This book and its characters are messy, and complicated, and I absolutely loved it.

What starts as a wry, observational tale about a young woman’s obsession with a glamorous friend, turns into a much darker, much murkier story. To say this book is about the MeToo movement doesn’t quite feel accurate. Much of the plot is about the sexual harassment and abuse these women have faced, all seen through the lens of the main character Emily.

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Emily was a painfully relatable character. I saw both past and current versions of myself in her morals and in her flaws, and I know that will ring true for many other women my age. The two other main characters were Tamsin, an enigmatic actress Emily meets at a protest, and Lucy, her best friend from secondary school. Both of these women have been through significant trauma, and Emily – no matter how much she thinks otherwise – is not equipped to really help either of them. Over the course of the book we watch her reevaluate the things she thought she knew, and begin to view the world in a less idealistic way.

Nothing is truly resolved at the end of this book, and I really appreciated that. The book felt so true to life that if the good guys won and the bad guys got punished it would have felt hollow. But there are small wins for the good guys, and small losses for the bad guys, and both the characters and the reader have to be content with that. It’s also an excellent depiction of the pitfalls of white feminism. Over the course of the book, Emily begins to see quite how blinkered her view of the world – and of feminism – is, and it sets her on the start of seeing the world a little more critically, with a little more humility. (But only a little! This is the start of Emily’s adulthood, so we just get to see her take her first steps, which I loved.)

This book explores some really interesting themes, such as victimhood, the exploitation of victims in the media, and the responsibilities held by perpetrators, victims, and witnesses. It’s an ideal book club book; I want to get a group together to read this book so we can discuss in-depth how these ideas present themselves in this book! (So if you have read it, do get in touch!)

And finally, a huge shout-out to the narrator. Tanya Reynolds is an excellent actress, and no small reason behind my choosing the audiobook over the ebook. She brought Emily and all the other characters to life so vividly, and really added to my overall enjoyment of the book. I highly recommend choosing the audiobook for this one!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.