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aimee119's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
alyssakeiko's review against another edition
unhinged! also that’s two audiobooks in a row with animal abuse, wyd @ thrillers
thatcrazyx's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
jhallett's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
2.0
This first person POV crazy cat lady psychological revenge thriller started off a bit weird and just got weirder. Sadly it was not for me. I managed to stick it out to the end (and thankfully it wasn't a long one) but yeah, just a bit too wacky. The protagonist wasn't particularly likeable and there was a lot of sexual abuse/gaslighting I didn't enjoy much. Okay on audio narrated by Tavia Gilbert but even her performance couldn't redeem Lorelei (the MC) for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
katieleigh24's review
1.0
1.5⭐️ it was hard to get into. The only reason I finished it was because it was short and I was curious. Not worth the read.
emily_loves_2_read's review against another edition
3.0
Woman of the Year
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Author: Darcey Bell
GR: 2.92
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart. Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.
My Thoughts: Triggers: rape, sexual abuse, lab animal abuse, and gaslighting. While this was a good read, I was left with wanting just a little more. This was a short read at just over 200 pages. While I absolutely love a revenge scenario, to hold onto anger for 20 years, enough to not live your life, and only to think of getting revenge is a bit much. It was a single person narration, with a past and present timeline. This was definitely a dark thriller, which I can appreciate. The plot was unique, which is what intrigued me to reading this book. Our protagonist is eccentric, and even psychologically disturbed, and was likely written to this effect. Things did not come together until the end. I do not want to give too much away for other readers. Again, not a bad read, I did enjoy it, I just wanted more cohesiveness throughout the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Author: Darcey Bell
GR: 2.92
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart. Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.
My Thoughts: Triggers: rape, sexual abuse, lab animal abuse, and gaslighting. While this was a good read, I was left with wanting just a little more. This was a short read at just over 200 pages. While I absolutely love a revenge scenario, to hold onto anger for 20 years, enough to not live your life, and only to think of getting revenge is a bit much. It was a single person narration, with a past and present timeline. This was definitely a dark thriller, which I can appreciate. The plot was unique, which is what intrigued me to reading this book. Our protagonist is eccentric, and even psychologically disturbed, and was likely written to this effect. Things did not come together until the end. I do not want to give too much away for other readers. Again, not a bad read, I did enjoy it, I just wanted more cohesiveness throughout the story.
grajsic's review
4.0
Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
Wow, this book. I should of gone into this blind. However, I had accidently read a review that had an animal abuse TW. I will admit it kind of put me out.
However, this book held my attention and I could not put it down. At some points I definitely thought to myself "WHAT AM I READING?" However, it kept my attention and made me feel like I was a crazy cat lady. I really thought the book would end different then it did, but I liked how it ended and you got all the answers you were waiting for.
Giving this book 4 stars for keeping me hooked and for also being different then most books I would read. I really found myself cheering for the felines in this book!
Wow, this book. I should of gone into this blind. However, I had accidently read a review that had an animal abuse TW. I will admit it kind of put me out.
However, this book held my attention and I could not put it down. At some points I definitely thought to myself "WHAT AM I READING?" However, it kept my attention and made me feel like I was a crazy cat lady. I really thought the book would end different then it did, but I liked how it ended and you got all the answers you were waiting for.
Giving this book 4 stars for keeping me hooked and for also being different then most books I would read. I really found myself cheering for the felines in this book!
shivermepink's review against another edition
1.0
I have zero trigger warnings except when it comes to ANIMAL ABUSE.
I wish the author would have saved me the time by stating the trigger warning upfront so I wouldn’t bothered even reading it.
Unfortunately, I had no idea but the animal abuse absolutely ruined the book for me!
I wish the author would have saved me the time by stating the trigger warning upfront so I wouldn’t bothered even reading it.
Unfortunately, I had no idea but the animal abuse absolutely ruined the book for me!
melissadelongcox's review
*Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC!*
I think this is it for Darcey Bell and I.
First of all, there should've been a trigger warning at the beginning of this book for the animal abuse alone, but also for SA. Dark romances get a lot of criticism for their trigger warnings but you're not going into those blind, and other book genres should really follow suit.
Aside from that, I just did not connect with this story. I love an unreliable narrator that leaves you questioning everything, but this book started sooo slowly and I just truly didn't care to pick it back up. I ended up mostly skimming, and the scenes I mentioned above were enough to dissuade me from finishing this one. No star rating for that reason!
I think this is it for Darcey Bell and I.
First of all, there should've been a trigger warning at the beginning of this book for the animal abuse alone, but also for SA. Dark romances get a lot of criticism for their trigger warnings but you're not going into those blind, and other book genres should really follow suit.
Aside from that, I just did not connect with this story. I love an unreliable narrator that leaves you questioning everything, but this book started sooo slowly and I just truly didn't care to pick it back up. I ended up mostly skimming, and the scenes I mentioned above were enough to dissuade me from finishing this one. No star rating for that reason!