4 girls find themselves on an all-expense paid hen party hosted by a girl they used to torment in their younger years. Is this trip intended to make amends....or to plot revenge?

WOW. I flew through this book because I was on the edge of my seat. What a great debut novel by Sian Gilbert! Normally, I stray away from a book with so many perspectives, but I found this very easy to read and bounce around the multiple POVs. Most of these characters are not meant to be liked, but I appreciate learning each of their backstories throughout the chapters.

I found myself predicting the majority of the book, however there were details in every twist that I did not expect, and that made me continue to feel the suspense. Loved every minute of this disturbing plot. I recommend this to most, but especially those who love a good thriller surrounding the theme of friendship and secret lives.

Huge Thank You to Sian Gilbert, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the eARC and the chance to review this debut novel. I am hopeful to read more from this budding and talented author.

Karma is the universal law of cause and effect. You reap what you sow.

Annabel, Chloe, Esther, and Tanya are old friends that have drifted apart and are now bound only by their secrets. Imagine their surprise when they all 4 receive an invitation to attend an all-expenses-paid bachelorette party on a lush, secluded Bahamian island, complete with first class plane tickets. Even stranger, though, is that the invitation comes from Poppy, an old classmate whom they bullied mercilessly in school. All 5 women arrive on the island with secrets, ulterior motives, and sinister plans.

She Started It is a twisty thriller, full of flawed characters, suspense, and revenge. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, with each character more unlikable than the last. It's clear from the start that this will not be a relaxing long weekend lounging on the sand, but that is the perfect environment for you to curl up and inhale this book!

One part Big Little Lies, one part And Then There Were None, and one part Pretty Little Liars - whip it all together and chill because revenge is a dish best served cold. This is Sian Gilbert's debut novel and she just joined my "auto-buy author" list. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

A heartfelt thank you to William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I'm off to find my next great read, but I'm doing it with all the lights turned on high after this one!

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I had a lot of fun reading the first 2/3rds of this book. It's a typical revenge story with unlikeable characters and I was just along for the ride. On the other hand, the last 1/3 I didn't care for. It devolved into just bickering and the plot got convoluted. The only part I enjoyed at that point was the diary of our bride. Also, I guess the big twist literally in chapter 3. That was a bummer but at the same time, not always a deal breaker if the book is well written and fun. My other big complaint with this book besides the last 1/3 was the different POVs. They were very unnecessary. Most of them acted the same so I was constantly forgetting whose head I was in and there was really no reason for it. They were all in the same place the entire time and nothing was added to the story by being in different people's heads so honestly she should have just picked one bridesmaid (say Annabel or Tanya) and just stuck to that POV the entire time. But that is just my opinion. This is a light, fun summery read if you just want to be entertained by catty women and their plethora of secrets (there are a lot!)

This novel started pretty slow, so I struggled to get into it at first. However, once things started picking up about halfway through, I was hooked. The plot reminds me of Mean Girls mixed with And Then There Were None.

This novel tackles bullying as well as revenge for said bullying later in life. Poppy's bullies are invited to a private island for a hen party, but it's one crazy hen party. I will say that this book is also fairly dark at times, so fair warning to potential readers. If you like psychological thrillers, this is definitely a book for you.

Review will be posted on Instagram (@ellie.reads.a.lot) by the pub date.

This book was so predictable, and I had a good idea of what the big twist was and it did not disappoint. All of these things didn’t make the book less enjoyable though. None of these four friends are/were good people, and it was so heartbreaking to read Poppy’s diary entries on how they treated her.

The real fun started when they got to the hen party, and all of their secrets were slowly revealed. Just when you think they couldn’t be worse people than they were in high school a new secret is revealed! That twist was pretty good even though I knew it was coming. If you love a good revenge story then grab this one tomorrow!

What an amazing thriller! This book had more twists and turns! One of the best I have read in a while

Told in multiple POV, four friends are invited to a hen party of a girl they knew from high school. Odd as it is, it’s even more peculiar because these four girls made her life hell in school. But hey! A free trip on a private island, why not?

Once arriving, Poppy the bride to be, isn’t holding back on subtly bringing up the past. Have these four girls changed? One by one they start to be killed off. But which one of them is it?

I promise you won’t be able to predict this one’s ending! If you want a fun and fast paced thriller, pick this one up!

Twisty and shocking. Annabelle, Chloe, Tanya and Esther are childhood friends who have grown apart in adulthood. However, their secrets keep them banded together. They receive an invitation to be bridesmaids and attend an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas on a private island for a hen party. However, the bride, Poppy Greer, is someone they used to torment mercilessly. But seeing as how it's a free trip to the Caribbean, how could they say no?
This was the ULTIMATE revenge scheme. Seems like Poppy hasn't completely forgiven then for their past treatment of her. What comes next is a roller coaster of insidious fun!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-arc.*

Why why why do intelligent women (and men but in this case women) go off to secluded places when they are invited by someone they bullied? Because it makes for a good plot and that's the case here when the mean girls are enticed to an island with first class tickets by a women they were horrid to as girls. Poppy isn't what Esther, Chloe, Annabel and Tanya thought she was- she's much more and she's out for revenge. All of these characters have secrets, all of them will face truth and honestly-none of them are likable. This might be one giant trope but the setting is good as are the twists. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A page turner that will be perfect when you're traveling.

Revenge is the name of the game with this book and boy did it deliver on that. She Started It centers on four best friends who are invited to a bachelorette party of the girl they bullied in high school. They’re a bit suspicious at first but get over it since the occasion is gonna be on an island. Things unravel after that with a fun twist at the end.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

**Many thanks to Scene of the Crime, William Morrow, and Sian Gilbert for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

"There's only the bride waiting for me, and she's covered in blood."

So begins the tale of four friends who get invited to a hen party on a luxurious Caribbean island: an all expenses paid trip, no less. Annabel, Chloe, Esther and Tanya can't quite believe their luck...and can't quite shake their confusion, either. The bride to be is none other than Poppy Greer, a woman they all bullied beyond belief many years ago, and none of them have seen her since...until now. The group of friends prepare for long wild nights, lots of champagne, and making more of those Instagram-worthy memories.

When they arrive and find the island is a bit more isolated than they thought, however, and no cell service is available...the tropical fantasy quickly starts to look more like a nightmare. After all, there's a REASON Poppy hasn't spoken to any of them for years...and she's had plenty of time to mull over the past. Will Poppy use this golden opportunity to get her long-awaited revenge? Or will the group of catty queens use the isolated locale and their collective anger to silence Poppy...for good?

With an opening line like that one... I have to admit I got sucked in right away, thinking that this would be a new twist on an old theme, a bright and shining debut from a wicked and twisted new voice in the thriller scene.

You know when you see someone you think is INCREDIBLY attractive from across the room and then by the time you make it over there, you realize your brain has played an incredibly unfunny joke on you and the person looks nothing at ALL like the dreamboat you thought you were going to meet?

Yep. This was that, in book form.

First off, these girls are of course catty. They're supposed to be, and I get that. But they are also PRACTICALLY identical in voice and action, to the point where I had to keep tapping the bar on my Kindle to see what chapter I was on to remember the name of the narrator...since we have to hear from ALL of them. I actually don't mind unlikable characters...but this felt like an attempt to emulate other authors with similar devices and a locked room story (*cough* Lucy Foley *cough*) and it just did not work. Until some of the big secrets were revealed, they just sort of blended together. And even then, I STILL had trouble remembering who was who and what was what.

Poppy also uses a diary to tell you about the past...and let me tell you, an AUTHENTIC diary it was not. In these supposed diary entries from her youth, she not only recounts long conversations word for word, but describes things as an author would...which made them feel less like a diary and more like the author pretending to write a diary. The 'voice' of Poppy as a youth was also just generally unbelievable, she tried to make her seem young, but it just felt off. Teenagers do NOT talk or write like that, and so many authors do this well that it stuck out to me even more. The "big" and worst episode of bullying the girls participated in was even more ridiculous...I had trouble believe that ANY teenagers would do what they did to her. I won't get into specifics, but let's just say it was far more orchestrated and disgusting than any of these self-absorbed ladies would deign to participate in, no matter how much they disliked Poppy.

I put all my remaining hope in the BIG twists I was promised, and had read so much about in some other early reviews. And when I tell you I guessed the biggest twist in the first 15% of the book or so and was stunned to be right...it's no exaggeration. I know I've read a fair amount of thrillers by this point and in some ways I'm sure that helped, but early thoughts from many other seasoned thriller readers raved about how blown away they were by the twist, so I assumed I HAD to be wrong. There's no way it was that obvious.

And yet...that was it.

Having to wait till almost the end of the book to confirm what I'd figured out at the near beginning made this book feel about 20 times longer than it was...and honestly, since this was a debut it's hard to gauge whether Gilbert has the potential to play her cards a bit closer to the vest next time or if this is about as twisty as she is ever going to get. Throw in a bit of an eye-rolling ending that serves basically as a set-up for a sequel that I'm not sure anyone needs, and I was more than ready to move on.

And in this case, Gilbert may have Started It... but I was relieved to simply have Finished It.

3 stars

Such a wonderful story of best friends, backstabbing and the secrets they keep from one another!!! And that’s only the first half of the story!!! This book had me from the beginning, and I didn’t want to put it down!!!

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

This “closed room” (closed island, really) mystery features 5 young women who last were all together in high school. On the surface it looks like a glam Caribbean vacay to celebrate an upcoming wedding, but as the hours go by, the discomfort ratchets up as more and more secrets are revealed. Everyone is not as they appear! Storms and sinister events pour into the narrative faster than the copious amounts of alcohol the women drink!

Debut author Sian Gilbert does a nice job with building the story’s momentum toward the big reveal and conclusion. Although the characters are not exactly BFF qualifiers or girl-next-door material, the mystery and writing keeps the reader engaged. Fans of Mean Girls and twisty summer thrillers will enjoy this book. Sensitive readers may have issues with a couple of themes of the book, including bullying.

Recommended for a poolside mystery read this summer while you treasure the friends in your real life. 3.5 stars. Release date: 6/13/23. 352 pages.

Thank you, William Morrow, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

@williammorrowbooks @harpercollins @netgalley #shestartedit

Synopsis: Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe were childhood best friends. In adulthood, secrets and time have caused them to drift apart. However, they all receive invites to a bachelorette in the Bahamas. Even though none of them have spoken to the bride-to-be, Poppy, in years, they're all tempted by the prospect of a private island and a weekend of cocktails and relaxation. Things begin to turn more sinister, as dark secrets are revealed, and what was meant to be a dream trip turns into an absolute nightmare.

Thoughts: This was a fun popcorn revenge story. Although all of the characters are pretty unlikeable, I liked the way the story played out. It would absolutely make a great poolside binge for those escaping a thrillery escape.

Read if you like:
-Revenge stories
-The Girls by Lucy Clarke
-Multiple POVs
-Messy dynamics

Four women (Chloe, Tanya, Ether, and Anabel) have been friends since they were eleven. And there is Polly, the woman they spent their school years bullying to an extreme level. Ten years later, they're getting together to celebrate Polly's engagement on a remote Caribbean Island. What could go wrong?

Ooh, this is a revenge novel plus! It starts slowly, building to an excellent finish with many twists and turns. If you like Lucy Foley's characters, you will love this one.

Suspension of disbelief was really trying for me with this novel. Maybe it's because I'm constantly paranoid and cynical, maybe it's because I've read so many psychological thrillers; but from the first few pages, I could not comprehend how four adult, university-educated women (three with careers, the other with a bachelor's and master's degree in Psychology) could be so emotionally blind, continually ignoring their Intuitions and gut instincts, assuming that something obviously too good to be true is actually a good deal all round. They ignore the most obvious clues! And of course, there WILL be trouble.

Don't get me wrong: I anticipated SHE STARTED IT and I quite enjoyed it, except for the complete blind foolishness of the quartet of friends, in believing that Revenge is not a dish best served chilled; or that nobody bullied reaches a crisis point and aims for vengeance, no matter how many years have past.

I found the Denouement and Ending excellently chilling, as was the ways in which the quartet of "friends" were manipulated and set at odds. I'm quite satisfied with the novel and glad I read it.

Life Lesson: Actions do have consequences. Beware Karma. If something is off-kilter, HEED YOUR INSTINCTS!

She Started It is a thrilling rollercoaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly happened to these women that was so devastating. The toxic relationships and friendships portrayed in the story were beyond toxic. The ending caught me off guard in this gripping and suspenseful novel.

Loved the concept of the revenge on mean girls. It’s hard to write a review without any spoilers but lots of secrets and twists and I thought it was great. I will post a review on publication day on instagram! Thank you for the ARC opportunity!

A fun debut with characters you love to hate. The scenes set in the past were heart wrenching and difficult, which gave this over-the-top thriller moments of feeling grounded in something true. A solid blend of the fantastical with the relatable. And the cover is a stunner!

She Started It is an anxiety inducing thriller. The plot isn’t entirely original but the execution was great. The flashback chapters were heartbreaking and the present time chapters kept me interested.
I was able to figure out most of the twists ahead of time but I really enjoyed seeing how it all played out.

I have posted this review on Instagram and Goodreads

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtPCrr1rLMq/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5590785815

And will be posting my review on Amazon on/after the pub date.

This book is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None meets Mean Girls, with strong emphasis on mean girls. Only they’re not girls any longer, they’re selfish, self-centered, cruel adults. As children, they teamed together to ostracize another child. From middle school through high school, they made her life miserable. That child was Poppy Greer.

Poppy was a sweet girl, smart and talented. She had the misfortune of being overweight and plain. But she kept trying to fit in and to be friendly. However, she was no match for Chloe, Annabel, Esther, and Tanya when they went after her, tormenting her constantly, and in every way possible.

When ten years later, the mean girls each receive an invitation to Poppy’s Hen Party on a private Caribbean island, they debate accepting, but their greed sees them accepting. What they don’t realize is that they’re about to receive payback for all they did as children.

This book includes instances of cutting, cruelty, violence, and suicide. While there were a few surprises that popped up, overall, I found the book predictable. She Started It is very atmospheric, you get both a feeling for the isolated yet beautiful island, and for the underlying turmoil that’s churning on it.

This is a depressing book. There’s no happy ending. The women who attended that Hen Party all turned out to be psychopaths. They learned nothing from their past actions and continued to make mistakes that affected the lives of everyone on that island. I honestly didn’t like any of them.

The writing is excellent. It clearly delineates how people who think that the world owes them for the privilege of their existence can easily be led astray. I didn’t feel that there was much worthwhile in this book, beyond the message that parents and educators should have a better sense of what their children are capable of, and step in to intervene.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity in making this book available to me, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.