I like the premise, but I can definitely tell this was written to be a television show. I would watch this show, but reading it this way made it seem a bit nonsensical. I liked it, but at the experience was every meh.

Started off a little shakey for me but once it got going i couldn't put this down.!

An oddly, dark, and comical, story that if American Pyscho was turned into a book about a character climbing the fashion industry ladder ( and doing WHATEVER it takes including murder) this would be it. Excellent thriller and refreshing take on the genre.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read this MURDEROUS book.

I loved this book. As a true crime enthusiast 20-something woman with an interest in fashion, this was one of my favourite reads in a while. The character of Anya was fab, amusing, funny and dark. I would definitely recommend this.

At first glance, the reader might think that Anya is just another potty-mouthed young woman with a quirky personality and even wilder imagination who is absolutely obsessed with being best friends with her co-worker, Sarah Taft, who is the associate editor of fashion magazine La Vie. Being the exact opposite of Anya, Sarah came from a rich family and Anya considers her to be perfect and gorgeous. She even creates a mood board displaying pictures of Sarah out partying, going to fashion shows, and smiling at the camera.

Don't let first impressions fool you. I wish I was as prolific of a review writer as the author in order to do justice and adequately describe the pure absolute genius of this dark psychological thriller that actually delves deeply into the mind and thoughts of a serial murderer. This story is such a unique, yet fun read, and I enthusiastically encourage one and all to read it because it will definitely be a best-seller!

Hilarious serial killer thriller where no one wants to be the next #FashionVictim.

Everyone fantasizes about how to kill their office rivals (or maybe that’s just me). Few carry those fantasies out in real life. Anya is prepared to kill an intern for a pitying look. When the intern is found dead by shoe, Detective Hopper, who looks like a Calvin Klein model, investigates. In the meantime, La Vie (sounding suspiciously like Vogue) staffers are instagramming selfies with the corpse with #DeathbyAccessories, #KillerShoes and of course, #FashionVictim hashtags.

OMG, #FashionVictim is hilarious! It is perfect for Devil Wears Prada fans jaded by social media. It is also similar to American Psycho as you are dropped into a psychopath’s thoughts by the use of first person narration. 5 stars!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy.

Unfortunately I could not get into this book... and I'm not quite sure why. It was actually kind of gruesome for what I thought was going to be more of a suspense novel? The main character was hard to relate too and I felt as if she was just too confusing. It was just not the right book for me, but it could be for someone else!

OMG this book was right up my alley! Social media, bitchy girls, fashion, murder, suspense. It was amazing. It follows Anya St.Clair who's a sociopathic killer and obsessed with the bitchy. beautiful Sarah Taft. She's trying to climb her way to the top and will kill anyone that tries to get in her way. I loved it!!!! Such a fun read.

[Excerpt]:

Going into this book, I assumed from the synopsis that it was going to be something akin to “The Devil Wears Prada” or even a YA series I read nearly a decade ago, “The A-List” by Zoey Dean. These books are filled with glamorous people and high society, as well as extravagently weathly furnishings and unbelievable shallowness and cruelty.

This book was nothing like I expected, and I loved it so much the better for it.

First of all, Anya St. Clair, our main protagonist, is a total bitch. The world she inhabits demands it. She works for a famous fashion magazine, La Vie, and her boss, as well as her co-workers and clients, are all vicious and materialistic to an almost unbelievable extent. Fashion is these people’s entire world. When they say “I’d die to wear that,” in this book it’s literal.

Anya is certifiably crazy. I mean, she’s killed like at least 10 people, including her old shrink, who she thinks she still meets and confers with in the present day. She kills at least 4 women in the fashion industry, one of whom was a former close friend, or “bestie.” She kills a detective with the NYPD. Her thought processes are INSANE, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. She’ll go from absolutely loving and adoring someone to loathing them with every fiber of her being in seconds.

Anya has a fixation with a co-worker at La Vie magazine, Sarah Taft. This fixation lasts throughout the whole book. It goes far beyond stalking. Anya is obsessed with Sarah and her life and the people she interacts with. In fact, Anya kills other girls because they’re taking Sarah’s attention away from her. As the book progresses, Anya’s fixation seems to reach a climax, and the fallout forces her feelings towards Sarah to twist and morph into something truly disturbing. By the end of the book, Anya still loves Sarah, in a horrifying way, but she also likes to see Sarah punished, alone, broken-down, and in pain. Anya really enjoys the fact that she’s the only person Sarah has left.

[Full review on my blog!]

3.5ish stars, rounded. While it may seem strange to call a book about someone on a murderous rampage "fun", that's really what this story was. Lots of designer namedropping and fashion industry type gossip help to offset Anya's impulses to permanently eliminate anyone who threatens her career and aspirations. It's darkly funny, and while Anya's murders are gruesome they aren't described in a way that makes them too difficult to read. It's a darker alternative to books like The Devil Wears Prada, and I think fans of books in that vein will enjoy this as well.

This book was dark, twisted and utterly messed up and good lord, I loved every minute of it! I don’t remember having this much fun with a serial killer since Dexter. Anya glories in her murders and she doesn’t limit herself to the bad guys. She kills anyone who slights her or stands in her way climbing the ladder at the fashion magazine where she works. It's almost understandable because the women at her office are completely the worst. They are so mean, superficial and judgemental that it’s hard not to hate them all. The combination of laugh out loud humour with graphic, gory murder is unusual and totally worked for me. If you can’t see the humour in someone being killed by a Marc Jacobs backward heel shoe to the face then this may not be the story for you. I laughed so many times and sometimes felt kind of bad about it because it is inappropriate to laugh at people being killed in horrible ways but it was impossible not to be charmed by this deranged story. The fashion references were icing on the cake. It was like Sex and the City with multiple murders and it was perfection. OMG! It’s, like, the best book of the summer! Let me instagram this!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

From page one I decided to have an open heart about this story, because soon enough we learn there’s a major difference here from the classical trope of "regular girl dreams to be the pseudo-perfect tall, thing, blonde and popular girl": which is that Anya is a psycho. Literally. It's kind of great to see Anya’s thoughts getting darker and darker Funny thing is, even though there’s the whole creepy and murdery vibe, there’s also a satirical and weird humor that made the reading experience actually really really fun!

There’s a thriller element to this, definitely, but to me it was more of a “this is so weirdly fun” than a “i’m so tense, i don’t know what’s going to happen”. I love when Anya has to interact with the Jennifers in events and gives her perspective on the whole fake friendships, and who’s who of the fashion world. The author is a former fashion editor herself so she definitely absorbed a lot during those years and knows these situations and interactions by heart.

There’s not a lot of surprise here ‘cause once you understand how Anya’s mind works we can kind of guess where things are heading to; there are some great moments and chapters that the first sentence got me like WHAAAAAAT? The story is fun to read, even though there’s violence and murders and stuff, it’s kind of an easy reading. It’s the authors first novel and if she’s planning to stick with these kinds of stories, I’m so in.

Finished this in less than 48 hours. It's absolutely "cray" (to quote the characters).

Everyone has already made the <i>Devil Wears Prada</i> meets your-choice-of-crazy-novel. It's definitely that...maybe a lot of <i>Single White Female</i>, if that had been written by the crazy person's perspective. This book is so over the top ridiculous that it you have to have some suspension of disbelief. But then again, it also reminded me a lot of <i>Disco Bloodbath</i> (or <i>Party Monster</i>, depending on which edition you have)...except that was all true. So maybe this isn't so far fetched.

Regardless, the complete randomness of the first-person narrative is so effective. It's a bit unsettling to have enjoyed reading this, considering. I kept expecting some crazy twist, but there wasn't one. It was just really good (and alarmingly twisted) storytelling. And I like that you know from the very beginning how messed up Anya (the protagonist) is.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC!

3.5 death, lip gloss and, like, OMG stars!!!

If Clueless and Jawbreaker had a baby, it's name would be #FashionVictim.

God, there was always so much work to do. Update this, kill so-and-so. I wish people understood how hard we worked in fashion - all to make it look effortless, easy.

#FashionVictim follows Anya St. Clair at top fashion magazine La Vie. She has a coveted position of Associate Editor while simultaneously working to become BFFs with coworker and socialite Sarah Taft. Sarah is the alpha to Anya's beta. She's tall, lithe, has flowing blonde hair and comes from wealth, privilege and a prominent family.

When a promotion gets thrown on the table by their boss Celia, things get interesting. And by interesting I mean bat-shit crazy. Anya's numero uno goal is to be besties with Sarah and she see's this within her reach if she can only win this promotion. Any by win the promotion, I mean go on a killing rampage.

I was embodying the deranged cat crying emoji. My hysteria levels were rising.

When we enter into the story Anya is at the very beginning of an ever-growing mania. Her mental health is waning and she's just dipped her toe into a murder spree that will last the entirety of the book. This is told solely from the POV of Anya and she is something else, to say the least. She's one of the most complexly one-dimensional characters I've ever read. She's absolutely you're unlikable, unreliable narrator trope to a T. However, I don't think Akhtar wrote these characters to be likable, they're written to be entertaining and this book was pure entertainment.

I would've liked to see some break-up of Anya's frenzy. While I enjoyed reading her POV I think the book suffered a bit because it ended up being a little choppy. I would've loved to see the Detectives take on things or a past / present break up of how Anya got to where she is today.

"I need to look like I belong in a photoshoot! That I'm cool and chill and don't care. I need to affect - what's the word? Not boredom?" "Ennui?" "Yes!" I jumped up and clapped. "I need to ennui the fuck out of my life. You're brilliant Dr. M."

There was a dry, dark and campy humor here that really drove my rating and overall enjoyment of the book. However, despite the interesting premise things grew a bit tired for me. The overuse of OMG, WTF and other abbreviations was grating at times. There is also quite a bit of stereotyping going on in this read. From body shaming to the assumption that anyone working in fashion is vapid, vane and dense. There was a lack of development into the ending that lead to some logistical holes and that coupled with the stereotyping and redundancy drove my rating on this one.

Since we're given the POV of the killer instead of the victims there aren't many "twists" per se. However, I don't think the story was worse for wear because of it. It was fresh and entertaining from start to finish. I think it'd make a great movie but wasn't written in a way where that was clearly the end goal.

It didn't hurt that there was a million and one Law & Order: Special Victims Unit references either.

No one called Elliot Stabler by his first name. Except for Benson but hello? She'd earned that right.

I completed this as a Traveling Sisters read. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a dark, crazy and rather enjoyable book. It is graphic! Anya is works with La Vie magazine, and obsessed with her co-worker. At times witty, and at times gross. This is just bazaar, but a fun quick, read.

#FashionVictim is what you get when you put a Dexter-like personality in the world of The Devil Wears Prada, and give it a Gone Girl twist. Anya is an obsessed deranged young woman, who idolizes Sarah Taft so much that she wants to be her BFF; not her minion, her equal. And she is willing to do whatever it takes, step over how many bodies she has to, in order to get that goal. Sure, that’s not a protagonist you would generally like reading through, but GDI Anya makes it ridiculously entertaining.

The author sets up the world of fashion perfectly with all the backstabbing (sometimes literal in this novel), snide comments, and plastic personalities. And since it is purely in Anya’s first person perspective, we get all of that with her extremely snarky commentary. Like, the girl hates the world but still wants to get to the top of it, and that takes a lot of determination and a lot of hallucinations. She regularly drags the media and fashion industry, while also maintaining that balance between vapid fashionista (she loves her Manolos, yo!) and clever serial killer. And all of this while keeping a smile on her face. Conceal, don’t feel, and all that jazz.

Kill them with kindness and enthusiasm if you can’t kill them at all

The entire book is her fighting against everything that stands in her path of becoming Sarah’s BFF, even if that thing standing in that path is Sarah herself. Online troll leaving negative comments on only her post? Kill! Sarah’s existing BFF getting too close to her backstory? You got that right! She leaves a body count without signing her work (because she smart, ya’ll) or leaving any DNA (gloves are this girl’s best friend). Her headspace is a jumble of conflicting ideals – and her way of dealing with it is either wry humor or getting reading to bring myrrh-der!

But still, Diana needed to get, or lose, a life.

The thing about Anya is, she imagines and fantasizes all these relationships – with Sarah, with the detective investigating the murders, with her therapist (wait till you reach the reveal of that one). She manipulates the people around her while looking like the ingenue. And while the detective has some skills, he is no match for her level of planning.

I wanted a look that said innocent, but hot

And working in the fashion industry is not doing her mental health any favors – between the people who are intolerably getting into her personal space, her boss who wants her to get thinner thinner thinner, and the pressure of competing against Sarah, what’s a girl to do?! The good thing is, you don’t tire of her constant need for approval and her ambition and her twisting things to suit her perspective. The bad thing, well, murder! Though I must say, I still don’t get how she doesn’t leave a single clue yet manages to scrape up enough to frame someone else (there was no DNA for what seemed to the police as a psychotic break of their suspect aka the person being framed). And there was also the fact that some things were exaggerated to manufacture more tension for the protagonist: there’s no way a successful fashion magazine will care about commnents THAT much, especially when it is only ONE troll. So, yeah, if you keep aside those pesky little irregularities, it is otherwise a very entertaining novel.

Long story short: This is a black comedy that will keep you entertained till the last page.

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. The dark humor had its entertaining moments but that's about it. Hate to give bad reviews but I couldn't wait to be done with this book!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

The fun of this book is in its politically incorrectness and satirical look at the fashion industry.

Anya, the main character, is mentally unstable, but she appears sane enough to make it at a fashion magazine. She's obsessive compulsive and will stop at nothing, not even murder, to thwart her enemies and claim her BFF. Her chosen BFF, Sarah, is one of the glamorous people and works with Anya at a fashion mag. Sarah actually looks down on Anya, but Anya is not one to be deterred. She promptly does away with anyone who dares to slight her and she uses the most creative means to it! The phrase "killer shoes" takes on a whole new meaning when Anya is around. The body count starts to rise and the police begin to investigate. Can Anya continue to kill and not be caught, or will she kill one too many? Will Sarah finally see that Anya is her one true BFF or will Anya have to end their relationship?

To fully enjoy this book you have to go into it with the understanding that it's a satire - or at least that is how I read it. The book is completely over the top and is not at all politically correct! For anyone who leans towards the sensitive side or is easily offended, this might not be the book for you. There are a lot of references to weight and negative/harmful ideas about dieting. I also don't think this is a book for teens, as they may be too impressionable to handle the way weight is brought up in this book. I did find the book entertaining and I was curious to find out how it would all end.

If you are someone who enjoys the Scary Movie movies and movies like Zoolander, couple those movies with The Devil Wears Prada and you get a pretty good idea of what to expect with this book. I will say that I think this book would make for a pretty funny movie (with the proper warnings and ratings).

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - I was not expecting this book to be what it was! That being said, it was a wild ride, and a great and quick read! I was a little confused in the beginning, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down because I had to know more! Also, as a NYer, the story comes even more to life because we all know people who work in fashion!

Wow! What a book! Fans of "The Devil Wears Prada" will love this one. I'm very surprised that this is the author's first book. Highly recommended!

I loved this book so much! And I love how a lot of people are talking about it as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book. It was great from beginning to end