#FashionVictim is the debut novel from Amina Akhtar, a fashion and lifestyle writer who has written for publications from Vogue to Refinery29. The description of #FashionVictim being a combination of The Devil Wears Prada and Dexter was appealing to my eclectic concept of fun in reading. I was provided an ARC copy by NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

From the beginning, our lead Anya St. Clair is presented as an unreliable narrator. Stating herself that she needs medication in the prologue. The first chapter breaks into a violet fantasy that straddled the line of reality and making you believe the worst has happened before pulling you back. Despite this, I found myself sympathetic to a character who's coming from behind and entering a difficult industry solely on her own merit (or at least ingenuity). I wanted her to do well - at work. I didn't want her personal life to be falling through the depths of madness.

Anya is a clear case of the anti-hero. There is no real good guy in this story (ok, maybe one). As Anya herself points out, the fashion industry is cut throat, maybe just not this cut throat. (There are just too many killer puns to have fun with here.) You root for her, you want her to meet her goals. There's nothing actually Dexter like in her, she's no anti-hero killing off bad guys, she's feeding her own madness.

Akhtar's writing is fun and witty. She's not dragging you down a dark path, she's pointing out the directions and your running after ready to find out what pops out from the next corner. I would say this book is great for anyone who liked the Pretty Little Liars tv series. Especially if you occasionally rooted for A.

Final verdict: #FashionVictim is fun. It's fast paced and you're never dragged down by lengthy exposition. You find out everything in due time, but there's enough ground work that it flows. I'm looking forward to seeing where Akhtar goes from here (and if she feels like telling us more of Anya's story, I'm here for it).

I loved the merged world of fashion (which is usually lighthearted and lumped in with contemporary) and the thriller of a friendship that is not what it seems. The writing for this kept me captivated and it was a funny yet thrilling ride.

American Pyscho meets the Devil Wears Prada and they had a love child in the form of Anya St.Clair. St. Clair is a unique narrator who piques the reader's attention from the beginning of the novel as she writes about her "friendship: with the beautiful and nasty Sarah Taft. The reader is shocked at the nasty attitudes of the women around Anya and her reactions to how she has been treated will make your blood run cold. #Fashionvictim is a fun read filled with murder, blood and humor

M AKhtar's book was a total twist in the tale... very 'The Bold Type' meets 'PLL' and of course the fashion classic 'The Devil wears Prada' backdrop... the characters were dead-on (no pun intended) and the cut-throat fashion world scenario was fabulously described!
JACK was the absolute scene stealer!

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC!
4 stars!

I should start by saying that I do see why some readers enjoyed this book. It’s a wonderfully quick read that lets you tumble in and out of the bizarre, funhouse version of the fashion world in just a few hours. I’d absolutely watch a short TV series of Fashion Victim. With the right creative team, I can imagine it being a campy, shocking, and exciting ride.

As a novel, however, the story was underwhelming. It was hard to get engaged with the story when the first few pages burned through all my goodwill with the constant “OMG”s and already-dated references and unnecessary profanity. The book seems to be trying very, VERY hard to be edgy but winds up with little more than tired stereotypes, fat-shaming, and internalized misogyny. Anya could have been a chilling villain but her only definable character trait is “being a psychopath,” with doesn’t make for a compelling or even understandable character. I couldn’t stand being in her head—not because she was evil, but because she was incoherent as a character and gave me no reason to keep reading.

Lastly… as a primarily YA reviewer, I wouldn’t shelve this book as YA. The profanity alone should disqualify it, never mind the complete disregard for care and sensitivity in presenting mental illness and death.

I’m grateful to have been approved for the galley and I hate giving poor reviews, but this one really isn’t ready for publication. Perhaps, with some time to clarify characters and ideas, the author could do a full rewrite and find what she was looking for.

Delightful quick read and pretty fun journey. For me it was almost a mash up of Devil Wears Prada, Heathers and a little bit of Single White Female thrown in.
Its not a thriller in a "Who done it" fashion. Right off the bat, you know that the main character Anya is unstable and at times, the potrayal of her and her mental health was a little off but there was a point to that.
Quite enjoyable in a weird way. I can't wait to hear the reviews once its released!
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a ARC in exchange for a unbiased review.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.**

Getting ahead in the fashion industry is murder, literally. #FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar is a devilishly good read that follows Anya St. Clair as she does whatever it takes to achieve her goals and get ahead in the fashion industry.
Anya has been obsessed with Sarah Taft since childhood and has made it her goal to become her BFF. Now they work together at La Vie a premier fashion magazine. Anya is so close to making her goal a reality until her boss throws a wrench in her plans. Instead of becoming best friends, Anya and Sarah are now pitted against each other for a top job. Anya will do anything to keep her and Sarah close, even if that means murder.
#FashionVictim is a great read, the perfect blend of dark comedy and suspenseful thriller. You really get into the mind of a killer. The author does a great job of making you love Anya and even rooting for her despite the methods she chooses to achieve her goals. I would definitely recommend this book.

Honestly, I’m not sure about this book. On the one hand, I just kept reading it to see what Anya was going to do next. On the other hand, the dialogue and abbreviations were kind of annoying. I get that’s what’s “in fashion” and how people talk, but it was a little much. This was a comparison for the Devil Wears Prada, but I’ve read the book and watched the movie and I don’t believe it’s a good comparison. The only reason it’s being compared, is because it’s in the fashion world. I would say this book is more like You by Caroline Kepnes in the fashion world. If you want a Thriller/suspense with creepy antics, pick up this book. It definitely scratched my itch for a creepy thriller.

*Thank You Netgalley for an E-ARC copy of #FashionVictim.

I dislike every character in this book. They are fat shaming caricatures of real life mean girls. A boss that weighs her employee, a mass of Lauren's with identical hair, and a rich racist co-worker socialite all lead by a unrealistic stereotypical "mental illness = dangerous killer" portrayal of someone with delusions. I really wanted to like this book and over all the writing was breezy and quick. Some of the wit was spot on, but the characters, ugh the characters. I hope Amina Akhtar writes something in the future with less problematic casual hatred of groups that already get enough poor representation.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of #FAshionVictim. I enjoyed the book. It was not what I expected it to be when I first started reading it. It was a pretty fast read for Me and I will not give any spoilers. This was also my first book by the author. I recommend it.

I'm going to go all out and say I definitely loved this book. It had an interesting and quirky main character. Not going to lie - most of the twists were apparent, however I don't think that matters. In fact I think that adds to the enjoyment of the novel. 

The book is easy to read and the story easy the follow. The main character is consistent, terrifying but consistent. Even her colleagues seem to feel the same: they often make fun of her for the way she presents herself but don't gang up on her. Almost as if they know she lives her life on the edge and can only cope with one issue at a time. 

This book is probably not for everyone; but that's ok, life would be boring if we all had to share the same taste? After all Anya St. Clair has killed for less...

A very solid 4/5 - I would recommend it to some of my friends as a 5/5 because I know it will speak to them as it does me (#welovethecrazyladies).

*A free copy was provided by the publisher through netgalley for an honest review*

This is scheduled to be posted a week before publication date.

An interesting and creepy read, that was engaging even though at times I was unsure of where the plot was going. Still unsure what the overall plot for this book was as it wasn’t the standard ‘there’s a problem and it’s resolved’ novel.

I was so excited to read this book, based on the book blurb and comments like “Devil Wears Prada Meets Dexter” , I was sure it was going to soar to the top of my favorites list for 2018, sadly, it did not.
In all honesty, I almost didn’t finish it.
Even though it wasn’t for me, I do think there’s a large audience that will love it.
Would make a great Midnight movie ( Rocky Horror-ish type movie)

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley the opinion is my own

I read somewhere that this book was a mixture of Heathers and The Devil Wears Prada and I couldn't agree more! Maybe with a little Gossip Girl mixed in!

This book is fun! I don't think this book is serious at all including the murders. It was all just like watching a campy horror movie but I enjoyed it! I could definitely see this being the next best thing at the movies if it were made into one!

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for a review.

OMG...WTF did I just read?!?! About halfway through the book, I ended up hate reading it because I was so annoyed with the main character Anya. To put it simply, Anya is a total psychopath and has issues. The book touches briefly on her past but does not delve into it so that the reader can actually get an idea of why Anya is a total psycho.

Do not read this book if you have issues with animals being killed. I'm still pissed at that part of the book.

If you are into very little character development, self centered people, and fashion name dropping you might enjoy this. Otherwise don't bother.

This book is like American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada. It's an interesting behind the scene look at the world of fashion journalisim. Dark and funny.

"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 effortlessly easy."

This was a delightful dark, campy comedy that was such an easy read that I will probably read it again and again for some light relief.

It was the kind of book that was so vivid that I felt like I was watching a movie, and make no mistake this book will make an amazing movie which I will be very excited to go and see. All of the characters had a great over the top quality to them, think The Devil Wears Prada meets Scream Queens with a dash of Mean Girls. And Anya’s narration of the fashion world as both superficial and incredibly hard working was highly enjoyable.

Anya’s mental state is an interesting journey through that novel as you have to try and decipher reality from what is going on in her head, but it is done in such a way that it made reading the story very compelling. Even going into it knowing the “who done it” didn’t detract from the draw to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Most of the way through there aren’t too many twists that you don’t see coming because you are reading it from the point of view of the killer, however, there is a big one right in the final section of the book that I didn’t see coming which was a very nice surprise. I will say however, there were times that I was slightly uncomfortable with the portrayal of Anya’s mental health, but at the same time it was a really interesting element that I think it was required - do stick with it, it does all come full circle in the end.

We are always told not to judge a book by its cover but when the cover draws you in like that of #FashionVictim why should you not?! Luckily the story is even better than the cover so you will not be disappointed. If you haven’t already read this, I would highly recommend that you do, especially before they make it into a movie (or TV show). I do hope this is just the first of a series of books on Anya, the fashion world and the friendship that she has at the end (I don’t want to spoil it for you!).

A big thank you to Netgalley and crooked lane books for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book. It was NOT at all like I expected it to be lol but it was actually really good!
This was my first book by this author.. It was slow paced but it was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
4.5 star rating!

Absolutely loved this book. I was expecting a lot of fluff but boy was I wrong. Totally twisted and engrossing.

TENS ACROSS THE BOARD.

Holy SHIT. this is THE year for awesomely psychotic (and fashionable) serial killer books. first #Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil (which i loved, see review at our blog), and now September's #fashionvictim. Anya St Clair would do ANYTHING to be best friends with Sarah Taft -- even if it means killing anyone who gets in her way.

Guys, this book was amazing from start to finish. Snarky AF, Anya is deliciously delusional. The body count keeps rising as she fights to get a promotion at LA VIE, the magazine where she works. I loved her conversations with Dr. M. I loved her fantasized relationship with the detective investigating the murders. I loved that the people she killed kept showing up every where she went (especially Mulberry....!). Seriously, if Dexter were a woman who loved fashion -- you'd have Anya St. Clair. She's 100 percent diabolical and someone you do NOT want to cross.

If you're looking for an engrossing, not so much of a mystery but murder book -- THIS IS FOR YOU. also, i love Jack. he's so freaking shady!