This dark and twisty revenge thriller had so much potential but unfortunately, it just didn’t quite work for me. It gets props for an inventive storyline and engaging writing style, and the psychological aspects of mind control / behavioral control are fascinating. The unreliable crazy cat lady narrator is an imaginative take. The pacing is a bit uneven; while the story grabbed me right away, the narrative spends so much time in Lorelei’s head and in the past that it gets repetitive. I would have liked Lorelei and Holly’s college friendship to be fleshed out better to give more credibility to Lorelei nursing her hate for all these years (it’s not clear exactly how many years, but Holly has adult children for reference).

Although this wasn’t the book for me, fans of “A Simple Favor” and Ms. Bell’s other books are sure to enjoy this one. Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed Bell's novel, A Simple Favor. This one just didn't hit the mark for me. At one point, I noticed that I was 80% into the book and nothing had really happened other than the very unreliable narrator give her back story. There was also a lot of mention of animal abuse that was hard to stomach. It was just ok for me.

What a weird book. It was definitely unlike anything else I've read. I have enjoyed Darcy Bells other books a lot. This was written in a very different way. One in which I hope the author explores in future work. I went into it expecting a dark and twisty story of female friendship. I found it light on the friendship and heavy on the weird animal stuff. Holly was easy to dislike and Laura Lee/.Lorieli was one of the most eccentric characters I've run across in fiction . Thank You to NetGalley and Atria publishing for an Arc of this different book.
Title releases on March 21

I never read a books by Darley bell I was excited to read this one but was disappointed in it. I would give it 3 stats out if 5 stars. I would try another on if her books but unfortunately I didn't care for this one

Intense, gripping and shocking. This story was dark and unexpected. Still trying to wrap my head around wtf I just read!

I have zero trigger warnings except when it comes to ANIMAL ABUSE.

I wish the author would have saved me the time by stating the trigger warning upfront so I wouldn’t bothered even reading it.

Unfortunately, I had no idea but the animal abuse absolutely ruined the book for me! 🤬

If animal abuse is your trigger, definitely DON’T READ THIS ONE!

⭐️

This is a truly unique book written in a way that isn’t typical. The main character, Laura Lee later turned Lorelei, narrates the story in a rambling way that at times seems a bit incoherent. But the story is filled with many interesting, albeit sinister-like characters. The story starts off a bit slow but does pick up the pace and has a good conclusion.

This was a weird and convoluted story. It was quick to read and fast paced

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

As of the writing of this review, this title has a mere 3.02 rating on Goodreads and I do not understand why. I liked this book for how different it was, it is a very unique strange take on the revenge trope. Now I am not saying this is a literary masterpiece that's going to win awards but I am saying it is a very entertaining read. I found it gripping and read it in a single sitting.

The characters in this are batshit crazy and I loved that and the book gives new meaning to the term crazy cat lady. The ending was weirdly surprising and I found it very satisfying. Often I dislike a book that everyone loves, this is one of those rare times I love a book everyone is giving a low rating to, that was a great surprise. Like A Simple Favour this book is kind of campy (in a very good way) so if you enjoyed that title you'll like this, or if you're into quirky, messed-up characters where you can't trust what anyone is saying then this is the book for you.

Stylistically, this was fascinating. We essentially get a long, almost stream-of-consciousness narration from Lorelei throughout that made for an interesting, disorienting reading experience. I was hooked very early on.

But the story? It's awful. There's one twist (or what I guess would qualify as a twist?) that renders the entire present-time storyline moot, so that was a choice. While the style makes you question everything and keep turning pages, it also greatly limits the way the relationships and characters are portrayed; the whole revenge plot is predicated on a friends-to-enemies story that we barely get to see play out. It felt like there were whole chunks of story that would have helped us understand Lorelei better missing, making her motivations feel not only unrealistic but completely nonsensical.

There are countless examples of unlikeable, unreliable narrators that build complex storylines (Joe Goldberg in Caroline Kepnes's "You" books immediately come to mind), but this was too simplistic and rushed to be effective.

This was so unbelievably weird. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. The ending really threw me off and not in a good way. To be honest if it wasn't as short as it was I may have given up on it or just skimmed until I reached the end.

This book was a painful struggle to get through -- flat characters, convoluted plot, outlandish twists. I felt like I was reading a Wattpad story that had been cobbled together out of pieces of other stories. Worst of all, it was boring.

I felt very mixed about this book. The writing is fine, it was very quick and easy to read -- I got through it fast and didn't feel like any of it was lagging or boring. But overall the plot and the telling of it felt very convoluted.

Lorelei and Holly met in a college course and were fast friends. Their professor pursued first a physical relationship with Lorelei and later with Holly. Twenty years later, Holly is named Woman of the Year and Lorelei is seeking revenge against her, for reasons initially unknown.

None of the characters are likable, and many are pretty disturbing -- but not in a way that I want to know more about them, more like I don't want to spend more time reading about them. I felt like not knowing Lorelei's motivations until later made me much less invested. Lorelei is an unreliable narrator, which I typically enjoy, but in this book made me feel anxious and confused.

There are also some pretty disturbing parts about animal labs that are hard to read about.

One aspect I did enjoy was all the cat appreciation and praise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Lorelei and Holly were best friends when they went to college to study psychology but after a major betrayal tore Lorelei’s life apart she has wanted nothing more than revenge. She has just found the perfect opportunity as Holly is receiving a Woman of the Year award. As Lorelei rehashes her past trauma from college and how she wound up where she is she finds that she may not be the only one with revenge on the mind.

This book was nothing how I thought it would be and I’m so glad. It examines everything from female friendships to the #metoo movement. I’m not a big cat person but man after reading this book all I wanted was a big, chonky purr machine.

This is the second book that I have read by Darcey Bell. I found it completely enjoyable. The story unfolded slowly and all characters had a part to play. The ended was a complete shock. Did not see that coming!

The story is about an unhinged 40 year old woman who harbors feelings of ill will toward a more successful former college classmate. She has been working on a revenged plan for this old school mate. Also, she really really loves cats. She will go on long tangents about her feelings for her cat, Catzilla, and will wax poetic about felines for pages on end.

Ultimately, this thriller was interesting…not something I will pick up to read again but it kept me intrigued enough. The writing felt a bit disjointed as it flashes from past to present and I couldn’t figure out if that was purposeful or not given the mental health of the main character.

"A deliciously twisty thriller about the dark side of female friendship and a revenge plot that gets a little out of hand from the New York Times bestselling author of the "intense, captivating, and astonishing" (New York Journal of Books) A Simple Favor.

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei's once-promising future fell apart.

Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she's wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly's career - and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too."

You'd think the author of A Simple Favor could get a better cover... You'd think...

This was a fun, quick read, told from the point of view of a “crazy cat lady.” It seems obvious that the woman has a few screws loose, so the reader is never quite sure how reliable a narrator she is. I wish that the author had gone into more detail about the friendship between the two women; it sets up the main narrative of the story, but it felt glossed over to me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced story of women seeking revenge on a former friend. Laura Lee’s life has taken a down turn since abruptly leaving college years earlier. With her cat as her only friend, she has been simmering with anger for years. When her former friend is being honored for her work in the community, Laura Lee sees her chance for revenge.

This might be the most difficult book I’ve ever struggled to get through. Told in alternating points of from Laura Lee’s current life and college days, we learn about her life and what’s led her to where she is.

I will say this book is essentially a crazy cat lady on steroids story, and about 3/4 through the twist is pretty obvious.

Overall, tedious, and strange. And I’m still left wondering what the heck I just read 🤯