3.5 stars. I've read two of Darcey Bell's previous novels -- A Simple Favor and All I Want -- and I didn't particularly enjoy either of them very much. So imagine my surprise when I started reading Woman of the Year and was immediately captivated by it. And as I devoured it in just a couple of sittings, that feeling didn't go away -- I was utterly entranced by this book from the first page to the last.

Lorelei has shown up at a Woman of the Year benefit dinner, where her former friend Holly Serpenta is being honored. She's there to get revenge on Holly for something that happened way back in college, when they were classmates in a coveted psychology seminar -- but just a little bit of revenge. Nothing major or permanent. Over the course of the novel, Lorelei is going to tell us why she's out for revenge -- but she's going to tell the story in her own way. Go ahead and judge her when you know the whole truth.

Woman of the Year is a creative take on the revenge trope, with the success of the novel relying almost completely on its protagonist. We are in Lorelei's head for the entire book in a narrative that weaves between the past and the present, and the way the story was presented was so inventive, the tone so campy and conversational, that it kept me completely riveted. In Lorelei, Bell has given us a "crazy cat lady" protagonist who is quirky, slightly deluded, and maybe not all that reliable. But she's also funny and wry, and I found myself really enjoying the meandering way she told her story.

As for Lorelei's story itself -- well, there are lots of moving parts that are incredibly unique and fascinating. There's a Thanksgiving dinner that I'm pretty sure will go down as one of the most disturbing, uncomfortable scenes I've ever read. There's a #MeToo plot. There are lots of cats. There's discussion of mind control. There are also some parts of the book that focus on animal experimentation, so if animal harm is a trigger for you it might be a good idea to give this one a skip. I wish Lorelei's friendship with Holly would've been a bit more fleshed-out, but the whole idea is that we're supposed to trust Lorelei's version of events, so I can see why she may have felt the details of their friendship weren't necessary.

I have to say, Bell impressed me with Woman of the Year. The behavioral psychology element was so intriguing, and the entire book -- the plot, the characters -- just felt slightly off in a way that kept me wanting to know what strange turn we'd take next. This is a weird, wild book that stands out in the revenge thriller genre due to its unique plot elements and unforgettable narrator. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advance reading opportunity.

I loved the movie Simple Favor so was interested in reading this author. The story was entertaining but not as good as Simple Favor. I knew a twist was coming but had no idea what it was. It was unexpected. The book is a bit of a slow burn and the main character Lorilei not that likeable. I am glad I read it. A quick read.

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this didn’t do it for me. I did binge read this because it was compulsive, but not exactly enjoyable. This storyline was based on such a weird premise and so many random trigger warnings that it was all over the place. I found myself thinking “what the heck is even happening?” I can safely say I am definitely still a dog person.

Darcey Bell knows how to write unlikely and just....awful characters.

This is a revenge story where both sides just.....suck. There was no good person, there was no good reason....there really wasn't a good story here. It's just about awful people, doing awful things and then trying to hide those things by doing more.

Eh....

This was such an interesting reading experience! I loved how you went though the same confusion that our main character went though and you really felt all that she did. I especially liked how it started out in modern times and then flashed back to earlier times to explain her relationships, and the motivations behind her actions. The integration of college psychology in this book was a really interesting way to craft this psychological thriller as well, especially with a main antagonist specializing in mind control. After weird things would happen and the main character confronted what had happened, others used their knowledge of psychology to make it seem as if she was the problem, which just added to the overall vibe. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any psychological thriller lovers!

Lorelei Green is miffed. It seems her BFF from college has become Woman of the Year. This is completely ridiculous to Lorelei, who know Holly Serpenta is a phony. She would like to ruin her night. And she does cause a little trouble. But someone else has a bone to pick with Holly. as evidenced by her murder.
This was an easy read but it was hard to get a read on Lorelei. Was she crazy? Delusional? Had she been gaslighted by her lover/professor? It all comes together at the end but by then, I was over Lorelei's "poor me" routine.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this e-arc.*

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Discussions of animal abuse and testing

Oh my, this book ALMOST killed me! I don't mind when a book is a slow burn and I love revenge stories, but this one didn't really work for me. This is also not my first Darcey Bell read. I know that the author writes deplorable and eccentric characters. Our main protagonist, Laura Lee/Lorelei was certainly eccentric. Bell also enjoys exploring the dark and twisty cores that lie with us. That can definitely be felt in many of the situations that are described in this book. That Thanksgiving scene- SHUDDER! The last few chapters were probably the very best parts of the book. I am going to try and grasp those positive points and compile that to make a 2-star rating but I was really disappointed.




Expected Publication Date 21/03/23
Goodreads Review Published 06/03/23

I wanted to like this but I really struggle with reading animal abuse in books.. I wish she included that as a TW/CW at the beginning for readers. I think this would translate well on screen though!

Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow, this book. I should of gone into this blind. However, I had accidently read a review that had an animal abuse TW. I will admit it kind of put me out.

However, this book held my attention and I could not put it down. At some points I definitely thought to myself "WHAT AM I READING?" However, it kept my attention and made me feel like I was a crazy cat lady. I really thought the book would end different then it did, but I liked how it ended and you got all the answers you were waiting for.

Giving this book 4 stars for keeping me hooked and for also being different then most books I would read. I really found myself cheering for the felines in this book!

Really wasn’t a fan of this book. I feel like it started in the middle of a story and took too long to get to the point of it. I spent more than 1/2 the book confused because I feel like I wasn’t given enough background information about the characters

Lorelei, our main character, has a grudge against an old college friend, Holly. When she sees that Holly, is being honored as woman of the year, Lorelei decides that now is her chance for revenge. Soon she finds she may not be the only one with revenge on her mind.

I really enjoyed Bell's novel, A Simple Favor and Woman of the Year did not disappoint. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

This book had a lot of things I thought I would like, catty people, and cats. But, that is where it ended. I just couldn’t get into this one and I did ultimately DNF it about the 25% mark. Usually, I will push through on books that are less than 300 pages, but I just couldn’t with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I will not be posting to my main social media for this one as I do not post DNF books.

When Laura Lee and Holly were chosen to participate in an exclusive psychology class under the tutelage of the charismatic John James Randall, they quickly became friends. Woodward University is renowned for its psychology department and both have chosen psych as their major. Laura Lee is so enamored with Professor Randall (Dell), that when he called her Lorelei, she changed her name. Lorelei is the pretty one, the one that has everything going for her, while Holly is the mouse. Interpersonal Relations 121 isn’t what it looks like from the outside, the students are actually tuition paying lab rats. As the semester continues, Lorelei’s relationship with both Dell and Holly changes. One blooms while the other fades. When things start to get really weird, Lorelei knows that she’s been betrayed by both, the only problem is, no one believes her. As she unravels Holly starts to shine. It’s years later and Lorelei has nothing but her job and her cat while Holly, who was once Cinderella’s mouse is now Cinderella. Lorelei wants to be her, Holly has stolen her life. Chosen women of the year Holly has it all, but when Lorelei plans a sadistic comeuppance to spoil Holly’s night, she’s quickly regretful when Holly turns up dead. She didn’t mean for it to go that far. Was she somehow to blame or has the past come back to haunt her and now she, too, is in danger? Bell writes a story that is creepy at times and humorous at others, but it just wasn’t that compelling. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This authors books always have a little bit of a unique plot and unique twists. This was no different. I kept me interested and I would definitely recommend it.

I guess Bell's writing just isn't for me. I loved her last book....in movie form. The actual book itself wasn't my favorite either.

I found Lorelei extremely aggravating and even though I love a good cat fight (and actual cats), I couldn't get over how unrealistic certain things were.

Not for me but, I bet this would adapt well to another movie and would be much more enjoyable that way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for the free ARC in exchange for my review.

Before I go anywhere with this I have to point out there are several triggers in this, including animal abuse and if that is something you can’t cope with DO NOT read this book.
Lorelei and Holly met in a college psych class and became friends, although their friendship became strained when Lorelei began a relationship with the professor after he pursued her. Later we find out that he also had a real with Holly when she becomes famous and publishes an article in the #metoo movement. Twenty years later and Lorelei is still seeking revenge against Holly, who she believes ruined her life back in college and sets out to make her finally pay for what she thinks she did all those years ago.
The problem is, Lorelei is an unreliable narrator so you have to question everything she says and does, especially since she was a psych student in college and was groomed by her psych professor which snowballed the whole situation that brought us to the night of the Woman on the Year dinner where Holly is named and Lorelei is ready is make her move.
This was a short but fast read and I felt myself sucked in and wanting to know where in the world this story was going to go.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I'm beginning to suspect that Darcey Bell and I are not a good fit. The books always sound so intriguing, but this is the second one I have put down really early on. I found Woman of the Year very flat and rambly - it did not get my attention at all, and the main character just made me want to throw things she was so annoying. I very much did *not* care about these women and their history, whatever the heck was going on with the cats, and honestly, the final straw in my decision to put this down was a TW on another review re "bad things happening to cute animals"

I just can't finish this book. As amazing as her writing is, the mention and talk of animal abuse is too much. I wish there had been a trigger warning for this. Sadly I cannot review this properly nor will I be able to suggest it to my followers.

Holly, the Woman of the Year, and Lorelai used to be friends in college. Until something happened, and they weren't. Now, 20 years later, Lorelei is out for revenge and tries to poison Holly at a Gala. Not to kill her. Just to see her suffer. But when someone turns up dead, Lorelai starts to fear for her life.
I can't say I DNFd it, but I strongly skimmed it. The main character is very annoying, and the story is told in 1st person POV, and it felt like she was rambling most of the time. She lost me very early on, I got confused very quick with all her rambling. There were almost no dialogue, which is a big no-no for me (but that's a me thing). This was definitely not for me.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Woah this book was a wild ride. I love a good revenge plot but this one was miss for me.

The story it self seems a bit jumbled but then I wonder if that was intentional as the character is a little jumbled herself. But the animal abuse really got me. I do think that this one should have came with a trigger warning. It wasn't just once it was excessive and felt like it took over the whole story.