Couldn’t put this book down! I love reading the perspective of the antagonist in books. This book had me laughing and shaking my head at the same time. It was hard to feel sorry for any of the characters as they were all so self absorbed but that is why I enjoyed reading the book so much.

Working in fashion, there’s so much to do. Plan the next spread, choose people to photograph, kill so and so, find the next blogger to work with, the list goes on. How Anya can fit it all in is a mystery!

But Anya doesn’t have everything she wants. Not like Sarah Taft.

When Anya starts to work at La Vie, funny things start happening and when the first body turns up, terror ensues. Who has it out for the people at La Vie? Is anyone safe?

So well written that I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened to Anya, I had to know about the people being murdered and about the friendship “blossoming” between Anya and Sarah. It’s addictive and so well written. It makes you constantly question the sanity of the characters involved. Would highly recommend!!

A darkly thrilling take on the fashion world, #FashionVictim is Heathers meets The Devil Wears Prada..

Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything.

Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend.

But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead.

I was really torn while reading this book and even now as to whether or not I enjoyed it. I will say the plot is interesting, with some fun twists along the way. But the formatting of the book was really off - I'm not sure if that was intentional or not - but it definitely detracted from my overall reading enjoyment.

If you can get past the difficulty of actually reading the book, you do uncover a storyline that delivers on the Heathers meets The Devil Wears Prada vibe promised in the summary of the book. I give this book a solid 3 out of 5, which could be bumped up to a 4 if not for the difficulty of actually reading the words on the pages due to bad formatting.

So this was a DNF for me, i got about 20% of the way through and couldn’t read anymore. It started off well, seemed like a good light hearted read but after getting further into it, i just couldn’t. I was bored and even the text talk was starting to grate on me. This for me had the potential to be a book that i would really have enjoyed but, unfortunately, it just wasn’t.

This was a good read and despite knowing who the killer was from the start, there were enough twists to hold my interest and still provide the shock factor especially towards the end. None of the characters were particularly likeable but it appears to be the authors conscious decision to show the worse sides to everyone and the struggle to maintain ethics and morality when in a cut-throat business. Overall, I would recommend this to those wanting a book that you don't have to take too seriously and to read quickly.

I know that a lot of people loved this book, Unfortunately it was a miss for me. I wanted a little more humor and a few less murders.

e-ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for a review.

TW: fatphobia & fat-shaming, racism, intrusive thoughts, graphic descriptions of violence, murder & gore.

This book was.....unsettling. Not that that's a bad thing, because I have a feeling that was exactly what the author was aiming for. It was a book I very much enjoyed, and I do think that it is a worthy read. However, I would like to preface that I wasn't exactly fond of the fact that the book had no content & trigger warnings when I think that there were a lot of content in the book that could be triggering for a lot of readers. With that said, readers of the book, let me know if I missed any TWs in the beginning of this review.

I've seen several reviews about this book saying that it is 'damaging' and makes fun of marginalised groups, and while I do agree that it can be triggering, personally I never saw this book as an attack to any marginalised groups. Rather, this book is meant to be a satirical commentary towards the hostility the fashion industry displays against these marginalised groups. Given that Akhtar herself is a WOC who worked in the fashion industry, I don't think she would purposely hurt her readers.

Anyways, with that out of the way, I will say that I enjoyed the book. I finished it pretty fast, and despite its heavy themes and dark plotline, it felt like a light read to me just because of how fast I could get through it. #FashionVictim follows the story of Anya St. Clair, a fashion editor with high ambitions who will stop at nothing until she is at the top of the ladder and 'belongs' in the industry. Without giving out spoilers, Anya is honest to god such an unsettling and terrifying main character. While I empathised with her in some ways ( i.e. Akhtar makes some pretty good points on intrusive thoughts via Anya ), she definitely was NOT someone who I would root her. Despite that, I think that being frustrated with her and being absolutely terrified by her was what made the story.

I think that other than the lack of trigger warnings, I also had a bit of an issue with the wording of some of the sentences. There was a lot of use of terms like 'OMG' & "WTF', which I didn't mind too much, but some of the excessive abbreviations ( especially when not done in a dialogue context ) took me out of it for a bit. However, in the grand scheme of things, I'd say that that is pretty minor compared to how fun of a read this book was.

This was a good, high-fashion crime read, and if you love a good murder plot in the midst of a fashion magazine with a LOT of subtle digs and commentary at the real world fashion industry, this is for you.

Also that ending? That gave me chills. I wonder what that meant....

Have you ever daydreamed about a mash-up between The Devil Wears Prada and American Psycho? Me neither, but I tell you what: it really, really works.

This book is so far out of my wheelhouse. I hated American Psycho so much (don’t trust a boyfriend who says it’s his favourite book – blech), but I’m always intrigued by unreliable narrators, and I loved The Devil Wears Prada, so my curiosity got the better of me when it came to #FashionVictim. I was a little worried in the opening chapter that it would be too graphic for me, but in the end I found even the murders much less disturbing than I thought I would. The story is utterly compelling and I had to force myself to put it down to go to sleep!

The cut-throat world of fashion magazines is a great setting for a murder mystery, but a mystery this is not. We know from the very beginning that Anya, our protagonist, is completely unhinged and responsible for the deaths. What keeps the story rolling along is Anya’s voice, which is fascinating – friendly, but psychotic. She’s a wonderful study in unreliability, and I was thrilled to watch her justify her actions. You’re not exactly rooting for her, but you’re fascinated and can’t look away.

The violence here is mainly directed against women, but it lacks the sexual overtones that made American Psycho so disgusting to me. Anya kills out of jealousy, insecurity, a misguided need for love – she felt very real to me. I liked the use of the psychiatrist sessions to highlight how very subconsciously aware she was of her own issues. She’s pretty unapologetic, but weirdly understandable? The fashion world makes so little sense that amping the bitch-fighting up to Level: Murder just works – it kind of makes you wonder how Andy never went mental and smashed Miranda Priestly’s head in.

I also loved the cutting take-downs of social media and bloggers. I used to be a fashion blogger. I know that shit. No one ever tried to murder me, but damn was it competitive and jealous. Anya uses Instagram and Twitter as a vital tool in her plans to deflect suspicion, and it added a lot of dark humour to the situation.

Basically, it’s fun. Dark, witty, murdery fun. It would make a really great Netflix series, in the vein of Santa Clarita Diet. Four out of five stars for sure!

PS. I’m pleased to report no nightmares last night, so it passes my scare test!

This book was good stuff. Murder, obsession, black comedy, girls in cat fights, competive spirits turned deadly, the fashion industry and its exclusivity. For a debut novel, #FashionVictim, was a winner for me! I love the title being a hashtag too, that so modern and eye catching! 💋

#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

A thrill ride with a different take on the genre, this book pulls no punches when telling the story of Anya and her determination to make a successful career in the fashion industry, and to make Sarah her new BFF.

I read this in a little over 24 hours, and really, really enjoyed it. Anya is a great narrator with her thought processes throughout showing how she justifies everything, and how she views the world. She is the very definition of an unreliable narrator, and reading her viewpoint makes for some disturbing reading. The way in which she plans things out is cunning and you (sometimes) can't help but support her (even though we know she is in the wrong). Considering the amount of death in this book, it manages to give enough information without going into too much detail, and it doesn't dwell too long on what is going on during those scenes.

Anya is definitely an interesting character, well thought out and very easy to read about. The rest of the characters are just as multi-dimensional and the fact that we see them through a killer's eyes does nothing to detract from the fact that they are well thought out and portrayed characters. I was particularly in love with Zhazha, Jack and Detective Hopper.


The book moves at a cracking pace, and the ending is absolutely diabolical but ties in really well with the rest of the book. All in all a fun read for those who love Dexter.

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!

3.75 to 4 Stars. I was provided this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

#FashionVictim is the story Anya and her climb to the top of the fashion ladder. She has a job in the fashion industry, great clothes, and her best friend Sarah. Anya dreams of being just like Sarah, who is a cookie cutter cut out of everything the fashion industry is and Anya would kill to be in that kind of position.

This book knew exactly my kind of humor. It is equal parts The Devil Wears Prada, Heathers, and American Psycho but so much better than it sounds. I went into this book with pretty low expectations but I was more than pleasantly surprised after reading this. This is a book I would buy all my friends that have the same somewhat dark sense of humor I do.

As far as things I didn't like about this book, there were a couple of slow parts that dragged a bit. A lot of this book is what Anya is thinking and how she sees the world and there would be blocks of passages that just seem to go on forever. That isn't necessarily terrible, it is just the parts with action were so much better that any time the book slowed down, it seemed to really slow down. That is really my only complaint. I have already recommended this book to people and it hasn't even come out yet! This is definitely one you don't want to miss because it is so unique and different.

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.