By Tara Isabella Burton
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Penguin First to Read and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lavinia is rich, wild and daring. Louise is living life on the edge in other ways. She works three jobs just to make the rent on her dinky apartment. When this unlikely duo collide with each other, Louise begins to lose all sense of self as Lavinia becomes a drug and alcohol Auntie Mame, encouraging Louise to live more and more on the edge until she becomes a permanent accessory of her mentor.

Soon Louise is going to all the “in” places and seeing all the chic people. Selfies are a must as well as extravagant food, drink and over the top and sometimes illegal activities. The more involved she becomes, the less she is herself. Both figuratively and literally.

When the sand castle friendship seems to be dissolving, how far will Louise go to keep up the charade of existence Lavinia has created for her? Do we really know who Louise is?

Burton has written a fabulous book of deception and debauchery. Are these two girls Thelma and Louise, just on a joyride through life until the end goes tragically wrong? Are they both cold and calculating – or is one of them manipulating the other to keep from living a lonely existence? The twists, turns and emotions of this novel make it a true page turner.

Like Louise it is fun to step into a world that most of us just read about on the internet or in tabloids. Most of us would not like to participate, but what if we had someone encouraging and paying for all of the craziness? Maybe we would give it a try. What if we got in too deep? My suggestion is to live this craziness through the pages of Burton’s engrossing novel.

Tara Isabella Burton brings her debut novel to life skillfully. With understated realities, the plot can take the reader places he will hopefully never go in real life. Her writing style creates a reality that is so alluring, we are drawn into the characters and story from the first page and held there until the last word is read.

I hope to hear much more from this author. Social Creature is a gem.

Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

Tara Isabella Burton did an amazing job with keeping me on toes while reading this suspenseful book. Constantly on edge and reaming with anxiety, I had to put this book down to take deep breaths. The characters were well developed, and this book left me wanting to know more of their futures.

Social Creature appeared to be very intriguing and suspenseful, but for some reason, it just wasn't for me. Louise was honestly rather pathetic and Lavinia just annoyed me to death. She sort of reminded me of Daisy Buchanan with her ridiculous and extravagant ways of speaking and celebrating every little thing on the planet. The closer they became, the more Louise's issues stuck out regarding her self-esteem and self-worth. Although the author wonderfully developed her characters, I could not stand any of them. Interesting premise, like The Talented Mr. Ripley, but unfortunately, I struggled to get through this and really did not like it.

This weekend I plan to get started on Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt will love this one, because it promises to be dark and creepy. Plus, look at that cover! It got my attention right away.

Here’s what you need to know:

Louise has nothing. Lavinia has everything. After a chance encounter, the two spiral into an intimate, intense, and possibly toxic friendship. A Talented Mr. Ripley for the digital age, this seductive story takes a classic tale of obsession and makes it irresistibly new.

What caught my attention was the comparison to Gillian Flynn as well as the mention of The Talented Mr. Ripley, a book that all suspense fans should read. Social Creature is getting rave reviews and already know I’m going to love it.

Absolutely spellbinding and hypnotic. Thrilling to the last page, with excellent character development, ambience, and intrigue. Loved it!

A razor-sharp read perfect for anyone who loves contemporary suspense.

Social Creature is unnerving from the get-go. Louise is a relatively normal young woman in her late 20s struggling to make it in New York City. She’s got multiple, low paying jobs, a rent controlled apartment and no friends or disposable income. So far so good. Then we meet Lavinia, an eccentric, younger woman who hires Louise as a SAT tutor/glorified babysitter for her younger sister Cordelia. Louise and Lavinia strike up an unlikely friendship that spirals into a codependent nightmare fueled with alcohol, sex and selfies. By Lavinia’s death, it’s hard to decide who really needs who.

Lavinia kept reminding me of a youthful Miss Havisham at different points. She’s stuck in time–she never changes, never evolves as a person. Louise towards the end becomes much the same and comments repeatedly how it’s the same party every party, that nothing changes. She too becomes stuck in this loop. While Lavinia doesn’t evolve, (she dies, of course–we know this from the blurb) Louise does change in a way that fascinated me. She starts out as a desperate woman, pining for the approval of Lavinia and her friends and we see her made into a monster as the chapters go by. Or perhaps, as is hinted, she was always a monster underneath?

Social Creature reminded me a lot of the movie Ingrid Goes West in terms of both creep-factor and the pervasiveness of social media in our day to day lives. Lavinia is constantly posting/liking/commenting and Louise, well, she uses it as a very interesting tool in the last half of the story. If you haven’t seen Ingrid, I strongly recommend it… the film is very good but unsettling.

There’s so much going on in this book. Reading back through the notes I jotted down as I read is like a timeline of me descending into this frenzied reading binge as things got crazier and crazier. Like Lavinia, Social Creature sinks its claws into you and doesn’t let go until you turn the last page.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely freaking insane.

This is like one of those psychological thriller films that you watch through split fingers or over the edge of a pillow or couch cushion because it's impossible not to watch everything unfold. You're told everything and nothing, and the anticipation building up inside as you steadily make your way through the book feels like it's reaching its crescendo fast, and it'll burst by the time you get to where you're going.

I feel like this could very well be one of, if not THE summer beach read this year. The narrative is clever; it's not quite third-person, but it's not exactly first-person, either. It feels like interactive storytelling, almost. Like you're watching movie or TV show and everything's playing out so clearly in your head. It's incredible.

Nobody is likable in this book, nor are they really friends, and it's almost fascinating to see how these rich, trust fund babies party it up every night, how they're able to stand being in the same room as each other and remain civil. They live such seemingly glamorous lives, and you almost can't blame Louise for wanting what Lavinia has and doing everything she can to not just get it, but to keep it.

Unique and Intriguing. It will definitely make you think and will leave you wanting more. This is not the usual story that I go for, but I found myself compelled by the blurb to read this book. I am so glad I gave it a chance, because it is definitely one of the most interesting cast of characters I have read this year. I am definitely a fan now of this author.

This writing style wasn't for me right off the bat. I don't think I've ever disliked a narrator as much as I immediately disliked the voice of this one. Perhaps things changed but this is a dnf for me

Social Creature is a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you hooked all the way through. It was a fast-paced story that had me literally gasping out loud at some parts. I could feel my heart racing through about half of the book as I was trying to see what would happen next to Louise.

As I typically find with these type of thrillers, most (if not all) of the characters are pretty terrible people. Louise as a main character was not necessarily likeable, but I did find myself cheering her on at some points to see how far she could get in the story. I did get frustrated with her at times at some of the decisions that she would make. Lavinia of course was pretty awful. I feel like I have definitely met people like her, that like to collect friends and have a "flavor of the month" trend when it comes to their close circle. Unlike the people I have known though, none had the money and resources to manipulate to the point that Lavinia does to get these friends to do her bidding. For the most part, that whole group of people reminded me of the adage "with friends like these, who needs enemies."

One of the things that I disliked about this book was that some of the scenarios just seemed way too unbelievable. Yea, I get it, it's fiction, but I feel like someone would have noticed that Lavinia was in fact missing and that it was not her posting online. If anything wouldn't her parents have noticed that she kept saying she was going to these different places but only getting money out at the same locations nearby?

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and can see people flying through it to see how everything will unfold.

While I think the novel lost some intrigue following the ~*main event*~, SOCIAL CREATURE was nearly un-put-down-able in general. The central figure of Louise is relatable (especially as a poor young New Yorker myself), and the eccentricities of the world she stumbles into are fascinating and believably addicting. A perfect summer beach read, even if it's still snowing in New York in April.

This book was disturbing but in a great way! The way people treat others is really interesting and the ending will keep you wondering what really happened...

From the very first page, you know this is not going to end well. This tale of two young women who have nothing in common, except a need to be wanted and loved. But this was a friendship doomed by what appears to be mental illness on all sides!

Lavinia goes through 'friends' at an alarming rate. She is a first class narcissist and manipulator. We see Louise as a poor, struggling working class girl who has a real gift for writing. We know she came from a working class family, but the rest comes in bits and pieces as she falls under the spell of Lavinia. And I felt sorry for her.

I should not have felt sorry for her. Nothing you know in the beginning or the middle will prepare you for the end. And that ending left me with more questions than answers, and for some reason I am okay with that.

If this was a movie, I would be sitting in the theater mumbling, "No, no, no, don't do that!".  Well Done!

NetGalley/Doubleday  June 15, 2018  Release

Not a bad book, just not for me. The story and characters were interesting, but not a lot of new stuff here. I have read this all before. I just found it very hard to relate to the characters and story. I would definitely recommend this book to young women or those of you who like reading about young women and YA novels.

A dark and disturbing tale of obsession. Started out slow and dragging; could not really get into it. I found the characters annoying, self absorbed, narcissistic and unrelateable. (which may have been why i could not get into the book). For the most part the book was predictable; as the beginning of the novel states that Lavina is going to die soon. I didn't love the book; but I also didn't hate it. It left me just feeling kind of blah about the read.

**I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Burton has written a fantastic book about how good things aren't all they're cracked up to be-in a very suspenseful way. I absolutely loved the writing style as well as the two main characters. Couldn't put it down!

The setting and characters of this thriller lend to its success. New York with its glitz and glam is something new for me in a thriller since I don't believe I've ever read any others with this setting (which is wholly surprising). I was very surprised I enjoyed this novel as I went in believing that it might turn out to be cliche and unexciting. Great ride and I recommend it.

The book blurb pitched “Social Creature” as “The Talented Mr. Ripley meets “Gone Girl” which immediately drew me in. However, Burton’s novel differs in that the narrator is not a narcissistic sociopath like the characters in the above mentioned books.

Set in the glitzy world of Manhattan, the story begins with the chance meeting of two young women: Lavinia, an eccentric Manhattan trust fund baby and Louise, a waitress from a working class background. As the Louise is drawn into Lavinia’s world and manipulation, the relationship takes a toxic turn.

I had an extremely hard time putting this one down. The writing was fantastic, the characters believable, and the suspense nail biting. Highly recommend. 4.5 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for the ARC.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Social Creature. This is not a whodunit mystery or an edge of your seat thriller you’ll need to solve. We already know what happens before we open the book. This is a story about the characters and Social Creature is aptly named.

Social Creature follows Lavinia, a young rich socialite who has everything and Louise, a virtual nobody who juggles 3 jobs just to pay her rent and dreams of one day becoming a writer. When Lavinia hires Louise to tutor her sister the two connect—causing Lavinia to adopt Louise as her new pet project and introduce her to all the best parties in the city. The glitz and glamour is everything Louise thought it would be when she moved to NYC and Lavinia’s access propels her into circles that can only further her dreams. But when Lavinia starts losing interest in her latest pet Louise has to find a way to make sure it doesn’t slip away.

Told in third person, Burton’s debut showcases undertones of The Great Gatsby, Gossip Girl, and The Talented Mr. Ripley—modernized with the obsessive nature of posting everything on social media — yet it stands completely on its own from those comparisons. It also happens to be a chilling scenario that is totally believable, well written and a good story.