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purplemuskogee's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
There is a lot to like about this novel but I was unconvinced by the format - not because I don't think it could work with the story, but because I found it "too much".
Jade is a London lawyer, in her early twenties, working a very busy job and travelling back to Morden at the weekend to see her Korean mum and her Turkish dad, while also trying to make time for her posh boyfriend Kit Campbell. When she wakes up after a work event at the Savoy, in her own flat, not remembering what happened the previous night but suspecting something terrible took place, her life starts unravelling.
I think Ela Lee is very skilled at weaving a lot of things into her story - Jade's experience of racism, her "nice guy" of a boyfriend who claims to be supportive, her friends' support, her workplace gaslighting her, the difficulties in reporting sexual assault and being taken seriously. But I found the format - mostly first person narration, with several timelines - the start of the relationship with Kit, events from a few months ago, current events -, the listicles, the texts, the emails... felt too cluttered and I disliked reading it in this way. I liked the characters though and the atmosphere that Ela Lee managed to create - I imagined it like the setting in "Industry", the BBC series set in an investment bank.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
Jade is a London lawyer, in her early twenties, working a very busy job and travelling back to Morden at the weekend to see her Korean mum and her Turkish dad, while also trying to make time for her posh boyfriend Kit Campbell. When she wakes up after a work event at the Savoy, in her own flat, not remembering what happened the previous night but suspecting something terrible took place, her life starts unravelling.
I think Ela Lee is very skilled at weaving a lot of things into her story - Jade's experience of racism, her "nice guy" of a boyfriend who claims to be supportive, her friends' support, her workplace gaslighting her, the difficulties in reporting sexual assault and being taken seriously. But I found the format - mostly first person narration, with several timelines - the start of the relationship with Kit, events from a few months ago, current events -, the listicles, the texts, the emails... felt too cluttered and I disliked reading it in this way. I liked the characters though and the atmosphere that Ela Lee managed to create - I imagined it like the setting in "Industry", the BBC series set in an investment bank.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
lostcupofstars's review against another edition
I desperately wish this came with content warnings.
This is a subject matter I cannot read - the plot was dragging anyway so I’m not too fussed about dropping it.
This is a subject matter I cannot read - the plot was dragging anyway so I’m not too fussed about dropping it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Blood
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