a part of yourself become the character. And then, as she learns throughout the book, it can be difficult to tell when you are acting and you have become the character. I loved reading about Claire, both in what she acknowledges, as well as what Delaney allows us to see as observers of her story.
And then there is a strong theme of trust and deception. Many of the characters in this book talk about trust. It becomes central to every element of the story. The most fascinating use of this theme is in the way that characters are unsure whether they are deceiving not only others, but themselves. The characters have so much introspection, despite how narcissistic they are. Like Baudelaire, the contrasts and paradoxes are the beauty in this book. A character might be both strong and fragile, honest and deceitful, alluring and repulsive. A character may both desire the spotlight but spend their life hiding. A character may be trusting and mistrusting. These contrasts kept me on my toes. I wasn’t ever sure where the narrative would spin next, and I loved every moment of it.
“Those are always the most interesting characters: the ones who deceive themselves. Because sooner or later, the deception always falls apart.”
I read that Delaney had actually written a book like this nearly seventeen years ago, under a different title. The book was published but didn’t take flight. When Delaney went to republish it following his recent success with The Girl Before (which you should really go read), he felt that there were flaws in the original work. He rewrote it from scratch and says it is “completely different in plot, characterization, and structure.” Well, Mr. Delaney, I did not read the original version of this book, but I would like to go on record saying that this recreation of your original idea is a true masterpiece.
This book is pure chaos and terror and love and torture and poetry. I loved it!
See my blog for more: https://PhDiva.blog
Thank you to Random House and J. P. Delaney for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
And what to say about those twists!?! I read this with a group of my traveling sisters and because we were always at very slightly different points in the book, our opinions and theories kept misaligning in a good way. That is how often Delaney has you rethinking everything in this book! Nearly every chapter led me in a different direction.
About the Book
Claire Wright is an actress who was blacklisted in the UK, and takes up coursework in New York City for a fresh start. Despite incredible talent, without a green card Claire isn’t much better off in the U.S. Struggling to live her dream, Claire finds some unconventional work ensnaring cheating husbands for a divorce firm. Sure, it doesn’t make Claire feel great, but it is work that uses her beauty and skills and intelligence, and allows her to continue her studies.
Claire always follows the rules...
Always appear available. Don’t approach them first. Always let them be the one to proposition you. Don’t actually sleep with them. Get the evidence, return it to the wife, and don’t speak of it to others. Claire has never struggled to seduce men. She finds this is a job she was made for.
Until one entrapment doesn’t go as planned and the game changes…
Claire finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. The first mark who doesn’t go for Claire’s charms ends up with a dead wife by morning. The police want Claire’s help to capture a dangerous killer. Claire goes undercover, but finds herself confused as she gets to know him. At what point does the mask we put on become who we really are?
Reflection
In college I was a double major in literature and psychology. Though in my doctoral degree I chose to pursue psychology, literature has a very special place in my heart. I took a French Literature course where we read Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal in the original French. This book is heavily crafted around Baudelaire and so I was immediately drawn in.
One thing I always remember about studying Baudelaire was his passion for contrast. Highlighting the incredible beauty of the grotesque and challenging our sense of propriety. Baudelaire pushed boundaries beyond many poets and writers of his day. His poems tend to leave me breathless. They leave me mesmerized but disgusted. The beauty of his words and verse contrasted with the dark imagery are really something to behold.
“Never fall for anyone who prefers to speak someone else’s words.”
I think some readers will find themselves hating his poetry that appears in this book, and that is a completely valid reaction. But I always think of Baudelaire as testing people. Showing people that they can actually be attracted to things that horrify them. Delaney showcases this power in his book, both through Baudelaire’s life and poetry, and through the story of the novel itself. I don’t want to spoil anything about the plot, but I will say that the characters of Claire and Patrick are so perfectly crafted to mirror the feelings that Baudelaire’s evokes in readers. I am absolutely captivated by this story.
I found it interesting that Delaney actually did the translations for this book himself. They are incredibly good translations! Translations of Baudelaire’s work tend to bring some controversy, because it is incredibly difficult to capture the meaning, beauty, and horror of Baudelaire’s poems in a translation. I am in awe of Delaney for the skill it took to craft such great translations. The inspiration for this book is the work of Baudelaire, and to capture that essence of his writing for an audience that has less knowledge of him is incredible.
“Sometimes, when you wear a mask too long, you find it sticks to the skin.”
Onto some other reflections on this book. This book really plays with the line between reality and fiction. Claire is an actress and early in her career she learned the difference between pretending and acting. To act, she learns, you have to feel what the character is feeling. You have to let a part of yourself become the character. And then, as she learns throughout the book, it can be difficult to tell when you are acting and you have become the character. I loved reading about Claire, both in what she acknowledges, as well as what Delaney allows us to see as observers of her story.
And then there is a strong theme of trust and deception. Many of the characters in this book talk about trust. It becomes central to every element of the story. The most fascinating use of this theme is in the way that characters are unsure whether they are deceiving not only others, but themselves. The characters have so much introspection, despite how narcissistic they are. Like Baudelaire, the contrasts and paradoxes are the beauty in this book. A character might be both strong and fragile, honest and deceitful, alluring and repulsive. A character may both desire the spotlight but spend their life hiding. A character may be trusting and mistrusting. These contrasts kept me on my toes. I wasn’t ever sure where the narrative would spin next, and I loved every moment of it.
“Those are always the most interesting characters: the ones who deceive themselves. Because sooner or later, the deception always falls apart.”
I read that Delaney had actually written a book like this nearly seventeen years ago, under a different title. The book was published but didn’t take flight. When Delaney went to republish it following his recent success with The Girl Before (which you should really go read), he felt that there were flaws in the original work. He rewrote it from scratch and says it is “completely different in plot, characterization, and structure.” Well, Mr. Delaney, I did not read the original version of this book, but I would like to go on record saying that this recreation of your original idea is a true masterpiece.
This book is pure chaos and terror and love and torture and poetry. I loved it!
See my blog for more: https://PhDiva.blog
Thank you to Random House and J. P. Delaney for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
boem's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
deanab's review against another edition
4.0
This book started out with such suspense. I thought for sure it would be a 5-Star rating. Through part of the middle with the acting scenes, I felt a bit bored and frustrated as to where they were headed and how they were necessary to the story. But it did pick up at the end. In my opinion, it was not as good as The Girl Before but still very good and I would recommend it.
nikki_booknook's review against another edition
4.0
I noticed when I added Believe Me by J.P. Delaney to my currently reading shelf on Goodreads that it had a rating of 3.68. In the past, a lower score like this led me to shy away from a book unless I really wanted to read it, but I have learned that while I sometimes agree with other readers, there are often times that I just don't, and this ended up being one of them.
The book opens with a scene, as it might be written in a movie script or play. This made me a bit nervous, but I quickly realized the whole book was not written in this style, and I was intrigued from the first pages.
Claire is a struggling actress from the UK trying to make it, without a green card, in New York City. To make ends meet, she works for a law firm to catch men willing to cheat on their wives. She doesn't feel great about it, but it gives her a chance to practice her acting and it helps pay the bills.
Enter Stella, wife of Patrick Fogler, a Columbia University professor. Claire is asked to meet with Stella before she attempts to seduce her husband, and she meets with her in a hotel room. After Patrick rejects Claire's advances, she reports back to Stella, gets her money, and leaves.
This is when things just absolutely fall apart. Stella is found dead in the hotel room, and this whodunit is anything but a classic storyline. Claire is a textbook version of an unreliable narrator, and the shifts in the story left me intrigued, confused, and deeply interested in finding out who exactly was responsible for what. Which parts of the story, if any, are Claire's imagination? Who is trying to fool whom? What is real, what is fantasy?
I wasn't sure until I read the ending who was responsible for the mayhem and murder and psychological games being played, and I thought the whole story was fantastical, but in the best way possible. I definitely recommend giving this one a try!
The book opens with a scene, as it might be written in a movie script or play. This made me a bit nervous, but I quickly realized the whole book was not written in this style, and I was intrigued from the first pages.
Claire is a struggling actress from the UK trying to make it, without a green card, in New York City. To make ends meet, she works for a law firm to catch men willing to cheat on their wives. She doesn't feel great about it, but it gives her a chance to practice her acting and it helps pay the bills.
Enter Stella, wife of Patrick Fogler, a Columbia University professor. Claire is asked to meet with Stella before she attempts to seduce her husband, and she meets with her in a hotel room. After Patrick rejects Claire's advances, she reports back to Stella, gets her money, and leaves.
This is when things just absolutely fall apart. Stella is found dead in the hotel room, and this whodunit is anything but a classic storyline. Claire is a textbook version of an unreliable narrator, and the shifts in the story left me intrigued, confused, and deeply interested in finding out who exactly was responsible for what. Which parts of the story, if any, are Claire's imagination? Who is trying to fool whom? What is real, what is fantasy?
I wasn't sure until I read the ending who was responsible for the mayhem and murder and psychological games being played, and I thought the whole story was fantastical, but in the best way possible. I definitely recommend giving this one a try!
kamiddleton20's review against another edition
4.0
This had me all over the place on what was real and what was fake in the eyes of main character, Claire. Fascinating and never read anything like this before!
kaceyp14's review against another edition
1.0
The narration had clever aspects, like sound effects during scenes and background noises to match the setting. But the narration itself was terrible...her accent kept changing mid-passage.
The story was intriguing at first and then so ridiculous. It was unfocused with plot twists that were just too much.
I stopped at 80% done, which I never do. But I just couldn’t finish it.
The story was intriguing at first and then so ridiculous. It was unfocused with plot twists that were just too much.
I stopped at 80% done, which I never do. But I just couldn’t finish it.
cececole's review against another edition
4.0
It lost me a bit just after half way through but bought back. Amazing plot twists
labunnywtf's review against another edition
2.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
You know what I love about Lennon and McCartney? Their ability to write three entirely different songs, then slap them together and pass it off as one song. See: Helter Skelter, Man on the Run.
This is not an easy thing to do. The differences in style can be jarring, and it takes a certain kind of magic to make that work.
This book is, at minimum, four separate stories slapped into one. And it is most definitely lacking the magic to make that combination work in even the smallest way.
The author states in his notes that this was a book he wrote previously, which did well but then disappeared into the ether. Once his previous book under the name Delaney had success, he decided to revive it, while editing it to make it fresh and new.
That would explain two of the separate stories. But not the absolute Charlie Foxtrot that is happening here.
Claire Wright is an actress. Or, she would be if she had a green card. She's good at what she does but can't get work, so she moonlights for a private investigator, setting up cheating married men. The work pays decent, but Claire has a bit of a temper and isn't always the most reliable. Also she might be crazy.
Someone dies. In a truly awful way. For some reason that makes no sense, Claire is a suspect. So is the woman's husband, who Claire failed to seduce properly. Because the police so heavily believe Claire is a suspect, they decide it would be a great idea for her to go undercover, seduce the guy who so clearly wasn't interested in her, and get him to confess to murdering his wife.
Well, sure. Happens all the time.
That's all I really feel like explaining, because the "twists" here are so convoluted, they are painful. They aren't twists, they're entirely separate books cut and pasted into this one. There is so much lack of cohesion here, it takes you entirely out of the story, and ruins any element of thrill we could've had.
I would be interested in reading the original version of this story, to see just how much of a hack job this really was. Because I genuinely enjoyed [b: The Girl Before|28016509|The Girl Before|J.P. Delaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485972587s/28016509.jpg|48027180], and that makes this disappointment all the more painful.
You know what I love about Lennon and McCartney? Their ability to write three entirely different songs, then slap them together and pass it off as one song. See: Helter Skelter, Man on the Run.
This is not an easy thing to do. The differences in style can be jarring, and it takes a certain kind of magic to make that work.
This book is, at minimum, four separate stories slapped into one. And it is most definitely lacking the magic to make that combination work in even the smallest way.
The author states in his notes that this was a book he wrote previously, which did well but then disappeared into the ether. Once his previous book under the name Delaney had success, he decided to revive it, while editing it to make it fresh and new.
That would explain two of the separate stories. But not the absolute Charlie Foxtrot that is happening here.
Claire Wright is an actress. Or, she would be if she had a green card. She's good at what she does but can't get work, so she moonlights for a private investigator, setting up cheating married men. The work pays decent, but Claire has a bit of a temper and isn't always the most reliable. Also she might be crazy.
Someone dies. In a truly awful way. For some reason that makes no sense, Claire is a suspect. So is the woman's husband, who Claire failed to seduce properly. Because the police so heavily believe Claire is a suspect, they decide it would be a great idea for her to go undercover, seduce the guy who so clearly wasn't interested in her, and get him to confess to murdering his wife.
Well, sure. Happens all the time.
That's all I really feel like explaining, because the "twists" here are so convoluted, they are painful. They aren't twists, they're entirely separate books cut and pasted into this one. There is so much lack of cohesion here, it takes you entirely out of the story, and ruins any element of thrill we could've had.
I would be interested in reading the original version of this story, to see just how much of a hack job this really was. Because I genuinely enjoyed [b: The Girl Before|28016509|The Girl Before|J.P. Delaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485972587s/28016509.jpg|48027180], and that makes this disappointment all the more painful.