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A review by beate251
Eat Slay Love by Julie Mae Cohen
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for this ARC.
Lilah, 26, works in a library, even though she won the lottery. Her dad died recently in a home invasion robbery, but at least she has her caring fiancé Zachary.
Marina, divorced with three kids, has recently inherited a big house from her Nana Sylvia and met an attentive man called Xavier.
Opal is a wellness influencer in her 50s and one day she calls both women from her burner phone to tell them that her ex husband Zander is their new beau - and he's a conman.
I've read Julie Mae's Cohen's debut novel which I loved so I was ecstatic to receive an advance copy of her second book. This is a darkly funny and very enjoyable read about how three very different women take revenge on men who have wronged them, and bond along the way.
It's also a bit gory, and my favourite character is a dead woman - the feisty Nana Sylvia who seems to not have been too innocent herself, judging from the contents of a secret bomb shelter in her old house.
All three women's stories and characters are explored in flashbacks leading to the day they met and events took a darker turn. The book manages to explore how gaslighting and coercive control works, until the woman is in too deep to leave easily; without it getting too depressing.
Opal, Lilah and Marina discover that to combat loneliness they need female friends, and one makes the ultimate sacrifice for the others, at the same time giving the noisy building work neighbours their just desserts. It's a deeply satisfying read which will leave you wanting more. I read this in one sitting.
Lilah, 26, works in a library, even though she won the lottery. Her dad died recently in a home invasion robbery, but at least she has her caring fiancé Zachary.
Marina, divorced with three kids, has recently inherited a big house from her Nana Sylvia and met an attentive man called Xavier.
Opal is a wellness influencer in her 50s and one day she calls both women from her burner phone to tell them that her ex husband Zander is their new beau - and he's a conman.
I've read Julie Mae's Cohen's debut novel which I loved so I was ecstatic to receive an advance copy of her second book. This is a darkly funny and very enjoyable read about how three very different women take revenge on men who have wronged them, and bond along the way.
It's also a bit gory, and my favourite character is a dead woman - the feisty Nana Sylvia who seems to not have been too innocent herself, judging from the contents of a secret bomb shelter in her old house.
All three women's stories and characters are explored in flashbacks leading to the day they met and events took a darker turn. The book manages to explore how gaslighting and coercive control works, until the woman is in too deep to leave easily; without it getting too depressing.
Opal, Lilah and Marina discover that to combat loneliness they need female friends, and one makes the ultimate sacrifice for the others, at the same time giving the noisy building work neighbours their just desserts. It's a deeply satisfying read which will leave you wanting more. I read this in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail