2.5 stars.

I thought this book started out really promising. 4 childhood friends being invited to a bachelorette party on a private island as the bridesmaids of a girl they used to bully.

Right off the bat, the dialogue is not it. No one speaks the way these characters do. It felt like AI wrote the dialogue.

I did really enjoy the premise.

The flashbacks from the bullied girl - Poppy were written in diary form, which isn’t an issue. The issue is that the diary entries were written as if she was recounting literally everything. No one writes down dialogue in their diary. They’d describe what happened and say what was said but literal dialogue was a bit ridiculous. Also the diary entries included being interrupted, which again, no one would write that down in a diary entry.

I figured out a few of the twists along the way, but I will admit that the last one definitely got me. I think the twist at the end is the only thing saving this book from not being a total flop.

It was really played out in the middle. All the ridiculous AI generated like dialogue was a bit much. I was really bored, but I have trouble not finishing a book and the ending made almost worth it.

I think the vast majority will like this book, I just might be too nit-picky.

I was excited to read this story about 4 friends and a bride heading to a deserted island for a bachelorette party. What can go wrong? Each character was crazy in their own way. Do real people actually act this way? I hope not. Everyone was unlikable, I didn’t even like the character you were supposed to like. The story was told through flashbacks to the present day. Giving the reader a little bit of the backstory at a time. The theme of teenage bullying and what it does to the victim’s life is important. That was one of the saving graces of this story. This was one major rollercoaster that I needed to finish but couldn’t wait to get off. I did guess the major twist about halfway through the book which to me seemed very predictable.

She Started It
Sian Gilbert
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story was entertaining but not enough of a surprise to keep me reading. The beginning of the book was riveting! As time went on my attention wandered, the women all are vile and self centered. Not much happens then we are promised doom. I can’t recommend this book.
3 stars

Holy cow, this book is phenomenal. It has two of my favorite things in a book in it: drama and an And Then There Were None retelling. And it was SO well done.

I truly despised the four girls this story follows. They were horrible. But, I couldn’t stop reading. This story is told from 5 POVs, which I normally find super overwhelming, but it made the story so much deeper and darker because of it. All of their personalities were so different and so well developed.

Even though this was an ATTWN retelling, that ending still caught me off guard. It was incredible. The pacing was great, the drama was great and the story was believable.

Highly recommend this one!! This is what I want out of a BOTM book!

When four grown women get invited to a Hen party on a private island with everything paid for including first class tickets hosted by the girl they used to taunt and tease back in high school, they think why not let’s go! Annabelle who’s married to the Uber Rich Andrew, close the Instagram or, Ester who works in high finance and Tonya who throws celebrity birthday bashes we’re all invited to Papi Greer‘s hen party. The last time they saw Poppy they were in Englands version of high school and it wasn’t under happy conditions as a matter of a fact quite the opposite. Everything goes about how you would expect and of course they have a couple twists before it’s over but mainly it’s a standard isolated people have a garage and then they start dying trope. Sometimes the trope can be executed perfectly and although this book did entertain me I did enjoy it for all the reasons it was intended I just thought it could’ve been done better. For one thing that wasn’t anyone to root for these are all horrible people none of them have redeeming qualities they’re all superficial and selfish and so if and win they may have met the demise you’re almost rooting for the killer. I’m not saying murder is right but this is fictional and so yeah I was kind a looking forward to it. I still would definitely recommend this book because if you were looking for campy thrills and this is definitely a good one. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my arc copy.

This was a good thriller book. I love book setting like this and it kept me guessing. Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy.

Four "mean girls" from their school days are surprised to get invitations to a bachelorette party. Ten years earlier, they bullied their schoolmate Poppy relentlessly. Now Poppy that has invited them to a luxury island to help celebrate her upcoming wedding, all seems to have been forgiven. In the 10 years since they left school, Annabel, Esther, Tanya and Chloe have stayed in touch as their lives have gone in different directions. They don't seem to have given much thought to Poppy or how cruel they were to her, either. It seems Poppy has decided to let bygones be bygones since she's paying all the expenses to fly them all from England to the private island in the Caribbean. Naturally, they are all dropped off on the island for the weekend, and have no way to leave until the scheduled pick-up several days later. Wi-fi is spotty, but that doesn't much matter since Poppy insists that this should be a "device-free' weekend since she has so many fun activities planned. When sinister events start to happen, the women begin to wonder if everyone has truly forgotten the past at all.

I enjoyed the story, both the current, suspenseful events on the island and the slow reveal of what was done to Poppy all those years ago. It was hard to "root" for any of the characters since they all did things that weren't admirable. There were also some events that asked you to suspend your disbelief. But overall, the story was an enjoyable, suspenseful read!

CW: suicide, self-harm, bullying, violence, homicide

Four now adult friends in the UK receive invitations and an all expenses paid trip to a Carribean remote island to serve as bridesmaids for a girl they used to bully in school and haven’t talked to in 10 years. They soon realize the trip’s intentions were sinister. The past is dug up, their secrets aired, they turn against one another and then the party itself turns murderous. But who, and why?

The book is told from multiple alternating POVs between each girl and timelines between then in school vs. now on the island. It’s also written in British English.

Wow! What a wild ride and a fantastic debut. I didn’t guess the twist. At first, the alternating POVs and timelines between 5ish different people was really hard to keep track of all the names and different personalities but I eventually got the swing of it. I’ll be keeping a look out for more from this author in the future.

I also snagged a BOTM copy of this title for June!

Thanks so much to William Morrow, Sian, and NetGalley for the opportunity to early read and review!

I absolutely loved the premise of this book, but unfortunately, it was a miss for me. None of the characters were even remotely relatable and the big "twist" at the end was spotted from the beginning of the book. The multiple point of views was confusing in the beginning and I couldn't keep track of who was who. This was a great plot but the execution was lacking.

Thank you for this ARC. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

really fun and twisty thriller! excited to see what Gilbert comes up with in the future. a classic girls’ retreat whodunit trope, perfect for the summer. nothing too shocking or groundbreaking here but a really fun time!

✦ She Started It by Sian Gilbert ✦
★★★☆ 3.5/5 stars

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be Unhinged 🤯

⁕ Synopsis
Four best friends - Annabel, Chloe, Esther, & Tanya - are invited to a bachelorette weekend celebrating Poppy. At first they think it’s a prank, there must be a catch. After all, Poppy is the girl they all tormented back in grade school. They made her life a living hell. But it’s been 10 years, & these are first-class tickets to an all expenses paid vacation on a private island! How can they say no to that? Maybe the past is the past. But these girls have no idea what’s in store.. Their dream tropical vacation quickly turns into an inescapable, revenge-fueled nightmare on an isolated island.

⁕My Thoughts
This popcorn thriller is Mean Girls meets One Of Us Is Dead — with short, bingeable chapters, lots of juicy drama & entertaining (though predictable) plot twists.

The reason I rated this one 3.5 stars: the several POVs got to be a little confusing at times, & there was not a single likable character - literally no redeeming qualities to be found in the bunch. But all in all, if you’re willing to suspend your belief a bit, it was a fun, campy thriller that would make the perfect beach read for those who like more suspense & less romance. (Like me!)

Thank you so much to William Morrow books & Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Annabel, Esther, Chloe, and Tanya were a pack of mean girls in high school, so it comes as quite a surprise when they’re invited to a hen party weekend (bachelorette party) by a girl they relentlessly bullied for years. Sure, they haven’t heard from her in ten years and they were definitely never friends, but they’re willing to overlook those little details compared to the allure of a first-class flight and luxurious accommodations on a private Caribbean island. But when they get to the island, there’s no cell reception and no way to leave until the end of the weekend. The Poppy that greets them is beautiful and confident, nothing like the mousy girl they remember. But Poppy remembers everything… and she’s going to make them pay.

We get the perspectives of the four women in the present, and Poppy’s high school memories via her diary. The four women come across virtually the same, with only Chloe having a somewhat distinctive voice, so I often found myself flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to find out who was speaking. Although I often enjoy an unlikeable character, all four of these women are fairly horrible without any redeeming qualities. Poppy is more sympathetic, with her diary entries detailing the cruelty she endured at the hands of the foursome. Her sections could have been better titled “Poppy – Now” or something similar, since with the exception of the lead-ins to the entries, these sections don’t really read like someone writing in a diary because they include so much detail and dialogue.

Overall, this debut novel is a solid locked-room revenge thriller. It’s a fun, fast-paced, entertaining read perfect for passing the time on a summer afternoon by the pool. I did think one of the major twists was telegraphed before the women even arrived at the island, but I do read a ton of thrillers and less seasoned readers probably won’t see it coming.

Many thanks to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime Early Reads via NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book.

If the girl your mean girl group bullied in high school invites you to a deserted island for a "hen party"....You probably should not go.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

5 STARS!!! I did not expect to like this book as much as I did but as a thriller lover, had to at least check it out. I read this book in one car ride on the way to the beach and could not put it down until the end! My only request is that the author keeps writing so I can read more of their work!

Four bullies and their victim on vacation at a luxury resort on a private island ten years after they all left high school.

What could go wrong?

They had it coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this eARC. An excellent debut by Sian Gilbert. She Started It is out now.

is book was fantastic. I love the back and forth between the past and the present. The foreshadowing was done really well. Trigger warning to the book though, there are parts about self-harm. However, a book about a decades long revenge plot was interesting to say the least. I bought the book yesterday and I finished today. I stayed up most of the night reading. It does read a bit like a 90s slasher film in a sense as well, so if you're feeling nostalgic, this will do the trick. The cliffhanger at the end of the book leads me to believe there could be a sequel, which I would be equally as excited for.

I have really mixed feelings about She Started It. It started out strong and I was really invested in learning about the backstory of Poppy and the bullying she endured from the other four main characters. I thought the idea that Poppy brought them all to the island under the premise of her Hen Party after not speaking to them in years, was definitely an interesting one and I knew right from the beginning she was going to have ulterior motives.

A major plot twist happens right around the 50% mark, and at that point, I really started to question where this story was going. From there, it really was a bunch of "friends" who were simply complaining to one another and trying to figure out if they really were ever friends at all. I will say, I did appreciate the ending and thought it was a good way to end this book, but overall it didn't really seem like the most believable story.

Either way, it was an entertaining read at times, and some may find it really gripping.

Thank you, William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC…in which I am to provide an honest review.

Poppy (Bride to be) had the ultimate “glow-up” and merely wanted to share with her gal pals…wink, wink. Goodness, the main characters were horrible during their youth….and a hot mess as adults. After arriving on a lonely island, they all agree to Poppy’s requests to ensure they have the ultimate bonding experience. Why did they agree…because she is the expectant bride. All I could think was, “It’s a trap y’all…return to the mainland ASAP!”

The drama dragged for too long and the author made you feel all the emotions regarding the characters. Things picked up towards the end and the plot twists throughout the book were great. This book definitely did not disappoint and would love to reread via audiobook.

Thank you to William Morrow Books for the eARC!

Such a good summer thriller! 👏🏼👏🏼I loved the island/bachelorette party vibes. I got invested real quick. Finished this book in 3 sittings because I couldn’t wait to see how it all unfolded. The backstory with Poppy absolutely broke my heart & I had such conflicting feelings about all the characters. I predicted some parts of the ending but I did not see the main twist coming! An amazing debut, I’m excited to read more from this author in the future. There were a few things I didn’t love. One of the plot points of this book is all the secrets within their circle. Most of these “secrets” were predictable & then revealed without much fanfare. Also, I’m usually a fan of unlikable characters & I totally get how that was used in this story. But these characters were so freaking shallow & just terrible people! I also felt like their inner voices were a little too similar. It was hard at times to remember whose POV I was reading because they were all so similar.

ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! Wow! Wow! This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Sian Gilbert did an excellent job creating creating suspense. The bullying in the story felt so realistic that at times it was hard to get through. This is one of my favorite books of 2023!