Format: Print
I really wanted to enjoy this. It gave me Finlay Donovan vibes and I was keen to have a similar experience with this book. However, it just didn’t work for me. I really liked the premise and I think I could have got behind it a lot more if I’d actually liked the characters. I’m not sure I can truly give a review without spoilers, so from this point on you’ve been warned.
Ok, so the characters. They were so unlikeable. Kitty spent so much time complaining about being an influencer, and the wannabees who hung around with them. But you didn’t see her complaining about the money. And what was with the ‘I’m not like the rest of them’ vibes she was trying to give off? *MASSIVE SPOILER* She literally ended up in hospital with everyone thinking she had attempted suicide because she mixed too much alcohol and drugs. How is that any different to what the rest of them were doing? And thinking she was a good friend?! *MASSIVE SPOILER* She couldn’t even work out that one of her so-called best friends was her stalker.
There were so many awful characters I can’t get into them all. But I have to say something about Charlie. I so hoped that he was going to be the good guy – the initial set up suggested that’s exactly what was coming. *MASSIVE SPOILER* And then we find out that he’s aware of the allegations against James Pemberton but has done NOTHING because he’s his charity’s biggest donor.
And the kills. They were just so graphic. The one on the boat – I did not need to read that. And the number of people she took to the slaughterhouses to feed to the pigs and which she then so causally stated: ‘they’re probably part of a sausage roll by now’ (not an exact quote to be clear). It made me feel slightly sick, and what I think what should have made me feel sick was the men. What woman hasn’t at least once held her keys between her fingers when out at night? But the kills were so graphic that I was more disgusted by them than the men’s actions, and I don’t think that should have been the case. I wanted to root for Kitty but I couldn’t and I was so frustrated by that.
A final point that it also felt like a vegan agenda was being pushed. I’m not going to make a big point on this but it did feel that way to me and I didn’t appreciate it.
I should note that the rating here is not a reflection on the author’s writing and I am very open to reading another book by them. I am intrigued by the premise of their next book and will likely pick it up (although probably from the library). My ratings are purely to do with my enjoyment and I didn’t enjoy this, but it was so compelling that I couldn’t stop reading it. So the author did a fantastic job at keeping me reading, this is just not the book for me.