A review by gnomepatronus
Looker by Laura Sims

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book needs its own genre because it is NOT your typical thriller or mystery. You think you’re walking into a psychological suspense? Ha! Joke’s on you. This book is its own brand of twisted, and honestly, I’m here for it.

I picked this book up for two magic words: “unreliable narrator.” Give me a messy, chaotic narrator any day, and I’ll devour it. Normally, I like going in blind on that detail, but in this case, it only added to the experience. Our narrator? Oh, she’s a whole situation. She’s struggling with infertility, a failed marriage, and a life that feels like one big dumpster fire. And when she locks eyes on her neighbor—an actress—she spirals. FAST.

She stops taking her meds, starts obsessing, and drags us headfirst into her unraveling psyche. The wildest part? As things escalate, you’re questioning everything. What’s real? What’s in her head? Is this even happening? You don’t get an investigator to swoop in and tie it all up with a neat little bow. Nope! You’re stuck in the unreliable narrator’s mind, piecing together her version of events. And honestly…it’s disorienting in the best way.

This book will leave you with more questions than answers, but that’s the whole point. It’s not trying to fit into a box. It’s weird, unsettling, and completely offbeat—a fresh take in a genre that often feels too predictable. If you’re looking for something that breaks the mold, challenges your brain, and makes you second-guess reality? This is it.

Strange? Absolutely. Worth it? 100%.